Who it’s for: People with higher security needs and some disposable income
Page limit: 12 sheets
Continuous run time/cool down period: 10 minutes/40 minutes
What it can shred: paper, staples, paper clips
This shredder was able to shred single sheets of paper continuously, without stopping or sending an error message, for five minutes. It was also able to shred stacks of paper with thicknesses of 1 to 12 sheets without failing. It was also able to shred a credit card, four staples, and a paper clip. The TRU RED 12 Sheet Micro-Cut shredder lives in the sweet spot in the Venn diagram of “makes tiny shreds,” “large capacity,” and “doesn’t make a mess.” The bin has a capacity of 5.8 gallons and it can hold micro-cut shreds from more than 150 sheets of paper.
Everything about this shredder is easy to use. While it’s one of the heavier shredders we tested (coming in at about 21 pounds), it doesn’t feel top heavy, and it rolls easily on four wheels, two of which have brakes. The shredder’s controls are very basic, and we like it that way. It has a power button, a “forward” button, and a “reverse” button, both of which will help to get rid of a jam. Fortunately, we never experienced a paper jam during testing; in fact, we were pleasantly surprised by the way the shredding teeth remained clog-free, even after shredding about 50 sheets of paper in five minutes. On the other hand, while the shredding noise isn’t a high-pitched shriek, it’s a bit on the loud side. As for safety features, the TRU RED shredder has a vertical, narrow slit that is easy to access for shredding purposes, but looks to be too narrow to endanger the fingers of small children. Additionally, this shredder comes with a lock that, when activated, prevents the shredder from turning on at all. We also liked the cord management system, which allows you to wrap the cable up tight to minimize tripping hazards.
The micro-cut shreds from this shredder are about 10 mm long, and 4 mm wide. While they’re not the tiniest shreds we saw during our tests, that’s still small enough for you to feel confident that anyone would have a lot of trouble reconstructing any sensitive documents you shred.
What users think: People who purchased this shredder were pleased with its performance. A couple people found that the shredders didn’t work right out of the box, but because it’s a Staples product, they were able to return or replace it with minimal fuss.
The bottom line: While it’s a bit pricey, we think this shredder will make a lot of people happy with its shredding capacity, simple interface, lack of jamming, and safety features.