Product guide - Shredders

One of the main reasons that people are buying shredders is to destroy vital security information which they no longer need but could be used against them.

Identity theft is on the rise and for most people it is because they throw all of their paper away for recycling not knowing that some of this should be destroyed so it does not fall into the wrong hands.

The first things you need to think about is why you need a shredder. Do you need it to destroy a letter or something which has got your name and address on? These can be easily shredded with a strip cut shredder. If you want to destroy old bank statements or bills then these should be shredded with a cross cut shredder.

Most shredders now have a level of security to help you make the easy choice of which shredder you need. DIN levels can give you an idea of how fine your shredder will shred.

DIN Levels

• Level 1 = Shreds into 12mm strips
• Level 2 = Shreds into 6mm strips
• Level 3 = Shreds into 2mm strips (Confidential)
• Level 4 = Shreds into 2 x 15mm particles (Commercially Sensitive)
• Level 5 = Shreds into 0.8 x 12mm particles (Top Secret or Classified)

Strip Cut Shredders

Strip cut shredders have parallel blades that produce long strips of paper shreds. This differs to cross cut shredders that have intersecting blades and produce much smaller paper shreds. Strip cut shredders are available in a wide range of sizes for different applications and are suitable for basic home use, a home office or even for large departmental offices.

Advantage: Shred more sheets in 1 shred which makes this quicker if you have quite a few documents you wish to destroy.

Disadvantage: Needs to be emptied more frequently due to the size of the bin and shreds.

See our range of Shredders

Cross Cut Shredders

These are the most popular type of shredders purchased as they offer superior security over the strip cut shredder. Cross cut shredders typically have a security rating of either 3-4. They achieve this through their cutting mechanism which cuts the paper in two directions.

When purchasing a paper shredder the first thing to do is to think about what you are shredding and why. If the shredder is for home use then a simple strip cut shredder will probably suffice. If you are in the market for a home office shredder then again a strip cut shredder may be up to the job for day to day use. If you have any commercially sensitive documents then a good cross cut shredder is an absolute must.

Advantage: Creates smaller paper shreds which are harder to read. This also makes more space in the bin so you don't have to empty as much as a strip cut shredder.

See our range of Shredders