best home paper shredders

With more and more people working remotely, your home office must have a tool to destroy sensitive documents both from a work and personal data perspective. I rarely have to print sensitive data, so I did not need a super-fast powerful machine. I started looking for the best home paper shredder under $100.

FAQs To Consider When Buying a Paper Shredder

paper shredder security
1. How many sheets of paper can it shred at a time?

Amazon groups shredder sheet capacity into four groups; up to 9, between 10-14, 15-19, and 20-24. Of course, some models can shred over 100 sheets at a time. This may not be typical for a small home office.

2. How much money do you want to spend?

The price varies based on features and brand. While researching paper shredders, I found some that cost over a thousand dollars. On the other hand, you can find models that cost less than fifty dollars.

3. How long can you shred continuously without the machine cutting off or overheating?

There are manual shredders available. But this article focuses on the automatic ones. With most automatic shredders, you can shred for a finite time before the machine will overheat and shut off. The range of the paper shredders listed below are from 3 to 10 minutes.

4. How long do you have to wait after automatic shut-off before you can shred again (cool-down period)?

Once the automatic shut-off is invoked, you must not use the paper shredder for a finite number of minutes, called the cool-down period. This time can range from 5 to 45 minutes depending on the machine.

5. How much shredded paper will the wastebasket hold?

If you shred a lot, you will probably want a basket that holds more paper. How often you empty the basket depends on its capacity. Most are usually represented in gallons or sheets. The bin capacity depends on the bin size.

6. What security level do you need for the shredded paper?

Paper shredders use a security level classification from P-2 to P-7, with P-2 being the largest to P-7 the smallest. P-2 is the least secure and P-7 is the most. Unless you have very, very sensitive data, a P-2, P-3, or P-4 paper shredder is appropriate for home or small business use.

7. What type of shredder do you need?

You will find shredders listed as strip cut, crosscut, and micro-cut. As the name implies, a strip cut shredder shreds in strips. Cross cutters shred lengthwise and crosswise. Micro shredders cut paper into minuscule pieces. Cross cutters are most common for normal home use. Cross cut shredders are ideal for shredding everyday documents. Micro-cut shredders offer increased privacy.

8. What can it shred besides paper?

Be sure to read the specifications. Some machines can cut credit cards, CDs, DVDs, staples, paper clips, and junk mail. The less expensive machines often do not handle CDs or discs.

9. What to do to keep the blades working at optimal performance?

You can lubricate the blades to sharpen and clean the shredder blades. You can use special oil or purchase paper shredding, sharpening, and lubricating sheets. Sheets are definitely less mess than oil.

Home Paper Shredder Under $100 – Top 5

We did our research and came up with our list of the best home paper shredder under $100. Most are cross cutters, but one is a micro cutter if you have that need. We selected based on most common sheet capacity. They are listed by capacity and all are under $100.

#1 – Best 6 Sheet Micro Cut Shredder

Amazon Basics 6 Sheet Micro Cut Paper and Credit Card Home Office Shredder

Amazon Basics 6 Sheet Micro Cut Paper and Credit Card Home Office Shredder
Amazon Basics 6 Sheet Micro Cut Paper and Credit Card Home Office Shredder

Specifications

  • Cut Type: Micro Cut Paper Shredder
  • Shreds: Paper, credit card and small paper clips
  • Sheet Capacity: 6 Sheets
  • Bin Capacity: 4.1 Gallon Bin
  • Run Time: 3 minutes
  • Security Level: P-4
  • Dimensions: 12.76 x 7.32 x 15.94 inches
  • Weight: 9.7 Pounds

#2 – Best 6 Sheet Cross Cut Paper Shredder

Bonsaii C237 B Cross Cut Paper Shredder

Bonsaii C237 B Cross Cut Paper Shredder
Bonsaii C237 B Cross Cut Paper Shredder

Specifications

  • Cut Type: Cross Cut
  • Shreds: Paper, credit cards and small paper clips
  • Sheet Capacity: 6 Sheets
  • Bin Capacity: 3.4 Gallons
  • Run Time: 4 minutes
  • Security Level: P-3
  • Dimensions: 11.8 x 7.1 x 14.3 inches (LxWxH)
  • Weight: 6.39 Pounds

#3 – Best 10 Sheet Cross Cut Shredder

Bonsaii C209D 10 Sheet Cross Cut Paper Shredder For Home Office

Bonsaii C209D 10 Sheet Cross Cut Paper Shredder For Home Office
Bonsaii C209D 10 Sheet Cross Cut Paper Shredder For Home Office

Specifications

  • Cut Type: Cross Cut
  • Shreds: Paper, credit cards and small paper clips
  • Sheet Capacity: 10 Sheets
  • Bin Capacity: 5.5 Gallons
  • Run Time: 4 minutes
  • Security Level: P-3
  • Dimensions: 12.64 x 7.91 x 18.5 inches(LxWxH)
  • Weight: 11.86 Pounds

#4 – Best 12 Sheet Cross Cut Shredder

Aurora AU1230XA Cross Cut Shredder Office

Aurora AU1230XA 12 Sheet Cross Cut Shredder
Aurora AU1230XA 12 Sheet Cross Cut Shredder

Specifications

  • Cut Type: Cross Cut
  • Shreds: Paper, credit cards and small paper clips
  • Sheet Capacity: 12 Sheets
  • Bin Capacity: 5.2 Gallons
  • Run Time: 5 minutes
  • Security Level: P-3
  • Dimensions: 13.31 x 8.46 x 15.87 inches(LxWxH)
  • Weight: 13.01 Pounds

#5 – Best 14 Sheet Cross Cut Shredder

Fellowes Powershred 14C10 14 Sheet Cross Cut Home Office Paper Shredder

Fellowes Powershred 14C10 14 Sheet Cross Cut Home Office Paper Shredder
Fellowes Powershred 14C10 14 Sheet Cross Cut Home Office Paper Shredder

Specifications

  • Cut Type: Cross Cut
  • Shreds: Paper, credit cards, paper clips and staples as well as unopened junk mail
  • Sheet Capacity: 14 Sheets
  • Bin Capacity: 5 Gallon Bin
  • Run Time: 10 minutes
  • Security Level: P-4
  • Dimensions: 13.44 x 9.69 x 19.69 inches(LxWxH)
  • Weight: 18.11 Pounds
Recommended

Identity theft is real and you need a tool for destroying your private documents. The products selected are some of the best paper shredders under $100. If you need a product that shreds more than 14 sheets at a time, the Amazon Basics Shredder is a best seller.

Amazon Basics 15-Sheet Cross Cut Paper Shredder and Credit Card CD Shredder with 6 Gallon Bin
201,833 Reviews
Amazon Basics 15-Sheet Cross Cut Paper Shredder and Credit Card CD Shredder with 6 Gallon Bin
This shredder turns paper into small confetti-like pieces and meets P-4 standards.

As stated previously, to keep your shredder working properly, you need to sharpen and lubricate the blades. Oil works well, but is messy. These sheets are a better alternative.

Sale
Amazon Basics Paper Shredder Sharpening & Lubricant Sheets - Pack of 12
38,331 Reviews
Amazon Basics Paper Shredder Sharpening & Lubricant Sheets - Pack of 12
These lubricant sheets sharpen, clean, and lubricate shredder blades as well as helps prevent paper jams.

To keep your important documents, use a portable scanner prior to shredding them. Read how.

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