It goes without saying that every business should have a paper shredder on site. Though there are services that will take your documents off site and shred them for you, you can't beat the added feeling of security you get from putting the papers in the machine yourself. Of course, if you are in the market for a shredder, you are likely finding that there are a surprising number of features you didn't even know you had to consider.. Here in this article we will discuss some of the things you should be thinking about before you pull the trigger on purchasing a paper shredder. 1. What Materials Will You Be Shredding? Most of the better shredders available on the market today can not only shred paper (make sure to get one that features the more secure cross cutting, and don't settle for a machine that handles less than twelve to seventeen sheets at a time), they are able to easily shred any staples or paper clips that may get suck in the pile as well. This is a great time-saving feature, and one that any shredder you purchase should include. You just never know what might be lurking in that pile of papers, and it is good to know that the shredder you choose can handle most, if not all, surprises. It is also fast becoming the norm in the industry for a shredder to be able to handle credit cards, CDs, and DVDs, with ease. 2. How Often Will Your Shredder Be Used? One very important thing to consider when purchasing your shredder is what is known as the duty cycle. Some o the lighter-duty machines can only be used for four to ten minutes before they will need thirty minutes to cool down. If that seems like too small a workload for your needs, you should look for a machine that can work continuously. Shredders with continuous duty motors such as the Fellowes C 220Ci, or the C 320C are well worth it for organizations that need to shred larger volumes of paper. 3. What About Safety Concerns? As you are shopping, you will find that most if not all of the higher end shredders out there have at least some sort of basic safety device. These can include, at the very least, a switch that turns off the blades when the shredder is lifted off the basket. Some manufacturers such as Fellowes include a sensor that automatically shuts off the machine if the user's hands get too close to the shredding mechanism. Though there are a few other features to consider--such as basket capacity, bin-full lights, and whether your machine includes an auto start and stop function, the most important things to compare and contrast when you are shopping for a shredder are listed above. There is one more important thing to look at, however, ad that is the "throughput" cost per sheet. This is the total number of sheets that can be shred in one minute. This number helps you determine the volume of work that a shredder can complete during a long shredding session. It is calculated as speed x sheet capacity, and it is, of course wise to choose a shredder that offers the best throughput cost for your dollar.
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