Do you need a simple home paper shredder for yourself?
Then you should consider buying a 12-sheet cross cut shredder.
These are ideal for home use since they can shred up to 12 sheets at once. The dimensions are compact and practical so they can fit in any home. You can also use the 12 sheet paper shredder for your office, but only if you don’t have much office material to cut because these models don’t have a big sheet or bin capacity to do continuous shredding. In this article, I will describe 5 best models that are available on the market and give you my opinion about the best model among them. You can also learn about important features to know when searching for 12-sheet paper shredder.
Things To Know Before Buying 12 Page Paper Shredder
User-Friendly Features: Casters And Visible Pull-Out Bin
The 12-page shredder models are smaller, but it will be convenient if they had wheels or casters that will help you move them easily from one side to another in your office or house. Also, you will have an easily accessible bin that’s visible so you can track the level of material shreds in it.
The Slots For Credit Cards And DVDs
All shredder 12-sheet models will be able to cut materials such as paper and junk mail. But you will surely like for the model to have the blades that cut credit cards, DVDs and CDs. For that, the shredders have a special feed in which you manually insert the card or any other thicker material you want to shred.
Cross-Cut Or Micro-Cut Type?
Micro-cut is the highest security level 12-sheet shredder because the material is cut to very tiny particles, and it takes smaller volume in the bin. On the other hand, cross-cut has a smaller security level, but still high. And most of the crosscut 12-page shredders are much faster, so I would recommend them for the office or home.
Auto Reverse Function
This is one of the most user-friendly features because it will enable you to have the worry-free shredding without the material stuck in the blades. If that happens, the device will automatically pull back the papers.
Cooling Down Time For Energy Efficiency
One of the most important features is this one. The motor can overheat which can seriously damage it, therefore the whole machine doesn’t work properly anymore. So, my advice is to take the model with a cool down period of at least 30 minutes after a certain period of constant running time that should be maximum of 6 minutes with these 12 sheets smaller models.
The Noise Level
In the end, everyone wants to have a quiet surrounding when working in the office or in the home. Even though 12 sheet paper shredders are smaller, they can be loud when working. Therefore search for the models that have noise level less than 70dB, or even better less than 60dB for completely quiet performance.
Best 12 Sheet Paper Shredder Review
AmazonBasics 12 Sheet Shredder
Because it’s a cross-cut shredder, it will cut the material into the cross sections that are 7/32” wide and 1-5/32” long. This is a better security level than the strip-cut, and it’s much faster than the micro-cut shredders. With this model, you can destroy safely all your confidential data.
The energy-efficient system will stop the working system after 5 minutes of continuous use to cool down for 30 minutes. This allows the motor to rest which makes it last longer. After the shredding, the waste is accumulated in the 4.8-gallon regular bin. Item will lift off when it’s time to empty the bin.
This model produces a normal sound that is 68dB loud, so it’s not one of the quietest models, but it’s not very loud either. When in the auto mode this model can shred 12 papers at once. Beside papers, it can cut the clips, staples, CDs, DVDs and credit cards.
The paper feed is 8.7” wide. Its automatic function allows it to shred materials as they are, without needing to remove the clips or staples. For the thicker materials such as cards, CDs and DVDs you must use a special slot and put the material manually one by one.
Shredder is medium-duty which means it can operate about 600 sheets per day. It has a great safety function that turns off the device automatically if there is a foreign object in the cutting area.
If the unit works beyond the maximum running time the system will automatically shut off to protect the motor from overheating.When there is a paper jam, you can reverse the paper manually. It’s 14.6” long, 9.3” wide and 13.3” high.The parts of this model are covered with a 1-year limited warranty.
Royal 1212x 12 Sheet Crosscut Shredder
This Royal 1212x shredder will cut the papers and other materials to shreds that are 5/32” wide and 1-1/2” long. These are small enough to cut any confidential data and credit cards. When the auto function is turned on, this Royal 1212x 12 sheet paper shredder will cut up to 12 sheets at once.
But, when cutting thicker material such as credit cards, DVDs and CDs, you must use a special feed at the top and put it manually one at a time. This royal paper shredder 12 sheets 1212x model is 10” long, 18.2” wide and 13.8” high.
There is an automatic stop and start function, and reverse function that allows this Royal 1212x cross-cut shredder to easily manage the print jams that can happen. Unlike the previous model, the bin of this Royal crosscut shredder 1212x is bigger and it has the 5.5-gallon capacity.
Just pull it out when it’s full and throw the papers and other materials in the recycle bags. The great user-friendly feature according to other Royal 12 sheet cross cut shredder 1212x reviews are the casters that allow you to easily move it from one place to another.
Another great feature is that the bin has a dual viewing window for easy visibility so you will always know when it’s time to empty it.If you want it to last long, you should read other Royal 1212x shredder reviews about the maintenance. The most important is to maintain the Royal 1212x shredder parts with oil and clean it with the wet cloth.
