The Fellowes Powershred PS-12Cs Shredder: A Review

Having a paper shredder in your home or small office has become a necessity these days. It's easier than ever for identity thieves to wreak havoc on your life and the best way to prevent that from happening is by shredding your unneeded documents. Fellowes is known for making great shredders so if you want to check out one of their machines, the PS-12Cs is definitely worth a look. Here's a detailed list of its strengths and weaknesses. Strengths:

• The PS-12Cs is a cross-cut shredder so it's a good choice if you want something that offers a lot of security. When you shred a sheet of paper, the machine will turn it into hundreds of bits that measure 5/32" x 2". This has earned it a Level 3 security rating. (The highest rating is 6.) You can be confident that your name, Social Security number, financial information, etc. will be safe.
• It's okay to leave the staples and paper clips attached to your documents because this machine will shred them along with the paper. You can also shred credit cards. When you're shredding paper, you'll be able to process 12 sheets at once.
• The PS-12CS has a 9-inch feed opening so you can shred letter-sized documents easily. If you want to get rid of larger papers, you'll have to fold or cut them up to make them fit.
• This shredder will start operating automatically. It will also stop running when it's destroyed your materials. You don't have to worry too much about injuries though because it's one of Fellowes' SafeSense machines. If your hands get too close to the cutting mechanism, the machine will stop. Thus, you can use this device around your kids and pets. (Just be sure to supervise them!)
• The PS-12Cs is meant to be a deskside shredder. Its dimensions are 16" (width) x 8.75" (width) x 17" (depth) so it can fit into smaller spaces. It doesn't have casters but that's not a big deal since it only weighs 10 pounds.
• Finally, the PS-12Cs comes with one-year manufacturer's warranty. The cutting mechanism is covered for 5 years.

Weaknesses:

• The PS-12Cs' primary weakness is that it's not equipped with any type of anti-jam technology. It doesn't even have a sheet capacity gauge. Thus, you'll want to avoid overloading the shredder so you don't end up jamming it. If a jam does occur, you can use the reverse mode to clear things up.

The Fellowes Powershred PS-12Cs is a great shredder to get if you want a smaller device that can give you a very good amount of security. It's great that it can handle document fasteners and credit cards - it makes it user-friendly and it gives you added security. This machine is pretty safe to use, plus it has two excellent warranties. Just remember to not overload the device since it doesn't have an anti-jam feature. As long as you do that, you'll love using this shredder. Take a look at it today.

Jeff McRitchie is the Director of Marketing for MyBinding.com. He regularly writes articles, review and blog posts on topics related to book binding, laminating, paper shredding, and office equipment. More than 2,500 of his articles have been published in thousands of location on the Internet. If you're looking for information about paper shredding, his articles are a great place to start.