Paper Shredder Review

Prevent identity theft but save your fingers

We found the best paper shredder review at Slate.com. Laura Moser tests six home-use paper shredders for capacity, design and efficiency. Moser provides thorough reports on each of the shredders and rates them from worst to best. Which? magazine, the British equivalent of Consumer Reports, has an evaluation of 17 different shredders. Editors also issue security ratings based on attempts to reconstruct the shredded documents. Most of the shredders in this test are not available in the U.S., although units from Fellowes are a notable exception. Choice, an Australian consumer magazine, tests 30 paper shredders, most of which are not available in the U.S.

Despite the attention that identify theft gets in the news, few professional reviewers have covered paper shredders. For that reason, user reviews are very helpful; at Amazon.com, Target, Staples and other retailer websites, several paper shredders have more than 200 owner-written reviews. Since paper jams and burnt-out motors are the main complaints about shredders, those user reviews are very helpful.

Many users report that manufacturers' stated sheet capacity is misleading. You'll see paper shredders boasting the ability to shred eight or 10 sheets at once. However, this specification must be taken with a grain of salt. Most standard office paper is on the heavy side, so a paper shredder rated as able to shred six pages at once might realistically be capable of shredding three sheets or less of standard paper. A good rule of thumb is to expect half the paper-handling capacity that's stated on the paper shredder. For cheap shredders, don't feed more than one page at a time, regardless of the shredder's stated capacity. Only the more substantial shredders can 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 get information like your name, birth date, credit card numbers or Social Security number is by poking around in your garbage. Paper shredding is a huge deterrent. Although it's technically possible to reassemble shredded documents, a criminal has to be pretty motivated. You can further safeguard documents by separating shredded papers into different bags of trash.

In 2006, the government issued a safety alert about home paper shredders after receiving 50 reports of accidents -- including finger amputations -- involving shredders. The warning from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says 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. Some shredders, such as the Fellowes Powershred P-57Cs in ConsumerSearch Best Reviewed, have sensors that automatically stop shredding when the paper slot is touched.