Royal 112mx Medium Duty Shredder
This Royal 112mx 12 sheet cross cut paper shredder has three slots for a different type of materials. One is for paper, junk mail and other thin material. The second shorter one is for credit cards while the longer one is for DVDs and CDs.
According to other Royal 112mx shredder reviews, separated feeds ensure that all the material is destroyed and the blades don’t wear off after a long time of using. The paper slot is 9 inches wide.
The blades of this Royal 12 sheet cross cut shredder is making the shreds that are 5/32” inches wide and 1-5/8 inches long. Therefore the particles can’t be read and you can be sure your information will be safely destroyed.
When automatic function with auto start/stop is on, the Royal 12 sheet 112mx cross cut shredder can feed 12 sheets at a time. When you’re destroying credit cards or CDs you must put them manually one by one into the convenient slot.
This Royal 112mx paper shredder has the pull-out wastebasket with 3.25-gallon capacity. It’s smaller in comparison to the previous model, but it has a clear window for visibility so you can easily track when it’s time for emptying the bin.
The motor of this Royal crosscut paper shredder 12 sheet model has 0.5HP. It also has the automatic reverse function, so you don’t have to worry about the paper jams if you but this Royal 112mx shredder.
The dimensions of Royal 12 sheet cross cut paper shredder are 7.7” in length, 12” in width and 16.5” in height. It weighs 16.2 pounds and you can easily move it anywhere you want because it has four casters at the base. Parts are covered with a 1-year limited warranty.
Staples 12 Sheet Cross-Cut Shredder
Unlike Staples 12 sheet micro-cut shredder, this one is the cross-cut type that makes the shreds that 0.157” wide and 1.575” long. The cross-cut shreds are bigger than micro-cuts, but according to some Staples 12 sheet micro-cut shredder reviews, the cross-cut models are faster than micro-cut ones.
This Staples 12 sheet shredder is 20.98” high, 15.98” wide and 9.96” long. It weighs 25.9 pounds so it’s not as lightweight as other models I’ve reviewed. Also, it doesn’t have the casters or wheels for mobility.
The model can shred up to 6 minutes without stopping which is highly productive performance and great if you have a lot of office material and cards to shred in one day. It’s very fast so it can shred 14′ of material per minute.
Shreds are accumulating in the wastebasket that has 5.8 gallons capacity which is one of the highest for these smaller types of shredders. The bin is visible so you can see when it’s time for emptying it.
Another great user-friendly feature is the energy-efficiency of the system that will make the motor last longer.So after 6 minutes of constant working, the system will turn off for the next 90 minutes for cool down time.
This is much longer in comparison to other models on the market, but it ensures the longevity of the product. The noise level of the device is around 65 dB which is in the range of medium loud performance.
There is a front paper feed that is 8.9” wide and a special slot for DVDs, CDs and credit cards.Even though it will shred staples, papers, junk mail, and cards, you have to remove the paper clips because they will cause the paper jam.
Unlike the previous models, in addition to the P-3 security level, this one has a lockout key. Therefore the feed area can’t be opened without the adequate pin during the shredding. All the parts are covered with a 1-year limited warranty.
Fellowes 12 Sheet Cross-Cut Shredder
This Fellowes 12 sheet shredder will cut the office material to the shreds 5/32” wide and 2” long, so this model produces a little bit bigger cross cut shreds in comparison to the previous models.
But the security level is still P-3 and you can be sure that all your confidential data will be unreadable after the shredding. Also, you have the smartlock switch so you can conceal the material inside the feed chamber while the device is working.
When the automatic function is turned on, the device will shred 12 sheets at a time. It can cut paper, credit cards, DVDs, CDs, paper clips and staples. For the cards, DVDs, and CDs there is a special feed that you can use manually. They must be put inside one a time to avoid feed jams.
It will work around 4 to 5 minutes continuously and then it will have a cooling down period that will last up to 30 minutes. The unique feature is its SafeSense technology that will stop the working process if hands are touching the paper feed opening.
The shreds are put into the pull-out bin that has the 4-gallon capacity. It’s visible so you can see the level of shreds and when is time to empty it. The shredder is 17” long, 8.8” wide and 16” high.
It weighs 19.28 pounds and it’s not as lightweight as some of the previous models. There are no casters or wheels for mobility. The product has a 1-year limited warranty and a 5-year limited warranty for the cutter.
Conclusion: What’s The Best 12 Page Shredder?
In my opinion, the best 12 sheet paper shredder among these 5 models I’ve reviewed is the Fellowes model. This 12 sheet cross cut shredder has the patented SafeSense technology that other model doesn’t have which keeps you safe from injuries. The security level and locking feature makes it ideal for destroying credit cards and other confidential data. But, if you don’t need a high-capacity paper shredder like this one, then you should consider checking our a small and mini paper shredder list, or even a list of best paper shredders that is made of different types of shredders.