Great 'Cheapest Shredder' Hunt

Jeff121

Sainsbury's are selling off Rexel shredder's half price, reduced from £19.99 to £9.99.

Ticklemouse

Bought an electric cross shredder for the parental units at Tradex on Saturday. £12.49 down from £24.98. Does 7 sheets at once, comes with bin. Don't think Tradex is too common but if you have one within range, worth a trip.

(Hmmm - do ya think parents will notice if they get my strip shredder and I keep the cross shredder?) ::) ::) ::)

Beefcake

I bought a Novitech cross cut shredder in B & Q yesterday for £17.50. Also does credit cards.  :)

Picked one up today, reduced to £8.98 in my local B&Q store

tru

I bought a strip-cut shredder in Tesco the other day for £11.97.

It makes perfect bedding for the rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters ;D

Juicy_Tube

Picked one up today, reduced to £8.98 in my local B&Q store

How very annoying!!

Really pleased with this though and it looks quite 'stylish' too.

Had a shredding good night last night, did so much it overheated!

Juicy_Tube

Picked one up today, reduced to £8.98 in my local B&Q store

How very annoying!

But really pleased with this and it looks great too, compared to a lot I have seen.

Shredded loads last night, so much it over-heated and I had to switch it off for a while!

mitesh

Makro have a special offer on cross cut shredder which starts from tommorrow.
The details are as follows :

Sigma DS155
Price is 9.99+VAT = £11.74

Tama_J

Just thought I'd add in a few helpful tips, considering I used to work selling these damned things :P! lol

I used to work in Partners n I always remember people coming in and picking up the cheap £14.99 bog-standard "Partners brand strip cut shredder", much like the ones you've all mentioned.. However, in addition to the cheap one, we sold another A4 model made by Rexel, that on the surface looked identical. This one was £19.99. You might be tempted say "Well, if they both shred 5 sheets at once, have auto-start-stop, reverse and the same capacity.. What's the problem!? I'll go for the cheaper one thanks!".. Which is fine.. If you really want to put up with the cheaper one .

Upon closer inspection, there are subtle differences. I.e. When a sheet / the sheets of paper has / have gone through on the Rexel one, and passed the button that triggers the blades, the blades slowly "spin down" to a stop. However, the Partners ones halt immediately and very violently. I don't pretend to be any expert on motors.. But I know from experience that life is reduced when they're brought to an immediate halt with no slowing down. Thus, the motor life of the Partners shredder is lower than that of the Rexel HS.80. Indeed, we had a fair number of Partners ones returned.. But, in the year n a half that I worked there, only one Rexel.

Another point to note is the violence with which these cheaper shredders "grab" the paper out of your hand. One woman came in to buy a cheap hand one for her mum, because she was frightened if she bought the Partners model she had for herself, it might end up trying to eat her mum's hands too! This violent "GIVE ME THE PAPER!!!" feel to most cheaper shredders is potentially hazardous if you've got kids or older people who'll be using it.. Or even if you're using it yourself! However, again, try out the Rexel one.. And it smoothly takes the paper from your hand. You'll find this with the slightly more expensive "proper"-branded models. The build quality and feel about them is much nicer when compared to the cheaper ones.. And safer too!

There are other factors you've gotta take into account too.. For instance, the "duty cycle" is something that many people overlook. This is the amount of time that you can shred continually, before you have to give the motors time to cool off to avoid damage. This detail is usually hidden somewhere in the manual, and varies for almost every model, but it's safe to assume that 99% of the cheaper models will have a time of somewhere between 1-2mins on, then 15-30mins cooling off time. Failure to let it cool off can seriously damage the shredder and reduce its lifespan.. Whether you have a cheap one, or an expensive one, always make sure you check that you're using it safely.

Personally, I'd also steer clear of any "hand-powered" shredders (or electric versions of these small see-through shredders). The blades are of seriously inferior quality, and the cogs that transfer the turning of your hand to the turning of the blades are very easily broken (especially if you crank it the wrong way!). Once these cogs have snapped, your shredder is effectively dead. The blades easily twist and bend as well, meaning it can get harder to turn the handle, again causing breakage of the internal components.

