Good quality shredder?

[JoeP]

Hi, related to the decluttering threads, I am wondering what people are doing for shredding. We had a shredder years ago that cut the paper into small diamonds, but it ended up dying a couple years later. It also shredded credit cards and optical discs like CDs and DVDs. Some of the blades on the rollers got bent up and the rollers would no longer mesh...soft metal I guess.

They're kind of expensive ($60 to $100 for starters) but I'm not sure I trust those places where you drop off papers in bulk. Plus, I like the convenience of shredding the paper at home on my own schedule, and then using the shreds for fire starters.

For those who shred at home, what brand can you recommend? I'm interested in ones that have lasted at least 5 years. Sheet capacity is not terribly important to me, nor is the ability to shred optical discs and credit cards.

Thanks!

[rennigade]

WE have a diamond shredder one...may have cost $30...been going strong for 4 years. NO issues, rips through credit cards, about 7 sheets of paper at a time.

[greenskeeper]

woodstove works for me

[Jluke]

I have an Aurora shredder. cross cut.

I can't remember when I got it but I've probably had for 5-7 years...

Here is one on Amazon; not mine

[disneysteve]

I had a cheaper one from Staples that couldn't handle more than 2 or 3 pages at once and burned out finally. I replaced it with a heavier duty one from Staples that they actually had a great deal on a couple of years ago. I don't remember the specifics but it was on sale and they were giving a nice trade in allowance if you brought in an old one. I ended up getting it for half price or so.

Just keep in mind that they never actually handle the number of pages they claim to handle. So if it says 10 pages, it can probably do 5-6 tops.

[ua_guy]

We have a light-duty shredder for the occasional shred.

For everything else, and especially the big clean-ups we've done as of late (40 lbs worth of paper) we just take it down to Office Depot. Most office stores now have a shredding service. The one at our local store is run by Iron Mountain; the stuff goes in a secure bin and is then hauled off. Seems fairly safe, definitely convenient. The only downside is the price...usually $0.50- $1.00/ lb.

But it sure beats sitting in front of a light-duty shredder for 1-2 hours, clearing jams, waiting for it to cool down, bagging the shreds, etc.

The other thing I've done (yard on remote property) is take a stack of stuff out to the fire pit and torch it. Diesel works best, but it still makes for a mess, lots of ash. That was almost more work than it was worth, and it's not very clean. We have a wood stove too, but same problem. I don't like burning any kind of waste in there, wood only. Too much ash with paper, and especially with printing chemicals, etc, it makes for some really nasty deposits.

[SavingSteve]

It seems like Staples often has a good deal on a cheap but decent shredder. My last one has lasted 5 years now, I think I paid $20 for it.

[FrugalFish]

I recently bought a 12 sheet Gear Head through Amazon. It's been working great so far. The criteria I had this round was that the thing could eat staples as well as credit cards and CDs. This one does all those things wonderfully.

Prior to that I had an Aurora, and it just would not die. All the blades dulled to the point that it could no longer cut paper effectively, but the motor kept on chuggin'.

[JoeP]

Thanks, I am still on the lookout for one that can take around 5 sheets at a time, and not overheat after 2 minutes. The Aurora looks nice, but I will check out Staples as well.