Best 5 Personal Paper Shredders: Secure Your Shredded Documents The Right Way

Do you want to find the best personal paper shredder?

If you do, but not sure which features are really important, we describe them in this review. When you read the guide, check out these models and pick the favorite one.

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What Is Personal Shredder & Who Is It For?

To get rid of personal documents and bank statements, paper shredders are a great choice. You can use them in your home or your home office to destroy your small business documents. Simply feed it with paper and other suitable media which the blades will shred into smaller particles and discard into the waste bin.

Small Paper Shredder For Personal Use

For personal use, you won’t need a big shredder that takes up a lot of space, but a small one. Using a shredder for personal documents also means you might need it for getting rid of all the junk mail or documents with sensitive information that you do not need when filing your taxes.

Is It Worth Having It At Home?

To stop identity theft, a personal shredder can be of a lot of help in your home. If you dispose of your personal documents without destroying them, someone could steal your identity and use your personal data against you.

Do Models For Personal Use Make Much Noise?

Models for personal (or home) use usually do not produce much noise. If they are small models you can put them under the desk. For instance, they usually work at a noise level of around 50 decibels (similar to the quiet conversation), compared to large office and professional models that work at around 80 decibels (similar to a busy street). If you are looking for one that is also quiet, you might want to learn about features that make a shredder less noisy.

How To Choose a Personal Shredder?

An abundance of things and features will depend on which model and type is the best option for you personally. Firstly, it starts with the size, as you probably won’t have a lot of space for a paper shredder in your home. Some models even have casters for easy wheeling around the house. Let’s see what other things should have an influence your choice.

Size of Personal Models

You won’t need a big machine to occasionally shred junk mail and personal documents such as bank statements. Most compact models have a bin size of around 5 gallons. That should be enough for shredding personal documents and other media in your home.

Page Capacity For Your Own Use

For personal use, you probably won’t need a large model that can shred through many pages at once. Personal and standard models usually cut up to 5 sheets at once and that is more than enough.

Run Time

Devices for your personal use can usually cut for five to 10 minutes before they have to stop and cool down so they do not overheat. If you want to cut for longer than that, you should go for a more powerful model with a longer run time.

Cool Down Time

The shorter the cooldown time, the sooner you can go back to shredding. However, if your personal use means that you do not have a high volume of paper to go through, you won’t have to invest more money to get a model with a longer run time and a shorter cool-down time.

Ability To Shred Different Materials

When using a shredder in your home, you will mostly deal with credit cards, personal documents, junk mail, CDs, DVDs, etc. Different manufacturers allow you to shred different materials. Make sure to check the manual before shredding any kind of material in the machine.

Price Of Personal Devices

The market offers cheaper models for personal use as they are not as big. Also, the price will depend on cutting type, with micro-cut and nano-cut models being on the pricier side. On the other hand, those of a smaller size and with a strip-cut mechanism are mostly cheaper with prices under 50 dollars.

Safety Features For Personal Use

Safety guards are a great safety feature to have, especially if you have small children who could be in touch with it. Also, anti-jam is a useful feature that will get rid of jams so that you do not have to get your fingers exposed to dangerous blades.

Best 5 Personal Paper Shredders

Bonsaii C220-A Paper Shredder

Multifunctional Shredder
This product is available in a few versions, here we talk about the model with 12-sheet capacity. The Bonsaii shreds the paper, paper clips and staples. It is very practical, you don’t have to remove each paper clip before shredding.

Cross-cut Device
It is a cross-cut model that shreds the paper into small pieces of 4 x 40mm or 5/32 x 1-37/64 inches. The security level is P-4, which is pretty high. You can throw away your sensitive documents without worrying someone will use them.

Bin Window
On the front of the C220-A is a large transparent window. It is very useful because you can see if the bin is full. The bin capacity is 3.5 gallons. This is a good capacity because when the machine shreds the paper, there are very tiny particles, so you don’t have to empty it often.

Move It & Park It
The Bonsaii dimensions are 13.20 x 8.70 x 17.80 inches and it weighs 13.9 pounds. If you need to transport it from one room to another, there are four universal wheels. The two front wheels have a lock system, so you can leave it stable in one position.

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Aurora AU870MA Paper Shredder

Compact And Lightweight
Aurora AU870MA is an affordable micro-cut device for personal use. It is a compact device with 7.13 x 11.81 x 16.10 inches. It is a lightweight item with 11 pounds. There are no casters, but it’s easy to move it due to its small size and light weigth.

