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There are many types of paper shredders on the market, so it is difficult to buy the best paper shredders according to their choice.

Some paper shredders are used for the home and some for the office. So check out our list of the 8 best paper shredder under $100 2023 to find the best one.

8 Best Paper Shredder Under $100 2023

Amazon Basics 8	Get This
Aurora AU870MA	Get This
Bonsaii 14-Sheet	Get This
Bonsaii 12-Sheet	Get This
Bonsaii Home Off	Get This
VidaTeco 14-Sheet	Get This
Fellowes 12C15 12	Get This
Royal 29186X	Get This

So, here are a list of top 8 Best Paper Shredder for Home and Office:

Thoroughly shred multi-page documents (up to eight sheets at a time) with this AmazonBasics cross-cut shredder.

The machine quickly turns paper into strips measuring 5/32 by 15/32 inches. Use the shredder to destroy ATM receipts, credit-card bills, mortgage statements, pay stubs, insurance packets, and other old or unwanted info.

It will even shred credit cards (one at a time), and there’s no need to remove staples or small paper clips.

It helps safeguard your identity. Shredding important documents has become a valuable component to protecting your identity.

The AmazonBasics shredder minimizes your chances of falling victim to the havoc and hassle of identity theft.

From document-heavy tax season to day-to-day bills and junk mail, the shredder offers exceptional convenience and helps prevent your personal info from going public.

The AmazonBasics cross-cut shredder provides the best compromise between price and performance.

Choose the cross-cut shredder when you need to stay on budget but are looking for more security than that of the strip-cut shredder.

In auto mode, shredding begins once the sensor detects something to be shredded.

Shredded paper then drops into the 4 gallon bin below, and manual reverse makes easy work of clearing any paper jams.

The cross-cut shredder will run continuously for 5 minutes before needing a 30-minute cool-down.

If it shreds continuously beyond the max running time and begins to overheat, the unit will automatically shut off to protect the motor.

Perfect for light use in a small business or home office, the cross-cut shredder conveniently fits under a desk or other workstation for easy access throughout the day. Even more, the shredder removes effortlessly when it’s time to empty the bin.

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Thoroughly shred multi-page documents (up to 8 sheets at a time) with this Aurora AU870MA High-Security 8-Sheet Micro-Cut Paper Credit Card Shredder.

The machine quickly turns paper into strips measuring 5/32 by 15/32 inches. Use the shredder to destroy ATM receipts, credit-card bills, mortgage statements, pay stubs, insurance packets, and other old or unwanted info.

It will even shred credit cards (one at a time), and there’s no need to remove staples or small paper clips.

Shredding important documents has become a valuable component to protecting your identity.

The Aurora shredder minimizes your chances of falling victim to the havoc and hassle of identity theft.

From document-heavy tax season to day-to-day bills and junk mail, the shredder offers exceptional convenience and helps prevent your personal info from going public.

The cross-cut shredder provides the best compromise between price and performance.

Choose the micro-cut shredder when you need to stay on budget but are looking for more security than that of the strip-cut shredder.

In auto mode, shredding begins once the sensor detects something to be shredded. Shredded paper then drops into the 3.9-gallon bin below, and manual reverse makes easy work of clearing any paper jams.

The cross-cut shredder will run continuously for 5 minutes before needing a 30-minute cool-down.

If it shreds continuously beyond the max running time and begins to overheat, the unit will automatically shut off to protect the motor.

Perfect for light use in a small business or home office, the cross-cut shredder conveniently fits under a desk or other workstation for easy access throughout the day. Even more, the shredder removes effortlessly when it’s time to empty the bin.

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Bonsaii 14-Sheet Office Paper Shredder’s simple features makes it easy to use and perfect for your home office.

It can shred all of your sensitive information from old tax records, bills to bank statements.

It can shred up to 14 sheets of paper at a time into 13/64″ x 1-37/64″ smaller particles than standard cross cut.

This machine features convenient small handles for easily lifting the shredding part to empty the wastebasket when it is full watching through the window in the front.

In auto start mode, the shredding begins automatically when the sensor in the middle of the feed slot detects paper inserting.

If the shredder is jammed due to shredding exceed paper, manual reverse can help clear it out.

Bonsaii shredder is equipped with an overheating protection system. The normal duty cycle of this shredder for continuous shredding is 2 minutes before needing a 40-minute cooling down.