As for cross-cutters.. These things are brilliant ;D. They normally have much longer duty cycles, with less time off and more time on.. Plus, they comply with Security Level 3 (confidential) of 5, which is perfect for offices and important stuff at home. A standard 5mm strip cutter complies with Level 2. The increase in safety and reassurance that nobody could possibly reassemble your documents is the best thing going for the cross cutters. The only small problem about them is that you have to keep the blades regularly services. Failure to do so can mean they become blunt / worn out and broken. No problem though, just pick up some lubrication spray / drops, apply them every now n again, n you'll be fine .

To sum up:

1. I'd definitly recommend purchasing a named brand shredder above an "own" brand, or cheaper brand, such as those found in supermarkets for about £9.99-£14.99. Look to spend about £19.99 on a decent strip-cut shredder. The one I mentioned (Rexel HS.80) is brilliant for the price you should pay (£19.99 or less in most places I'd imagine), and should be good for home and some office use . so, I guess, as a money saving tip.. Make a decent investment, and pay that fiver or so extra for the named brand! As the saying goes - You only get what you pay for lol.

2. Try to steer clear of the hand shredders. If you're shredding one document a month, they're fine, but one document a day.. Don't expect them to last that long is all I can say! lol Very poor life-span on these things.

3. Watch out for the duty cycles of shredders, and always try to stick to them. Some have automatic cut-outs when the temperature gets too high to prevent damage, but most cheaper ones don't. You should find the info in the first page or two of your user's manual.

4. Lubricate your cross-cutter regularly. This'll help to improve its life significantly, and prevent the blades from wearing themselves out quickly. (This is doubly as important if you have one that shreds plastic as well. That stuff's a little tougher than 5 sheets of A4! lol).

5. The DIN Safety ratings are important, especially in an office environment, so here they are in all their glory:

Level 1 - Old documents, general paperwork. Max strip width, 12mm
Level 2 - Internal documents, print-outs, drafts. Max strip width, 6mm. This is the standard Level of security for all cheaper strip-cut shredders. Okay for home use, if you're not that fussed about security. Bear in mind, I managed to piece one of my documents back together (took a little while!) when I got bored n decided to see just how safe these were!
Level 3 - Confidential documents. Max strip width 2mm, or a "standard" cross cutter. Perfect for home use, and general office use.
Level 4 - Critical business and personal data. Max particle (cross-cut) size, 2x15mm. Ideal for office use.
Level 5 - Top secret or classified documents. Max particle size, 0.8x12mm. Unless you work for the government, don't worry about this

6. If possible, ask to have a demonstration of the shredder/s you're looking at. This'll help you see what individual features each has, how much noise they make (cheaper ones are notoriously noisy! lol), etc..

7. If in doubt.. Ask! Staff should have some basic product knowledge, and anything more they know is a bonus to you ;D.

Right! Sorry for the long post, just thought I'd share a bit of info with you all . Enjoy and..uhh..happy shredding!? lol

J

(Oh, by the way, unless you're really overly bothered.. Don't chuck out your strip cutter for a cross cutter until it's worn out. Might as well get your money's worth.. This site is about money saving after all lol.)

royalsteve

I would avoid the cheap ones as in my experience they are CRAP.

I bought one from Asda 6 months ago and it packed up after 3 runs....i exchanged it and that packed up after 2 runs....i got a refund......same story with one from Tesco and Safeway

I would also get a cross cut as better security but the bin doesnt fill up as quickly.

royalsteve

I would avoid the cheap ones as in my experience they are CRAP.

I bought one from Asda 6 months ago and it packed up after 3 runs....i exchanged it and that packed up after 2 runs....i got a refund......same story with one from Tesco and Safeway

I would also get a cross cut as better security but the bin doesnt fill up as quickly.