When buying a paper shredder one of the main decisions is whether you opt for a strip-cut or cross-cut model. Here is our guide to the advantages and disadvantages each of these types of shredder have to offer:
Strip-Cut Shredders
Strip-cut shredders shred material into long thin strips. They are generally considered to be basic shredders for the everyday shredding of non-sensitive material.
Advantages of strip-cut shredders:
- They tend to be cheaper
- They normally require less maintenance
- They typically shred a higher number of sheets at a time
Disadvantages of strip-cut shredders:
- The shredder bin gets full quicker because strips don’t compress as well as cross-cut particles do
- They tend not to offer as high a security level as cross-cut shredders because the material is not shredded as finely
Cross-Cut Shredders (also known as Confetti-Cut Shredders)
Cross-cut shredders cut paper both horizontally and vertically.
Advantages of cross-cut shredders:
- They are considered more secure than strip-cut shredders because they shred material more finely
- Typically you don’t have to change the bin as frequently because the smaller shredded particle size compacts more than the strips produced by strip-cut shredders
Disadvantages of cross-cut shredders:
- They tend to be more expensive
- They tend to require more maintenance, e.g. oiling
So as you can see there are advantages and disadvantages to both types of shredder – it really depends on what your requirements are as to which one you opt for.
