With the WFH culture blooming across the world and the number of home offices increasing, the demand for home office shredders has been rising continuously. Buying a paper shredder is highly imperative for any professional if they want to avoid sensitive information falling into the wrong hands.
This big device will take up considerable space in your office, so get one that lasts longer and can effectively handle all kinds of scrap ranging from paper documents and CDs to credit cards.
Stay with us as we unfold the list of best home office shredders under $100 today!
Product Name | Run Time | Security Level | Check it Out Here |
Aurora AU870MA 8-Sheet Micro-cut Paper Shredder | 5 Minutes | Level 4 | Click here |
AmazonBasics 8-Sheet High Security Micro-Cut Shredder | 2 minutes | Level 2 | Click here |
AmazonBasics 6-Sheet Microcut Shredder | 2 minutes | Level 3 | Click here |
Aurora 8-Sheet Strip Cut Paper Shredder |
2 minutes | Level 3 | Click here |
Bonsaii 14-Sheet Crosscut Paper Shredder | 30 minutes | Level 2 | Click here |
Fellowes Powershred 11-Sheet Crosscut Shredder | 5 minutes | Level 4 | Click here |
Bonsaii Home Paper Shredder | 4 minutes | Level 3 | Click here |
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1. Best Overall: Aurora AU870MA 8-Sheet Micro-cut Paper Shredder
Claiming the top spot is the AU870MA by Aurora, which has a basket capacity of 230 sheets and packs good features like auto shut-off and thermal protection. Aurora is considered one of the most reliable shredder manufacturers, mainly due to their expertise in the industry for over 50 years.
This shredder is ideal for everything ranging from cards and paper clips to staples and sheets. It can take up to 8 sheets at a time and slices them in a proportion of 5/32 x 15/32 inch micro-cut particles. The company claims a continuous runtime of 5 minutes. You also get an auto-reverse and auto-start feature, which facilitates clear jam-free shredding.
Aurora AU870 comes in a black finish with carvings on the edges, making it look sleek and stylish for any setting. It measures 11.81 x 7.13 x 17.44 inches and weighs around 11.68 lbs. This particular model by Aurora is rated for P-4 efficiency level, which is good for confidential documents and cards.
You also get an LED indicator on top for overload protection. Its feed ring is slanted at an angle, which prevents accidents and even helps avoid overload jams. The wastebasket features a volumetric capacity of 3.9 gallons and is fitted with a single-hand lifting handle. Aurora ships it with a 1-year limited warranty covering all the repairs.
2. Runner Up: AmazonBasics 8-Sheet High Security Micro-Cut Shredder
Next on our list is an 8-sheet shredder by AmazonBasics. As we all know, products by AmazonBasics are known for the value that they provide at an affordable price; this shredder is no exception!
Carrying a tiny footprint, this device measures 13.2 x 12.6 x 67 inches and weighs around 6.7 pounds, making it quite portable and easy to move around. This shredder comes in a black finish and primarily consists of two main units: the upper lid, which has the controls and feed slot, and the basket, which can be accessed easily by simply lifting the lid.
Basket capacity is set at 3.2 gallons; for perspective, it fills and starts to jam after shredding about 30 sheets. Since this is a budget offering, it can scathe 8 letter-size pages at once and has a light-duty cycle of 2 minutes, followed by a 15-minute cool-down period.
It has a dedicated button for disc shredding and can even handle plastics like ID and credit cards. You can fit a single CD in the disc slot and then press the ‘Destroyer’ button. If you try (and not so hard even), then you can even read the details on cards post-shredding. Thus, we advise you to double-check the card shreds and have a pair of scissors handy in case any additional slicing is required.
Shredding speed is capped at 14.6 feet per minute, which is enough for most users. As for the noise, it has a decibel output of 70 dB, which is moderately loud.
All in all, this is a good shredder for light/personal use.
3. Best Cross Cut: AmazonBasics 6-Sheet Microcut Shredder
This is a small 6-sheet shredder ideal for paper documents particularly. Unit’s dimensions are 11.8 x 8 x 15 inches, so it’s compact enough to fit under most office desks and is also quite lightweight at 8 pounds.
It comes pre-assembled and is quite easy to set up. All you need to do is turn on the auto-mode, and the shredder will take care of all your needs. Coming to shredding frequency, it is designed to handle about 6 sheets at once, but we recommend using around 3-5 sheets for quick results.
Its safety rating is also quite high as it first cuts the document into long strips and then further disintegrates them into smaller proportions. The leftovers are about 1 27/32 inches long and 7/32 inches wide. Keep in mind that this shredder can only handle sheets, paper clips, and staples and is not ideal for any plastic-based/laminated item.
Bin capacity is quite tight at just 3.8 gallons, which is still okay for light use. You will need to use two hands to separate the bin, but we cannot really complain about that given the price. Unlike other shredders, it has a common inlet for both credit cards and documents, which further enhances the security quotient.
Sound output is rated at 71 decibels, which is quite loud. There is a safety switch that ensures your fingers stay safe even if you forget to turn the device off before emptying the basket.
One small caveat is that this shredder only works with the stock collection bin it comes with.
