Fellowes 3103201 Powershred W11C, 11-Sheet Cross-cut Paper and Credit Card Shredder with Safety Lock

Firstly, can't believe I never reviewed this but must not have since this system is letting me do so now. Bought this unit 1 yr ago, and have really enjoyed it. No cons, and the pros are:* first cross-cut shredder ever, and love it - WAY worth spending the extra money over a strip shredder* very powerful unit, motor runs like a bull even when slip up and put a couple too many sheets in it* read where can even shred credit cards so did once, and worked well* love the auto shut-off feature, and reverse works well when need it to* I do believe weight often correlates to quality, and if so this bad boy's high quality - pretty heavy, in a good, solid-feeling way* haven't used the locking feature but have tried it just to see how it works, and it does work well. If have little ones around, can leave plugged in and feel secure since it takes an adult's dexterity to unlock it, but not so difficult as to be a nuisanceNow then, my favorite part: the service, very impressive. Okay, so I did have one con in that the auto shut-off feature quit working a couple of mos ago, just had never found the time to address it, just kept dealing with it. After finally trying this week their recommended trouble shooting tips, I emailed them for help, explaining that while I had purchased it just a few days over 1 yr ago, I had actually experienced the problem for longer, expecting them to potentially stand firm on a 1yr deal, like they absolutely could have and been within their rights. Well, not only did they respond quickly with some questions for me, they agreed to send me a new unit. This was probably since I had presented such an especially sound explanation, including that I rarely use it and always oil it when emptying it as they recommend, legitimacy of which was probably helped by the fact that my original Amazon invoice had both the shredder and the oil on it - am sure that helped.They earned a fan for life with that service. So stop reading and just buy it already :)

I'm addicted to shredding. I never realized what an effect this shredder would have on my life, until I ran my first bank statement through it. It was love at first shred.This was a significant purchase for me, because I really don't NEED a shredder. Sure, I've got some sensitive documents piling up and an army of very industrious (and thorough) dumpster-divers in my neighborhood, but it was really just a nice convenience, rather than something essential to my home office.So I've been taking care of it, using the lubricating oil every time the bucket's full, running the blades in reverse every once in a while, and never feeding more than 10 sheets at a time. If you don't maintain it or try to stuff magazines in the shred slot, you may not experience the same level of performance.That said, this thing has unprecedented shredding power. It's a little loud - too loud to run when people are sleeping, for example - but quieter than a vacuum cleaner. And it's quick, too. It'll suck down paper like it's going out of style.The resulting shredded paper is small enough to satisfy average security needs. Some scraps of numbers remain legible, but the amount of effort it would take to piece together a voided check out of the gigantic bucket of confetti just wouldn't be worth it.After a few months, it's never jammed, shut down, made any ugly noises, or ever failed to satisfy my shredding needs. I just need to stop printing out bank statements just so I have something to shred.

I kept going back and forth between this shredder and the more expesnive $200+ fellows shredders. I'm very happy with my choice. It is loud as other's have said in other reviews, but for the cost between this and the other fellows shredders it didn't seem like enough of a benifit for the cost. Not a shredder I would want to do boxes and boxes of paper, but this works great for everyday mail.Update: I've been using the shredder for 7 months now and it stopped working. I oiled it after every use, but did use it a few times with the 11 sheets of paper it is suppose to handle. I ended up taking it apart and the plastic nub that the screw screws into that holds the actication switch had broken. I thought about glueing it, but since it was only 7 months old I called Fellows. I spoke to a women that spoke perfect english, no idea where she was from but I could understand her! She was very friendly and asked me to try a few steps to get it to work. I did not mention that I took it apart for fear I would have voided any warranties. I knew her tests would not work, but played along. I was asked how often I oiled it and what kind of oil I used. I was also asked how often it ran when using it. I only did everyday mail so it did not run often, but it did run everyday. She told me that she would ship a new one out to me, and it should be here in 7 to 10 days. AWESOME customer server from fellows. Yes the product broke, only lasted 7 months, but the fact that they were willing to replace it with out me having to argue or complain is enough for me to buy a Fellows product again. I did rate this as 4 stars, but moving to 5 stars because of the great customer service from Fellows.