Paper Shredder Review

Paper shredders: easy identity theft protection

Paper shredders are a low-tech way to protect your private data, and you'd be pressed to find any financial or security expert who doesn't recommend buying a paper shredder. However, there are hundreds on the market, ranging in price for home models from around $30 to $300. Professional reviews of paper shredders are scarce, and many are outdated. Some sites that appear to rate shredders do not set forth any testing methodology, and many base their picks solely on shredder specs such as page capacity and cut type. Instead, user reviews at Amazon.com, other retail sites and manufacturers' websites are plentiful and helpful in determining which models shred without jamming. Several paper shredders have accumulated hundreds of owner-written reviews. Since paper jams, messy emptying, noise and burned-out motors are owners' main complaints about paper shredders, user reviews like these are very helpful.

At the time of this report update, Fellowes is experiencing a production issue at its primary manufacturing site in China. As of February 2011, Fellowes has posted an advisory note on its website stating it is unable to produce some of its home office and business paper shredders at this facility, which may result in limited availability. Indeed, the top-rated paper shredder from our last update, the Fellowes Intellishred PS-79Ci, is now completely unavailable -- a shame since it still gets excellent reviews. Fellowes says it expects to have this paper shredder back in stock sometime in the second half of the year.

When deciding between paper shredders, there are some important considerations. Many users say that manufacturers' stated sheet capacities are misleading. Most standard office paper is made of heavier stock, so a paper shredder rated as able to shred eight pages at once might realistically be capable of only shredding four sheets or less of standard paper simultaneously. Hence, a good rule of thumb is to expect half the paper-handling capacity that's stated on the paper shredder's packaging or owner's manual. With cheap shredders, don't feed more than one page at a time, regardless of the manufacturer's stated paper capacity. Note also that only more powerful paper shredders can successfully handle unopened junk mail.

Digital identity theft (whereby thieves gain access to your computer, banking or credit card records) gets a lot of press, but the easiest way for criminals to steal personal information such as your name, birth date, credit card numbers or Social Security number is still by poking around in your garbage. Paper shredding is a huge deterrent to this form of identity theft. Although it's technically possible to reassemble some shredded documents, a criminal needs to be very motivated to do so. You can further safeguard discarded sensitive documents by separating shredded paperwork into different bags of trash.

How a paper shredder cuts documents is also a factor in identity protection. There are three types of cuts in home and small-office paper shredders, which are then classified into six levels of security. Level 6 is the most secure and required only for ultra-sensitive documents. Strip-cut shredders cut paper into long strips, and are considered much less secure than cross-cut paper shredders, which also chop paper crosswise into confetti. The width of the strip or size of the confetti determines the paper shredder's security level. Experts say a Level 3 cross-cut is generally sufficient for home and most office use.

Micro-cut shredders are the most secure

Newer to the consumer market are micro-cut shredders, which provide the highest level of security. Although micro-cut models were originally only used by businesses and government entities, there are now several models available for home use. Whereas cross-cut shredders typically cut a sheet of paper into about 400 pieces, a micro-cut shredder will slice a sheet of paper into around 3,000 tiny particles.

Reviews indicate it's probably best to skip strip-cut paper shredders entirely, as cross-cut and micro-cut shredders deliver much better security. Many better-quality shredders can also cut through stapes, paper clips and credit cards, as well as CDs and DVDs.

In 2006, the U.S. government issued a safety alert about home paper shredders after receiving 50 reports of accidents involving them, including finger amputations. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warns that most accidents involve children younger than 5 years old, and advises parents to place shredders out of children's reach and to unplug them when not in use.