As a SOHO user, I have a fairly heavy shredding requirement, often getting through a couple of inches a month. I’ve been through two cheap and cheerful cross cutter shredders, but was getting rather annoyed with the noise they made, their slow speed, their large shreds (Which did not seem secure to me) and constantly having to empty them (Often four times in one shredding session).
I decided to buy a Fellows MicroShred 460C after reviewing the market and capabilities of various shredders. Part of this decision was to get something of "industrial quality". The MicroShred 460C was on special, but still not cheap compared to the £25 shredders I had been using. It was however cheap compared to other shredders of similar capabilities.
In operation, the MicroShred 460C is very quiet. I can shred documents without waking up the children in the next room. The size of the shreds is very small. When they talk about confetti size, they are not kidding. The size of the bin is good for about an inch or two of A4 papers, so I do not have to empty it too often. It’s got a cool safety feature that it will shut off if an object comes too close to the shred input slots during operation. I also like the ability to Shred CD’s through a second input slot and the black and silver colour which goes with all my other equipment.
On the down side, when you empty the shredder, shreds will have gone into the CD shred container as well and some shreds will have spilled over the bin side, so you will probably have to sweep up a small amount of shreds that will fall to the floor. The CD shred size is much larger than the paper shred size. This is perfect for CD’s, but I think too large for credit cards. The shred flow rate is adequate, rather than speedy, but I rate shred size a higher priority than outright speed. I have managed to jam the unit if I put too many papers in it at once (Use reverse to un-jam). My preference is to put a few sheets through at a time rather than risk a jam by going for the maximum sheet rating. If you are shredding an inch of A4 papers in one sitting, you may overheat the shredder and it will need thirty minutes to cool down.
Overall I’d give the unit four out of five or nine out of ten. I really like the unit, and highly recommend it. I’m still thrilled with the quiet operation and tiny paper shred size. Hopefully it’s the last shredder I need to buy.
John Malley
Having used the shredder now for a week , I am very pleased with its performance.
Rod Andrews
Extremely pleased with the purchase, quiet running and the cross shredding makes it easier to dispose of the waste. Easy controls and clear symbols. Would recommend.
Val Davies, Surestart Wharton Children's Centre