8 best paper shredders for quick document disposal at home

This compact piece of kit, which has a P4 rating, is a great option for serious shredders with limited space. We loved the auto-feed function, which meant we could stack up to 45 sheets of paper on a loading tray for automated shredding, and the ultra-thin 4mm x 28mm shredded strips ensure sensitive information doesn’t get into the wrong hands. The 20l bin allows for plenty of shredding between bin changes, while its compact design – it’s just 43cm high and 35cm wide – means it will tuck easily into the smallest of spaces.

A great choice for smaller home offices, this P4 shredder will shred six sheets of A4 paper at once, producing shreds measuring 4mm x 37mm, and will shred credit cards and paper clips too. Its low, squat shape means it will tuck neatly under desks, while features such as the safety lock and quiet operation mode make it ideal for family homes.

This P4-rated shredder might not have the largest capacity – it had a 10l bin and will shred six sheets of paper at one time – but this is unlikely to be an issue. Yes, we’ve seen plenty of thrillers showing villains frantically feeding thick wads of top-secret documents into shredders before the FBI arrives on the scene, but the same urgency is less likely to be required when the documents are credit card statements or phone bills. And that’s exactly why we love this shredder – with its compact design (170mm x 302mm x 321mm, 4kg) it’s a great everyday shredder that will take up minimal space while providing peace of mind that personal data won’t get into the wrong hands. Shredding documents into pieces measuring 4mm x 40mm, there’s no need to remove paper clips or staples either – this shredder will chomp through the lot.

The super car of shredders, this lean, mean shredding machine turns confidential documents into confetti (each shred measures a tiny 4mm x 38mm) in a nano-second, but it will also make light work of CDs, paperclips and staples, too. It will slash through up to 15 sheets at once (great news for anyone prone to jamming in more paper than advised, and yes, we’re repeat offenders when it comes to this particular crime), and its 23l capacity means bin changes are few and far between. We were especially impressed with the silent shred mode, which drastically reduces noise levels.

A 15l bin and the ability to shred up to eight sheets of paper (each of which is shredded into 200 individual pieces) at one time makes this P3-rated shredder ideal for medium-sized home offices. The lid lifts off with ease, and a large window on the front makes it easy to keep an eye on capacity. The touch controls are a joy to use, and the powerful motor helps to minimise the risk of jams by immediately stopping the shredder and pushing the paper back out with surprising force. Unlike more-expensive shredders, it won’t shred CDs, but it will happily gobble paperclips, stables and credit cards.

This is a brilliantly designed machine that is a joy to use (and yes, we did just say that about a shredder). The large, 19l bin slides out incredibly easily, and it’s on wheels. The controls are easy to operate with clear markings, such as the one indicating where credit cards can be inserted. As we’ve mentioned, we quickly ran out of credit cards to feed our shredders, so we tested it using a couple of plastic hotel room keys, which were no match for the powerful cutters. Up to 12 sheets of paper can be shredded at one time, and the cutters have a five-year warranty, which provides extra peace of mind (two years appears to be standard with the majority of shredders).

Don’t get us wrong. When it comes to shredders, the ease with which the machine chomps through your paperwork should be the priority, but given that shredders will never be the most attractive of items, we’re all for ones that blend into the background. That’s exactly what this P4-rated model does – not just with its minimalist design, but with a surprisingly quiet shredding motion. Its appetite is also impressive – it will shred 10 sheets of paper at one time, turning them into miniscule scraps of paper (400 per sheet, to be precise) measuring just 4mm by 40mm.

This jet-black mean machine slashes sensitive documents into 4mm x 37mm strips, has a 17l bin and will gobble up staples, paper clips and credit cards too. It’s got a P4 rating, and with a weight of just 4.5kg it’s not too bulky, and a brilliant choice for serial shredders who need to destroy sensitive documents on a regular basis.