I bought this cheap shredder five years ago — in 2019. After the umpteenth pile of financial documents I pushed through her teeth this afternoon, I marveled at how reliable this little unit is. It just keeps on shredding without any mishaps or choking on the stuff I feed it.
It will cut through staples without complaint. I have not tried paper clips or heavier duty fasteners. I think that is asking too much if this cheap machine. It shreds credit cards, but slows down considerably when eating them.
This is not NSA-level shredding but I think it is adequate for routine family financial and medical information. I do, however, need a set of needle-nosed pliers when I empty it because wads of paper get wedged into the corners.
I pushed it way beyond’s its intended light use when we moved two years ago. I had decades of old records that I no longer had a reason to keep and did not want to pay to move. I am talking about a large attic full of records that I shredded in long sessions over a couple of weeks. I fully expected this little thing would give up the ghost and give me a reason to buy a new, more robust unit. But it swallowed all of the papers without a problem or complaint.
I am a retired lawyer and I tend to keep more papers than most but when I ultimately dump them, I am very conscious of shredding anything with information someone could use that could harm me. My wife thinks it’s silly, but I also peel prescription information from medicine bottles and shred them too. Trash haulers (for whom I have a lot of respect) sometimes spill stuff in getting our refuse in its truck, especially when overstuffed bags break. I have found on the street neighbors’ paystubs, tax forms, and yes, even prescription medicine bottles.
I have to have my unit dumped every other week during “light” periods. Today, in clearing out two years of documents, I had to empty it twice.
I can only relate my experience but I am impressed with how much this cheap little thing has shredded for me and how reliable it’s been.
Manufacturer | Amazon |
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Brand | Amazon Basics |
Item Weight | 8.3 pounds |
Product Dimensions | 1 x 16 x 27 inches |
Item model number | AU860XA |
Color | Black |
Number of Items | 1 |
Size | 8 Sheet |
Manufacturer Part Number | AU860XA |