Shredders and Shredding Supplies Buyer’s Guide
Your office may need to dispose of documents that keep piling up. You may need to create space for new files. Or you might just want to go paperless altogether and get rid of everything.
Either way, it may be time to invest in a shredder and shredding supplies. This will be a simple buyer’s guide to help you find the best ones for your needs. We won’t be listing any specific brands or options (unlike some of the other reviews online).
This guide will help you know what the common features are. You’ll also need to consider some of the major factors that will go into your purchasing decision. With that said, let’s dive right in and help you find the shredder and shredding supplies you need.
The common features of shredders and shredding supplies
Speed
When it comes to shredders, you want something that’s fast. You want to get tasks done quicker such as disposing of unwanted documents. Needless to say, the faster, the better.
You can find a shredder that can get the job done even if you are disposing of several documents at a time. Pay attention to the feet per minute or FPM.
Sheet capacity
As mentioned, it’s possible to shred multiple documents at the same time. The real question is: what is the limit? This is where the sheet capacity comes into play.
You’ll want to know how many documents that can be shredded at the same time. Again, the higher the number, the better.
Duty cycle
Shredders can get overworked. To the point where it can overheat. That’s why it is important to know about duty cycles and what its chief purpose is.
A duty cycle is defined as how long it can do its job before it needs to cool down. If you plan on using a shredder for destroying multiple documents at the same time, a higher duty cycle is a plus. Some lower grade shredders can overheat quickly in a few instances of shredding multiple papers.
Cut type
There are two cut types that exist: strip-cut and cross cut. This feature pertains to security. You may be shredding documents that contain sensitive information.
If this is the case, you’ll want to consider a cut type that will be good enough for security purposes. We’ll discuss this in detail in the upcoming section on what to consider.
What to consider when purchasing shredders and supplies?
Now that you know some of the common features of shredders and supplies, we’ll turn our attention to the considerations you’ll need to go over. Your list of options can be whittled down if you ask yourself these questions.
As always, it’s important to consider your most critical needs over all else. Let’s take a look now at what you need to go over before purchasing a shredder:
What shredder supplies do I need?
There are two types of shredder supplies you can use. One of them is shredder oil. It can be used to lubricate the shredder so it can perform well while preventing jams.
The other is shredder bags. You can use this for easy disposal if and when the bag is full. All you need to do is tie it up and replace it.
These supplies are highly recommended. Especially if you are looking to save time and prevent unexpected disasters.
What cut type do I need?
Earlier, we’ve mentioned that a cut type can be decided based on security purposes. If your office has sensitive documents such as addresses, phone numbers, financial information, and anything similar, cross cut gets the job done.
Cross-cut will be great for cutting the documents into tiny pieces. Meanwhile, strip cut will work well if you have less sensitive documents to get rid of.
What duty cycle is best for me?
The duty cycle of a shredder should be one consideration to not gloss over. You might want one that has a heavy enough cycle to handle multiple rounds of shredding piles of paper. You don’t want to deal with the tedious task of shredding one single document at a time.
It’s important that you consider which duty cycle will be your best option. Once again, you want the shredder to cool down if and when needed.
How fast do I need it to be?
Another deciding factor is speed. You might be busy handling other tasks. So it would make sense to find a document shredder that will get the job done as soon as possible.
Higher speed will always command a higher price point. Speaking of price points, let’s go over the one and final consideration we usually discuss in most of our buyer’s guides.
Which one fits my budget?
Your most critical needs are priority to the price tag. It’s understandable that you want to keep it within a certain price range. That’s why you want to decide on what shredder can address those needs without issue.
From there, you can find one that is somewhere within your specific budget range. It’s important to find the best performance and quality you can afford. Yes, higher performing shredders are expensive.
But keep in mind, the cheapest option on the market may not do a great job. That’s why you’ll want to check out the reviews of some of the shredders that are within your budget range. You can determine if it will indeed meet your standards and expectations.
Final Thoughts
If you are looking for shredders and shredder supplies, we hope this guide has been helpful. It’s always a good idea to use a basic, bare bones guide like this to help make a decision. While we don’t focus on specific products and brand names, we help you focus on your needs instead.
We point out which features will give you the potential benefits. On top of that, we help you make the consideration process a lot easier. Be sure to bookmark this guide should you need it again for future reference.
