Paper Shredders information

Several online articles discuss the reasons why paper shredders have become a necessary item for most households.

At the website Fighting Back Against Identity Theft, the Federal Trade Commission describes what documents to shred in "Deter: Minimize Your Risk."

At the Chicago Tribune, Eileen Ambrose interviews experts about shredders and identity theft in "ID Thefts Put Shredder Sales on a Tear."

At MSNBC.com, technology correspondent Bob Sullivan discusses compliance with a law requiring the destruction of documents containing other people's personal information in "Got a Nanny? You Need a Shredder."

Office shredders

For offices with extensive paper-shredding needs, heavy duty shredders are a better option. While a small home shredder may only allow up to 400 sheets per day, the highest capacity shredders allow from 12,000 sheets to two tons of paper per day, allowing up to 100 sheets to pass through at once. Prices can range from $3,900 to $12,000, and most include an automatic document feeder. The Dahle 20390 High Capacity Shredder (*est. $3,900) has a 60-sheet capacity, a 50-gallon waste bin and a level two security rating. The 20390 is a strip shredder, so if you require the additional security of a cross-cut shredder, consider the 20396 (*est. $4,500) from Dahle. The Dahle 20396 has a level three security rating, shreds 40 sheets at a time and has a 50-gallon waste bin. Both of these shredders weigh 400 pounds. For even more power, the Dahle 20453 High Capacity Shredder (*est. $9,750) has an 85-sheet capacity, 50-gallon bin and a level three security rating. It weighs 750 pounds.

If your business literally has tons of shredding to do, a professional paper-shredding service may be a good option. You can hire a service to destroy your documents through shredding, shredding and recycling, or burning. Some services provide you with a locked security container which they will pick up once filled. You can choose a mobile shredding service where the bin's contents are shredded at your doorstep. The other option is an off-site service where the bin is taken to the company's facilities for shredding. Many city and county governments are now occasionally offering free "document demolition" shredding days as a service to their citizens.

Tips and a buyer's guide for paper shredders are included in The Boston Globe article "There's a shredder for every security need." The product picks are outdated, but the general advice is still useful. For example, the article reports that people quickly become frustrated with light-duty shredders since they can only handle a couple of pages at a time.

Manufacturers' websites have detailed specifications for paper shredders:

Alera Technologies

Aurora

Dahle

Fellowes

HSM

Royal

Office-supply stores now have their own house-brand paper shredders:

Staples (Executive brand shredders)

Office Depot (Ativa brand)

Office Max (Tech Solutions brand)