Amazon Basics 8-Sheet Cross-Cut Review
Pros: Inexpensive, reliable, fast
Cons: Loud, bin could be easier to empty
Manufacturer: Amazon
Our Verdict
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Amazon Basics 8-Sheet Cross-Cut | |||||
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| Awards |  | |  | ||
| Price | $45 List $40.48 at Amazon | $74 List $78.42 at Amazon | $59 List $69.14 at Amazon | $50 List | $45 List $40.50 at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Pros | Inexpensive, reliable, fast | High quality shredding, micro-cut, helpful indicator lights, user-friendly | Speedy, compact, user-friendly interface, budget-friendly | High security, inexpensive | Small and compact, inexpensive |
| Cons | Loud, bin could be easier to empty | Insecure handles | Difficult to empty, heavy lid, medium security | Slow, loud, can't shred CDs | Slow, not particularly powerful |
| Bottom Line | This shredder is perfectly sized, powered, and priced for home office use | A paper shredder that offers high security micro-cutting, helpful indicator lights and an easy to empty waste bin | A speedy, compact, and intuitive paper shredder, perfect for household use at a price you just can't beat | A decent choice if you don't shred often but want the highest security | A great space saver if you only need to shred documents occasionally |
| Rating Categories | Amazon Basics 8-She... | Amazon Basics 8-She... | Aurora AU1230XA Ant... | Amazon Basics 6-She... | Aurora AS420C Desktop |
| 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... | Aurora AS420C Desktop |
| Bin Capacity | 4.1 gallons | 4 gallons | 5.2 gallons | 4.1 gallons | 1.32 gallons |
| Advertised Sheet Capacity | 8 | 8 | 12 | 6 | 4 |
| Measured Sheet Capacity | 11 | 10 | 13 | 6 | 4 |
| Type | Cross-Cut | Micro-Cut | Cross-Cut | Micro-Cut | Cross-Cut |
| 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 | 9.49" x 6.93" x 9.92" |
| Weight | 8.3 lb | 17.2 Ib | 13.1 Ib | 10.0 lb | 4.9 lb |
| Shred Size | 3/16" x 1-27/32" | 5/32" x 15/32" | 3/16" x 1-9/16" | 5/32" x 15/32" | 1.5" x 1-17/20" |
| Warranty | 1 Year Limited | 1 Year Limited | 1 Year / 3 Year Cutter | 2 Year Limited | 3 Year Limited |
| Maximum Sheets per Minute | 96 | 114 | 171 | 42 | 24 |
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. Since you probably won't be trying to shred for five minutes straight, this is probably not a big deal, but 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.
Value
Considering the performance it provides and the relatively low price it sells for, we think the Amazon Basics 8-Sheet Cross-Cut is a great value.
Conclusion
The Amazon Basics 8-Sheet Cross-Cut offers the right set of features and is priced well for most home offices. Unless you have particularly sensitive documents that require the extra security of a micro-cut shredder, or you shred hundreds of pages in any given week, this device will likely get the job done.
— Max Mutter and Michelle Powell
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