Bonsaii EverShred C169-B Review

The EverShred is an average cross-cut shredder, and it came out in the middle of the pack after all of our testing was said and done.

Performance Comparison

The EverShred is an average shredder at an average price.

Credit: Katherine Elliott

Shredding Quality

The EverShred C169-B is a mediocre performer in our shredding quality testing. It scores just below our lowest scoring in this metric. This was due to a few drawbacks. First, it is a cross-cut model, making it somewhat less secure than micro-cut models. Second, It is unable to meet its advertised maximum capacity of 14 sheets. It moaned and jammed every time we tried to feed a stack a 14-sheet-thick stack through it. The largest stack we were able to shred with ease was 10 sheets. While this is still a respectable capacity, it was the farthest away from the advertised capacity of any model we tested. Our testers found that misrepresenting the maximum capacity can lead to incomplete shredding and a loss of security, so this is not a small point. On the plus side, it did eat up junk envelopes fairly easily, as well as credit cards and CDs. While the EverShred handles normal shred jobs just fine as long as you don't try to load it up with more than 10 sheets at a time, if shredding quality is what you are looking for, better performance can be found elsewhere.

The EverShred C169-B provides reasonable security with cross-cut blades.

Credit: Steven Tata

Speed

The EverShred C169-B scored respectably in this category. During our maximum capacity speed test, it was able to chew through 70 sheets per minute, which was the third-fastest rate of the models we tested. With these kinds of speeds, the EverShred C169-B is set to handle all but the largest of shredding jobs. Just make sure you stick to stacks of 10 rather than the suggested 14.

Ease of Use

The EverShred C169-B earns another average score in this category. Its interface is simple with three lights that indicate when it's on if it's overheating, and if the motor is being overworked, and a single switch that toggles from off to auto to reverse. Our testers thought this switch felt a little sticky, but it wasn't a huge issue.

The EverShred features warning lights for overloading and overheating.

Credit: Katherine Elliott

There is a large window on the front of the bin that makes it easy to gauge how full it is, and the drawer-style bin easily pulls out for emptying. Unfortunately, the small bin size caused the EverShred to lose some points in this category. It is only 4.5 gallons, whereas most other shredders of this caliber are six or more. This does give it a smaller, more easily hidden away profile. However, it feels like you can't take full advantage of its stellar speed because of the frequency at which you have to empty the bin. It is also is void of wheels, so moving it around is difficult. This may be a minor point for some, but if you're hoping to hide your shredder away and only pull it out when you need it, this feature will be sorely missed.

The EverShred's bin is easy to remove, but we wish it was a tad bigger.

Credit: Katherine Elliott

Noise

The EverShred C169-B is also a fairly average performer in our noise testing. The motor produces a relatively low-pitched hum that is far from offensive to most, but that low hum can ramp up to a high squeal after it moves through some paper. Overall it's not terrible and unlikely to annoy most people, even in extended shredding sessions. If you're particularly sensitive to noise or work in a busy office that prefers peace and quiet, however, you'll want to look into one of the models that scored more highly in this metric.

Value

At the EverShred C169-B's price, you can often find other models with higher capacity and that deliver more power, making it a relatively poor value overall.

Conclusion

Like many of the shredders we tested, the EverShred C169-B offers good performance at a reasonable price, but it just can't match the rock bottom prices and high value that some of the overall higher-performing models in our test suite offer.

If you're looking for speed, then the EverShred is a great option, but it falls short in our other metrics and therefore is not the best value.

Credit: Katherine Elliott