What Is The UK’s Best Paper Shredder?
In this guide we’ll look at the best paper shredders.
We’ve compared shred volume, run time, shred size and cost
to give you our top recommendations.
Paper Shredder Reviews
Paper Shredder Buyer’s Guide
A paper shredder is an essential purchase for any home office, allowing you to securely dispose of important documents that may otherwise fall into the wrong hands. Choosing the right paper shredder for your needs can be a little tricky, with such a huge range on the market.
Not sure what to look for when it comes to the best paper shredder? Check out this buyer’s guide.
Shred Volume
The shred volume indicates how much paper you can shred in one go. A paper shredder that shreds one sheet at a time will be very time consuming to use! If you’re shredding high volumes of documents, you’ll need a machine with a higher shredding volume.
Small office shredders may shred up to 15 sheets of paper in one pass, or around 250 sheets a day. Large office shredders can destroy up to 30 sheets of paper per pass, as well as larger items.
Run Time
Paper shredders generate a lot of heat, so they are often turned on for a short period of time and then left for a cool down period. Small office shredders may have a run time of just a couple of minutes. Larger paper shredders may run for up to 30 minutes.
Shred Size
The shred size and type of shred determines the security level of the shredder. Paper shredders with a P-1 security level will shred an A4 piece of paper into approximately 36 even strips. While suitable for shredding everyday wastepaper, this security level isn’t enough for private documents.
For home use, look for a paper shredder with P-3 or P-4 security levels. These shred a sheet of A4 paper into around 400 pieces, making them suitable for confidential documents. The shred size is around 4mm x 35mm, which will make them virtually impossible to assemble and read.
Heavy Duty
Heavy duty shredders will shred more paper in one go and work for longer. Industrial shredders are the heaviest duty, although these are rarely used in the home. Large office shredders can shred up to 1000 sheets a day, and they often come with built-in safety features.
Paper Shredder FAQ
What to look for in a paper shredder?
The first thing to look for in your paper shredder is the type of cut. Strip cut shredders will simply cut documents into strips. If someone wanted to, they could put the strips back together to read the documents, making strip cutters the least secure.
Cross cut shredders will slice documents in two directions which makes them much harder to put back together and read. Crypto cut shredders are often used for government documents. These will shred sheets of paper to smithereens, making them impossible to re-assemble.
The security level is another consideration. P-1 security is suitable for basic everyday documents, while P-7 is for strictly confidential documents, shredding paper into 15000 pieces. Most home shredders have a security level of between P-1 and P-5.
Finally, you should look for ease of use. Those with an auto stop, start and reverse function are the easiest to use and least likely to become blocked.
Conclusion
A paper shredder is a must-have for home offices that get through a lot of paper. For its heavy-duty design, P-4 security level and 100% jam-proof system, the Fellowes Powershred 79Ci Shredder is our top recommendation for the best paper shredder for home office use.