Amazon Basics 8-Sheet Cross-Cut Review
Our Verdict
Compare to Similar Products
This Product Amazon Basics 8-Sheet Cross-Cut | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Awards | Best on a Tight Budget | Best Bang for the Buck | |||
Price | $56 List $36.48 at Amazon | $74 List | $77 List $74.56 at Amazon | $57 List $44.50 at Amazon | $40 List $34.99 at Amazon |
Overall Score | |||||
Star Rating | |||||
Bottom Line | For the majority of home offices, this model is both a great choice and a great value | A paper shredder that offers high security micro-cutting, helpful indicator lights and an easy to empty waste bin | A great household paper shredder that is small, intuitive, fast and budget-friendly | As long as you don't shred large stacks of documents and don't need to shred CDs, this model will serve you well | It's small and inexpensive, but the overall performance and lack of robustness have us preferring other models |
Rating Categories | Amazon Basics 8-She... | Amazon Basics 8-She... | Aurora AU1230XA Ant... | Amazon Basics 6-She... | Bonsaii 6-Sheet Cro... |
Shredding Quality (40%) | |||||
Speed (35%) | |||||
Ease of Use (15%) | |||||
Noise (10%) | |||||
Specs | Amazon Basics 8-She... | Amazon Basics 8-She... | Aurora AU1230XA Ant... | Amazon Basics 6-She... | Bonsaii 6-Sheet Cro... |
Advertised Sheet Capacity | 8 | 8 | 12 | 6 | 6 |
Measured Sheet Capacity | 11 | 10 | 13 | 6 | 8 |
Bin Capacity | 4.1 gallons | 4 gallons | 5.2 gallons | 4.1 gallons | 3.4 gallons |
Maximum Sheets per Minute | 96 | 114 | 168 | 42 | 48 |
Shred Type | Cross-Cut | Micro-Cut | Cross-Cut | Micro-Cut | Cross-Cut |
Shred Size | 3/16" x 1-27/32" | 5/32" x 15/32" | 3/16" x 1-9/16" | 5/32" x 15/32" | 1-25/32'' x 1/5'' |
Dimensions | 12.8" x 7.3" x 15.9" | 8.9" x 12.95" x 19.49" | 13.31" x 8.46" x 15.87 | 7.5 x 12.5 x 16 | 14.1" x 11.8" x 7" |
Weight | 8.3 lbs | 17.2 Ibs | 13.1 Ibs | 10.0 lbs | 6.3 lbs |
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Amazon Basics 8-Sheet offers all of the performance the majority of home offices will need without costing too much.
Performance Comparison
Shredding Quality
The Amazon Basics 8-Sheet Cross-Cut passed all of our shredding tests, earning an above-average score.
First off, the Amazon Basics 8-Sheet Cross-Cut easily handled a stack of its advertised capacity of eight sheets of paper during our hands-on testing. In fact, we were able to push it to a stack of 11 sheets before it started to struggle. It also handled a stuffed junk mail envelope with relative ease, making disposing of those piles of meaningless envelopes quick and easy.
Obviously, this model offers a cross-cut level of security. We feel this is plenty of security for most people, as it will take a potential thief a lot of effort and probably a healthy amount of luck to reconstruct any meaningful pieces of your documents. However, if you want over-the-top security, you may want to consider a micro-cut model.
Speed
The Amazon Basics 8-Sheet also performed quite well in our speed testing. It wasn't one of the fastest models but offers more than enough expediency for most home use.
During our hands-on testing, the 8-Sheet Cross-Cut shredder logged a maximum speed of 96 sheets per minute. This makes it faster than most consumer models, with only models meant for small offices offering faster rates. If you generally shred hundreds of pages at a time, you may want to upgrade to one of those more pro-level models. Otherwise, the Amazon Basics 8-Sheet will likely be more than fast enough.
Ease of Use
This is one area where the Amazon Basics earns an average score. It certainly isn't difficult to use but largely lacks any extra user-friendly touches.
First, the good. The 8-Sheet Cross-Cut shredder has a nice handle in the middle that makes moving it around quite easy. Its shredding slot is also designed to make loading paper at an angle easy, which is useful if you want to keep the shredder underneath a desk.
On the slightly annoying side, you have to remove the entire shredding unit to empty the bin. While this isn't particularly difficult, a drawer-style bin would be much more convenient. The window in the bin is also small, so it can be hard to tell if it's full or not.
Noise
This is the one thing we really don't like about the Amazon Basics 8-Sheet Cross-Cut. During our testing period, we couldn't get over the wretched noise it makes. If you often shred giant stacks of paper in a single go, the noise is likely going to wear on you or those around you.
Should You Buy the Amazon Basics 8-Sheet Cross-Cut?
Considering the performance it provides and the relatively low price it sells for, the Amazon Basics 8-Sheet Cross-Cut is a great value. Anyone looking to spend as little as possible for a light-duty shredder should look to this model first. There are less expensive models on the market, but this one proved to be more reliable than those models.
What Other Paper Shredder Should You Consider?
This model is the least expensive model we have tested that we can recommend. If you want better performance, though, and to significantly decrease the annoying noise of running your shredder, look to the Aurora AU1230XA Anti-Jam 12-Sheet Crosscut. It is more robust and with a lower pitch and volume, it's more pleasant to use.