There are many people who have an office at home and do a lot of work. The work carries official and personalized information. Also, plenty of waste paper accumulates from the kid’s homework to junk mail. The paper pile from this home office grows deeper. Security calls for shredding much of this paperwork. This means that it needs to be discarded lest thieves attempt maliciously plot. Thus the papers should be sliced into fine particles, which are not readable or able to be reorganized and leaked to cause unnecessary damage. A person may be looking for a shredder which will have the best balance of features, performance and price. Here’s what to check for in Home shredders:
Volume and Capacity
When feeding lots of paper into a shredder, it is very easy to burn out. Thus, for low volume requirements associated with Home shredders is just fine. They are designed for 50 sheets per day. They are able to handle 2 to 10 sheets of papers per pass. If the workload is heavy, then it’s important to look beyond the 2 to 10 sheets of papers at a time. A shred volume of between 10-15 sheets will be the best in this instance.
Strip-cut
This type of shredder works by slicing the papers into long thin strips. You can handle a higher volume of paperwork with very minimum maintenance needs. When the strips are narrower, they provide better security. However, it will be worth noting that usage of this shredder requires a larger basket or frequent emptying will be very important. The main casue is that the strips will not compress very well.
Cross-cut
Cross-cut shredders usually cut the papers horizontally and vertically providing more security. The papers appear as confetti-like pieces. The papers compress better allowing the basket to hold more than in a strip-cut. The biggest disadvantage is that it requires more maintenance.
The Throat
The shredder should have an opening, large enough to feed and accommodate the size of papers you always deal with. When the papers are bigger and the throat is small, then folding the papers will be necessary.
Extra Features
The Home shredders come with various combinations of features.
- Auto start. The machine starts automatically when the papers are fed. The cutters are carefully placed not to get stray fingers.
- Auto stop. When the device experiences paper jam, it stops automatically. It will also stop functioning if there are no papers.
- Bin safety flap. When the shredder gets full, this feature closes the bin immediately.
- Bin top interlock. The cutters inside are able to function when the bin top is on.
Integrated Units
Some of the shredders come with built-in baskets or racks for plastic bags but cost more than the stand-alone versions. They come in different shapes and sizes, making it easier to choose preferences. Unfortunately, you will be tied with using a particular size of basket.
When it comes to supplies, some manufacturers advise using shredder bags. On keeping the machine working, apply oil to the blades regularly.