When I was doing my Black Friday shopping, I got really lucky. I was going through WireCutter’s list of the best Black Friday deals, and I saw paper shredders that they’d reviewed. I picked one out and it’s great.
My last article was on how long to keep financial documents and which ones to shred. Now that I have an effective paper shredder, I can work on stacks of financial papers I don’t need anymore.
I’ve put the list how long to keep financial documents in the front of my important papers box.
Here are tips for buying a paper shredder:
How many pages the shredder will do at once? Mine does 10. My old one said it would do seven. However, it jammed often, so that’s why I needed a new one.
- How much does it weigh? Mine’s heavy, but I’m going to find a place for it so I don’t need to move it often.
- How many types of things will it shred? Will it shred credit cards, staples, and CDs?
- What is the continuous shredding time? The ratings are up to 60 minutes.
- Does it have a pullout bin? This makes the bin easier to empty than one where you need to lift off the shredding unit to empty the basket.
- Does it have a window in the basket to monitor waste level and/or a light that goes on when the basket is full? Mine has both.
- Is the size appropriate for the space you have? Some are compact so they fit in small spaces.
- Does it make cross-cut pieces? This enhances document security over the strip-cut.
- Does it have safety features, such as an automatic shut-off when hands are too close? This is particularly important for families with young children.
Is it noisy? This is hard to determine if you order the shredder online. However, reviews may provide this information.
Look for articles comparing paper shredders. Some examples are one from Popular Mechanics and another one from CNN Underscore
My paper shredder is an Aurora AU120MA.
Paper shredders are important for safeguarding sensitive information. This includes financial statements, medical records, credit card and utility bills, and more.
Test the paper shredder when you receive it so you can return it if it doesn’t work well. Be sure to see if paper jams can be resolved easily.
Fortunately, I emailed my daughter and asked her if I should get the smaller or larger model. She suggested the larger model that would shred more pages at a time.
