A paper shredder is an electric device that shreds confidential or sensitive documents into small unreadable particles. The device contains a set of rotating cut blades that drives by the motor. The size of paper particles depends on the type of shredder you are getting. Also, the noise level of the machine depends on its quality. If you get the cheapest paper shredder, then most probably it will create a lot of noise.
Types of Paper Shredders:
As mentioned above, not all paper shredder creates the same cut or paper particles. This is the reason the machine is categorized into different types. Those types are;
· Strip-cut Shredder:
As its name suggests, it is a basic shredder that shreds paper in strips. It gives you vertical, long, and narrow strips like spaghetti that are a bit readable. This is a great consideration for cutting down casual documents. In a specific A4 size of the paper, it gives around 39 strips per document.
· Cross-cut Shredder:
This type of shredder cuts paper in a cross way that ends up with diagonal shape paper from both the corners in quite small particles that are not really readable. This is a medium level of security for your documents. It is an ideal choice for shredding sensitive documents as it gives short and narrow paper shreds. In a general A4 size sheet, it approximately gives 400 particles per document.
· Micro-cut Shredder:
This type of paper shredder is the most advanced and excellent deal for shredding the most confidential and sensitive documents. It cut down the paper diagonally from both ends in small square particles that are totally unreadable. This is the high-security level for your papers and approximately gives you 3700 particles per document of A4 size sheet.
Which One Is the Best Paper Shredder?
So, the type of shredder that is the best totally depends on your need. The type will suit you by the level of security you need and how sensitive the information is. Most of the times, cross-cut and micro-cut shredders are the best choice as it does not allow readability. It offers you safety for your important documents.
What Do You Need to Shred?
Obviously, you need to shred confidential documents. However, sometimes you also need to shred other things like staples, paperclips, ID cards, credit cards, DVDs, etc. There are certain shredders that can shred such types of things easily. Of course, every shredder cannot shred your credit card as it can damage your blades.
There is a more advanced level of shredders that can shred paperclips, plastic cards, CDS, DVDs, etc. Such a type of machine contains a dedicated slot for these things. Also, note that there is a separate shredder for cardboard too. You need to be careful as every paper shredder can’t handle tough material.
In this regard, you need to consider a heavy-duty and powerful shredder to cut down tough materials.
Final Words:
There is plenty of shredders available in the market. You need to clearly know what you need and how much security you need. So the cheapest paper shredders can also do your work if that’s enough for you.