1) Continuous Run Time:

The most important attributes when you are shopping for a paper shredder is not just the sheet capacity, but the continuous run time, which is the duration of non-stop shredding prior to overheating. When a shredder overheats you will likely wait 30-60 minutes before it can restart again. This run time rating is not always shown on some paper shredder descriptions. The longer the run time, the better and more expensive the motor is and therefore more durable. Better shredders will have a run time of 8 mins or more. Some shredders are called heavy duty and can have a run time of 15 mins or more.

2) Quiet Operation:

Secondly, look for a quiet motor that runs <58db or less. This means the motor is using an induction motor and not a universal motor that is used by shredders that are louder. Most smaller, light duty shredders will use a universal motor because it's less expensive and lighter than induction motors. The larger capacity shredders may use either motor types. You can also tell by the weight of the shredders since induction will weigh almost twice as much as a universal motor.

3) Shred Speed:

A faster speed is important not because it can shred paper faster, but it means that the components are made of more durable parts. A speed of 7.5 ft/min or more is a decent rating.

4) Shred or Cut Type:

There are many types of cutters out there and they can be confusing to most. There are really just 3 types of cutters in the market, but some have alternative names. The 3 types of cuts are strip cut, cross cut and micro cut. Strip or straight cut means the blade makes a thin straight cut from top to bottom of a sheet of paper.  Cross cut means the blade can make cross section cuts along a strip of paper. This is also called confetti cut because the cross sections resemble confetti. Diamond cut is another name for this, but it's trademarked and the shredded paper resemble diamond shapes.

5) Shred Size and Security Level:

Although there are only 3 shred types, there isn't really an industry standard that is regulating what the shred sizes are for each type. Shred size is the final shredded paper size that falls into the waste bin. Every manufacturer seems to have their own standards and sizes. The smaller the cut size the higher the security level.

• For a strip cut shredder, the size should be 40mm (1.57") or less. This is usually classified as a security level 2
• For a cross cut shredder, the size can vary greatly depending on the manufacturer. But a ...