Need a paper shredder that won't break
September 7, 2011 7:45 AM Subscribe
I need a paper shredder that doesn't suck.
I've destroyed my most recent two shredders ... one the blades stopped shredding, the other the motor burned out almost right away. I guess I now need to go up a price point or two, but since I've had two lemons in a row I don't want to spend a lot unless I know I'm getting a high-quality shredder. Recommendations?
It'd be nice if it did credit cards too, but I only require it to shred paper. Cross-cutting preferred but not required.
I've destroyed my most recent two shredders ... one the blades stopped shredding, the other the motor burned out almost right away. I guess I now need to go up a price point or two, but since I've had two lemons in a row I don't want to spend a lot unless I know I'm getting a high-quality shredder. Recommendations?
It'd be nice if it did credit cards too, but I only require it to shred paper. Cross-cutting preferred but not required.
Do you lubricate the shredder? I had no idea that lube sheets existed until a friend of mine happened to drop by while I was going through the mail and recommended them to me.
posted by notsnot at 8:15 AM on September 7, 2011
posted by notsnot at 8:15 AM on September 7, 2011
I went through several shredders before discovering that I should be lubricating them. Once I started doing that periodically... well, I have had the same little Staples mailmate tabletop model for 5 years now. It does CDs as well as credit cards.
I've never tried the lube sheets. I just use the bottle of liquid (same one I've had for 5y) and squirt across the length of the blades when I put an envelope in.
I think if I was buying one now I might get something beefier; the credit card offers have gotten insanely fat and I can not put some of the larger offenders in w/o opening them and doing it in 2 parts. (On my more cynical days I wonder if that's deliberate to get me to open them)
posted by phearlez at 8:31 AM on September 7, 2011
I've never tried the lube sheets. I just use the bottle of liquid (same one I've had for 5y) and squirt across the length of the blades when I put an envelope in.
I think if I was buying one now I might get something beefier; the credit card offers have gotten insanely fat and I can not put some of the larger offenders in w/o opening them and doing it in 2 parts. (On my more cynical days I wonder if that's deliberate to get me to open them)
posted by phearlez at 8:31 AM on September 7, 2011
I have had a Fellowes PS-79Ci for a couple of years and I love it. It was a little pricier than my previous shredder, but it has never given me an instant of trouble, and can take credit cards easily.
posted by blurker at 8:41 AM on September 7, 2011
posted by blurker at 8:41 AM on September 7, 2011
HSM makes really fantastic shredders, and is the primary line that we sell. We also carry Fellowes and GBC. FWIW, we see a lot of Fellowes come back for repair, a few less GBC, and hardly any of the HSMs.
As others have said, the biggest thing is to lubricate it regularly. You can get Fellowes oil at any office supply store, and it will work just fine on any brand. The lube sheets are okay, but are really quite pricey compared to a simple bottle of oil. All it takes is to drizzle a thin stream of oil across the width of the feed slot, and run the shredder in reverse for 10~20 seconds. Running it in reverse helps to distribute the oil evenly, instead of just pushing it right down into the waste bin. (A trick you can't really do with the lube sheets.)
posted by xedrik at 8:58 AM on September 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
As others have said, the biggest thing is to lubricate it regularly. You can get Fellowes oil at any office supply store, and it will work just fine on any brand. The lube sheets are okay, but are really quite pricey compared to a simple bottle of oil. All it takes is to drizzle a thin stream of oil across the width of the feed slot, and run the shredder in reverse for 10~20 seconds. Running it in reverse helps to distribute the oil evenly, instead of just pushing it right down into the waste bin. (A trick you can't really do with the lube sheets.)
posted by xedrik at 8:58 AM on September 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
We have a Staples brand shredder at work that I friggin LOVE. I would agree with tommasz that it feels like it is built like a tank (though we don't have that specific model).
posted by magnetsphere at 2:55 PM on September 7, 2011
posted by magnetsphere at 2:55 PM on September 7, 2011
Seconding blurker - I love my Fellowes PS-79Ci. It is a joy to use.
And, yes, lubrication is your friend; I usually just spray WD-40 on a sheet of a paper and then run it through the shredder.
The manual also recommends running the shredder backwards every now and then to keep things running smoothly.
posted by asuprenant at 7:02 PM on September 7, 2011
And, yes, lubrication is your friend; I usually just spray WD-40 on a sheet of a paper and then run it through the shredder.
The manual also recommends running the shredder backwards every now and then to keep things running smoothly.
posted by asuprenant at 7:02 PM on September 7, 2011
Response by poster: Two of these basically crapped out right out of the box, so I think there was a crappiness issue at play, but I will get lubricant and do that too. I'm going to pick it up today when I make a run for printer paper, and I think I'll order a shredder today too. Thanks!
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 8:39 AM on September 9, 2011
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 8:39 AM on September 9, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
The only downsides are that it's heavy and louder than I'd like but given the power I can't complain.
posted by tommasz at 7:54 AM on September 7, 2011