Are you confused about what type of paper shredder to buy?  There are undoubtedly a lot to choose from, but the most commonly used office machines are either strip cut or cross cut paper shredders.

Paper Shredder Cutting Blades

Each have their own advantages and disadvantages, so once you know what these are, you will quickly be able to decide which one is best for you. Here’s what you need to know.

Cost: Strip cut machines are less expensive than a cross cut paper shredder. This is primarily because the technology used in strip cut shredders is not as complex as that in their cross cut counterparts.

Capacity: Emptying the paper shredder is a fact of life in any busy office, but you will spend less time bagging shredded paper if you invest in a cross cut paper shredder. This is because the shredded paper it produces is smaller in size and takes up less space than the long strips from a strip cut machine.

Speed: Generally speaking, strip cut shredders are faster because they only make one continuous cut on the paper and they allow you to shred more sheets at once. The bi-directional cuts made on a cross cut paper shredder are not slow, but on a like for like machine, they are defintiely not as quick. They also cannot take as many sheets at one time because the blades produce more resistance and need a more manageable intake.

Security: Without a doubt, a cross cut shredder is more secure than a strip cut shredder. If you were to try to reassemble a shredded document, it would be significantly harder if you were starting with small cross cut shreds. Government agencies insist on cross cut shredders for this very reason, as do many security conscious businesses.

Maintenance: Keeping your shredder in peak condition literally means that it needs to run like a well-oiled machine. Strip cut shredders need oiled after about 60 minutes of continuous use, while cross cut shredders need oiled after every 30 minutes, and sometimes more often than that. However, shredder oil is relatively inexpensive, and you can install an Automatic Oiler to ensure that this is less of a chore around the office.

So, when choosing between these two types of shredders, it is less of about which one is best, and more about which one is best for you. A cross cut paper shredder is a popular choice, but there is still a lot to be said for strip cut shredders.

Dahle paper shredders are recognized the world over for their quality and reliability, so why not take a look at the models we stock to see which ones meet the needs of your organization.