Insider's Guide to the World of Shredders

One of the largest challenges companies face in today's business landscape is the proactive safeguarding of sensitive client data, financial information, health records, and more. Your customers are entrusting you with their sensitive information and any external breach can lead to irreparable consequences for both your clients, and your business. 

In order to regulate the protection of this data, the government has recently implemented many acts and laws that establish standards for recording and storing this data. Compliance with federal laws such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Gramm Leach Bliley (GLB) Act are critical to maintaining your company's stature with both your customers, and the  Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Protecting your customers and complying with federal laws are why we recommend a document shredder to anyone who deals with physical confidential documents that contain sensitive information. Read on to learn about how to choose the right shredder for your needs.

The first question you'll want to ask is what size shredder do I need? We typically recommend a smaller, deskside shredder for an office of 1-5 people who shred on a moderate basis. For offices larger than this, who are shredding consistently on a daily basis, we recommend going with a larger, centralized office shredder. For large jobs, special projects, and non-stop shredding, you'll want to consider a high-capacity unit. These are typically the most expensive units, but will be most efficient for the continuous shredding of high volume. 

You'll also want to consider the dimensions of the shredder, versus how much space you have available. Are you going to put it under your desk, in a corner of the office, a closet, the warehouse? 

The dimensions of the shredder are also correlated to the size of the shredder bin. If you've got the space, we recommend choosing a shredder with a larger bin capacity, as this will lead to less emptying of the bin, which can be a real hassle and time-suck for your employees. Our shredders range from a 5 gallon shred bin all the way up to a 79 gallon shred bin.

The next question to ask about any shredder is what items can it comfortably shred? Paper clips, staples, credit cards, CDs and DVDs are common items that need to be shredded, but can all cause undo wear and tear on the cutting blade if the shredder is not designed to handle them. Overtime, excess shredding of these materials on a lower grade shredder, can slow productivity and cause permanent damage. It is important to ask how these types of objects will affect the longevity and productivity of the unit.

Learning and understanding what materials a shredder is made from is one of the most important steps in determining its durability and longevity. Many of today's shredder cutting blades are made of a black composite model that is extremely sharp and works great at first, but tends to dull quickly. If you're looking for a machine that will last, you'll want one with a steel cutting wheel and shaft, as this will be of much higher quality.

*As a quick plug, the MBM shredders we carry are made of Solingen steel from Germany, which is used for making some of the highest-quality blades in the world.

Now back to your regularly scheduled article...

The other part you'll want to look at is the construction of the cabinet. Most of today's cabinets are made of solid wood, which will hold up well and should never cause any problems. However, if you live or work in very hot and humid conditions, you may want to consider something made of a medium density fiberboard (MDF), which is stronger and more dense. This type of wood stands up better in heat and humidity than regular wood. 

Different types of shredders differ in the types of cuts the blades make. This directly effects how difficult it is for someone to reassemble the document. These different shredders are all made from the exact same system, but differ in the type of cutting head they have. 

Strip-Cut - the most common type of shredder, typically found in schools, homes, small offices and so on. These models cut the paper into straight lines, producing strips that look similar to spaghetti strands. These are the lowest level of security, but are commonly used due to the shred speed advantages they have over the other models. Our most popular shredder for example, MBM's 2604 strip-cut, has a shred capacity of 27-30 sheets, while their cross-cut models average between 14-25 sheets. This can make a huge difference when shredding large batches of paper.

Cross-Cut - this type of shredder turns the paper into small pieces that resemble grated cheese. It is much more secure than strip-cut shredders, and is typically required for businesses in the financial and health industries. The HIPPA laws for example, state that "For PHI in paper records, shredding, burning, pulping, or pulverizing the records so that PHI is rendered essentially unreadable, indecipherable, and otherwise cannot be reconstructed" (hhs.gov). This requirement is exactly the same in the GLB laws and must be met by all financial institutions. A financial institution, as defined by the FTC "applies to all businesses, regardless of size, that are “significantly engaged” in providing financial products or services. This includes, for example, check-cashing businesses, payday lenders, mortgage brokers, nonbank lenders, personal property or real estate appraisers, professional tax preparers, and courier services. The Safeguards Rule also applies to companies like credit reporting agencies and ATM operators that receive information about the customers of other financial institutions" (ftc.gov). To meet this standard, financial institutes and healthcare providers are required to use cross-cut shredders for disposal of all customer records.

Micro-Cut - government agencies are the largest market for micro-cut shredders. These units sacrifice speed for the smallest particle-size to date. The shreddings left from this machine are near impossible to reconstruct, producing a particle-size of .8 x 5 mm (1/32 x 3/16 inches). This is the most secure way to dispose of confidential documents, but is not required for most businesses and agencies.