If the unit keeps shredding over its maximum 2-minutes running time and become overheated, it will shut off automatically to protect the motor.

The warranty of this unit is 12 months from the date of first purchase, provided that the machine has been used appropriately, which ensures the least worries and best experience that we could provide for our dearest customers.

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Continuous running time up to 10 minutes without stopping with Advanced Coolong System and patented Cutting Technology.

Cross-cut shredder up to 12 sheets at a single pass ,Shreds paper into tiny particles measuring 13/64*45/64 inches; Shreds credit cards, Mails and Staples as well.

62 dB low noise level will give you a quiet and smooth shredding exprience and 4 Casters for convenience moving to anywhere you want.

5.5 gallons pull-out wastebasket capacity for less frequent and easy emptying, and the transparent window makes it easy to see when it is full.

Auto start and auto reverse function protect you from the frustration of paper jams; overheating and overloading protection technology keeps sustainable using and prolong shredder’s lifetime.

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High-security, micro-cut shredder with 12-sheet capacity destroys credit cards, paper clips and staples shreds paper into tiny pieces 5/32 x 15/32 inches (4 x 12mm) at a 71IPM shredding speed.

Auto start and manual reverse to clear paper jams with 5.5-gallon pullout bin thermal protection with auto shut-off.

Shredder can continuous shredding up to 40 minutes, continuous shredding of up to 2800 sheets.

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Shreds up to 14 sheets at a time, including most unopened junk mail; includes 6.6-gallon pull-out waste bin makes emptying fast and easy.

Shreds credit cards, staples or clips through a separate cutter to prevent wear and tear of the main cutters and extend shredder life.

It comes with a stylish design and compact size for personal use; super cross-cut shred style meets everyday security needs (Level P-4);

It features illuminated cool-down indicator and other status symbols. Perfect for your personal workspace and your personal workspace!

It also features extra fast shredding speed with 5 minutes running time and 30 minutes cooling cycle.

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It is a 12 Sheet Extended run time shredder. A few pieces of shredded paper may be found inside the shredder and the waste basket. This is normal. All Fellowes shredders are tested at the factory to insure quality.

Fellowes has played a major role in the evolution of the paper shredder. The Fellowes 12C15 12 Sheet Cross-Cut Paper Shredder is one of our finest efforts in personal/home office shredders.

This 12 sheet cross-cut paper shredder offers all the power and reliability needed in today’s environment.

With the added ability to shred paper, staples, paper clips and credit cards, the Fellowes 12C15 offers the most comprehensive method of protecting all your personal and business information.

Attention to details make the difference: It’s the details that make the HD1400MX special. It can shred up to 12 sheets of paper in a single pass into small 5/32 x 1-9/16” inch shreds.

Separate slots are provided for shredding credit cards and hard materials. This makes the Fellowes 12C15 perfect for destroying personal information. Don’t become a victim of identity theft.

The Fellowes 12C15 has an easy slide out 5 gallon wastebasket that holds approximately 300 sheets of shredded paper.

The metal mesh viewing window in the front enables you to see when the wastebasket needs emptying.

Protecting yourself from identify theft is the reason why every home and business should have a paper shredder.

Fellowes believes this by offering one of the largest lines of affordable paper shredders that are designed to meet the demands of today’s world.

The Fellowes 12C15 is the perfect personal/home office console shredder. The powerful one horsepower motor.

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This 12 sheet cross-cut paper shredder offers all the power and reliability needed in today’s environment.

With the added ability to shred CDs, DVDs and credit cards, the CX112X offers the most comprehensive method of protecting all your personal and business information.

It’s the details that make the CX112X special. It can shred up to 12 sheets of paper in a single pass into small 5/32″ x 1 1/2″ shreds. Separate slots are provided for shredding CDs, DVDs and credit cards.

This makes the 112MX perfect for destroying sensitive information. Don’t become a victim of identity theft.

The shredder has an easy slide-out 3.25 gallon wastebasket that holds approximately 220 sheets of shredded paper.

The clear viewing window in the front enables you to see when the wastebasket needs emptying. The shredder is the perfect personal/home office console shredder.

The powerful 1/2 horsepower motor shreds up to 12 sheets of paper at one time into small unreadable pieces.

The machine completely destroying all printed and digital information.

Form and function is the theme of the CX112X. The sturdy classic console design is the perfect accent to any office environment.

