Affordable price tag
Shreds batches quickly
Small enough to tuck under your desk
Takes two hands to separate the shredder from the collection bin
Small sheet and bin capacities
Incapable of shredding CDs and DVDs
Design
Setup Process
Performance
Bin Size and Handling
Shredding Non-Paper Items
Noise
Price
Competition
Final Verdict
Specs
Information security is more important now than ever before, and securing your financial and personal details doesn’t end with choosing strong passwords online. Every time you throw out papers that contain sensitive information like your social security number, credit card numbers, bank accounts, or anything else of importance, you run the risk of that information falling into the wrong hands.
Design: Small, but powerful enough to get the job done
The shredder takes design cues from the classic budget-priced shredders that are designed to sit on top of a wastepaper basket, with the caveat that this particular shredder only works with the collection bin that it comes with. Aside from the fact it’s sized to fit the bin perfectly, it’s also limited by a safety switch that triggers to prevent it from working outside of the bin. That’s a good thing because the shredding blades are completely exposed every time you remove the shredder from the collection bin. With the safety switch implemented, your fingers are safe if you forget to turn the shredder off or unplug it before emptying the bin.
With the safety switch implemented, your fingers are safe if you forget to turn the shredder off or unplug it before emptying the bin.
Setup Process: Set it and forget it
With the shredder assembled and plugged in, all you have to do is flip the control switch to the auto position. That’s really all it takes, and the shredder is ready for use. If you periodically shred a lot of documents, you can leave the control switch in the auto position rather than turning it off. This allows you to slide documents in whenever you want.
In terms of shred size, this is a cross-cut shredder. That means instead of creating long strips, it cuts the strips into smaller chunks, which makes it more difficult for someone to reassemble a document later. Each shred is about 7/32 inches wide and 1 27/32 inches long, which isn’t bad for a shredder this small and affordable. It’s fine for both home and home office uses, but it definitely won’t cut it for more sensitive information like medical data or government documents.
When feeding six or fewer sheets at a time, it works quickly and with very little protest.
Bin Size and Handling: Too small for big jobs
The tradeoff of compact size is a correspondingly small collection bin. After just a few minutes of use, the 3.8-gallon collection bin was already more than half full. That’s fine for occasional use, but if you shred a lot of documents on a regular basis, expect frequent breaks to empty the bin. It also takes two hands to separate the bin from the shredder, but the bin itself is small enough that it’s very easy to handle even when it’s completely full.
Shredding Non-Paper Items: Handles regular credit cards with ease
Noise: You can definitely tell when it’s running
Price: Affordable cross-cut security
Competition: Lacks the security of micro-cut and can’t handle disc media
Want to read more about other models? Check out our list of the best paper shredders available now.
An affordable (and basic) way to shred sensitive documents at home.
