Whether you work at home or run a business, finding the right paper shredder can be a bit of a task. You certainly don’t want to buy something that will break down in a few months, but don’t want to break the bank either. Here are a few useful tips you may want to follow when buying a good office paper shredder.

To begin with, not all paper shredders are created equal. The first thing I would recommend doing is staying away from most sub $100 department store shredders. Most of these shredders feature a poor build quality and often struggle shredding more than a few sheets of paper.

These are some features you will want in your office paper shredder:

Continuous Duty - It is a good idea to purchase a shredder with a continuous-duty motor. This means the shredder can run continuously without the need of a cool down period. Simply put, it won’t overheat. This is a good sign of a great shredder.

Throat Width – Be sure to get a shredder with a wide opening. Shredders limited to 9-inches wide makes it difficult to properly feed jumbled sheets of paper.

Cross Cut (Security Level) – I recommend getting a cross cut paper shredder. This is the best way to ensure your documents cannot be read or be re-assembled. A security level 3 is more than sufficient for a home office. You can read more on shredder security levels here.

Shred Capacity – This one seems like a no brainer, but I recommend getting a shredder with at least a 10 sheet shredding capacity. The more sheets the better, however, the higher the sheet capacity the higher the price.

Removable Bin – I hate having to remove the shredder head to empty a shredder. Get a shredder with a removable bin. This will keep things cleaner and will cut down on frustration.

Noise Level – While not all shredders specify their decibel rating, I recommend getting something that is at least 60 decibels or quieter for a home office.

Brand - While a brand isn’t always the end all answer, there are a few brands that continue to be hits with our customers. This includes Destroyit, HSM, Dahle, Intimus and Formax.

These are some of the most important features to take into consideration when buying a paper shredder. For more advice, feel free to speak with one of our paper shredder specialists at 1-800-658-8788. You can find our entire selection of paper shredders here.

If you own a small business, chances are pretty good that you need a paper shredder. More than likely you don’t need something huge, but you probably still require a machine that can be used throughout the day by a few people. We have compiled a list of reliable paper shredders based on our customers’ feedback.

If you’re going to spend money on a paper shredder, you want to make sure it is going to hold up and last you for years. There are a lot of cheap paper shredders out there claiming to be durable and dependable. When you open them up, however, you will often find plastic gears and cheap aluminum components.

Here is a list of the top 10 affordable, reliable and easy-to-use small business paper shredders that we offer. As mentioned earlier, this is based on customer feedback, location of use and popularity. This list is in alphabetical order.

Top 10 Best Small Business Paper Shredders

1. Dahle 2414 Small Office Paper Shredder
2. Dahle 30414 Paper Shredder
3. Destroyit 2403 Small Department Shredder
4. Destroyit 2501 Strip-cut / Cross-cut Paper Shredder
5. Destroyit 2604 Departmental Shredder
6. Destroyit 3105 Cross Cut Paper Shredder
7. Formax FD 8300 SC/CC Paper Shredder
8. HSM 104.3 Small Office Paper Shredder
9. HSM Model 125.2 Paper Shredder
10. Intimus Model 402 Small Department Shredders

While we can’t fit all our shredders in this list, rest assured that everything we carry is of the highest quality. You can find our entire selection of paper shredders here.

You may have seen the term”Auto Feed” or “Automatic Feed” branded across a paper shredder box and wondered what that meant. The auto feed feature is becoming more and more common. Here is a brief explanation on exactly what an auto feed paper shredder is.

Auto feed is the ability of a paper shredder to automatically feed itself paper. There are cut-sheet and continuous form auto feed shredders available today.

Cut sheet auto feed (automatic feed) shredders have a tray, much like a printer, where you can place a stack of paper. The shredder will then pull one sheet in at a time and shred it. This isn’t the fastest way to shred paper, but it also requires little manual involvement.

Simply place your stack of paper on the shredder and let it do the rest. This way you aren’t standing by the shredder feeding 10-20 sheets in at a time. The Formax FD 8500AF is a great example of a cut sheet auto feed shredder.

Continuous form auto feed shredders are designed to shred continuous form paper. This is the computer form paper that has the perforated sides with the tiny holes. The paper usually comes in a stack, formed in an accordion-like fashion.

These shredders are similar to the cut sheet auto feed shredders. Simply place your stack of paper next to the shredder, feed the first sheet and let the shredder do the rest. The Intimus 452 shredder series is an example of a continuous-form automatic feed shredder.

This type of shredder is designed for convenience. It is easy on the shredder and saves you time. Many of the higher-end auto feed shredders, like models from Intimus and Formax, offer the option to manually feed several sheets or set it up for auto feed operation.

You can find our entire selection of paper shredders here.

So you’ve invested some money in a good, reliable paper shredder that you plan on using every day? Chances are pretty good that you want that shredder to last a long time. So what are some of the most common mistakes that shredder owners do that will kill a paper shredder?

