Royal HD1400MX Review
Pros: Large bin, above average performance
Cons: More expensive than some higher performing models
Manufacturer: Royal
Our Verdict
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 This Product
Royal HD1400MX | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  |  | |  | |
| Price | $200 List | $114 List $116.85 at Amazon | $59 List Check Price at Amazon | $41 List $35.49 at Amazon | $35 List $26.23 at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Pros | Large bin, above average performance | Micro-cut, high-security, user-friendly interface | Speedy, compact, user-friendly interface, budget-friendly | Inexpensive, reliable, fast | Small and compact, inexpensive |
| Cons | More expensive than some higher performing models | Trash bin sticks, credit card shredder just slices in half | Difficult to empty, heavy lid, medium security | Loud, bin could be easier to empty | Slow, not particularly powerful |
| Bottom Line | A solid performer, but lacks some speed for a high capacity model | A high-end paper shredder with micro-cutting capabilities, a low hum, and an intuitive interface | A speedy, compact, and intuitive paper shredder, perfect for household use at a price you just can't beat | This shredder is perfectly sized, powered, and priced for home office use | A great space saver if you only need to shred documents occasionally |
| Rating Categories | Royal HD1400MX | Amazon Basics 12 Sh... | Aurora AU1230XA Ant... | AmazonBasics 8-Shee... | Aurora AS420C Desktop |
| Shredding Quality (40%) | |||||
| Speed (35%) | |||||
| Ease Of Use (15%) | |||||
| Noise (10%) | |||||
| Specs | Royal HD1400MX | Amazon Basics 12 Sh... | Aurora AU1230XA Ant... | AmazonBasics 8-Shee... | Aurora AS420C Desktop |
| Bin Capacity | 6.2 gallons | 5.7 gallons | 5.2 gallons | 4.1 gallons | 1.32 gallons |
| Advertised Sheet Capacity | 14 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 4 |
| Measured Sheet Capacity | 14 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 4 |
| Type | Cross-Cut | Micro-Cut | Cross-Cut | Cross-Cut | Cross-Cut |
| Dimensions | 13.5"x 17.2" x 20.9" | 14.5" x 10.3" x 20.5" | 13.31" x 8.46" x 15.87 | 12.8" x 7.3" x 15.9" | 9.49" x 6.93" x 9.92" |
| Weight | 25.0 lb | 21.1 Ib | 13.1 Ib | 8.3 lb | 4.9 lb |
| Shred Size | 5/32" x 1-1/2" | 5/32" x 15/32" | 3/16" x 1-9/16" | 3/16" x 1-27/32" | 1.5" x 1-17/20" |
| Warranty | 1 Year | 1 Year Limited | 1 Year / 3 Year Cutter | 1 Year Limited | 3 Year Limited |
| Maximum Sheets per Minute | 60 | 133 | 171 | 96 | 24 |
Our Analysis and Test Results
Keep reading to find out how the Royal fared in all of our individual tests.
Performance Comparison
Shredding Quality
The Royal scores just above average in our hands-on analysis for this metric. Not too far below our top scorer, this device lost some points in relation to the micro-cut models because of the relatively lower security of cross-cut. Generally speaking, it was able to handle its claimed top capacity of 14 sheets, but it seemed that it had to strain in order to do so. We did inevitably experience one paper jam while using the recommended 14 sheet stack. If you're using the Royal for a big shredding job we would suggest keeping the stack size at 12, it is much happier in that range. Thick junk mail envelopes, on the other hand, presented no challenge, it ate these up with gusto. As long as you're complacent with the security level of cross-cut, you won't be disappointed by the Royals' shredding performance.
Speed
The Royal receives an average score in the speed metric. It threw down a respectable pace of 55 sheets per minute in our test for maximum speed. However, This is far off the 140 sheets per-minute pace of our top-scoring model.
Ease of Use
The Royal is one of the better scorers in this metric. It is just behind our top scorer, but far above our lowest. Its pleasantly large 6.2-gallon, drawer-style bin is very easy to pull out and empty. The entire front of the bin is transparent enough that it's easy to see how close to full it is, but not so transparent that it feels like a very visible pile of paper shreds is messing with your clean office aesthetic. A nice set of pivoting wheels makes it easy to roll around. This is quite useful if you want to hide it away somewhere and only roll it out for shredding jobs. The shredding slot has a lip that facilitates inserting paper from an angle. This makes it easy to shred documents while leaving the device under your desk and out of sight. The separate slot that feeds straight down into the shredding blades works great for more ridged items like credit cards and CDs. It has just three buttons, one on/off button and a pair of forward and reverse buttons for working through jams. We didn't find the forward button to be particularly useful, but it's always nice to have a little extra versatility. Three lights right next to the shredding slot indicate whether it is on, if it is overheating, or if the load of paper being fed through is too thick. The only reason the Royal missed out on the top slot is that it lacks some of the nice extra features that our top performers offer, such as a digital full indicator and safety sensor.
Noise
The Royal fell right in the middle in our noise testing. Its motor had a relatively harmless low-pitched hum, but the blades made such a noticeable and grating paper crinkling sound that the advantages of that low hum were completely canceled out. All in all, it is not the worst noise produced by one of our shredders, but certainly isn't the best.
Value
The Royal lists for quite a hefty price. Considering its performance this is a very poor value as similar performers are readily available for much less. Even at a discounted price, however, the Royal isn't a great value as there are still other models in this lower price tier that outperform it.
Conclusion
The Royal is a well-designed shredder that offers above-average performance in some of the metrics we deem important. However, its high cost and the presence of many equal or better performers in the same price range make it less attractive.
— Max Mutter and Steven Tata
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