How to Buy a Hand Held Paper Shredder

Buying a paper shredder used to be a simple task. With today's multitude of rules and regulations in various industries, it can be harder to find the shredder you want to buy, and with emerging technology, more types of shredders are showing up.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Choose power or manual. New hand held shredders are available as sleek techno-gadgets or simple scissors-like tools. Decide whether yours should have juice.

2. Consider shred types. The simple strip-cut is not as safe as the cross-cut. Know your requirements before you buy.

3. If you choose strip-cut, strip size is also a factor. Think about how secret your documents are.

4. Pick a price range. You can find a great spectrum of prices for shredders. Having a target amount makes it easier to buy.

5. Shop around. Office giants and small online vendors will compete for your business. Get a fair deal by exploring all price options.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep regulations in mind. What about HIPAA? HIPAA is a set of medical-records laws that requires certain secrecy standards. If you want to shred medical info, HIPAA could apply. Other security rules apply to government documents.

[Bozoth]

on 7/29/2008 I am looking for a handheld shredder that cross cuts. I have only found a few handheld shredders and all of them perform straight cuts. Do you know of a handheld shredder that crosscuts?