A lightweight paper shredder for personal use in the home is ideal in this day and age where personal security is at the forefront of many people's minds. The amount of letters, statements & bills that the task of running a home generates is simply phenomenal. Chances are as well that printed on most of those documents are personal details, bank account details and credit card details that you really wouldn't want to divulge to all but your closest relatives and friends.
It is for this reason alone that many people around the world are now buying small, manageable and reliable personal paper shredders for home use. But with so many, to choose from which one will be right for you?
Basically, all types of personal paper shredders fall into one of two categories - those that strip-cut and those that cross-cut.
Strip-cut personal paper shredders are the original popular paper shredder. Paper inserted into the machine is cut into long, thin vertical strips. Normally, the width of the strip can be adjusted to personal preference, although generally speaking, the narrower the strip the less chance anyone has of putting that document back together!
One word of warning though. Be sure to place the piece of paper to be shredded into the machine at right angles to the lines of text on the paper. You don't want to shred in the same direction as the text runs, as whole sentences will remain intact after shredding! This is exactly what happened at Enron…and look what happened to them!
If you want maximum security it is recommended that you go for a cross-cut personal shredder. A cross-cut shredder slices the paper both vertically and horizontally, so producing confetti-like waste. This makes it extremely difficult for someone to try and put that document back together again, and so gives you greater peace of mind when discarding personal information.
Not all personal paper shredders are made equal. Some are better at handling higher shred volumes than others. Think how often you are going to use the machine, and buy accordingly. Some of the best personal shredders can take up to 150 sheets per day without any danger of the motor burning out This is often more than adequate for personal use.
You may also find that you want your personal paper shredder to do more than just shred paper that is manually fed into the tray. Personal paper shredders do vary on the features offered. For instance, some come with an automatic start/stop function so you do not have stand by the machine and manually feed documents. Some models also offer a reverse feed function, which is very useful for solving paper jams.
Before going ahead with your personal paper shredder purchase it is a wise decision to figure out which functions you need and which ones you can live without.
Happy shredding!