Paper Shredders for Home and Office Use

I was looking to purchase new paper shredders and wanted one to ensure my privacy. Unfortunately, I am one of those people you hear about in the commercial that has had their identity stolen. It got by me for over nine months, and by the time I discovered it had been stolen, the damage had been done to my credit rating and good name. Someone had opened new charge accounts in my name and named themselves co-signers. They charged clothing, furniture, and thousands of dollars of merchandise using my name.

After numerous calls, letters, and contacting the local authority to file a stolen identity crime, I felt violated. I was determined never to let this happen to me again. I now think I am obliged to shred anything related to my name or credit. You know those things you get in the mail offering credit. Maybe you didn't realize that in the wrong hands, you too may be the victim of identity theft.

My suggestion is to shred them and keep them out of the hand of criminals. It took me almost six months to resolve my problems from this incident. I do not have my credit report flagged, so only those who have my permission to see my credit report are allowed to do so. Protect yourself by shredding everything that might get into the wrong hand, including old credit cards.

Search out the market for the machine that will do all the jobs you have to shred. Think of the possibilities of things you may need to shred in the future before making your final purchase. For example, credit card shredding may be an added feature you need to consider for your shredder. Depending on how secure you need your document, it's for being will decide which type of cutting is best for you.

Paper Shredders vary in size and expense, from small and cheap units created for small amounts of pages to enormous, costly units used by commercial shredding companies. They can slice thousands of copies per hour. While some shredders use a hand crank, most use electricity to complete the job.

Shredders, throughout a couple of decades, many have added characteristics to enhance the ability to shred documents. For instance, many now refuse paper-fed-over the ability to sidestep blockages; others have security elements to reduce hazards. Some shredders developed in shared workspaces or division copy rooms also have noise-lessening features.

More extensive institution or shredding services periodically use "mobile shredding trucks," commonly made on a container truck with an industrial-size document shredder housed inside and room for holding the shredded papers. This type of truck may even provide for the shredding of CDs, DVDs, hard drives, credit cards, and uniforms, among other things, personal items.

Shredding as a means to secure privacy has long been used to protect businesses and home offices. The market is filled with options; exploring these will help you determine the best for you.

The dimensions and capability, of shredders, are categorized according to the process they use; and the size and shape of the shreds they deliver.

• Strip shredders use revolving knives to slice thin strips the length of the actual sheet of paper.
• Cross-cut shredders use two opposing-rotating drums to cut specific shapes such as: rectangular, parallelogram, or diamond-shaped particles.
• Micro-cut shredders produce miniature square or round slices.
• Cardboard shredders are created to shred ridged material into either ribbons or a mesh.
• Disintegrators constantly cut the paper systematically with spinning knives in a drum until the pieces are tiny enough to wash through a fine screen.
• Hammermills strike the paper through a screen to create little bits.
• Pierce-and-tear shredders have rotating knives that punch the document and tear it to fragments.
• Grinders have a rotating rod with slicing blades that grate the paper until it is miniature enough to slip through a mesh.