Top 5 Mistakes That Will Kill Your Paper Shredder

1. Shredder Oil – How many of you knew that a shredder needs to be oiled? It’s amazing how many people end up with a seized shredder head and wonder why. There are a lot of moving parts in a shredder head, especially a cross cut shredder. Always oil your shredder! Shredder oil found here.
2. Staples and Paper Clips – Many shredders now claim to be able to accept staples and paper clips. Some don’t make this claim. Either way, excessive amounts of staples and paper clips will eventually damage a shredder head. I like to remove any visible staples and paper clips prior to shredding.
3. Too Much Paper – Don’t shred more paper than your shredder’s manual recommends. In fact, scale the maximum amount back by 15-20 percent. It will really help the motor. And remember, 20 sheets of paper does not mean 20 sheets of card stock. Shredding excessive amounts of paper will wear out the motor.
4. Continuous Use – Be sure your shredder is rated for continuous use before using it continuously. Many cheap and entry-level shredders do not have thermally-protected motors and will burn out with excessive use.
5. CDs and Credit Cards – Many people will automatically assume that their shredder can handle CDs and Credit Cards only to find out, after a serious jam, that it can’t. While many modern-day shredders can handle this material, be certain before trying.

Hopefully these tips will help you get more use out of your shredder. By following these simple rules, you may be able to extend your shredder’s life by years.

If this advice comes too late, we do have an excellent shredder service department that you can reach by calling 1-800-658-8788 x129 or by filling out this form.

You can find our entire selection of paper shredders here.

Is your shredder on its last leg? Does it sound a sawmill? Paper shredders can suffer from a wide variety of issues and ailments. This ranges from broken gears, chipped shredder blades, blown fuses and much more. So is it possible to get your paper shredder back up and running?

While not all paper shredders can be brought back from the dead, many can experience a second life. We have a Service Department that can get replacement shredder heads, gears, control panels, switches and much more. It certainly can’t hurt to ask and won’t cost you to present a question.

You can contact our Service Department by calling 1-800-658-8788 x129 or by filling out this form.

If for any reason your shredder can’t be revived, or costs to much to repair, we have a great selection of new paper shredders found here. This includes home, office, deskside, departmental and industrial paper shredders.

At ABC Office we are always looking for new ways to increase our product selection in an effort to give you more choices and better prices. We are happy to announce that today we are now able to offer you binding machines, paper shredders, laminators and paper folders from Intelli-Zone™.

Intelli-Zone™ offers these products under the Intelli-Bind™, Intelli-Lam™, Intelli-Shred™ and Intelli-Fold™ names. While these machines won’t be available to ship until September 2010, we are currently offering extremely low pre-order pricing. If you are able to lock in your order now, you will not only get a great price, but you will also be at the front of the line.

These are the new products offered by Intelli-Zone™:

• Intelli-Zone Comb Binding Machines
• Intelli-Zone Wire Binding Machines
• Intelli-Zone Coil Binding Machines
• Intelli-Zone Paper Shredders
• Intelli-Zone Pouch Laminators
• Intelli-Zone Folding Machines
  

We are excited about this new addition and expect the Intelli-Zone™ addition to be a big hit with our customers. Do you have questions about Intelli-Zone™ office equipment? Call us at 1-800-658-8788 or post your question in a comment.

That time of the year is rolling around again. What time’s that? I’m referring to the end of the government fiscal year. Budgets need to be spent before they expire. One popular government purchase is the paper shredder.

Why are shredders so popular? This is because paper shredders are a necessity, are often required by law and are found in all offices around the country, including federal government offices. So how can ABC Office help with government paper shredder purchases?

ABC Office has been working with the federal government and has refined the purchasing process to be seamless and painless. ABC Office not only accepts government purchasing cards and purchase orders, but is also often able to offer discounted or GSA pricing on most models.

You can find ABC Office’s entire selection of paper shredders here. This includes departmental paper shredders found here and security level 5 & 6 high security paper shredders found here.

ABC Office is more than happy to offer custom government quotes. Simply fill out the government quote request form found here. Need three or more quotes on any given model? No problem. We are able to offer three competitive and legitimate quotes upon request.

We are registered with the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) and the Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA). Our DUNS number is 078448164 and our Cage Code is 0geb8.

We take the hassle out of government purchasing. Feel free to contact us at 1-800-658-8788 for more information on how ABC Office can help you with government purchases.

I have had several people ask me what they can do with their shredded paper. Many of them don’t want to simply throw it away. I can understand the desire to re-use the paper rather than waste it. This desire may be driven by environmental concerns or simply because people want to try something new. Here are a few suggestions that customers have passed along to me.

A lot of these suggestions will depend entirely on whether or not the paper shredded contains highly sensitive information or not. Take that into consideration.

