The 6 Very Best Paper Shredders

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Capacity:5 sheets| Run time:none provided| P-rating:P-4

While micro-cut shredders are more secure, says Mark Steinberg, a senior technologist at B&H Photo Video, crosscut types are more affordable and more suitable for home use. That’s why Steinberg recommends this Dahle crosscut shredder. It has a mid-range P-rating of 4, meaning it shreds documents into 4.8-by-17.5 mm. slivers — a fairly small, secure size for the average home user. Its built-in jam protection can handle a variety of media, including credit cards, staples, and paper clips, and its auto start/stop feature and thermally protected motor prevent overheating. And while many paper shredders need to be oiled regularly to keep them running smoothly, this one is oil free.

Capacity:6, 8, 12, 15, 18, or 24 sheets| Run time:3 minutes| P-rating:P-3

A crosscut shredder at a much lower price point, this Amazon Basics model is well liked by both Amazon reviewers and Strategist shoppers. Its six-, eight-, and 15-sheet versions (we’ve linked the in-stock eight-sheet above) have been purchased a combined total of 8,284 times by Strategist shoppers since 2019, making it our most-sold paper shredder. It is incredibly well reviewed on Amazon, too, with a whopping 177,679 reviews, 78 percent of which are five-star. It has a slightly lower P-rating than our best overall pick above, so it cuts paper into slightly larger slivers — 5 by 47 mm. — and it can’t handle things like staples or paperclips. But it has a higher capacity, and for its under-$100 price tag, depending on which level of capacity you buy, it’s a reliable, well-reviewed scanner for the at-home user who needs to shred papers and credit cards.

Capacity:8 sheets| Run time:2 minutes| P-rating:P-1

If you’re short on space and want something you can keep on your desk or easily store, this shredder omits the built-in bin to collect the shredded paper, saving it several inches in size. Instead, it has an extendable arm designed to fit over most wastebaskets, so you set it on top of your open trash can and shred papers directly into it. When not extended, it’s only 12 inches wide, 6.5 inches long, and three inches high. It has the lowest P-rating of any on this list — P-1, and it shreds documents into quarter-inch strips — so it’s really best for light, at-home shredding. But it can handle multiple media types, including credit cards, CDs and DVDs. It’s among our top ten most-purchased document shredders since 2019, with just under 2,000 sold, and it’s highly rated on Amazon, with 77 percent of its more than 9,000 ratings being five-star. Aurora shredders themselves are highly purchased, too — three of the brand’s other models appear on our most-sold list.

Capacity:6, 8, 12, 17, 18, and 150 sheets| Run time: 3 minutes | P-rating:P-4

A micro-cut shredder is the next step up in terms of security, and this one is an affordable yet well-reviewed option. With a P-4 rating, it shreds papers into 4-by-12-mm. slivers, one of the smallest sizes on this list. It can handle credit cards, staples, and small paper clips, and it has an overload protection feature to prevent serious jams. Like its Amazon Basics Crosscut counterpart, it comes in various capacities, from six sheets of paper all the way up to 150 sheets. It’s also another Strategist reader favorite, with nearly 2,400 purchased since 2019. It’s a highly rated shredder among Amazon shoppers, with about 20,500 ratings, 78 percent of which are five star.

Capacity:12 sheets| Run time:12 minutes| P-rating:P-4

For a crosscut paper shredder with a longer run time and higher paper capacity, Carl Prouty, the electronics expert (he’s also known as “the Technologist”) atAbt Electronicsin Glenview, Illinois, suggests Fellowes’s Powershred shredders, specifically the75Cs,60Cs, and63Cb, as they’re his store’s top sellers. The 75Cs version has the longest run time, highest page capacity, and highest P-rating of the three. It can shred 12 documents at once, including staples, plastic credit cards, CDs and DVDs, slicing them into 4-by-38-mm. strips. It also has the longest run time — 12 minutes — of any shredder on this list.

Capacity:6 or 130 sheets| Run time:10 minutes| P-rating:P-5

If you’re shredding a lot of highly confidential papers, you’ll want a micro-cut shredder with a longer run time and higher page capacity. This P-5-rated shredder is Steinberg’s favorite of the micro-cut variety. It can handle six sheets of paper when fed manually, but if you set it to automatic it can shred 130 sheets at once into 30.5-by-12.7-mm. strips. It’s also got the second-longest run time of any shredder on this list — it’ll shred for ten minutes before it forces a 30-minute shutoff. The machine’s automatic jam clearance and self-cleaning cutters keep it running smoothly as it shreds documents of all types, including glossy, folded, or crumbled papers, and it can handle paper clips and staples, too.

[Editor’s note: This paper shredder is currently backordered, but you can enter your email on theproduct page(click “Request Assistance”) to get notified when it’s back in stock.]