4. Best Strip Cut: Aurora 8-Sheet Strip Cut Paper Shredder
Aurora AS810SD strip cut paper shredder has been designed to help you discard confidential documents in the most efficient manner possible. Compatible with CDs, paper clips, staples, credit cards, and paper-based documents, it effortlessly shreds everything into ¼-inch wide strips.
Its capacity is set at 8 sheets of paper per feed with a speed of 9.7 feet per minute, which is ideal for your home office. In case of a paper jam, you can take advantage of its manual forward and reverse buttons, which are placed on the counter to help you clear these jams in a blip.
This shredder takes up zero power when idle, making it energy efficient. The wastebasket has a generous 4.5 gallons capacity, which is about 100 sheets of paper. Manufacturers also provide a three-mode safety feature to keep your fingers from getting trapped in the blades.
The feeder opening measures 8.75 inches, which is excellent for all sorts of documents. It is even quite compact and takes up an area of 12.8 x 13.0 x 6.5 inches while weighing 7.2 pounds.
With minimal complaints about jamming or overheating, this is a highly rated product that you should definitely consider.
5. Best Noiseless: Bonsaii 14-Sheet Crosscut Paper Shredder
This cross-cut model has an advertised capacity of 14 sheets and can shred non-stop for 30 minutes continuously! Other key features include 4.8 gallons holding capacity, thermal protection, and an LED indicator for overheating/overloading.
Bonsaii has patented a cooling system placed on top of this device, facilitating smooth airflow both inwards and outwards. Another smart feature is its safe-sense technology, which will halt the shredding as soon as the blades detect a hand touch near the inlet.
Though the capacity is 14-sheets, most users reported that anything more than 10-sheets per feed led to jamming. On the plus side, its EverShred handles can easily slide credit cards, CDs, and even thick envelopes at a respectable speed of 70 sheets per minute as long as you use 10 stacks at once.
Due to its robust internal systems and good air filtration system, you can use it for 30 minutes at a stretch without worrying about overheating. The voice output is rated 58dB, which is significantly lower than all other shredders in this price bracket.
Some users argued that the bin could have been a bit bigger given the high speed, but since most home offices do not have huge shredding requirements, you should be good to go.
6. Best for Credit Cards: Fellowes Powershred 11-Sheet Crosscut Shredder
Measuring about 16.88 x 20.88 x 15 inches, this heavy-duty shredder comes with a safety lock and has a bin gasket capacity of 4.75 gallons. It can handle up to 11 sheets of paper while chopping them into 5/32 x 1-3/8-inch cross-cut shreds. Fellowes ships it with a patented safety lock, which disables the shredder and enhances protection.
It has a run time of 5 minutes, followed by a 20-minute cool-down period. The bin has a lift-off head with a handle that comes out quite easily. Cross-cuts ensure good safety and make it ideal for both regular and confidential documents.
As for the noise rating, it might get quite loud, but that can be compensated by the excellent shredding efficiency. You also get a 1-year product and service warranty on top of a 3-year cutter warranty with your purchase.
The only complaint is that it procures some paper dust, albeit in very minimal quantities. There is also an 8-sheet variant of this product which you can consider, and it sells for 10-20 dollars cheaper.
7. Best Indoor 10-sheet Paper Shredder: Bonsaii Home Paper Shredder
This is a good all-rounder that can take care of all your in-house shredding needs. It is compatible with various inputs like CDs, DVDs, and cards. Its high security shredding with a size of 4x10mm is convenient for private documents.
It can shred a maximum of 10 sheets of paper into 5/32 by ⅖ bits, though the recommended feed is 6-8 sheets. We also have an easy-access handle so that you can lift the shredder and empty the basket whenever needed.
As soon as you turn on the auto-mode, the sensor in the feed basket automatically starts shredding whenever you slip in any documents. In order to prevent the system from overheating, the Bonsaii Shredder even has an innovative cooling system.
This shredder can run continuously for 4 minutes and requires a cooldown period of 35 minutes after that. Some users reported overheating issues and also complained that this device is too noisy, but overall, it is a decent pick under $100.
What to Look for When Buying a Shredder?
Now that you have the list of best shredders under $100 at your disposal, here are some factors that will help you pick the best one:
Strip Cut Vs. Cross Cut
Strip cutters are more common and affordable among the two. They use blades to slice documents into cylindrical spaghetti-like shapes. However, if you truly value your privacy, then you should rather invest in a cross-cutting shredder since they cut the papers into smaller pieces. One can seldom reconstruct a document that has been put through a cross-cut machine, making them ideal for discarding private information.
Security Level
As listed above, every shredder comes with a certain security level. In total, there are 6 levels, with 5 and 6 giving you the ultimate document protection and 1 being the least secure. A level 1 machine makes ⅜-inch strips and is ideal for destroying papers that do not contain sensitive information. Levels 2 and 3 produce ⅛-inch shreds and can shred cards having social security numbers and birth dates. Levels 4, 5, and 6 are ideal for financial records as well as confidential government documents.
Safety Features
Look for an office shredder with features like overload protection and a safety switch, so you do not trigger impromptu start-offs. Other crucial features include safety interlocks, which prevent unauthorized usage, and sensors that keep the feed inlet closed. Along with this, you should also ensure that the motors match up well with continuous duty and have a short cool-down period. Lastly, low noise levels are always a delight.
Thanks for reading!