If your home office needs a shredder, a desktop shredder is perfect for single person use. Here are tips to choose the best shredder.
The average household throws away 13,000 individual sheets of paper each year. The majority of this waste is made up of junk mail and packaging.
A better option than the landfill is to recycle all this paper. However, what about documents from your home office with sensitive or personal information?
For these situations, having a quality desktop shredder is essential.
With a shredder, you can easily destroy documents with personal information and send what remains off to the recycling plant without fear of your information being stolen.
Now, the question you have to answer is - "which desktop shredder is right for you?"
Here you can learn about the options available and then make a decision based on facts and your needs.
Desktop Shredder Options
When you're ready to purchase a shredder, the first thing you have to consider is what type of shredder you want to purchase. For paper shredding, there are a few options:
Strip Cut Shredders
Also called spaghetti-cut or straight-cut shredders are the most common option you will find. These do just as the name implies: slices the paper into thin, long strips.
These can typically handle a larger amount of paper and have low-maintenance needs.
Cross-Cut Shredders
This type of shredder provides additional security by cutting the paper horizontally and vertically. Essentially, the shredder creates paper confetti.
The bad news is that these machines typically require more maintenance and cost more.
Desktop Shredder Features to Consider
Once you have decided on the type of shredder you want, it's time to think about features. You will find that different shredders offer different features. Some of the things to consider include the following:
Capacity and Volume
You can easily burn out your shredder if you overwork it. If you are a low-volume user, then a personal shredder can handle about 50 sheets per day.
If you need a higher volume shredder, then a desktop shredder may not be right for you.
In regard to volume, look for something that can handle 10 to 15 pieces of paper at a time.
Shred Speed
The speed of the shredder also needs to be considered. If you have large amounts of paper to dispose of, you need a shredder with a higher feet per minute rate.
Safety Features
The majority of shredders available today include certain safeguards. One is slim paper intake slots, and switches in the back to make sure you don't accidentally turn the shredder on.
Some of the higher-end shredders even offer safety sensors that shut the machine off automatically if a person's hand or finger comes in contact with the feed slot.
Choose the Right Shredder for Your Needs
As you can see, there are quite a few things to consider when selecting a desktop shredder. Don't rush into this decision, as you may not get the machine you really need.
If you are ready to buy a shredder or just want to learn more, visit our website or contact our staff. We are here to help.