Paper Shredders Are for Everyone

There is a huge variety of shredders on the market for almost every shredding purpose one could think of! There are household small shredders for the occasional pieces of paper and receipts or junk mail. There are cardboard shredders, medium duty shredders, heavy duty shredders, shredders that separate, shredders that have conveyor belts, shredders for casino chips, shredders for government documents, and shredders for pharmaceutical use.

There is one type of industrial paper shredder that costs $33,000, has a 10 horse power motor, and can shred up to 450 sheets per pass at 50 feet per minute! Not your average everyday household volume of paper! Pharmaceutical shredders can cost as much as $30,000 and have a 5.5kw motor. The bigger shredders, of course, have bigger uses for their massive power. They're capable of shredding hard drives, floppy disks, zip disks, pharmacy bottles, and phone books. We're not talking about one phone book; we're talking about stacks of phone books. While some of these huge shredders are capable of shredding 24 hours a day, 5 days a week, the average household shredder is capable of shredding only a few sheets of paper and might have a run time of only a few minutes.

Who makes paper shredders? Fellowes is a well-known brand of paper shredder. Some other names in the business are Dahle, Aurora, Staples, and Kobra. You can find a paper shredder at any home office supply store, but make sure you know what questions to ask before you purchase one.

What type of results will you want from your paper shredder? Will you be using it for crafts purposes or just to get rid of the occasional overload of old paperwork from your files or your junk mail? Will you want to carry it with you when you travel? What size shredder do you need? Where will you place your shredder after purchase? Can you store your shredder safely away from small children? Buying a shredder doesn't have to be a complicated process, just one that is well thought out.

Remember that your shredder does have its limitations. It may be tempting to buy the cheapest, smallest shredder on the market; but if it doesn't suit your needs, it's just a waste of time and money. Small shredders must have time to cool their motors between uses. They have shorter run times and some won't handle the staples in your papers.

If you'll be allowing your older children to use the shredder, please make sure they know the safety rules and the limitations of the equipment before use. They may need to know how to oil it and how long it can operate before it must be shut off, and how long it must be shut off to cool. They'll need to know how much paper can be fed at once, too.

How wide must your shredder opening be to allow for the type of papers you'll want to shred? Does color matter? Will you need to shred more than just paper? Not all shredders can handle cds and paper clips, etc. Make sure, even if you get a shredder just for paper that you check into its performance history. A shredder that is known to have frequent jams will only cause frustration.

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