Three Functions
There are a couple of function on top, they are auto, off and reverse functions. Aurora’s paper shredder has auto-start, so when you put the paper into the slot, it will start working. The reverse function solves paper jams so you don’t have to use your hands.

Sensitive Papers & Credit Cards
The sheet capacity is 8 sheets per single pass. Also, this household model can cut credit cards, too. It is safe to use it to destory confidential papers. It is a micro-cut device that provides the highest level of security. Officially, it is a P-4 security level.

Auto-Off Feature
The wastebasket has a high capacity, you can put approximately 230 sheets in. The Aurora is able to work 5 minutes and then it needs to cool down. You need to take care of the time, but there is an LED indicator that will turn on if the motor is overheated. Then the shredder will auto shut off.

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GBC 1757394 Paper Shredder

Three Colors
The GBC model number 1757394, has a 19 x 10.8 x 18.6 inches. It is available in black, blue and silver colors and has a low price. This personal machine is ideal for a single user. It is made of quality materials, so you can use it for a long time.

Super Cross-cut Shredder
The GBC shredder cuts the paper into two directions, so it is impossible to read the shredded sheets. The security level is P-4. You can use it to cut paper, small paper clips, staples, CDs, DVDs. Also, it can shred unopened junk mail.

Quickly Shredding
This device shreds the papers quickly. You can put 12 sheets per one pass, which is a high capacity for a personal type. This machine continuously runs for 4 minutes, then it needs to cool down.

Lift-off Waste Bin
Through the transparent window, you can see if the bin is full. You need to remove the shredder’s head and then empty the bin. It is a lift-off waste bin with maximal 5 gallons of capacity. The LED indicators detect when the bin is full, this feature prevents paper jams.

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Wolverine SD9101 Paper Shredder

Quality Build Device
The Wolverine’s dimensions are 13.9 x 9.5 x 19.7 inches. It weighs 17 pounds, but you can easily move it wherever you want, thanks to installed casters. There are sharp super alloy steel blade cutter and gear wheels inside of the machine. It is a wear-resistance device.

The Highest Security Level
With this SD9101, you can shred paper, paper clips, staples and credit cards. You don’t have to worry about your confidential documents, this micro-cut device has high P-5 security level. This is one of the highest security levels, so you can rely on it.

Transparent Window
The maximal sheet capacity is 8 papers per single pass, the maximal bin capacity is 4.5 gallons which is more than enough for home use. The maintenance is simple, you don’t have to lubricate it. Just take care about bin capacity, there is a transparent window so you can see when it’s full.

Silent & Smooth
The jam reverse technology automatically detects if there is paper overload. With manual reverse, the jams aren’t an issue. The smooth shredding experience is enhanced because the shredder produces 54dB only.

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Ezbasic E01C Paper Shredder

Compact & Stylish
The Ezbasic E01C is a bit large, but compact personal device that can fit under a desk or workstation. Its dimensions are 14.93 x 7.45 x 13.46 inches. It is perfect for light use at your home or in a small office. You can feed it with paper, credit cards, staples and small paper clips.

5-Sheet Capacity
You can put 5 sheets into this device at the time and one credit card. Ezbasic runs continuously for 5 minutes, then you need to leave it for 30 minutes to cool down. The bin capacity is 3.1 gallons, it is easy to empty it thanks to the pull-out bin type.

Not For Sealed Envelopes
There is no worry about sensitive documents, this Ezbasic E01C meets high P-4 standard. Feed the unit with your bills, bank statements, ATM receipts and other sheets with private information. But, don’t put sealed envelopes in, it is not made to destroy them.

Ultra-low Noise Design
When the Ezbasic machine runs, it doesn’t produce a lot of noise with 58 decibels. This is the sound of normal people’s conversation. The special cutter design prevents paper jams and you don’t have to use lubricates here.

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Which Cutting Type & Level Of Security Is Recommended For You?

The three main types of shredders are strip-cut, cross-cut, and micro-cut.
Strip-cut model – turns document sheets into long strips and offers the lowest level of security so it is recommended for non-sensitive documents.
Cross-cut model – shreds papers diagonally into smaller pieces (around 400 of them) that are barely readable so it is better for confidential documents.
Micro-cut model – destroys a single sheet of paper into around 3,700 pieces and that is why it offers a higher level of security for confidential documents and sensitive information.
For personal use – you can go for one of medium security unless you are dealing with highly sensitive information.

What Is A Cheaper Alternative?

If you only need to shred bills and other personal documents from time to time, you do not have to invest in a paper shredder, there is a cheaper alternative. For example, you could get scissors for shredding paper. They won’t take up a lot of space either and they won’t affect your budget too much.