Con artists and fraudsters use our personal data to defraud us or steal our identities. And we are more vulnerable to such crimes nowadays. As a result, keeping your personal information personal has never been more crucial.
That’s why we all need credit card shredders. In this article, I will review and compare three AmazonBasics credit card shredders.
1. AmazonBasics 12-Sheet Cross-Cut Paper, CD, and Credit Card Shredder Review
This shredder is a cross-cut. Cross-cut shredders are the second-most secure shredders after micro-cuts. Since they cut paper into small pieces, it’s almost impossible to reassemble the document into a legible form. They are better than strip-cut shredders.
With this shredder, you can destroy your documents fast: twelve sheets in one go. And if you have credit cards, CDs, Blu-Rays, or DVDs you want to obliterate forever, you can shred them with this machine one at a time.
The shredder is easy to use. While in auto mode, the machine begins shredding once its sensors detect that paper or a credit card is passing through. The shredded material drops into a bin which can accommodate 4.8 gallons. To avoid paper jams, unload the gallon bin once it’s full.
You can run it continuously for 5 minutes. After that, you should give it 30 minutes to cool down before starting again. Shredding too long will cause the machine to overheat. But don’t worry. The shredder’s thermal protection will make it automatically shut off when it begins to overheat.
It’s a medium-duty shredder. You can shred as many as 600 sheets of paper a day with it. Should you get a paper jam, run the shredder in reverse mode. The paper will work itself out. If it doesn’t do so right away, switch back to auto mode, then back to reverse. Continue this back and forth until the paper gradually works itself out.
Highlighted Features:
- Cross cut shredder with capacity of 12 sheets of paper
- Can destroy credit cards, CDs, and DVDs
- Shreds paper into cross-sectional strips which measure 7/32 inches by 1-27/32 inches
- Has a continuous run-time of 5 minutes and a 30 minute cool down time
- Contains auto start and manual reverse options to help in unjamming stuck paper
- The paper feed is 8.7 inches wide
- Has a 4.8-gallon bin
- Has a noise level of 70 decibels
- Has a 1-year limited warranty
- Has thermal protection with automatic shut-off
- Dimensions: 15.7 x 8.9 x 12.5 inches
- Weight: 12.8 pounds.
2. AmazonBasics 8-Sheet Cross-Cut Paper and Credit Card Shredder Review
This cross-cut shredder can handle 8 sheets of paper at a go. It can also shred credit cards, but one at a time. The pieces of papers are small enough for the shredder to have a P-3 security level, which is great for an entry-level cross cut.
The normal mode of operation is auto. In this mode, shredding starts when the sensors detect paper or a credit card. The gallon bin can accommodate 4.1 gallons of shredded material. The bin has a see-through window to let you see when it is full. Emptying the bin prevents paper jams. Whenever the paper jams, switch the machine to manual reverse.
This shredder is not intended for heavy use. It is perfect for small-scale use in a small business or home office. Conveniently, it has an integrated, lifting handle, which makes it easy for you to empty the bin.
The shredder runs for 3 minutes of continuous use. Should it run beyond its maximum running time, it starts overheating. The overheat LED indicator will let you know when this happens. Consequently, the unit will shut off to protect the motor, and take 30 minutes to cool down.
Highlighted Features:
- Shredder type: cross-cut
- Has an 8-sheet capacity
- Size of shredded strips: 3/16 inches by 1-27/32
- Security level: P-3.-Continuous runtime: 3 minutes
- Cool down time: 30 minutes
- Has an overheat LED indicator
- Has an angled feed entry to ensure safety with auto start mode and manual reverse to clear paper jams
- Has 4.1-gallon bin with see-through window
- Has an integrated lifting handle
- Has a slot for shredding credit card, CDs, and DVDs
- Will handle light usage
- Noise level: 70 decibels
- Dimensions: 12.8 x 7.3 x 5.9 inches
- Weight: 9.7 pounds
- One-year limited warranty
3. AmazonBasics 6-Sheet Cross-Cut Paper and Credit Card Shredder Review
With this AmazonBasics cross-cut shredder, you can pass 6 sheets of paper through the shredder at a given time. You can also use it to destroy your credit cards. Also, you don’t have to remove staples or small paper cuts when shredding, ensuring time efficiency.
It runs continuously for 2 minutes. After that, it may begin to overheat, at which the thermal protection kicks in. Automatically shutting off, it cools down for thirty minutes. After that, you can shred the next batch. Understandably, it is not suited for intensive use. Rather, it is perfect for light usage in a home office or a small business.
The wastepaper bin has a carrying capacity of 3.8 gallons. You should always empty the bin when it is full to avoid paper jams. Put the shredder in manual reverse mode every time a piece of paper gets stuck. This will enable the paper to move back up and unjam the machine. If this does not work, switch back to auto. Switching back and forth between the two modes will gradually unloose the stuck paper.
Highlighted Features:
- Shredder type: cross-cut
- Will shred 6 sheets of paper in one go
- Dimensions of the shredded paper strips: 7/32 by 1-27/32 inches
- 2-minute continuous run-time and 30-minute cool down time
- Has auto start and manual reverse modes for clearing paper jams
- Has an 8.7-inch wide paper feed
- Has a 3.8-gallon bin
- Has thermal protection with automatic shut-off
- Noise level: 70 decibels
- Dimensions: 15 x 12.1 x 7.7 inches
- Weight: 8.2 pounds
- One-year limited warranty
Conclusion
Each of these three AmazonBasics cross-cut credit card shredders is excellent at what it does. The main difference is paper capacity. For medium usage (as many as 600 sheets per day), buy the 12-sheet shredder. For light usage, depending on your need, buy either the 8-sheet or 6-sheet shredder.