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i just picked up the MAILMATE shredder at Staples for about $50 (after a $20 rebate). it's claim to fame is shredding an entire piece of junk mail, envelope and all. i've been able to put through several pieces of junk mail at a time.
from staples.com: '10-folded sheets, Heavy Duty Cross-cut, up to 100 uses/day, shreds CDs/DVDs, credit cards, staples & small paper clips'.
works great!
go to:
http://www.staples.com/ and type in MAILMATE SHREDDER
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I got a 12-sheet (+ Credit Card slot + CD/DVD Slot) shredder with a removable basket for $89 at Walmart.
This unit replaced the $29 7-sheet shredder that I used for about 6 months before it up and died. At the time I thought \"Meh, a shredder is a shredder is a shredder...\". Totally wrong there. Shoulda went Heavy Duty from the get go.
I shred everything I get in my mailbox in it, except for the \"Free Weekly Newspaper Sample\".
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.....There was a big Fellowes unit at Sam's Club this week for $99 that supposedly would eat 17 sheets at once, or a CD. Too rich for my blood, but...
.....Don't give the hamster paper. Puffs plus killed my brother's hamster, and the ink from some of the \"worst companies in America\" probably is toxic by default!
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A friend of mine says he shreds ANYTHING with his name on it. Good practice. I got my hand-held at Duane Reade for $14.
Shredder. Bah! i just rip the mail in half. Throw half out now and the other half a few weeks later. Cost: 0.
Chance that they monitor my garbage and can put together parts of an app seperated by weeks: almost 0
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Back when I had gerbils, I'd give all the sensitive documents to them. If anyone wanted to go through the gerbil litter when the gerbils were done to piece them back together, they were welcome to it!
The gerbils doubled as cat entertainment.
@LAGirl: I think that I will give the MAILMATE a try. If that does not cut it, I think that I will have to step up to a wood chipper.
Be careful with ones that start automatically if you have kids or pets.
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My Dad (he of practical gift-giving tendencies) bought me a shredder (it's a royal 11-page cross-cut with cd/dvd/credit card shredding). At first I was a little mystified, but I love it. I just save my shredding for a bad day (which are frequent when you work in retail management as I do) - it's very zen.
The other day my boyfriend asked me why I had a shredder, as if I was the crazy one and everyone else in the room was just like \"you don't? what's wrong with you?\"
He's an engineer, that's what wrong with him, but I digress...
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@LAGirl: I have the same one and its works great. Costs about $50 after a rebate. Handles junk mail (unopened), CDs and credit cards with ease.
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Royal 160mx
very small crosscuts, shreds DVDs, cds, credit cards, junk mail still in the envelope, large basket. Easily out performs fellowes shredders at 2x the cost. I actually look forward to getting junk mail now.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000A8NSRO/r...
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@alicetheowl: I used it for kitty litter after Lolo got declawed. That was a funky mess to dig in, there.
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All is nice and dandy until the hamster glues the strips (not crosscut!) together and steals your identity.
I'm with the litter box gang... Fellowes heavy-duty crosscut shredder and the shreddings go into my rabbit's litter box. While rabbit excrement isn't anywhere near as vile as a hamster/gerbil's would be, it still would serve as quite a deterrent. For the ultra-sensitive things, I shred then burn.
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Be careful with ones that start automatically if you have kids or pets.
Definitely. A year ago when our kid was a toddler, I shopped for a shredder and picked one at Office Depot that could not be turned on without simultaneously pressing and sliding a button. We've never shredded anything in his presence and have told him not to touch it. So he's had zero interest in it, and (1) he hasn't played with the mechanism and (2) he hasn't \"tested\" it with our important papers.
@team gingerbread: 'it's very zen'. i totally know what you mean! there is something very satisfying about having all that paper ground up into nice, neat little bits. must be the anal, organized Virgo in me.
@zolielo: 'If that does not cut it, I think that I will have to step up to a wood chipper'. no pun intended?
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I also recommend the MAILMATE shredder. We've had it since Christmas, and it does a great job of shredding anything we put in it - except for the piece of junk mail that had a *@^%#$ nickel in it! It's best if you keep it near the door, so you can drop your junk mail in it right away. If you're like us, you'll have to empty it pretty often, as the reservoir is small.
Disclaimer: I am a Staples employee. It's still the best shredder I've used.
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They never seem to handle the input load that I want at the cost I am willing to pay.
Does anyone have a recommendation for a high use, heavy duty, paper shredder that does not cost and arm and a leg?