Top Seven Best Shredded Paper Recycling Ideas

1. Animal or Pet Bedding – Many customers have told me that they have used their shredded paper for animal bedding for bird cages, hamster cages and more. Many animal shelters will also use shredded paper. I have been told that cross-cut paper doesn’t work as well because there is too much paper dust that aggravates the animals. I have had customers buy strip cut shredders (found here) purely for the purpose of shredding paper for animal bedding.
2. Gardening Compost – I can’t give you the exact recipe, but I have had people tell me that they use their shredded paper (since it is mostly organic anyway) in a compost pile mixed with veggies, leaves and other bio material. They swear by it. Can’t say I’ve tried this myself.
3. Packaging Material – Much like cardboard shredders, many people like to use strip cut paper for packaging material. This may be fore the E-bay entrepreneur or for warehouse operations. Again, cross cut paper doesn’t work as well for this one.
4. Paper Recycling – Some paper recycling plants will accept and recycle shredded paper. The problem is that many will not take the paper because it may contain metal fragments such as staples or paper clips that makes recycling next to impossible.
5. Moisture Absorption – I have read about people putting a little shredded paper in the bottom of their kitchen trash to soak up moister, helping cut down on odors.
6. Fire Kindling – Let’s face it. If you’re camping, paper is a great way to start up a campfire. Shredded paper lights up even faster.
7. Floor Cleanup – I have had people that tell me they will sprinkle cross cut shredded paper on the floor to clean things up. This may be to soak up oil on a garage floor. Some people have told me that it binds well with hair, dirt and other material often found in workshops, gymnasiums, barber shops and other floor surfaces where it can then be swept up.

Hopefully these ideas help you get the most out of your shredded paper. Are you in need of a shredder? You can find our entire selection of paper shredders here.

You’ve probably seen the numbers labeled next to paper shredders at the store or online. One shredder has a security level 3 and another has a security level 5. So what does this mean to you? Which paper shredder level is best for you? I will break down the differences in security levels and which one you should use.

First of all, the higher the security level, the smaller the shred particles are. Security level 5 used to be the highest level of security up until a few years ago. A security level 6 is now the highest security level possible, with particles being so small they are secure enough for top secret documents and highly sensitive material.

Do you need a security level 6? Probably not. Most people who use a security level 6 are government or military in nature. I don’t personally know of any individuals who need to use a security level 6 or even a 5 for that matter.

One thing people don’t take into consideration when choosing a security level is the paper shredding capacity. The higher the security level, the fewer sheets you will be able to shred. This is because smaller cuts require more blades and more effort on the part of the shredder. Security level 6 shredders can’t cut large volumes of paper at a time for this reason. Strip cut shredders almost always shred more paper than cross cut shredders.

A security level 1 or level 2 is usually what you find in a strip cut paper shredder. While a security level 1 or 2 is certainly better than doing nothing, these security levels can be compromised with enough patience. Most criminals will still pass over strip cut documents for easier pickings.

Most cross cut paper shredders sold online fall within the range of a security level 3 or 4. This range of security is still very small and difficult to decipher.

So what do I recommend? If you are a home user or a business, a security level 3 or 4 is probably more than enough security for you. Unless you have problems with enemy governments or military sifting through your shredded documents, you’re probably fine. Most criminals do not have the capability to piece together a security level 4 or 5.

For more information on shredder security levels (DIN 32757) and DOD, NSA and CSS approved shredders, read our paper shredder guide found here.  You can find our entire selection of paper shredders here.

I have had a few people ask me what shredder oil is made from. This one I didn’t know off the top of my head. I had to look into this one. To start with, shredder oil is specially designed and mixed to work with a paper shredder.

Shredder oil is a fairly lightweight oil, about the consistency of vegetable oil. It is not, however, vegetable oil. Vegetable oil should not be used to lubricate a shredder. Vegetable oil will eventually gum up a shredder and make your shredder smell like French fries. If you’re dealing with a high-end ($$) office shredder, you do not want to cause possible maintenance and repair issues by doing this.

I have even heard people recommend using Kerosene to lubricate a shredder. Please do not do this as it will not lubricate the shredder properly and poses a huge safety risk. I have also heard of people using WD-40 to oil a shredder. Again, this is not a good long-term oiling solution. WD-40 is too lightweight and is not designed specifically to keep a shredder lubricated.

The shredder oil we sell is from Destroyit and works on all shredders, both strip and cross cut designs. The bottle itself did not let me know what the shredder oil was made from, so I had to dig up the MSDS sheet (Material Safety Data Sheet).

So here it is. This is exactly what’s in shredder oil:

Composition:

Shell Base Oil  (92-98 Percent)

• Solvent Refined Hydrotreated Middle Distillate (30-40 Percent)
• Severely Hydrotreated Light Naphthenic Distillate (60-70 Percent)
• Butylated Hydroxy Toluene (< 0.2 Percent)

Note: Oil contains no detectable (< 1 PPm) of PCB as measured by ASTM D4059.

• Commercial Oleic Acid (2-8 Percent)

Now I can’t tell you what all that stuff is, but I can tell you that it works well and keeps a shredder running like the day it was made. You can find our paper shredder oil here.