Fellowes 49C 8 Sheet Cross Cut Personal Paper Shredder

This shredder is a work horse! I make sure to oil it occasionally. I wish Walmart sold the type of oil I need for the blades but had to buy at Staples.

Fellowes is my favorite brand of shredder I have a larger model that shreds paper into tiny pieces that I have owned for at least 8 to 10 years. Although, I like the clean ,modern and sleek design of this model, the fact that it would be perfect for under a desk or some other small space, (see attached pic) the locking feature, the over heating indicator light, and that it actually shreds 8 sheets of paper and paper clips and it isn't overly loud when operating. It isn't too heavy. The shipping invoice indicates a weight of 14.22 lbs but in my opinion it weighs less than that. The top has to be removed to empty i.e. the basket doesn't slide out. It isn't overly loud when operating. However, it has one shortcoming that prevents me from giving this model a 4 or 5 star rating. The description indicates that it is a "Cross-Cut" (not sure what they mean by this) but in my opinion it cuts in small to medium strips in varying lengths (see attached pic). I prefer "micro-cut." Nevertheless, because of the features that I do like I am giving it a 3.5 star rating. I will use to shred less sensitive material. Moreover, I would recommend to a friend with the aforementioned caveats. Overall a good little shredder ideal for small spaces, smaller jobs and non-extremely sensitive material. Other features listed in manual: It comes with a 1 year non-transferable warranty for material and workmanship and provides service and support. The cutting blades are warranted for 3 years. It states that it will shred: paper, credit cards, staples and paper clips but wishing to shred paper clips makes no sense to me. Will not shred: Continuous forms, CD/DVDs, adhesive labels, transparencies, newspaper, cardboard, laminates, X-rays, or plastic. The maximum recommended daily usage rate : 60 sheets; 5 cards.

I have always resisted the desire to buy a shredder because of the stories I have heard of them being prone to jamming and of them being poorly made and frequently breaking down. I was therefore amazed at this shredder. Its very well built with high quality materials and works perfectly every time. As this is my first shredder, I wanted to get a lot of experience with it before writing this review. I have used it several times a day for about 2 weeks. I shredded single and multipage papers with excellent results. It did not jam or stutter even once. I don't know if all paper shredders are as good as this one, But after using this, I will never be without one in the future.The controls are well designed and easy to use. The operating instructions are well written and easy to understand. I cannot think of anything negative to say about this machine. If you are in the market for a home paper shredder, you cannot go wrong with this.

The Fellowes Powershred 49C arrived at my house in a stiff cardboard container with form fitting top and bottom corrugated sleeves that protected it all around during shipping. It arrived in excellent condition. In the past I have only used bottom rung, cheap shredders that jammed easily, did not handle the max listed number of sheets very well, were extremely noisy, and flimsy in construction. When I opened the box and pulled out the unit, I was pleased and impressed by how solid the Powershred 49C felt. The collection tub was made out of what appeared to be heavy duty flexible plastic, but did not feel flimsy. The shipping box advertised an 8 sheet, cross-cut capacity with a five minute run time. Although I now shred anything and everything with personal information on it, I did not have enough material to shred for five continuous minutes to test the automatic cut off feature. It also seemed to handle staples and plastic cards with no problem. I have a 4 1/2 year old son who is curious about everything, so I was glad to see that the cutting mechanism can be locked when not in use. The insertion slot also seemed to be narrow enough to prevent prying little fingers from getting close to the blades in case it was ever accidentally left in the “on” position. Overall I was very pleased with the Powershred 49C’s construction and performance. It is moderately priced and it is more than enough shredder for the average home office or small business.

So far I'm loving it and would have given it 5 stars if it was made to also cut cds and dvds. It does cut credit card material though as well as staples and paperclips. It has a larger capacity basket than my old shredder which gave up the ship on me, which is a plus because you don't have to empty it as often. I really like the large viewing window it has because it makes it easy to see when it needs emptying. I also love the additional safety features this one has that my old one didn't. it has an on off switch on the back of it as well as an on, auto, and reverse setting on the top and a lock feature so that you can lock it so little fingers that tend to get inquisitive can't operate it by accident. If all you are looking for is a home shredder to shred the personal papers and junk mail that you don't want to put in the trash this is a fantastic unit for you. If however you are looking for something with a higher capacity for a business or heavier papers cds etc. would look to a larger model. For my needs it is perfect!