One day I was complaining that I had to buy a shredder so my little nephew comes up to me and hands me Shredder, the rat in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! No, little guy, I need one that can shred my documents so that thieves cannot steal my identity!

After three years of reading shredder reviews and searching the market for a suitable shredder, I chose the Fellowes OD1200 Shredder. I walked into Office Depot in my neighborhood and found they had shredders ranging from $29.99 to over $249.99. All I needed was a basic model that could shred more than five pages, paper clips and staples.

Office Depot offered me a replacement warranty for $11.99 that extended the shredder’s warranty one year. If the shredder ever broke, they would send you a replacement check for the amount you paid for the unit. For $11.99 I bought it and registered the extended warranty that evening.

FELLOWES OD1200

Sheet Capacity – 12 sheets (8 sheets for the confetti cut model)
Paper Shred Size – 7/32” (5.8mm)
Maximum Paper Size – 9 inches (229mm)
Recommended Daily Capacity – 25-50 sheets
Maximum Running Time – 10-12 minutes
Automatic Cool Down Period – 20 minutes
Voltage – 120v/60Hz, 2.5A
Can shred small paper clips, staples & credit cards only.

Setting up the shredder was very simple and straight-forward. There is only one toggle switch to operate – on, off and reverse! Simple!

MAINTENANCE

No maintenance is required unless you purchased the confetti cut model (OD1200C). If you have the confetti cut model, you must lubricate the cutting blades periodically. The lubricant is available on Fellowes web-site below.

THE PURPOSE OF THE SHREDDER

Thieves and con artists are very intelligent when it comes to stealing your identity and your hard earned money. Previous to this purchase I used to rip and tear my old credit card statements, check statements and other documents that had my personal and credit card information on them. Now that the Social Security Administration mails you your current social security information and benefits earned every year, it is even more prudent to make sure this information does not get into the wrong hands.

Once you throw your trash out is it still your property? NO! You do not know who is going to rummage through your trash can when you take it out at night. In certain communities, your paper waste is recycled. You do not know who these folks are that are sorting through your recyclables. All a thief has to do is get your social security number or a copy of your credit card statement and he/she is off to steal to your money.

After a while your credit card statements, checking account statements and other receipts and documents will start to take up too much valuable space in your home. You are going to have to get rid of this trash sooner or later.

ACTUAL USE

After unpacking and setting up my shredder, I got out some of my old paperwork that was headed for the trash can. The stack was approximately 200 pages. I grabbed about 10 pages and placed them in the shredder. Believe it or not, I was enjoying shredding when I remembered I had a limit because this unit would stop operating to cool down. But I completed the whole 200+ pages without the shredder stopping.

Credit cards was very easy to shred but it did make a louder sound when shredding credit cards. It is noisy so I would suggest you operate this before the people in your household goes to bed at night.

HELPFUL HINTS

Last year I read a review in Epinions about scanning and storing all of your important paperwork on CD-ROM or DVD. Some documents require longer storage such as your income tax records. If you are the type of person who loves to hoard and have receipts for everything then I would recommend you scan and store your information to your hard disk and/or burn them on to a CD-ROM or DVD.

Credit card statements should be stored for one year and to make sure all the charges are yours. After one year, start shredding the statements.

At home and my business, I keep a tray that holds my “TO SHRED” paperwork right next to my new shredder. When I am online chit-chatting with friends or reading email, I take a handful and start shredding. For a typical household, you will find that the trash receptacle will fill up within 4-5 days for normal shredding.

SO WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THE SHREDDED PAPER WASTE?

If you are concerned about how much garbage we are putting into our landfills, why not use the shredded paper as box fillers? If you are into eBay and ship a lot of products, you can easily use this material as padding. I recommend you shred junk mail and advertisements for this purpose.

In my business, I use the shredded paper as box fillers when I pack metal and wood frames. Paper is biodegradable compared to those foam peanuts they use at your local UPS Store. And, your receiver can re-use it to pack other items!

Although the shredded paper cannot be easily put back together some con artist with a lot of time on their hands might be able to paste them back together again. But who has the time to do that?

You can also use the shredded paper for new puppies and kittens to pad their potty training areas too.

FINAL COMMENT

Check around for the best price on this product. If you should purchase this unit at Office Depot, I strongly recommend you buy their extended warranty. If this product ever breaks down in its second year, you are covered for the amount you paid for the shredder.


WARRANTY

Five (5) Years on cutting assembly
One (1) Year on other parts and labor.

FELLOWES
1789 Norwood Avenue
Istasca, Illinois 60143-1095
630-893-1600
800-955-0959 Helpline
www.fellowes.com




Recommended: Yes

Purchase Price (if leased, monthly payment): 89.95
Machine age (Months in use): 4 Months