Dealer or Superstore?
Office equipment dealers that specialize in the sale of shredders provide the best selection of models and are the only choice for office-grade units. However, if you are simply looking for a shredder for infrequent personal use, an office superstore's offerings should be fine.

Time to Take out the Trash
A bin full indicator, which alerts you when a bag is full of shreds, can be a very useful feature, particularly for shredders that are housed in a cabinet. Overflowing bags of shredded paper are one of the most common causes of paper jams.

It's Better to be Safe Than Sorry
Watch out for dangling objects, like neckties, that can accidentally feed into a shredder when it is in use. For safety reasons, the on/off switch should be in easy reach of the user. Also, if children are in the office, look for one where fingers can't reach the blades.

Lowering the Cost of Consumables
Replacement bags can be purchased from the shredder manufacturer. However this can be very costly, with prices often more than $0.50 per bag. A better alternative is to contact a plastic bag manufacturer and order bags with similar dimensions.