Not all paper shredders are made the same, and many of them have different purposes. The paper shredding needs of a home office might vary greatly from that of a government office. This means that once shredder isn't going to work for every business. There are a few things you should consider before purchasing one for your own office.
What Do You Do?
The first thing you want to ask yourself is what kind of business you work in. This is going to help determine if you need high capacity paper shredders or something a little more laid back. It will also help you to decide the security level you need to be looking for. Some jobs require a more secure paper shredder than others or need to handle a larger volume of paper.
If you are just shredding basic papers at home for the sake of convenience, you definitely won't need to look at level 6 shredders. These offer a much higher shredding level that breaks down the paper into much smaller pieces. However, if you work in a government office that has strict security rules, this kind of shredder might be right for you.
You should also consider how much paper your job has to shred. If it's not much, you don't need high capacity paper shredders. Those are more for larger businesses or businesses that have a large flow of paper documents that need shredded. High capacity paper shredders can handle more paper at once and can make your job much faster if you have a lot of paper to work with.
What's Your Budget?
Another thing to consider is your budget. Different shredders are going to have different costs. This will effect how many you buy as well as what kind you buy. If you don't really have to spring for a top of the line level 6 shredder, then you probably shouldn't. You can save a little money and go for something a bit lower on the scale.
If you are in charge of your office's spending and the purchasing of equipment, this is something you might want to discuss with your boss. Find out of what kind of security and capacity level they are looking for, present prices, and work out a budget.
Where Will You Buy?
Something else to think about is where you want to buy your shredder. Do you want to purchase online and wait for it to arrive, or would you rather go to a local store and pick one up? This probably depends on the urgency of the situation. If your current shredder broke and you don't have a backup, but you need one quickly you might want to consider a store. However, you can also look into express shipping options to potentially get one the next day. However, if you're just looking to buy a back or a couple of extras for the office, you might be able to wait a little bit for shipping.
Choosing a shredder isn't too challenging of a choice if you consider these factors. They will help you narrow down your options and find out what is right for your office. This way you are sure to buy an item that works the way you need it to, meets your security needs, and won't put you over your budget.
