Fellowes Powershred 60Cs Review

Below we discuss the details of how the Fellowes Powershred 60Cs performed in all of our individual tests.

Preformance Comparison

Shredding Quality

In our shredding quality testing, the Powershred 60Cs scored just below average. The relatively lower security level of cross-cut blades lost the Powershred 60Cs some points right off the bat. It was able to chew through its advertised maximum capacity of 10 sheets of paper at once, but it sounded like that was quite an effort for the motor. It also consistently jammed when fed thick junk mail envelopes. It tears through credit cards with relative ease but is not rated for burlier items like CDs. Generally, the Powershred 60Cs's shredding quality is plenty for smaller jobs, but if you shred stacks of sheets in the triple digits with any regularity, you'll want to get a model with a bit more oomph.

Speed

The Powershred 60Cs scored fairly well in our speed testing. It was not among the top performers, but it was far ahead of our lowest scorer. We were pleasantly surprised by how this smaller shredder kept up with some of its larger counterparts. It logged a top speed of 67 sheets per minute. This is plenty of speed for all but the largest of shredding jobs. Unless you consistently want to shred hundreds of sheets at a time, the Powershred 60Cs's speed has you covered.

Ease of Use

The Powershred 60Cs scored right smack dab in the middle of our highest and lowest scoring shredders. Fellowes generally delivers top-notch interfaces and nice features in their shredders, and the Powershred 60Cs is no exception. It has a single, intuitive switch that toggles between on, off, and reverse. There are several symbols adjacent to the shredding slot indicating how to properly use the shredder, and there is a light that indicates if it is overheating. There is also a “safe sense” safety sensor that shuts the shredder off if any fingers get too close to the blades.

The bin has a nice large window at the top, making it easy to see when it is full. The Powershred 60Cs lost ease-of-use points for a couple of reasons, but mostly because it is a sit-on-top model. These are inevitably harder to empty than drawer-style models as you must lift and remove the heavy shredding unit to get to the bin. The Powershred 60Cs features incut handles on the front and back of the shredding unit to facilitate this. Still, it is quite heavy, making this a potentially awkward and two-handed operation. Fellowes did give the Powershred 60Cs a six-gallon bin to make emptying a less frequent affair. It also lacks some of the added features of the more advanced and pricier Fellowes models, namely a digital full sensor. All in all, those who shred infrequently will be happy with using the Powershred 60Cs, but if you tend to complete large shredding jobs, you will want a higher-end, more heavy-duty shredder.

Noise

Noise is one area where the Powershred 60Cs falls behind in comparison to its competition. It has a high-pitched whine that would probably drive you to throw it out the window after shredding for more than five minutes. It is certainly bearable in small doses and for small shredding jobs, but anything bigger may require an additional investment in noise-canceling headphones.

Should You Buy the Fellowes Powershred 60Cs?

The Fellowes Powershred 60Cs lives up to the company's reputation of manufacturing high-quality, dependable office products. However, it feels like you have to pay a premium for the name, as a much better value can be found from other manufacturers. It works for small office needs, but you will also have to put up with the loud noises it generates.

What Other Paper Shredder Should You Consider?

The Amazon Basics 12 Sheet Micro-Cut competes very strongly against the Fellowes Powershred, actually besting it across the board. It offers heightened security in the way it shreds the paper, making it harder to reassemble. It is less noisy, simpler to use, can handle more pages at once, and is even speedier than the Fellowes model. With all these advantages, it is hard to find reason to choose the Fellowes over the 12 Sheet Micro-Cut.