REASONS TO BUY
Inexpensive
Reliable
Fast
REASONS TO AVOID
Loud
Bin could be easier to empty
Amazon Basics 8-Sheet Cross-Cut Review
This shredder is perfectly sized, powered, and priced for home office use
Credit: Amazon
RELATED: Best Paper Shredder of 2023
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.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Amazon Basics 8-Sheet Cross-Cut | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  | |  | ||
| Price | $45 List $39.80 at Amazon | Check Price at Amazon | $50 List $49.49 at Amazon | $40 List $29.99 at Amazon | $45 List $40.50 at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Pros | Inexpensive, reliable, fast | Speedy, compact, user-friendly interface, budget-friendly | High security, inexpensive | Small size, simple, inexpensive | Small and compact, inexpensive |
| Cons | Loud, bin could be easier to empty | Difficult to empty, heavy lid, medium security | Slow, loud, can't shred CDs | Noisy, overheating smells, slow, light duty only | Slow, not particularly powerful |
| Bottom Line | This shredder is perfectly sized, powered, and priced for home office use | 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 | While the small size and price tag of this model are alluring, we recommend other products in this price range first | A 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%) | |||||
| Speed (35%) | |||||
| Ease of Use (15%) | |||||
| Noise (10%) | |||||
| 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 |
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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
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.
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.
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.
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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