Amazon Basics 150-Sheet Autofeed Micro-Cut Paper and Credit Card Shredder, High Security Level P-4 with 8.5-Gallon Bin, 60-Minute Continuous Run Time, Black

Amazon Basics 150-Sheet Autofeed Micro-Cut Paper Shredder - I've had this from January 2022 to November 2024 so far, and it's been great. That's close to three years now, no problems. I've owned three shredders at other times before this, bought only one of them, none with all these features, and they've each eventually failed in one way or another. I use a paper shredder lubricating sheet each time the bin fills, to help preserve this machine's lifespan and keep it shredding well; these are items specifically designed to be passed through shredders to lubricate the gears and shredding teeth. You can also "do-it-yourself lubricate" the machine without having to buy such, and the instructions that come with the machine detail both ways, but I find this is the most convenient way for me. I really love the features, especially: - that it micro-shreds - the large capacity bin that holds a *lot* of shredding before needing to empty it - pulling the bin out of the enclosure (instead of lifting a heavy machine off the top of a bin and fitting it carefully back into aligned place) - the ability to shred 10 standard sheets of paper at once - the ability to place a stack of (150) sheets of paper under the pop-top, close it, and let them auto-feed though the shredder all on their own - not worrying if there's a staple (if there's more than one on top of each other, I'd pull them for piece of mind, though) - (a minor thing here, but I've used it) the ability to shred credit cards, and similar cards that come in junk mail [Don't forget to empty the bin first or place something to catch the plastic bits, to keep the plastic out of the shredded paper if you recycle it!] - (another small thing) wheels that rotate 360 degrees and roll easily -- so I can stash it out of the way, and pull it back out, just that bit more easily It's also got a number of other safety and informational display features that are nice. The price was in-line with prices for other shredders considering all its features. It makes noise, of course, but I can still watch TV or listen to an audiobook while shredding -- heh heh -- boxes of old bills and other papers. It doesn't manage to keep every shred in the bin -- just know that some are going to escape into the back of the bin enclosure and you'll eventually need to dump or sweep them out, including out of the track the bin slides in an out on. This is especially going to happen if you let the bin get *really* full to overflowing some. It also makes *some* paper dust, so if you're sensitive to that, you'll take that into account as you pull the bin out and dump it, especially when it's pretty full. This is probably universal to every micro-shredding paper shredder, though, too. *If you need to*, wear a mask and/or have a filter running right by it, or even roll it outside to empty it. Note that I'm healthy enough and this isn't really a problem for me, but it's the find of thing I'm aware of because of friends with asthma. :-) Since the shredding teeth dump shreds closer to the back, you can make the bin's capacity last longer -- that is, go a bit longer between emptyings -- if you pull the mound of shreds accumulating under the teeth towards the front of the bin before it gets to the top. If you've a pet or child who likes to walk across or swat or pat at the easy-press touch-button controls on top, be easier, knowing that there is a master power rocker switch on the back. Setting that to off turns off the top controls for safety and peace of mind, without having to unplug the machine -- which should also work. Five stars -- I'm really pleased with this purchase, and would buy it again if I had to.

This shredder is an absolute WORK HORSE! Best investment and time saver. I use it every single day. I shred individual papers as well loading in stacks of 150 sheets and walking away while it shreds them. It hasn't jammed or even overheated. This was a great investment to save me time at work.

Since I couldn't find everything I wanted in one shredder at a good price I will do a pro ad con for this item. Paper feeders Pro: I love the stack feeder inside. I had to shred paper work that was saved all the way from the 1950's till now and I knew there would be a lot of "stacks" of tax returns and other items so I really liked the inside feeder that easily handled large stacks. Con: Not a big deal at all but if a paper was short (not standard size) the machine would stop so I could take it out and shred after. This was not a big deal but I spent some time for the most part going through stacks to make sure they were all the same standard size. Since there was a lot all one size, it was worth it. Auto shredder vs. auto shredder Pro: The paper feeder on the top is really easy to feed. I only had a couple misfeeds with some curved paper that slipped between the shredder and the lid but they were easy to pull out. Con: I can't really say it is a "con" as I knew when I bought it it did not have an auto feeder on the top. I knew it but still wish it had one for all the other sized papers. If you don't shred a lot of standard size one with auto feeder might be better but if you only shred random, it is a strong shredder and I feel was worth the trade off. Moving Pro: Easy rolling from location to location. This was great because it is a pretty large shredder and with the wheels you can easily just stash away and bring it out when you need it. My old shredder was small but heavy and I had to leave out because moving it was just a pain. Con: No real "con" her other than it is big, but that is not a bad thing. Sound: Pro: Really quiet for a shredder. I have only had one other shredder for the last 10 years but it always seemed super loud to me. I hated it. This one I sat in the living room with my husband watching TV and just shred away without really a bother. Con: I don't see a con to this. Catch Tub Pro: Large catch basin for the shredding. Not only was it large but easy to pull it out to empty it. Light weight so easy to carry all the way out front to big trash can so not to use up trash bags. Also the shredding is cut very small. I couldn't help playing with it a little it cut it so small. Con: When you pull out the catch basin, it tends to not tell you until it is pretty full. When you open it, the paper will spill some of the shred to the base inside that holds the catch bucket. Not much falls out at one time but you figure if you pull it, move paper up and put back in before dumping, each time a little paper falls to the back and then you have to scoop it up. After a few times of emptying the buck I had to vacuum it out so the tub would roll back in easy. I am not going to say this was a big deal. I don't think on average I will be doing hours of shredding so really you don't have to do this often but with a lot of shredding I would have vacuum ready. I would say 100% if you shred stacks of paper, this is great. I will be happy to have it even with out using the auto feeder all the time because the bucket is huge and it moves so easy and is so easy to empty. I really really like it.

Second Amazon Basics shredder that I have owned. I have had this shredder for about 2 weeks now, working on a large document destruction project and for the most part it has worked as expected and advertised. The good- -Will quietly shred over 100 pages at one time (so long as they are flat and 8.5 x 11) -Will shred credit cards, others mentioned the lack of CD shredding. I dont really care about that as I have not backed up data to a CD in years and those are long gone. If I find the need to destroy a CD ill just cut it in half -Big drawer, holds a lot of shreds -10 page slot works fine for odd sized documents, sometimes easier to use that quickly rather than opening the lid and carefully placing your paper in tray -Simple controls, Power and Forward/Reverse for jammed documents The Bad- -Very temperamental with size of doc, If you put 50 standard sizes pages in with 1 odd size the machine will sometimes stop so you really need to be careful everything is 8.5 x 11 and relatively flat. Among the documents that I was shredding were a few that were wet at onetime and dried, gives the paper an odd feel, the machine didn't like those in the tray -The drawer makes a mess when removed. This is expected with high volume shredding but as others have noted there are many shreds left inside of the machine, not sure if a bag can be used or if that would help Overall I'm happy with this machine and would recommend it