Best Paper Shredders

Cross-cut paper shredders are the best value

There are two types of home and small-office paper shredders. Strip-cut shredders cut paper into long strips. This type of shredder is considered much less secure than cross-cut paper shredders, which also chop paper crosswise into confetti. Reviews recommend skipping strip-cut paper shredders entirely. Reviews say cross-cut shredders, which have come down in price, are vastly more secure.

Cross-cut paper shredders -- also called confetti-cut shredders -- cut documents in two directions, chomping them into confetti-like pieces, greatly reducing the chances of the document being pieced back together. By far, cross-cut models are the most recommended in paper shredder reviews. Staples and paper clips are no longer a problem for most shredders. Almost any paper shredder can hack through these.

In tests, experts at Which? select the Fellowes Powershred DS-1 (*Est. $110) as the best paper shredder for most home offices. Editors at Good Housekeeping call it their "runaway favorite." Testers say the Fellowes DS-1 shreds quickly (one page in less than three seconds) and the 4.75-gallon bin uses a step-can lever that makes emptying easier. The Powershred DS-1 shredder is rated for 11 sheets (although five sheets is more realistic). It handles up to 220 sheets per day and has a child-resistant feature that automatically stops shredding when touched. Reviewers say this model handles paper clips, staples and credit cards with no trouble.

Owners posting comments to Amazon.com and Epinions.com give the Fellowes Powershred DS-1 good reviews overall. For quite a few reviewers, however, this shredder stops working after a few months. According to users who spoke with Fellowes' customer service, the controller card can burn out due to overload if the machine is used continuously for more than five minutes. The DS-1 comes with a one-year warranty, and most reviewers at Amazon.com report positive experiences with Fellowes customer service. Several reviewers complain that the machine is too noisy. Most are pleased with the waste bin, which can be removed from the unit to easily dispose of the paper. One owner at Amazon.com points out that you can line the waste bin with plastic grocery bags for easy dumping - no special liners or bags are required.

Fellowes also sells a seemingly similar model, the Fellowes Powershred DS-2 (*Est. $105), but this shredder is actually quite different. The DS-2 is only rated for eight sheets (perhaps two sheets realistically) at a time and can run continuously for about half the time of the DS-1. In addition, the DS-2 does not offer the nice step-can levered waste bin that reviewers love on the Powershred DS-1. Both the DS-1 and DS-2 come with a five-year warranty on the cutting blades. They have the same SafeSense feature that turns off the blades if the paper entry slot is touched.

If you need a heavier-duty paper shredder, the Fellowes Powershred SB-97Cs (*Est. $180) can handle up to 17 pages at a time, or up to 1,700 pages in one day. Reviews praise the heavy-duty metal gears (many lighter-duty models use plastic gears instead). The Fellowes SB-97Cs also has a safety feature that turns off shredding if the paper-entry slot is touched. It has a 10-gallon bin and chews easily through paper, unopened junk mail, credit cards and paper clips. It also has a designated slot for CDs and DVDs. The shredder shuts off automatically and an alarm sounds when a jam occurs, if the door is ajar or the basket is full. Testers like this shredder's narrow design that fits in tight spaces. This model also has casters for mobility. Owners also say this model is remarkably quiet. Fellowes offers a one-year warranty on the entire shredder and seven years on the cutter blades.