If there’s one thing I never thought I would need as an adult, it’s a paper shredder. Prior to investing in one, visions of identity theft or credit card fraud would dance in my mind every time I would dispose of sensitive documents and pieces of mail in the trash or recycling bin.
Now that this year’s tax season is in full swing, you too can enjoy the peace of mind that a paper shredder can provide. We’ve rounded up Amazon’s best-rated options ― convenient, and for the most part, compact machines that can mechanically shred all your important information beyond recognition so it can be recycled properly and safely.
Just ahead, find everything from commercial-grade shredders that tackle 18 pages at a time to compact shredders that sit neatly on your desk.
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This professional-grade machine shreds documents in high-security micro-cuts, the smallest type of shred available. It has a 12-sheet capacity as well as the ability to destroy DVDs, credit cards and even paper clips that you forget to remove. You have the option to continually run the machine for up to an hour, and can easily clear up paper jams using the auto-reverse feature. The base, which comes on rolling casters, can hold up to 300 sheets worth of shreds and pulls out like a drawer when it's time to be emptied.
This compact shredder is capable of micro-cutting 12 sheets of paper at a time, along with credit cards, DVDs, small paper clips and staples. It's small enough to fit on a desktop or end table, yet the pullout receptacle has a 1.8-gallon capacity for less frequent and more convenient emptying. It also promises nearly quiet operation.
If you'd rather shred your documents directly into your recycling bin, this attachment can be a good option. It features an extendable arm so it can fit securely over most wastebaskets and a manual reverse setting for clearing paper jams. It's capable of shredding eight sheets of paper at a time and can also handle credit cards and DVDs.
The most compact option on this list is this 1.32-gallon desktop shredder that destroys up to four documents at a time using the crosscut method, which cuts paper into smaller pieces compared to traditional strip-shredding. It can shred credit cards too, and the handle makes it easy to lift away the shredding component to empty the receptacle.
The Fellowes 9-gallon-capacity Powershred claims to be jam-proof due to an integrated mechanism that automatically detects and powers through a difficult job rather than trying to reverse the operation. The machine, which crosscuts up to 18 pages, can be continuously run for 30 minutes at a time and is compatible with DVDs, credit cards, junk mail, staples and paper clips. You also don't have to worry about little ones or animals getting hurt thanks to a safety feature that senses when hands get too close to the opening.
This 4.1-gallon-capacity shredder has over 152,330 five-star-ratings and is a great standard option for all your paper shredding needs. It offers security-level crosscuts, a credit card and DVD destroy option, and can shred up to eight pages at a time. It also has an auto-shut-off feature to prevent the shredder from overheating.