Are some paper shredders less noisy than others?

September 24, 2013 10:30 AM

I'm looking to buy a shredder that is not obnoxiously loud. For reference, I use an Office Max cross cut shredder, and it is extremely unpleasant due to the almost teeth grinding sound it makes, so any recommendations for "less noisy" shredders would be appreciated. Thanks.
posted by Beholder to Technology (8 answers total)

Have you tried oiling the shredder?
posted by zippy at 10:45 AM on September 24, 2013 [3 favorites]

The motor on a shredder is the source of its noise. You can't really make a motor run quietly without a muffler of some sort, so I doubt there is a quiet consumer shredder out there.

Oiling the teeth is a useful thing to do in any event.
posted by dfriedman at 11:00 AM on September 24, 2013

Could you buy a shredder with an automatic feed feature and relocate it to a spot where it won't bother anyone? As a bonus, you won't have to stand there and load your stuff in a few sheets at a time. If security within the office is important you could always put your shreddables through a slot in a locked box or cabinet for later removal and destruction by an authorized person.
posted by contraption at 11:25 AM on September 24, 2013

My cat sheds things pretty quietly, including tax forms, art work, and shoe boxes. Ask the animal shelter of they have any cardboard chewing cats ;-)
posted by jrobin276 at 2:51 PM on September 24, 2013

Apologies.
yes oil it, and maybe give it an internal dusting with an air can too.
posted by jrobin276 at 2:53 PM on September 24, 2013

Also, there are plenty of shredders advertised as quiet. I don't have experience with them, but searching for 'quiet shredder' on Google yields plenty of candidates.
posted by zippy at 6:33 PM on September 24, 2013

We have an old Fellowes straight cut shredder that is significantly quieter than our cross cut shredders (but less secure).
posted by LiverOdor at 6:55 PM on September 24, 2013

Other than looking for shredders billed as "Quiet", you could specifically look for a shredder with an induction motor as opposed to an universal one (think extractor fan vs vacuum cleaner). This would most likely limit you to larger, commercial units, tho.
posted by tigrrrlily at 10:12 PM on September 24, 2013