The size of shredded pieces is the most important factor in determining what shredder to buy, but shred speed can also be important. If you have a large volume of paper to shred, it can be time consuming with a low shred speed. The speed of the shredder you should purchase depends on whether you're using the shredder at home or at an office.If you're just using your shredder to shred paper at home, a home shredder should meet your needs. Typically, home shredders shred 5 to 12 sheets of paper in 2 to 8 minutes.
If you shred paper frequently, you may want a higher shredder speed. If you have a home office, for example, a home office shredder may work for you. These types of shredders usually shred 10 to 18 sheets of paper in 7 to 30 minutes.
If you're buying a shredder for a large office, you'll want a very high shredding speed. Go for a heavy duty shredder. These can shred for 45 minutes continually. During this time, 13 to 38 pieces of paper can be shredded.
 Select a shredder rated for the amount of daily usage you think you'll need. This often depends on whether the shredder will be located in a home or in an office setting. Avoid purchasing a shredder that is not powerful enough to meet your daily needs. To determine usage, figure out how many people will use the shredder and how often they will shred paper.Personal shredders are designed for 1 person. Small office shredders are for 1-5 daily users. For larger offices, a general office shredder can support 6-10 people. For 10 or more users, choose a commercial shredder.
 Find out how many sheets a shredder can handle at once. A 5 sheet model may be less costly. If you shred more than the occasional page, you will have to feed a few sheets at a time. Without a multiple page capacity, you may have to unjam the shredder a lot. It's a good idea to choose a shredder with a slightly higher shred capacity than you'll reasonably use. This can cut down on paper jams and other issues.Some commercial shredders will allow you to shred as many as 30 sheets of paper at a time. Most personal shredders only allow a few sheets at a time.
The bin capacity is also important. It's a good idea to get a shredder with a pull out bin, they're much easier to remove and empty and this can help reduce paper jams.Inquire about the shredder's run time. If you collect your documents and shred them in bulk, you will need a shredder that can run for a longer period of time. A run cycle can range from around 2 minutes to around 40 minutes., Whether you are feeding one or many documents into the shredder, there is the potential for a paper jam. Anti-jam features help to limit this problem and reduce unnecessary frustration.It may be particularly important to go for a shredder with anti-jam technology if you shred a lot of paper. The more paper you're shredding, the more likely your shredder is to jam.
Some shredders claim to be 100% jam proof. While it's unlikely any shredder will never jam, jam proof shredders may significantly cut down on jam time.
Certain shredders are designed to shred credit cards, paper clips, and many other items.
Choose shred speed.
Identify daily usage.
Determine multiple page capacity.
Consider anti-jam technology.
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