Dahle 30114 Level 3 Cross Cut Personal Paper Shredder

Dahle is a premier name when it comes to paper shredders. Based in Germany, the company has been in the paper shredding business for more than 20 years and they bring their experience and expertise to every shredder they manufacture, from small units to big ones. That holds true with their 30114 personal cross-cut paper shredder, which is the smallest shredder they sell. As the saying goes, good things come in small packages, and there's a lot of great things about the 30114. This review will outline the 30114's strengths, as well as its handful of weaknesses.

The Dahle 30114 paper shredder is a cross-cut machine that offers Level 3 security so it's perfect for destroying confidential information. The shreds the 30114 creates are pretty small and they measure 1/8" x 1 9/16". The 30114 can shred 6 to 7 sheets of paper in one pass (up to 100 sheets per day) and it has a throat that measures 8.75 inches wide so it can handle both legal- and letter-sized paper.

The 30114 is small enough so that you can have it nearby for convenient document destruction, but it also has a very large wastebasket that can hold up to 8 gallons of waste, so you won't be emptying the bin very often. It's a very quiet machine so it won't disrupt your office.

This paper shredder has a couple of advanced features including an automatic on/off switch. All you need to do to kick that feature into gear is place some paper near the machine's throat. The shredder will automatically turn on and get to work for you and shut itself off when it's done. The machine also shuts off automatically when the shred bag is full, so you'll never have to guess as to whether it's time to empty the wastebasket. Finally, the 30114 has a thermally protected motor that's resistant to overheating, which means you won't have to deal with expensive repairs. And if you do wind up having problems with your shredder, Dahle offers a lifetime warranty on the cutting blades, as well as a two-year warranty on parts and labor for added peace of mind.

The 30114 does have a couple of limitations. First, it lacks casters so it's kind of awkward moving the machine around despite the fact that it only weighs about 30 pounds. Also, this shredder isn't capable of destroying credit cards and other media such as CD's or DVD's. If you anticipate shredding a lot of those types of things, the 30114 wouldn't be a good choice.

Then there's the matter of price. The Dahle 30114 retails for a little over $500.00, so it will probably won't fit into a lot of people's budgets. But for those who can afford it, the 30114 is a powerful machine that quickly destroys confidential documents. This machine would be good for small offices that need a well-constructed paper shredder that's easy to use and gets to work quickly. If you need a paper shredder for your office, you should definitely check out the Dahle 30114.