[REVIEW] Init

[wvcaudill2]

About a week ago I purchased this shredder, and I am happy to say that it has (so far) held together nicely. Below is my review.

Height: 20.5"

Width: 10"

Weight: 17.2 lbs

Depth: 13.8"

Price: $109.99

Size

Weighing in at about 17 pounds, this shredder is a little bulkier than its competition, so you may find it difficult to lug this device around if you plan on moving it. I, however, do not. So this was no trouble for me. If you were wanting something to fit unnoticeably under your desk, or in a corner, this shredder may not be for you. It is, unfortunatly, rather bulky, but this wont be any problem if you have adequate space.

Look and Feel

Compared to other shredders, this shredder actually looks fluid and smooth. I found its glossy black surface to be very appealing. In the front, there is a receptacle bin that slides out to make emptying your paper shreds easier. This bin is clear in front and easily allows you to guage how much space you have left. On top of the shredder is the slits for shredding full-sized paper and cards/CDs as well as the on/off/reverse slider. For the most part, everything is positioned appropriately and designed nicely. There are many cautionary symbols beside each of the feeder slits. However, these provide a nice contrast for the all-black surface. The one major downside to this shredder is its mode slider. To turn the shredder on, off, or put it in reverse, you must slide a switch back and forth. The only problem is the slider feels flimsy and cheap. However, it hasnt broken on me yet, so it might actually be okay. A minor downside is that it shows fignerprints and dust very easily. So, if your a clean freak, this shredder might cause you some problems.

Performance

Although I found this shredder somewhat slow, it works pretty much perfectly. You can shred about 12 sheets of paper at a time as well as 1 card or CD. This shredder uses diamond-cuts, making it a very hard for someone to peace together whatever was shredded. The receptable bin holds about 5 gallons of shreddings, and the motor was surprisingly quiet. However, after a considerable amount of shredding, I found that the overheat light would come one, and the shredder would stop functioning until, presumably, it cooled off. The only problem with this was that it tooks around 20 to 30 minutes for it to cool off. So, I would not reccomend this shredder to anyone or anyplace looking for constant use.

Overall, this shredder performed well enough for the price, and I would rate it a 3.5/5

Edited April 29, 2009 by wvcaudill2