• Level 2 - this level of security is used to designate strip-cut shredders. You may see some manufacturers call these units level 3 security, but there is minimal to no difference between a level 2 and a level 3 shredder. Units with this level of security produce particle sizes of 4 mm (3/16 inch). As stated above, these machines are typically found in schools, small offices and homes. They are perfect for industries with minimal legal requirements, that need to shred items containing birth dates and Social Security numbers.

• Level 4 - A Level 4 shredder produces particle sizes of 4 x 40 mm (3/16 x 1 1/2 inches). This meets the requirements outlined in the laws above for financial and health organizations.

• Level 5 - A Level 5 shredder also classifies as a cross-cut model, but shreds the particles even smaller than a level 4. The particle sizes products from this model are 2 x 15 mm (3/32 x 5/8 inches). We recommend this to financial and health institutions who want to add even more security for their customers.

• Level 7 - this designates the highest level of document shredding protection. This designation is only given to Micro-Cut shredders. You may see some manufacturers call these units level 6 security, but there is minimal to no difference between a level 6 and a level 7 shredder. All of the machines Monroe carries with this designation are compliant with federal privacy laws such as the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA), as well as approved by the National Security Agency, Central Security Service and Department of Defense for the shredding of top secret documents.

This question can be answered by taking a look at the shred capacity and the shred speed of the shredder. This concept can be best explained by looking at an example. 

Let's take a look at MBM's 4002 cross-cut. 

The shred capacity for the Level 4 security unit is 24-26 sheets of paper at once (calculated using regular printer paper, size *8 1/2" x 11", 20 pound bond paper). This means that you can put 24-26 sheets of paper into the paper feed at one time without overtaxing the machine. This model also has a shred speed of 25 feet per minute. You then multiply the 25 feet per minute by the 26 sheet capacity to determine that this unit can shred approximately 650 sheets per minute total. This formula can be applied to any shredder to determine how quickly your shredder can shred at maximum capacity.

Continuous-duty Motors - A near-requirement for larger office shredding. A continuous-duty motor avoids the issue of a cool-down period after extended use, and allows the shredder to run continuously. This enables the users to shred at maximum efficiency for long periods of time.

Automatic Oiling - Oiling your shredder helps keep it operating in tip-top shape and prevents the degradation of the cutting blade. We always recommend oiling your machine regularly, whether it be a deskside, centralized, or high-capacity model. If you're shredder is going to be under heavy use, you will want to consider either purchasing a unit that comes with an automatic oiler, or purchasing an attachment for the model you select. This will mitigate the risk of forgetting to oil, as well as saving you the trouble of doing so manually. If you are interested in adding an automatic oiler to your machine, please call us at 267-580-2600 for more information.

Electrical Requirements - Every shredder has a different requirement for required voltage to operate the unit. High-capacity units in particular have high electrical requirements, and sometimes even require running a dedicated line for the machine. We always recommend checking these requirements before purchase.

Warranty - This is something you should inquire about for every large purchase you make! The warranty a company offers typically reflects their confidence in their product. Pay special attention to the warranty the company offers on their cutting blades, as this is the piece that most often dulls.

MBM Shredder Purchasing Chart

Now that you know what to look for, I've created a chart that outlines the specs of all of the MBM Shredders we carry. MBM is nationally recognized for making some of the highest-quality shredders in the world.

