Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Operations

What are the best paper shredders?

Amanda Scheldt
By

Even for small businesses, paper shredders are important to have as basic office supplies. Paper shredders are ideal because they help companies remove the concerns of security and privacy issues of their physical documents. These devices are the go-to office supply to help destroy copies that have passed their necessary retention needs. 

Security isn’t the only feature to consider when shopping for paper shredders. Depending on your office or home office needs, there are many other factors to consider, including the size, cut, and maintenance of the shredder.

Related Videos

If you’re unsure what paper will meet your needs, this guide casn help you narrow down your purchasing selections. Let’s explore three of the best paper shredders for small businesses.

Small paper shredder on a wastebasket

Strip-cut shredder

The strip-cut shredder is an affordable and low-level security device for your home office or small business office. Strip-cut shredders are also known as ribbon-cut, spaghetti-cut, or straight-cut shredders. Regardless of the name you identify it with, this type of machine contains a single blade designed to cut paper vertically when fed through the top of the shredder.

Strip-cut shredders are the fastest ones on the market and also require the least amount of maintenance. However, the small machines are the least secure type of shredders, as well as the most inexpensive, due to their simple version of cutting paper. Typically cutting paper into strips approximately a half-inch wide, this shredder makes the pieces of paper hard to piece back together again. 

A strip-cut shredder cuts your documents into long, vertical strips rather than short paper or confetti-style shreds. These strips are likely to contain legible pieces of text, graphics, signatures, or photos. Therefore, this type of shredding machine is perfect for disposing of nonconfidential documents, such as unclassified documents, public information documents, and media mail.

Cross-cut shredder

A cross-cut shredder is sometimes called a confetti-cut shredder. This type of machine cuts your paper documents vertically and horizontally, resulting in smaller paper particles. Thanks to this cross-cut technology, these shredders offer far more data security than the strip-cut shredder varieties.

These paper shredders provide enough security for shredding standard confidential documents at your small business. This type of shredder offers classified and sensitive disposal safety. Therefore, many business owners prefer cross-cut shredders because of their more secure and enhanced data destruction capabilities. 

Because there are more complex pieces in these machines that shred documents into confetti-size pieces, they are more costly. However, the higher price is worth the higher value of secure paper disposal. 

Super cross-cut shredder

This is another model of the cross-cut shredder. While the purpose and design of these types of shredders are the same, super cross-cut shredders produce more minor cuts than regular cross-cut shredders. Super cross-cut shredders are ideal for highly sensitive and confidential documents that need to be destroyed. Additionally, they can shred smaller than standard cross-cut shredders and make up to 400 cuts per paper. 

Both the cross-cut and super cross-cut shredder varieties require more routine maintenance than strip-cut shredders. In order to keep this type of machine running smoothly and efficiently, it’s recommended to oil it regularly. 

Micro-cut shredder

With a micro-cut paper shredder, your small business gets more document disposal security than it would from either a strip-cut or cross-cut shredder. A micro-cut shredder still uses a cross-cut shredding mechanism, but it’s a more advanced device that offers greater security for destroying confidential data.

Officially, a micro-cut shredder is classified as providing the highest level of information security. These varieties are recommended for destroying and disposing of personal and sensitive documents, such as personally identifiable information on paper and documents from government organizations.

The paper particles produced from these devices are more microscopic than standard cross-cut and strip-cut shredder models. Therefore, any information that was on the documents is essentially unreadable and nearly impossible to reconstruct. One copy through this type of shredder can equate to over 2,000 tiny paper particles.

Micro-cut shredders require the most maintenance, and therefore, regular oiling of the machines is necessary. It’s also important to note that due to the more significant amount of cuts needed, these devices run at a slower pace than other varieties. This is because of the lower sheet capacity and slower shredding speed of the machines.

Person using a small paper shredder

Best office paper shredders

These are the three common types of paper shredders used for document disposal. It’s essential to know that these are the best paper shredders on the market and some include add-ons, such as wastebaskets and auto-shredding features.

Whether you need to destroy unclassified documents or confidential materials, you’ll find a paper shredder is the best resource to dispose of all documents securely. No matter what your needs are for your small business, secure document removal is important and can increase the value of the paper shredder you choose. 

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
5 best desk organizers for a tidy office
Minimalist desktop organization

If you work at home, in a shared office space, in a private studio, or in a prominent corner office, you likely use a desk. And desks are a vital place for productivity, strategizing, and brainstorming. But if your desk is full of clutter, you may not get anything done.
The usable space impacts your productivity and effectiveness on your desk. Even if you can work in a messy space, your mindset may have a negative impact from the disarray. Crowded desk space can increase stress and anxiety surrounding your sense of accomplishment.
Fortunately, there are desktop organizers to help you sort any mess. You can find a tabletop organizer for documents, devices, portability, and more. Read on the discover the best desktop organizers for your needs.

Best for document organization
Easily the most common thing on any desktop is paperwork, bills, and other documents. And paper takes up a lot of space. Plus, it's a mess that can stack up. The best tabletop organizer for you might be a document tray. The Simple Houseware Stackable Desk File Document Letter Tray Organizer is the key to your paperwork issue.

Read more
How a room divider can give workers more privacy
Smiling coworkers in an office hallway

Ensuring you have the most useful workplace setting goes a long way in determining how effective your company is going to be. With that in mind, consider half-wall room dividers with columns or office desk dividers for the desks in your office. Having these can make for a more productive workplace. Even with workers in what may be tight areas, these office desk dividers give them some privacy.

It's time to look at how your office is laid out privacy-wise and make some changes, so production can stay consistent and even improve.

Read more
What does a copy machine cost?
Office worker using a copy machine

Copy machines are rarely just for copying. Often, you're paying for the included scanner and printer, too. If you're looking at a basic copy machine, it may only include a scanner. When you're buying a copy machine, take note if you need certain extras, such as:

Faster printing speeds (pages per minute)
Top-of-the-line copy rates
Auto document feeders (ADF)
High-resolution scanning (DPI)
High tray storage capacity
Ink tank vs. cartridges

Read more