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Amazon Basics 8-Sheet Cross-Cut Review

This shredder is perfectly sized, powered, and priced for home office use
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Amazon Basics 8-Sheet Cross-Cut Review (Posting a maximum rate of 96 sheets per minute, the AmazonBasics 8-Sheet Cross-Cut is one of the faster compact models...)
Posting a maximum rate of 96 sheets per minute, the AmazonBasics 8-Sheet Cross-Cut is one of the faster compact models we've tested.
Credit: Laura Casner
Price:  $56 List
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Manufacturer:   Amazon
By Max Mutter and Michelle Powell  ⋅  Nov 18, 2022
58
OVERALL
SCORE

RANKED
#8 of 12
  • Shredding Quality - 40% 5.8
  • Speed - 35% 6.5
  • Ease of Use - 15% 5.7
  • Noise - 10% 3.0
Best Buy Award

Our Verdict

The Amazon Basics 8-Sheet Cross-Cut fits that perfect niche where it is small enough to not dominate a small office, yet powerful enough for the occasional big shredding session. It is also inexpensive enough that it won't eat up too much of your home office budget. Because it balances all of those qualities so well, this is likely the shredder we would suggest to most people. There are only two reasons we would advise going with a different model: if you regularly shred stacks of 50+ pages at a time, or if you personally want the added security of a micro-cut model. Otherwise, we think the Amazon Basics 8-Sheet is both a great option and a great value. Get the scoop on how it stands up to the competition in our review of the best paper shredders.
REASONS TO BUY
Inexpensive
Reliable
Fast
REASONS TO AVOID
Loud
Bin could be easier to empty

Compare to Similar Products

(change comparison)
 
Awards Best Buy Award
Best on a Tight Budget
 Best Buy Award
Best Bang for the Buck
  
Price $56 List$74 List$77 List
$73.14 at Amazon		$57 List
$44.50 at Amazon		$40 List
$34.99 at Amazon
Overall Score Sort Icon
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77
67
50
44
Star Rating
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Bottom Line For the majority of home offices, this model is both a great choice and a great valueA paper shredder that offers high security micro-cutting, helpful indicator lights and an easy to empty waste binA great household paper shredder that is small, intuitive, fast and budget-friendlyAs long as you don't shred large stacks of documents and don't need to shred CDs, this model will serve you wellIt'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%)
5.8
9.0
6.0
5.7
4.3
Speed (35%)
6.5
7.0
8.0
4.3
4.5
Ease of Use (15%)
5.7
7.0
6.0
5.7
5.0
Noise (10%)
3.0
6.0
6.0
4.0
3.2
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


amazon basics 8-sheet cross-cut - this model offers high enough performance for most home office needs...
This model offers high enough performance for most home office needs without breaking the bank.
Credit: Laura Casner

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.

amazon basics 8-sheet cross-cut - the amazon basics 8-sheet cross-cut handled pretty much everything...
The Amazon Basics 8-Sheet Cross-Cut handled pretty much everything we threw at it with aplomb.
Credit: Laura Casner

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.

amazon basics 8-sheet cross-cut - the amazonbasics 8-sheet cross-cut is impressively fast.
The AmazonBasics 8-Sheet Cross-Cut is impressively fast.
Credit: Laura Casner

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.

amazon basics 8-sheet cross-cut - you must lift the shredding unit off the bin in order to empty it.
You must lift the shredding unit off the bin in order to empty it.
Credit: Laura Casner

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.

— Max Mutter and Michelle Powell
 
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