Fellowes B-081C Cross-Cut Shredder Review

Fellowes B-081C Cross-Cut Shredder

Specifically designed for single users at home or in a small office, the Fellowes B-081C Cross-Cut Shredder is a compact machine that can be installed on your desk side without occupying too much real estate.

The Fellowes B-081C is a cross-cut shredder that can quickly and easily reduce your sensitive and confidential documents into little pieces of confetti at a size of 5/32" x 1-3/8". This earns the shredder a rating of Level 3 Security from the German Institute for Standardization (DIN), which means that it is good enough for confidential materials.

With an entry slot measuring 8-3/4 inches, regular letter and legal size documents can be easily inserted into the machine even if they are not precisely stacked. It can take as many as eight sheets in a single pass, reducing them into shreds.

The shredder can also handle credit cards but these should be inserted in the middle of the entry slot. Markers are provided for this. In the event that you forgot to remove paper clips or staple wires from the papers, the shredder's powerful blades will shred them as well.

Powered by an induction motor, the machine can shred your documents at a speed of 6 feet per minute. Running time, however, should be kept to 10 minutes for each session, allowing it a 30-minute break to keep it from overheating and premature breakdown.

In spite of its power, the shredder runs quietly, generating only up to 64 decibels. At this level, you can carry on a normal conversation even as you feed sheets of paper into it.

Equipped with an electronic auto start/stop button, the B-081C can be adjusted to a standby mode which sets it to automatically start running if it detects the entry of papers into the slot. In case of a jam, it also automatically stops turning the blades.

The waste paper bin of the Fellowes B-081C Cross-Cut Shredder is a pull-out type basket with a capacity of almost 5 gallons. It has a large vertical window that runs almost its entire height clearly showing if it needs emptying.

Resting on ball casters, the shredder stands up to a height of about 21 inches. It is approximately 13 wide and 10 deep.