I need to shred some papers. I have been told that if I get a cheap---poorly made----shredder the motor will burn out before I finish shredding stuff.

Okay I realize that we're talking at least $50.00. Where do I buy one ? What do I look for in a good shredder ?

Please remember that I can go to Office Max, Office Depot, Staples, abd Super Walmart. I do not buy things online. I'm the kind of person who either calls an 800 number or I go in person.

Thanks.

I don't have a shredder but my best friend bought her husband a shredder at Target.  I don't know how many things you need to shread but they usually just shread old bills electric,water,gas,phone and old checks so they don't have that much stuff to shread they have a small one and love it I belive it was under 50.00.

I've got tons of stuff to shred that Mom had. I had a shredder (cheap one) and Mom didn't like it and wouldn't use it. My cleaner is threatening to get a contract on me if I don't shred mountains of papers that were Mom's and that date back to the 1990's.

If you have, like, several bags or boxes of stuff I would wait for a Shred-It event.  Usually it's sponsored by a t.v. station and Farm Fresh and you just take in a small donation (items, not $$) for whatever cause they're collecting for and they will shred everything you bring them.  When they were doing those events for the food banks, most people would just bring in 1 item for each bag/box of stuff they brought in.

If you buy a shredder remember not to sit down and try to shred a whole bag of stuff in one sitting.  It's hard on the motor.  Just take a stack of papers -- a few inches worth -- shred them and then let the motor rest.  Household shredders aren't meant for heavy duty shredding.

Also I would buy one of the criss cross shredders.  Instead of straight lines of paper it actually shreds it both ways.

You may also want to do this and use the shredded paper for the cat's litter box -- or see if someone else would want to use it in this manner.  I've heard of lots of people doing this.  We don't b/c we simply don't have enough stuff to shred to keep the box full, but if you've got lots you could keep yourself, or a friend, in free litter for months!

sunshinetreva:

If you buy a shredder remember not to sit down and try to shred a whole bag of stuff in one sitting.  It's hard on the motor.  Just take a stack of papers -- a few inches worth -- shred them and then let the motor rest.  Household shredders aren't meant for heavy duty shredding.

Cuz has the expensive one from Office Depot, and it jams.  Do you have a fireplace?  Feeding the fire with a few here, a few there, never enough to start a chimney fire, will get the job done in no time. 

Many cities have professional shredding services.  If your job is under $50, have them do it and save the expense. 

If one of your neighbors has a barrel for burning leaves, ask to put the stuff in the bottom of the barrel and you can watch while they are burned.

 I got mine at Super Walmart.  It was about $30 and it does the cross cut (making it look like a confetti instead of strips - supposed to be more secure).  Mine gets a lot of "abuse" as we shred our homeschool work when we have completed a unit.  (A couple reams a month, plus mail shreddables).  Mine came with its own trash can and blends in with the school room.  

creig list. free cycle or office depo or staples.

I agree with those who say get a cross-cut shredder.  Look around for sales; most shredders, except the reallly cheap ones, are much alike.  One note:  if you have a lot of stuff to shred, don't try to do it all at once.  Shredder motors can overheat without breaking, but once they overheat, they won't run again until they cool down, so if you get one and it stops running in the middle of a shred, wait a few hours and try again; it may just be overheated, not broken.

Shred events are also nice, but unless I can see my documents going into the shredder, I won't do them - some events let you watch, some take the papers away to an industrial shredder, and I won't do those.

 I agree that if you have a lot to get rid of and have a place to do it, then burning while you watch is the best bet for the big backlog of stuff.

Going forward, I'd get a cross cut shredder and many now have a slot to shred credit cards and computer dishs/cd's.  I'd opt for the cd/credit card shred option if the price wasn't too high.

If you have a cat, do what I do:  Tear up a bunch of stuff that isn't that sensitive, such as old utility bills and the like, no cc stuff, bank statements, etc, and put them in the same bag that you dump your cat box in.  If someone is desperate enough to dig thru the kitty poo to get at a ripped up old gas bill of mine then they are welcome to it IMHO.