The well thought-out design makes this unit easy to operate and maintain. Its large 8 3/4″ opening, conveniently located towards the front, makes feeding up to 12 sheets of paper effortless.

Royal knows the CX112X will be perfect for your personal and home office needs.

A few pieces of shredded paper may be found inside the shredder and the waste basket. This is normal. All Royal shredders are tested at the factory to insure quality.

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Type of Shredders

Not all paper shredders produce the same cut. That’s why paper shredders are categorized in three types to differentiate them from each other:

(i) Strip-cut shredder

A strip-cut shredder is a basic paper shredder for shredding non-confidential documents. It shreds paper vertically in long narrow strips that are fairly readable.

(ii) Cross-cut shredder

A cross-cut shredder is a paper shredder for shredding confidential documents. It shreds paper diagonally from both corners in short particles that are barely readable.

(iii) Micro-cut shredder

A micro-cut shredder is an advanced paper shredder for shredding highly confidential documents. It shreds paper diagonally from both corners in square shaped particles that are almost unreadable.

What Types of Shredders are Available?

Shredders range from small portable units to large volume industrial models. However, regardless of type, all shredders perform the important task of shredding sensitive information such as pay stubs, credit card offers, old invoices, tax returns, receipts and other sensitive materials.

How they accomplish this task can vary greatly. In this buyer’s guide, we will focus on the most common shredders used in households and small offices.

(i) Bring Your Own Basket (BYOB)

Relatively inexpensive, these portable units are typically considered “light duty” and mount over an existing trash can.

(ii) Desktop

Features and capabilities vary greatly but these units typically include small basket that fits on top of a desk or counter.

(iii) Paper-only with Basket

Designed to shred paper documents only, these units are self-contained shredders that include a trash basket.

(iv) Multi-media with Basket

Designed to shred paper, DVDs, CDs and credit cards, these units are self-contained and include one of more trash bins.

What Type of Blade Does it Have?

Most shredders will include blades that either strip cut, cross cut (also known as confetti) and micro-cut.

Strip Cut: This blade cuts paper or other items into long strips and should only be used for low-risk documents. Strip cut represents the most basic protection.

Cross Cut: A far better choice for sensitive data, this blade cuts paper into tiny pieces that make the shredding much more secure.

Micro-cut: A good choice for very high-level security documentation, this blade cuts paper into very small pieces for the ultimate in shredding security.

What Items Can It Shred?

In addition to shredding paper, more robust shredders have a separate slot for credit cards, staples, paper clips, plastic credit cards, and unopened junk mail or Blu-ray discs.

Often referred to as multi-media shredders, these units offer a higher level of security as large amounts of confidential data are often stored on optical disks and thieves are always on the lookout for carelessly cut credit cards.

How Loud Is It?

Depending on the motor size and capabilities, shredders can be loud. If noise is a factor, look for a shredder rated between 60-75dB.

Does the Shedder Include Advanced Functions?

Shredders often include convenience features to make shredding easier and safer. Some of the more popular features include:

How to Choose the Best Paper Shredder 2023?

Paper shredders are essential tools for businesses and households, and most people today understand the risks associated with improperly shredding confidential documents.

Unfortunately, statistics show that the number of cases of identity theft and financial fraud is on the rise, and few people are immune from harm.

Javelin Strategy & Research’s 2014 Identity Fraud Report shows how common identity theft or fraud is, noting that 13.1 million people were victims of fraud in 2013, up 500,000 from the previous year.

Experts agree that one of the most effective steps people can take to prevent such a looming nightmare is to invest in a good shredder.

Things to Consider

Unlike some purchases, buying a paper shredder is a simple matter. There are not many factors to weigh.

The only thing you really need to consider is how well and effectively a particular model can perform its basic functions.

(a) Number of Sheets

Paper shredders are measured by the number of sheets they can shred at one time. The higher the number, the more expensive the shredder is, but also the faster it can get the job done.

If you often find yourself shredding hundreds of documents at once, it might be worth investing in a high-volume shredder.

(b) Jamming

Most paper shredders have some risk of jamming. Cheaper models are more likely to jam than others, and some models clear jams more easily than others. Some high quality shredders come with a paper jam warranty.

(c) Credit cards

Since credit cards are not made of paper, some shredders, especially the cheaper ones, may have difficulty shredding them or not at all.

Companies that may have to destroy old cards, such as banks and credit unions, will want to make sure this feature is available.

