Overwhelmed by stacks of old junk mail, credit card statements or pictures of ex-boyfriends that must be destroyed? Maybe you’re worried about identity theft or maybe you’re an employer who needs to find a way to dispose of employees’ personnel records.
You may prefer to burn those old photos and bills, but Q decided to test another method for you.
Looking for lower-cost? Try Tech Solutions TS-4500 Cross-Cut Shredder ($39.99 at Office Max); this is the fastest of the three–but also the loudest. As for shredding power, this workhorse will slice up to seven sheets of paper at a time.
A slower but slightly quieter model, the Fellowes P600C-2 Cross-Cut Shredder is about the same size as the TS-4500, and also can handle seven sheets. $69.99 at Office Max.
Looking to shred in peace and quiet? Tech Solutions TS-8000 Cross-Cut Shredder makes the other two sound like lawnmowers. It’s the tallest and has the most shredding power–12 sheets of paper at once. Although this is the heaviest model, it’s also our favorite. It has the largest bin, and retails for $99.99 at Office Max.
Another way these shredders triumph over the old-fashioned method of burning is that there’s never a need to call the fire department.
