Shredder for Home Office

PollyWollyDoodle · 3 April 2018 at 7:28AM

Can anyone recommend a reliable shredder, please? My third one in three years has just wheezed and died, no power and yes I have checked the plug, fuse etc and it didn't overheat. I'm self employed, and probably shred 40-60 pages of A4 per week. The latest one was a Fellowes, replacing a previous one that gave up and had to be returned after only a month. It worked ok although the '6 pages at a time' claim was patently untrue, it would never take more than one.(I don't even bother trying with cardboard).
I'd just like to find one that will last more than 12 months, don't mind paying a bit more if it's worth it - or should I just view it as a 'disposable' and accept it'll need replacing regularly?

martindow · 3 April 2018 at 11:11AM

I agree that cheap machines are feeble and don'r last any length of time. After wasting money on a couple I now burn paperwork to dirspose of it - either in my wood burner or on a bonfire in the garden. I've heard of other people who tear papers up a bit and mash them in water like papier-mache to obliterate the print before putting the pulp in the rubbish or recycling.

I suspect that solid and reliable machines involve paying several hundred Pounds and I wonder how worthwhile it is.

Pennywise · 3 April 2018 at 11:56AM

Have to agree the cheaper ones are useless. I've had a few in my small office and they never seemed to last more than a few months. But, I bit the bullet and bought a more robust, heavy duty, one, for I think, about £75-£100 and it's so far lasted 4 or 5 years, with quite a lot of work to do (dozens if not hundreds of sheets every week), and still going strong. It's a Fellowes W-5Cs cross cut shredder.

Savvy_Sue · 3 April 2018 at 3:37PM

I expect to pay around £100 for a shredder, and try to buy them from CostCo. Then if they go wrong, I get my money back. If they don't have heavy duty shredders in stock, I go elsewhere, but if they do, I buy another.

00ec25 · 3 April 2018 at 8:20PM

i find that the A4 sized manual non electric one that I bought in a charity shop has lasted rather well. Still going strong 5 years later. Mind you, you do have to turn a handle each time, so perhaps not the solution for you, even if it is MSE.

mchale · 4 April 2018 at 8:12PM

Do you oil the shredder regularly.

discat11 · 4 April 2018 at 8:29PM

After paying £200+ for an office one for it to pack up immediately after the warranty period, I would go for something from a good brand in the middle of the price bracket for VFM.
I agree the really cheap ones don't last, but my fellowes one is about 3 years old and although used lightly it still works perfectly.

Slinky · 7 April 2018 at 9:22PM

I've got the Swordfish 1500XCD, which I bought after killing 3 Fellowes shredders over several years. I've had this one about 5 years now, oil it regularly and it's serving me very well. Have been clearing out a lot of old documents recently, it's had a bit of a thrashing but continues to do its job.

It will also handle documents with staples in, and credit cards.

You can pick it up for about £200

Ms_Chocaholic · 7 April 2018 at 9:26PM

You can buy shredding scissors; might be better as nothing to break down (I'm not affiliated with these btw).

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Shredding-Scissors-b-q-1-Pairs-They-shred-Paper-Document-ideal-for-kitchen-herb/253539702957?epid=1123868170&hash=item3b0824d8ad:g:P2cAAOSw5IJWg~W-

Shredder for Home Office

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