It’s a common complaint in an office or production environment - paper shredders are loud, cumbersome, and often slow machines to have around. But they are necessary technology for many organizations, so the search continues for
quiet paper shredders that are more modern, work in any environment, and are highly efficient. They really do exist!
Let’s look at the three main types of
paper shredders, and compare the many benefits of finding the right machine for your needs.
Deskside
Just as the name suggests, these paper shredding machines are meant to be small and portable enough to keep at your deskside. They are designed for roles in organizations that handle (and dispose of) low to mid volumes of paper on a daily basis. They are compact, but perfectly capable of withstanding the demands of fast, daily shredding needs.
Paper capacity: Designed for personal use, usually deskside paper shredders can handle between 5-20 pages at a time.
Shred speed: On the low end, these shredders run at a speed of 12 feet per minute. Some deskside shredders can run at a top speed of 27 feet per minute.
Electrical requirements: Minimal. Most deskside shredders only need 115 volts to run effectively.
Compare deskside modelsCentralized office
This type of paper shredder is generally designed to support the needs of an entire office, versus a single individual (like the deskside models). That means, typically they have a higher capacity, are larger machines, they have a larger feed opening slot (to accommodate different paper sizes) and run faster.
Paper capacity: On the low end, these shredders have the capacity for 10 sheets at a time, but on the high end, some centralized office shredders have the capacity for upwards of 50 sheets at a time.
Shred speed: These machines generally run faster than the deskside versions. So, it’s typical to see machines run at a speed of between 18 and 45 feet per minute.
Feed opening: To accommodate the different paper sizes of an entire office, centralized office shredders have bigger feed openings. You’ll find machines with feed openings between 10 and 16 inches.
Compare centralized office modelsHigh capacity
High capacity paper shredders are designed for large commercial uses, where the volume of paper shredded daily is a higher volume than the average. Businesses that require a high capacity paper shredder are looking for efficiency first and foremost: shredding speed and shredding capacity.
Paper capacity: Here’s where you’ll see an enormous “leap” from the deskside and centralized office versions. High capacity shredders have the capacity to run between 50 and 400 sheets at a time.
Shred speed: These machines are commercial or industrial grade, and can run between speeds of between 40 to 450 feet per minute. Speed means efficiency.
Horsepower: These machines have a maximum horsepower of between 7 and 24.
Compare high capacity modelsTalk to the experts when considering your next paper shredder purchase. Southwest Business Products has been around for over three decades, and that’s because we supply only quality equipment backed by exceptional customer service.
Contact us today!
