Buying Guide: Shredders

Having office safes, security cameras, or other personal defense equipment installed is one great way of securing your business assets. But when it comes to securing and destroying confidential documents, there’s only one tool that can get the job done: a shredder.

Sure, most kinds of information are delivered and stored online. But a lot of important documents still need to be printed out for authenticity. That’s why having an office paper shredder is a must for protection against data theft—it ensures that sensitive documents are completely destroyed and protected from prying eyes.

Not all paper shredders can guarantee complete document destruction. Before buying one for your office, you have to consider several features that comprise the best paper shredding machines. You can check out our article about the best features of office shredders or read on and find out the factors you need to look for before getting one.

Shredder Type

The first thing you need to look for before you buy a shredder online is the type of cut it produces. The most common types of shredders according to cut are:
  • Strip-cut shredder - This is the most basic type of shredder and offers the lowest level of security. It turns documents into long, narrow strips, which can be easily reassembled. A strip-cut shredder is ideal for shredding newsletters and other documents that don’t contain confidential or sensitive information.
  • Cross-cut shredder - This type of shredder cuts paper lengthwise and crosswise, making it a great tool for shredding confidential documents. Most cross-cut shredders can turn an A4-size paper into 400 thin strips.
  • Micro-cut shredder - This shredder provides the highest level of security. It produces extremely tiny particles, which are completely impossible to reassemble. Government agencies often use this type of shredder for destroying confidential documents.

NSA/CSS Approved Security Level

To ensure that a paper shredder truly offers its touted security level, you have to check if it’s approved by the Central Security Service (CSS) of the National Security Agency (NSA). NSA/CSS-approved shredders come in different security levels for various kinds of documents:
  • P-1 shredders produce up to 2,000-cubic-millimeter strips and are recommended for expired forms and other general documents
  • P-2 shredders produce up to 800-cubic-millimeter strips and are recommended for photocopied files and other internal documents
  • P-3 shredders produce up to 320-cubic-millimeter strips and are recommended for bank statements and other documents with personal or sensitive data
  • P-4 shredders produce up to 160-cubic-millimeter particles and are recommended for contracts and other documents with highly sensitive information
  • P-5 shredders produce up to 30-cubic-millimeter particles and are recommended for classified documents with private data
  • P-6 shredders produce up to 10-cubic-millimeter particles and are recommended for highly classified documents with secret information
  • P-7 shredders produce up to 5-cubic-millimeter particles and are recommended for highly classified documents with top-secret information

Other Features

Some features that you might want your shredder to have heavily depend on your shredding needs:
  • Feed and bin capacity - For high-volume shredding, choose an office shredder with a large bin and a high feed rate.
  • Jam protection - If you hate documents jamming your shredder, it’s probably time to get a shredder with automatic jam protection. This kind of shredder automatically stops and pushes paper back out right before it jams.
  • Oil-free operation - If you don’t want the hassle of frequently oiling shredders, you might want to consider getting a shredder with an automatic oiler.
  • Size - Shredders come in various styles and sizes. For small office spaces, you can opt for a simple deskside paper shredding machine.

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