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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 paper shredder review
Credit: Amazon
Price:  $45 List
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Manufacturer:   Amazon
By Max Mutter and Michelle Powell  ⋅  Nov 18, 2022
58
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#10 of 14
  • Shredding Quality - 40% 5.8
  • Speed - 35% 6.5
  • Ease of Use - 15% 5.7
  • Noise - 10% 3.0

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.
REASONS TO BUY
Inexpensive
Reliable
Fast
REASONS TO AVOID
Loud
Bin could be easier to empty

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Overall Score Sort Icon
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Star Rating
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Pros Inexpensive, reliable, fastSpeedy, compact, user-friendly interface, budget-friendlyHigh security, inexpensiveSmall size, simple, inexpensiveSmall and compact, inexpensive
Cons Loud, bin could be easier to emptyDifficult to empty, heavy lid, medium securitySlow, loud, can't shred CDsNoisy, overheating smells, slow, light duty onlySlow, not particularly powerful
Bottom Line This shredder is perfectly sized, powered, and priced for home office useA speedy, compact, and intuitive paper shredder, perfect for household use at a price you just can't beatA decent choice if you don't shred often but want the highest securityWhile the small size and price tag of this model are alluring, we recommend other products in this price range firstA great space saver if you only need to shred documents occasionally
Rating Categories Amazon Basics 8-She... Aurora AU1230XA Ant... Amazon Basics 6-She... Bonsaii 6-Sheet Cro... Aurora AS420C Desktop
Shredding Quality (40%)
5.8
6.0
5.7
4.3
4.4
Speed (35%)
6.5
8.0
4.3
4.5
2.4
Ease of Use (15%)
5.7
6.0
5.7
5.0
7.1
Noise (10%)
3.0
6.0
4.0
3.2
7.0
Specs Amazon Basics 8-She... Aurora AU1230XA Ant... Amazon Basics 6-She... Bonsaii 6-Sheet Cro... Aurora AS420C Desktop
Bin Capacity 4.1 gallons 5.2 gallons 4.1 gallons 3.4 gallons 1.32 gallons
Advertised Sheet Capacity 8 12 6 6 4
Measured Sheet Capacity 11 13 6 8 4
Maximum Sheets per Minute 96 168 42 48 24
Shred Type Cross-Cut Cross-Cut Micro-Cut Cross-Cut Cross-Cut
Shred Size 3/16" x 1-27/32" 3/16" x 1-9/16" 5/32" x 15/32" 1-25/32'' x 1/5'' 1.5" x 1-17/20"
Dimensions 12.8" x 7.3" x 15.9" 13.31" x 8.46" x 15.87 7.5 x 12.5 x 16 14.1" x 11.8" x 7" 9.49" x 6.93" x 9.92"
Weight 8.3 lbs 13.1 Ibs 10.0 lbs 6.3 lbs 4.9 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 paper shredder review - 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 paper shredder review - 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 paper shredder review - 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 paper shredder review - 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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