Standard Sheet Capacity: Large jobs will take less time when you can feed a shredder more sheets at one time. Most shredders can handle multiple sheets at once. But this number-of-sheets varies from model to model. And overall thickness matters—Sheets which are folded in half or are extra thick will cut this rating in half. This model can handle only up to 8 sheets, below average.
Security (Shred Size): How finely a shredder can shred paper is a key spec. Small shreds make it impractical for someone to read or piece together your sensitive information. The manufacturer claims this model provides a P-4 security level. In our test, the shreds from this model were approximately 1.2-inch long, which earns it a mediocre security score.
Speed: For big jobs, a faster model will save you a significant amount of time. We tested its speed two ways: 10 individual pages—this model needed a total of 44 seconds; and one stack of 8 pages, stapled together—this model took 6 seconds. These fast figures award this model an excellent speed score.
Noise: Paper shredders are generally noisy when shredding, but some are a bit quieter. This model's measurement was about average.
Convenience Features: The waste bin holds up to 4.4 gallons, a moderate size. The manufacturer claims this model can run and shred continuously for 6 minutes until it must stop and cool down before continuing—In our "overheat time" test, we continuously fed it 8-sheet stacks; it ran for 2 minutes before stopping, which is relatively brief. The transparent window allows you to see how full the bin is. Besides paper, it can also shred credit cards, staples, and paper clips. The warranty on this model is 12 months in general, and 36 months for the cutting blades. The manufacturer claims this model has been UL-safety tested.
