4 ms·

Can anyone recommend a shredder that's really, really good? I love my ScanSnap, but I can't find a shredder of comparable quality to handle the leftovers. I ha

Can anyone recommend a shredder that's really, really good? I love my ScanSnap, but I can't find a shredder of comparable quality to handle the leftovers. I have seen the junk they have at OfficeMax, and it's just not adequate. I'm looking for something that is heavy-duty enough that I can shred at least 10 sheets at a time, and won't break or burn out for a very long time. It would be nice if it was quiet-ish, but I'm flexible on this point.

smackfu 15y ago
Do you want to keep the price down too? Because for $500 or so there are professional shredders that meet these needs. It's just that the home office market doesn't really need a 10 sheet shredder. I will agree that there are times you really need a volume shredder. If I keep up on it, it's not so bad, but if you have half a box full, it's so daunting. I usually just bring it to my office and dump it in the secure trash at that point.
- phren0logy 15y ago
  Yeah, professional tools cost professional money, but I was hoping there was something in the middle. The ScanSnap equivalent of a shredder -- the pro versions of sheet-feed scanners are several thousand dollars at least. Is there a similar value shredder? Maybe I was over-thinking it with 10 sheets. My desire is to shred junk mail without the indignity of having to open even the fattest faux-hand-addressed envelopes.
  - jamesbkel 15y ago
    >My desire is to shred junk mail without the indignity of having to open even the fattest faux-hand-addressed envelopes. My strategy for this is to keep a bucket of that crap and shred every 6 months or so at a pro location. I've considered pulping the docs myself (mostly out of curiosity in the process), but from what I can tell, pragmatically it's more work than it is worth.
  - catch23 15y ago
    I have a $250 Fellowes MS-460C shredder that does this well. Handles 10 sheets in the normal shredder, or spam mail with CDs inside the envelope for the heavy duty shredder. I can throw my junk mail without opening them in the heavy duty shredder entry without worrying about those plastic fake credit cards advertisers sometimes send. Here's a similar model: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16846101037 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16846101...
    - phren0logy 15y ago
      Thanks, that's just the sort of advice I was looking for.
  - lepton 15y ago
    Why do you shred junk mail? Does it contain any information that isn't already public?
    - phren0logy 15y ago
      Mostly I need to shred credit card and other financial offers, to make sure nobody else tries to fill them out for me.
      - smackfu 15y ago
        Yeah, cash advance checks are evil junk mail that the banks like to send every month.
mahyarm 15y ago
I'd just go to a 'vending-machine' style shredder. For a aligned pile of flat paper that you can just slide in they work very very fast. (They're absolutely horrible for receipts even if you align them due to the entry way being too thin) Accumulate a pile of several hundred papers, go to the machine and shred it in a couple of minutes and be done with it.
ChuckMcM 15y ago
I've found that printing places have industrial shredders. And going paperless like this has a high initial load (lots of paper) followed by low load (incremental). If you are just dealing with the first surge then consider asking a Kinko's or equivalent like place if they will shred it for you. There are also professional shredding services that might give you a one-off deal which will be less than an industrial shredder.
- runjake 15y ago
  Most local credit unions and some banks have free, periodic "Shred-a-thons" in your local area. You can pull up, dump your to-be-shreddeds into a bin and drive off (or, if you're like me, ask them to shred it right then and there).
  - jamesbkel 15y ago
    I've done similar, but just want to reiterate: >if you're like me, ask them to shred it right then and there

smackfu 15y ago

Do you want to keep the price down too? Because for $500 or so there are professional shredders that meet these needs. It's just that the home office market doesn't really need a 10 sheet shredder. I will agree that there are times you really need a volume shredder. If I keep up on it, it's not so bad, but if you have half a box full, it's so daunting. I usually just bring it to my office and dump it in the secure trash at that point.

phren0logy 15y ago
Yeah, professional tools cost professional money, but I was hoping there was something in the middle. The ScanSnap equivalent of a shredder -- the pro versions of sheet-feed scanners are several thousand dollars at least. Is there a similar value shredder? Maybe I was over-thinking it with 10 sheets. My desire is to shred junk mail without the indignity of having to open even the fattest faux-hand-addressed envelopes.
- jamesbkel 15y ago
  >My desire is to shred junk mail without the indignity of having to open even the fattest faux-hand-addressed envelopes. My strategy for this is to keep a bucket of that crap and shred every 6 months or so at a pro location. I've considered pulping the docs myself (mostly out of curiosity in the process), but from what I can tell, pragmatically it's more work than it is worth.
- catch23 15y ago
  I have a $250 Fellowes MS-460C shredder that does this well. Handles 10 sheets in the normal shredder, or spam mail with CDs inside the envelope for the heavy duty shredder. I can throw my junk mail without opening them in the heavy duty shredder entry without worrying about those plastic fake credit cards advertisers sometimes send. Here's a similar model: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16846101037 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16846101...
  - phren0logy 15y ago
    Thanks, that's just the sort of advice I was looking for.
- lepton 15y ago
  Why do you shred junk mail? Does it contain any information that isn't already public?
  - phren0logy 15y ago
    Mostly I need to shred credit card and other financial offers, to make sure nobody else tries to fill them out for me.
    - smackfu 15y ago
      Yeah, cash advance checks are evil junk mail that the banks like to send every month.

mahyarm 15y ago

I'd just go to a 'vending-machine' style shredder. For a aligned pile of flat paper that you can just slide in they work very very fast. (They're absolutely horrible for receipts even if you align them due to the entry way being too thin) Accumulate a pile of several hundred papers, go to the machine and shred it in a couple of minutes and be done with it.

ChuckMcM 15y ago

I've found that printing places have industrial shredders. And going paperless like this has a high initial load (lots of paper) followed by low load (incremental). If you are just dealing with the first surge then consider asking a Kinko's or equivalent like place if they will shred it for you. There are also professional shredding services that might give you a one-off deal which will be less than an industrial shredder.

runjake 15y ago
Most local credit unions and some banks have free, periodic "Shred-a-thons" in your local area. You can pull up, dump your to-be-shreddeds into a bin and drive off (or, if you're like me, ask them to shred it right then and there).
- jamesbkel 15y ago
  I've done similar, but just want to reiterate: >if you're like me, ask them to shred it right then and there