7 Ways to Choose a Paper Shredder

The paper shredder is a popular tool in the office. It is first being patented in 1909. The Germany is the first country to produce it.

The first paper shredder cut the paper with the cross out method. This cross cut still used in the stuff cutter like the old tires until now.

The shredding technology is mostly used to minimizing the space because of the stacking garbage. The garbage that can be cut such as the dry garbage, papers, plastics, rubbers, and other materials.

The paper shredder is works to destroy the unnecessary documents. This machine cost no room, because it only works to destroy paper. Not like any other shredding machine that destroy big things.

The choice of the paper shredder is not hard. The basic things that must to be watched in choosing the paper shredder (and other electronic stuffs) in the adjustment with our budget.

Other than that, there are several things that must be watched in term of chooing the paper shredder, such as:

1. Paper Size

Paper shredder has different designations depending on the size of the paper that will be used frequently. In general, the paper shredder that is often used is A4 size which serves to destroy confidential documents.

However, it is not uncommon for small sized papers such as slips and proof of transactions to be chopped in this machine. Before buying a paper shredder, you should first look at the paper size that is often used.

2. There are a lot of Documents Need to be Destroyed

In addition to size differences, paper shredders are also divided based on the volume of paper to be crushed. Use the paper shredder according to the number of users.

If there are more than 10 users, then we recommend using a large paper shredder or a commercial one, so you don’t have to repeat the paper chopping because of the large capacity of the machine.

3. The Form of The Cut

The paper shredder is equipped with several different cuts. There is a paper shredder with straight, cross cut, and fine shredders that make document pieces smaller.

For security, we recommend using a chopping machine capable of cutting documents into small pieces. There are 7 levels of paper shredding based on the level of document confidentiality.

Level P-1 is capable of chopping less than 2000 millimeters. Machines with this level are used to enumerate expired forms.

The highest level is level P-7. Machines with the P-7 level are capable of chopping classified documents, such as military documents.

4. The Speed of Cutting Process

The existence of a paper shredder makes work in the office easier. You don’t have to bother picking up a lot of documents and then throwing them in the trash.

A paper shredder can save time and effort to dispose of unused documents. The cutting speed of the paper shredder should also be considered when choosing a paper shredder.

Some paper shredders have a certain duration of operation. That is, the paper shredder can work for the specified time.

After operating, the engine will need cooling to maintain its optimum condition. This cutting time varies from 2 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the paper size, machine capacity, and the shape of the cut.

Make sure you’ve figured out the machine you want to chop the paper with.

5. The Sound that it Produced

Most paper shredders make loud noises. However, there are some machines that have a noise-controlling feature whose noise level can be adjusted, so that the sound produced is not disturbing.

The downside is that you have to pay more for a paper shredder that has noise-controlling features.

When making a purchase, we recommend that you test the machine first, so that you can choose a paper shredder that has an unobtrusive noise level.

6. The Safety

Shredders have many blades in them and there is a risk of injury if not used carefully.

Some paper shredders have safety features that prevent these accidents, one of which is sensors. The sensor will sound or light up when your hand is pointing into the machine and stop the knife automatically.

7. Additional Features

You can find another feature from the paper shredder instead of destroying paper. These several features can enhance the performance of the machine, such as:

  • Credit Card, Plastics, and thick cards shredder
  • Stain Proof Technology
  • Retractable Trash Container (This feature can be found in most paper shredder)
  • Engine Power

There are a lot of the office tools that can exhaust your energy if you use it for a long time, even more in a big quantity. This is must be included in your consideration if you want to buy a paper shredder.

Using paper shredder takes 80% of energy, so it best to buy the most safe energy of the paper shredder when used.

The remnants of the paper that is destroyed can be reused for the bed to animal or other thing. The paper shredder machine is a one time buying for a long time, so it need consideration before you buy it.