Model	Size	Dimensions (D x W x H)	Shred Bin (Gallons)	Materials it shreds	Made of?	Cut-Type	Security Level	Shred Speed (sheets/minute)	Continuous Motor?	Auto Oiler?	Electrical Requirements (volts)
2265	Deskside	8 3/4 x 13 1/2 x 21	5 (paper), 3/4 (plastic)	Paper, staples, paper clips, credit cards, and CDs / DVDs	High quality, hardened steel cutting shafts	Strip-Cut or Cross-Cut	Level 2, Level 4	Level 2 - 144 Level 4 - 72	single phase	No	115
2465	Deskside	11.5 x 15.5 x 25	9	Paper, staples, paper clips, and credit cards (strip-cut model takes CDs / DVDs)	High-quality, paper clip proof cutting shafts from special hardened steel. High-quality wooden cabinet, mobile on castors.	Strip-Cut or Cross-Cut	Level 2, Level 4, Level 5	Level 2 -594 Level 4 - 405 Level 5 - 297	single phase	No	115
2445	Deskside	11 3/4 x 15 1/2 x 25	9	Paper, staples, paper clips, and credit cards	High quality, hardened steel cutting shafts. High quality wooden cabinet mounted on casters	Strip-Cut or Cross-Cut	Level 2, Level 4, Level 5	Level 2 - 378 Level 4 - 182 Level 5 - 112	single phase	No	115
2503	Centralized	14 3/4 x 19 3/4 x 34 1/4	20	Paper, staples, paper clips, and credit cards (strip-cut model takes CDs / DVDs)	High quality, hardened steel cutting shafts. High quality wooden cabinet mounted on casters	Strip-Cut or Cross-Cut	Level 2, Level 4, Level 5	Level 2 - 504 Level 4 - 336 Level 5 - 240	single phase	No	115
2604	Centralized	18 1/2 x 19 1/2 x 36 1/2	26	Paper, staples, paper clips, credit cards (strip-cut and 4 x 40 cross-cut models take CDs / DVDs)	High quality, hardened steel cutting shafts. High quality wooden cabinet mounted on casters	Strip-Cut or Cross-Cut	Level 2, Level 4, Level 5	Level 2 - 540 Level 4 - 450 Level 5 - 288	single phase - rated for continuous operation	Yes	115
3104	Centralized	18 1/2 x 21 x 36 1/2	32	Paper, staples, paper clips, and credit cards (strip-cut and 4 x 40 cross-cut models take CDs / DVDs)	High quality, hardened steel cutting shafts. High quality wooden cabinet mounted on casters	Strip-Cut or Cross-Cut	Level 2, Level 4, Level 5	Level 2 - 540 Level 4 - 450 Level 5 - 306	single phase - rated for continuous operation	No	115
3105	Centralized	23 x 22 x 40	37	Paper, staples, paper clips, credit cards, and CDs / DVDs	High quality, hardened steel cutting shafts. High quality wooden cabinet mounted on casters	Cross-Cut Only	Level 4, Level 5	Level 4 - 1,170 Level 5 - 780	single phase - rated for continuous operation	Yes	115 (20 amp. dedicated line required)
3804	Centralized	23 1/4 x 25 1/4 x 38 1/4	44	Paper, staples, paper clips, and credit cards (strip-cut and 4 x 40 cross-cut models take CDs / DVDs)	High quality, hardened steel cutting shafts. High quality wooden cabinet mounted on casters	Strip-Cut or Cross-Cut	Level 2, Level 4, Level 5	Level 2 - 620 Level 4 - 520 Level 5 - 280	single phase - rated for continuous operation	No	115
4002	Centralized	23 1/4 x 25 1/4 x 38 1/4	44	Paper, staples, paper clips, credit cards, and CDs / DVDs	High quality, hardened steel cutting shafts. High quality wooden cabinet mounted on casters	Strip-Cut or Cross-Cut	Level 2, Level 4, Level 5	Level 2 - 1,050 Level 4 - 650 Level 5 - 400	single phase - rated for continuous operation	Yes (cross-cut only)	115
4005	Centralized	23 1/4 x 25 1/4 x 39 3/4	44	Paper, staples, paper clips, credit cards, and CDs / DVDs (strip- and cross-cut models)	High quality, hardened steel cutting shafts. High quality wooden cabinet mounted on casters	Strip-Cut or Cross-Cut	Level 2, Level 4, Level 5	Level 2 - 2,080 Level 4 - 1,170 Level 5 - 780	single phase - rated for continuous operation	Yes	115 (20 amp. dedicated line required)
4605	High-Capacity	30 x 29 x 67	61	Paper, staples, paper clips, credit cards, CDs / DVDs and hardbound documents	Soft metal resistant, hardened steel cutting shafts. Mounted on heavy duty casters.	Cross-Cut Only	Level 3, Level 5	Level 3 - 2,400 Level 5 - 1,480	3 phase - rated for continuous operation.	No	220, 3 phase
4108	High-Capacity	67 x 48 3/4 x 56 3/4	79	Paper, staples, paper clips, credit cards, CDs / DVDs and hardbound documents	Robust shredding heads with special hardened cutting shafts made of high-quality steel, resistant against soft metal objects. Mobile on casters.	Strip-Cut or Cross-Cut	Level 2, Level 3	Level 2 - 5,700 Level 3 - 4,346	Powerful three phase motors. Thermal motor protection.	Yes	220, 3 phase
2445 SMC	Deskside	11 3/4 x 15 1/2 x 25	9	Paper Only	High quality, hardened steel cutting shafts. High quality wooden cabinet mounted on casters	Micro-Cut	Level 7	Level 7 - 98	single phase	No	115
2604 SMC	Centralized	18 1/2 x 19 1/2 x 36 1/2	26	Paper Only	High quality, hardened steel cutting shafts. High quality wooden cabinet mounted on casters	Micro-Cut	Level 7	Level 7 - 224	single phase - rated for continuous operation	Yes	115
4005 SMC	Centralized	23 1/4 x 25 1/4 x 39 3/4	44	Paper Only	High quality, hardened steel cutting shafts. High quality wooden cabinet mounted on casters	Micro-Cut	Level 7	Level 7 - 528	single phase - rated for continuous operation	Yes	115 (20 amp. dedicated line required)