If you want to dispose of your documents safely, then a paper shredder is an ideal product for you. Whether you dispose of professional or personal documents, your data will always be protected with a paper shredder. Also, paper shredders come in different options for different applications. Therefore, you should consider certain things before buying a paper shredder for your usages. You can look for different paper shredders and then decide which one will meet your needs. If you don’t have any idea what to consider in a paper shredder, then you can consider the following things before buying a paper shredder for your application.
Table of Contents
1. Paper Handling Capacity:
Each paper shredder has a paper handling capacity that defines the number of papers it can shred at a time. Some paper shredders can handle a few papers while some other shredders can handle papers in bulk. If you need a paper shredder for your home usages, then you can use a paper shredder with a small amount of paper shredding capacity. Also, small paper shredders can be used in small offices conveniently.
High shredding capacity paper shredders can be used for large offices that dispose of lots of papers in a day. Also, your needs for shredding the papers may vary every day. Therefore, you can consider your maximum and minimum shredding requirements and choose the ideal paper shredder for your application.
2. Shredding Power And Speed:
Another important point to consider in a paper shredder is the power required for the machine to run. The shredding speed of the paper shredder depends upon the power requirements of the machine. Undoubtedly, high power paper shredders offer high shredding speed, and low power paper shredders offer normal shredding speed. So, a low power paper shredder is ideal for home usages, while high power paper shredder is ideal for commercial usages.
3. Bin Size:
Paper shredders come with removable bins to store the shredded paper. When the bin gets filled with shredded paper, you need to empty the bin. The storage capacity of these removable bins defines in what time interval you can empty the bin. If you choose a paper shredder with a large bin, then that can last for a long time before you empty it. Also, some paper shredders come with indicator lights to let you know when the bin gets filled.
While checking the bin size, you can also check the style of the bin you need for your office or home. If you buy a freestanding model, then you can use the shredder anywhere conveniently. Also, you can buy a wastebasket or drawer style paper shredder for ease of use.
4. What Other Things It Can Shred Excluding Paper:
In your daily life, you need to dispose of many things apart from papers. Things such as optical discs, credit and debit cards, posters & media files, etc. contain valuable information and need to be destroyed like papers. High power paper shredders can destroy these items easily. Also, the paper clips and staples attached to the paper can get disposed of by using a high power shredder. Before buying a paper shredder online, you can consider what things you need to destroy and what things that shredder can handle, excluding papers for ease of use.
5. Noise:
Noise is also an important thing to consider while buying a low-cost paper shredder. Usually, paper shredders can produce lots of noise during the operation. If you use a noisy paper shredder in the office, then that can create disturbance in your work area. So, you can look for a paper shredder that includes a quiet motor so that you can use that in the office environment conveniently.
6. Cutting Style:
Different paper shredders can cut the papers in different styles. Also, the level of security varies according to the styles of cutting. Generally, you can find the paper shredders in three cutting styles, strip cutting, cross-cutting, and micro-cutting.
=> Strip cutting shredders offer fast operation compared to other cutting styles. Nowadays, these types of shredders are not frequently used because they offer lower security compared to other cutting styles.
=> Cross-cutting shredders offer medium security and are the best option for many users. But those who need to trash their documents with high safety may not like to use these types of shredders.
=> Micro-cutting shredders are highly secured and can trash your documents safely. These shredders can cut the papers into very small pieces to keep your documents safe. If you need the safest paper shredder for your home and business, then you can consider using a micro-cutting paper shredder.
7. Safety Features:
Whether you use the paper shredder in office or home, you should consider what safety features that machine can offer. Some paper shredders come with safety locks that lock the machine to avoid unauthorized usages. Also, these types of shredders don’t allow the children and pets to open the machine during the operation to keep them safe from getting injured.
Some paper shredders also include safety sensors for secure operation. The safety sensor turns off the machine if anything inappropriate happens nearby to it. Because of this feature, you can ensure that the shredder is switched off whenever ant child or pet comes in contact with it.
8. Jam Factor:
Jams are usual with paper shredders, as these machines shred a high amount of paper daily. Also, the jamming of paper can make the paper shredding process slower. Therefore, some paper shredders come with jam sensors to prevent paper jams. The jam sensors can sense the amount of paper inserted into the machine and detect an overload. It can also remove the jammed paper to smoothen the shredding operation.
Conclusion:
A paper shredder can help you in keeping your documents secure after disposing of also. With a paper shredder, you can trash all kinds of documents with ease. However, when it comes to choosing the right paper shredder for your application, you may be overwhelmed. In that case, you can consider the above things before buying a paper shredder.
