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 up to 14 sheets, better than 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-3 security level. In our test, the shreds from this model were approximately 3-inch long, which earns it a low 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 42 seconds; and one stack of 14 pages, stapled together—this model took 9 seconds. These fairly quick results award this model a very good speed score. And while we didn't score this, we timed its ability to shred a CD at 4 seconds.
Noise: Paper shredders are generally noisy when shredding, but some are a bit quieter. This model's measurement was a bit on the high, louder side.
Convenience Features: This model is relatively well-featured. The waste bin holds up to 6.6 gallons, a generous size. The manufacturer claims this model can run and shred continuously for 5 minutes until it must stop and cool down before continuing—In our "overheat time" test it ran the full 30 minutes, non-stop, as we continuously fed it 14-sheet stacks, which is excellent. The transparent window allows you to see how full the bin is. The carrying handle helps you grab hold to lift and carry the shredder. Besides paper, it can also shred credit cards, optical discs like CDs and DVDs, staples, and paper clips. The manufacturer claims this model has been ETL-safety tested.