(d) Volume

How much paper can you destroy before you have to empty the shredder and start over? It also has to do with how many papers you can destroy at a time. Any company that shreds a large amount of paper needs a medium sized shredder.

(e) Type of Cut

Most paper shredders use a cross-cutting method to shred documents, but other cutting methods exist, including micro-cutting.

Most people probably don’t care too much about how their shredder works, but some shredding methods are more likely to cause jams than others.

Important Factors to Consider When Buying a Shredder

Regardless of what type of shredder you choose, before you make a purchase, consider these three factors:

(i) Type and number of users

Do you occasionally want to shred a document at home? Or are you a heavy-user and want to shred a pile of confidential documents every day at the office?

How many people are going to use the paper shredder? Or do you want a personal shredder that you can place under your desk? These are some question you should ask to consider what type of shredder you need.

The categories contain paper shredders that are filtered for the requirements below. You can read more about these specifications further on this guide.

(ii) Sheet capacity

The sheet capacity tells you how many sheets of paper you can feed in the shredder. A basic shredder can shred 1 to 3 documents at once.

But a more heavy-duty shredders can eat up 20 sheets of paper per pass. A higher sheet capacity results in faster shredding and less work.

On average a manual feed paper shredder that is suitable for small (home) offices can shred between 10-20 sheets of A4 paper per pass.

Are you looking for a shredder with a high sheet capacity? Then consider an auto feed shredder that can shred a large pile of documents in one session.

(iii) Run time and cool down time

Generally people don’t realize this, but most paper shredders have a maximum run time and a cool down time.

Also known as ‘duty cycle’. In other words, you can use the shredder for a certain amount of time before the motor needs to cool down.

Most shredders need to cool down after intensive use. So how long can you shred your documents uninterruptedly. It depends on the type of shredder, the quality of the shredder and the security level.

Most household shredders can shred between 5-10 minutes continuously before a cool down period is needed.

Professional shredders for offices can run for up to 30 minutes. But there are also commercial shredders available that can run continuously without stopping to cool down, these are the real heavy-duty ones.

The duration of the cool down time depends on the shredder, but it can take 30 minutes on average before the shredder is ready for the next shredding session.

A higher DIN security level tends to have a negative impact on the run time.

For instance, a DIN P-5 shredder needs to cool down more often than a DIN P-2 shredder that is in the same class, because a DIN P-5 shredder produces smaller particles.

This requires more power from the engine, which causes it to overheat more quickly.

(iv) Bin or bucket capacity

Most paper shredders come with a bin or storage drum to collect the paper particles. Some cheap shredders only contain the shredding part which you need to place on top of a paper recycle bin, but we leave these type of shredders out of consideration.

Do you Need a Large or Small Waste Bucket?

Does the capacity matter much? Yes, because a large capacity means less time is wasted emptying the bin.

A large bin capacity is definitely recommended when you want to shred daily or you use the shredder with multiple users, for instance on your office department.

Please note that the DIN security level has a big impact on how quickly the storage bin fills up.

A DIN P-2 shredder, that shreds in long strips, will fill up a bin much faster than a DIN P-5 shredder that generates tiny particles which takes up less volume in the bin.

Type of Bin or Container

A paper shredder can have two types of bins. A bottom bin with lift-off head or a removable bin.

The bottom bin with lift-off head is a basic variant where the shredder is placed on top of the bin. When you want to empty the bin you need to remove the shredder part, the head.

Most household shredders or cheaper shredders are manufactured in this way. It is workable, but not the most convenient.

Especially when you want to shred a larger pile of documents it gets annoying to remove the top every time.

It also can make a mess when you accidentally tip over your shredder when it is full of shredded paper.

Lift-off head, pull-out bin, removable bucket with door. The more advanced and larger shredders are equipped with a pull-out bin or removable bucket.

The bin collects all the paper particles and once the bin is full you open the door or pull-out the bin to empty it.

This is a more professional, clean and convenient way than the variant with the shredder on top of the bin.

Calculate the Speed of a Shredder

So how fast or productive is a shredder? To calculate the speed of a paper shredder you need to know these specifications (formula by Fellowes):

• Sheet Capacity – amount of paper a shredder can shred at one time
• Feet per Minute (FPM) – how quickly the shredder can shred paper
• Run Time – the time the shredder can continuously run before cooling down

Multiply the numbers from each specification and you get a shredder performance rating.

Sheet Capacity x Speed (FPM) x Run Time = Shredder Score.

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