Fellowes Shredmate Crosscut Shredder

Had ours for over 7 years. We use it for shredding unwanted mail and bills, and I also shred old business confidential reports I have written. Now need to replace it as the microswitch that starts it schredding automatically is becoming erratic.

PROS

Shreds securely and very well into pieces about 22mm x 4mm. A compact, nicely styled unit that doesn't look out of place in your living room. Very reliable, provided you don't shred too much at a time and for too long, and remember to empty the waste bin when full (or push down waste to comapct it). Low maintenance - once a year I clean any paper swarf from the cutters (from underneath the lid) with a pointed instrument and then apply a little light machine oil.

CONS

Need to shred max. 2 pieces of letter/A4 paper at a time (as you need to fold in half to fit slot). Does not detect if bin is full - if you continue to shred, some waste will then be drawn up into the mechanism, causing it to jam - paper could then be drawn into the gear train if yuo don't clean it away from underside of the lid. Maybe this was why a few other reviewers have had problems?

This shredder is hardly suitable for purpose and I have now given two a try I should have known better when the first gave up with only nominal home use Both have now packed up, plastic bits/edges have broken off and I would not have another Fellowes as a gift

The plastic gear on my Fellowes Shredmate Crosscut Shredder broke after just one week of light/medium use, this was already a replaced shredder as the first one didn't work at all. Very badly engineered in my opinion.

We have had ours for over 4 years now and it is still working fine.

While it worked, my Fellowes Shredmate Crosscut Shredder shredded very well. Sadly, it broke after two months of very light use. The plastic gears lost their teeth the first time it jammed, and there wasn't much thickness of paper in it at the time either.

Even though it shreds well, and I would definitely recommend a cross cut shredder, just not this one as it breaks after hardly any use.