This may come as a surprise, but stapler
manufacturer Swingline has started putting out their own paper
shredders. These devices are designed to replace the old GBC shredders
and there are some good ones available such as the EX12-05. This is one
of the most advanced machines in Swingline's personal shredder line so
it is definitely worth a look even though it has a couple of quirks. Here
are its strengths and weaknesses:
This may come as a surprise, but stapler
manufacturer Swingline has started putting out their own paper
shredders. These devices are designed to replace the old GBC shredders
and there are some good ones available such as the EX12-05. This is one
of the most advanced machines in Swingline's personal shredder line so
it's definitely worth a look even though it has a couple of quirks. Here
are its strengths and weaknesses:
Strengths:
The EX12-05 can
be used to shred paper documents, CD's, and credit cards. The paper feed
opening is 9" wide to accommodate letter- and legal-sized sheets.
There's even another opening for CD's. When you're shredding paper,
you'll be able to process up to 14 sheets at a time. It's a great
solution if you need to dispose of various letters, bills, and so on.
This
is one of Swingline's eco-friendly shredders. It will turn off when
you're not using it so that electricity isn't wasted. This feature also
helps keep the motor in good shape so you don't have to worry about
repairs.
The EX12-05 can shred continuously
for up to 4 minutes which should be just fine for personal use. There
is a fairly lengthy cool-off time though, which is discussed in more
detail in the next section.
If you want a
shredder that looks great, this is definitely one you should consider.
It has an attractive black and silver color scheme, and the top is
angled which makes it easy to use. It measures 16" (height) x 9" (width)
x 17" (depth) and it can fair in fairly tight places.
One
particularly great thing about the EX12-05 is that its cutting
mechanism is covered for a full 5 years. The other parts are covered for
2.
Weaknesses:
The EX12-05 has a
5-gallon waste bin with a viewing window in it. (The window will help
you gauge how many shreds are in the bin.) The size of the bin should be
fine if you're the only one using this shredder. However, it might not
be large enough if you need to share it with someone.
This
machine doesn't have any special anti-jam technology. You should be
careful when feeding paper into it so you don't end up jamming it. Also,
you need to oil this machine manually. There isn't an automatic oiler
available for it.
The EX12-05 needs 40
minutes to completely cool off after each continuous-duty cycle. This
will be problematic if you need to shred constantly, so be sure to think
about how much you'll really need to shred before buying this device.
As you can tell by looking at the list of weaknesses, the
Swingline EX12-05 isn't a perfect machine due to its small waste bin and
the lack of an anti-jam features. However, its strengths make up for
it, especially the automatic shut-off feature. All together, the EX12-05
is a good shredder, so make sure to check it out if you need something
that can help protect you from identity theft.
Jeff McRitchie is the Director of Marketing for MyBinding.com.
He regularly writes articles, reviews, and blog posts on topics related
to bookbinding, laminating, paper shredding, and office equipment. More
than 2,500 of his articles have been published in thousands of
locations on the Internet. If you're looking for information about paper shredders his articles are a great place to start.
