Confidentiality, frequency of use, noise,… In order to make the right choice, the level of confidentiality of the paper shredder is without doubt the most important factor. In the following paragraphs, you find the necessary information that will help you to find a model that responds to your demands. Follow our advice !
Index
1 The cut and safety level 2 The nature of the documents3 The destruction frequency and volume
4 The destruction capacity and speed 5 The sound level 6 The automatic functions
The regulation
Companies are obliged to protect the data of their customers and their employees.
1 - The cut and safety level
As said before, the desired level of safety plays the most important role when it comes to making a choice. There are 7 levels of security, in accordance with the international DIN standards, going from the lowest (DIN 1) to the highest (DIN 7). First, you need to pay attention to the type, and then to the cut size.
FIBRES: SAFETY LEVEL P-1 AND P-2
For destroying standard documents, it is sufficient to opt for a system that cuts in fibres (also called the straight cut). These paper shredders change your documents into less or more fine strips. Select a model with level 1 for the most common documents. Prefer level 2 when it is your goal to destroy work documents, financial details or bank receipts.
CROSS-CUT: SAFETY LEVEL P-3 AND P-4
Paper shredders with cross-cut offer a higher level of confidentiality, as they cut all your documents into confetti. Depending on the safety level, the size of the scraps will be different: level P-4 delivers smaller confetti than level P-3. Both levels are adapted to really strategic or personal documents, like sales figures, passports or salary information.
MICRO CUT: SAFETY LEVEL P-5, P-6 and P-7
The shredders with micro cut assure a complete confidentiality and give you between 5 and 7 times less garbage volume. The levels P-5, P-6 and P-7 with the shredder with micro cut are ideal for documents with the labels “top secret” or “confidential”, as their distribution could harm your company or your administration.
The selection of a good paper shredder depends as well largely on the type of documents that need to be destroyed.
Destroy paper, paperclips and staples.
All the devices in the assortment of Bruneau do not only cut paper, but they also destroy paperclips and staples. In this way, you gain a lot of precious time
Destroy all the cards (credit cards, magnet cards,...)
In order to destroy all the possible cards (and their electronic chips) safely, an adapted model is the correct choice.
Destroy the hard disks and other objects
Certain models, equipped with cutting rings in hard steel, assure the destruction of IT material, like hard disks and sensitive information.
The frequency of use is another essential factor for your choice. Try to calculate it correctly in advance. In this way, you can enjoy a longer lifespan and you don’t need to empty the shredder’s tank several times a day.
The higher the number of users and the more the device is used, the greater the importance of a model with a larger tank will be. Notice: products from a different brand, but with a similar content, can still vary a lot in the capacity.
For 1 or 2 users and for a low daily volume of shredded paper, we recommend an individual paper shredder for sporadic use with a tank of less than 30 liter.
For 1 or 2 users and for a high daily volume of shredded paper, we recommend an individual paper shredder for intense use with a tank of 30 to 55 liter.
For 5 to 10 users and for a low daily volume of shredded paper, we recommend a collective paper shredder for sporadic use with a tank of 35 to 80 liter.
For 5 to 10 users and for a high daily volume of shredded paper, or for more than 10 users, we recommend a collective paper shredder for intense use with a tank of more than 80 liter.
When you wish to destroy quickly several pages at the same time, you need to pay attention to:
The feeding capacity: this is the number of sheets with a standard grammage (80 g/m²) that can be inserted at the same time in the slot.
The insertion width: this is the width of the slot in which you insert the paper sheets.
The shredding speed: this is the speed level of the paper when it slides through the slot. The speed depends on the number of paper sheets that are pushed simultaneously into the shredder and their grammage.
5 - The sound level
The cheapest shredders on the market are mostly very noisy, with a sound level that approaches to or is higher than 70 dB.
The sound factor is often not very important, when it is meant for a sporadic use. This changes when the device is used a lot or when it is installed in a room with an open space organization.
In order to find a proper model, Bruneau has put in every description an indication of the sound level.
6 - The automatic functions
Previous paragraphs have shown that the safety level and the frequency of use are two primary factors for finding an adequate paper shredder. Nevertheless, nothing forbids you to have even higher expectations. Here, we will give you an overview of other functions that, due to their user-friendliness or their security, can have an impact on your decision.
Protection of the user: the paper shredder stops automatically when the sensors capture a source of heat, e.g. a hand that approaches the slot.
Automatic maintenance: the cylinders are lubricated automatically, for a better performance and a longer lifespan.
Rewind: this function allows you to retract more easily documents when they got stuck in the paper shredder.
Automatic stop: the paper shredder stops automatically when you put an extremely large number of sheets in the slot.
Button for faster shredding: you can elevate the cutting speed of the paper shredder.
Automatic start:: when a sheet of paper is detected, the paper shredder switches on automatically.
Automatic sleep mode: after a period of inactivity, the status changes to sleep mode. This allows you to save a lot of energy and to prolong the lifespan of the device without any risk of overheating.
Think of the accessories!
In order to maintain your paper shredders, you can't forget to buy maintenance products, like lubricating oil or lubricating sheets. These will augment the lifespan of your devices. And the garbage bags for residual waste can't lack neither!
