The best shredders do a lot more than just tear a few sheets of paper into strips. They're essential tools in the office and home office, letting you securely shred masses of data-sensitive documents, old credit cards, even chewing through staples without breaking pace. 

Today's top shredders are more compacter and quieter, while shredding paper, plastics, and metals into even smaller pieces for greater data security and protection. If you're security-conscious or need to stay compliant, a shredder is a must-have. But what makes a good shredder for the home and office? 

Our team of hardware experts have tested everything from the best printers to the best business laptops - so we know what to look for and what you need to avoid when choosing a new shredder. During our review process, we've compared the specs, size, and shredding speed, noting sheet-capacity, noise-levels, and which materials the device is capable of shredding to bits. 

Best shredder overall

The Fellowes Powershred 79Ci Paper shredder has a 6-gallon (23l) capacity and is an excellent choice all-round for the office and home. It uses a cross-cut mechanism to slice and dice anything you feed into it in two ways for maximum security. Realize that this model has P4 protection, which will cross-cut a standard piece of 8.5” x 11” paper into about 400 pieces, each about 5/32 x 1-½ ”, which is suitable for highly confidential documents, but not the highest level of security, namely Top Secret. 

One of the best things about this model is that it is 100% jam-proof, so you will never have to wrestle with it to pull out paper that has got stuck. It is designed not to reverse but to increase the power of the motor through. Along with writing, the shredder can destroy plastic cards and CDs and handle paper clips and staples, enhancing efficiency as they do not need to be removed as a separate step. It is also designed to handle junk mail, which is quite satisfying to put the entire intact envelope in and have it shredded as a single step without the need to open and process each page separately.

It also packs SafeSense Technology that immediately disables the unit if anybody’s fingers, or even a pet, get dangerously close to its internal components, making it a suitable option for home offices. It has a max sheet input of 16 sheets, double what you will find on most budget variants. Also, the maximum runtime is a solid 20 minutes, with a 30-minute cool-down time, designed to be energy efficient. Finally, we like the two-year machine warranty, with a lifetime on the cutter, and the low noise impact due to the SilentShred feature.

Best home shredder

With up to a 30-minute running time, the Bonsaii Evershred can shred 3500 sheets of A4 paper on a single charge, making it a great option to chew through all the documents you have been waiting to dispose of. Like the Fellowes shredder at the top of our list, it has a maximum of 14 sheets shredding capacity and cuts paper into tiny 5mm x 50mm particles – and it will even shred credit cards, CDs, and staples. 

This model features a jam protection system with autostart and autoreverse, which saves you from dealing with the frustration of paper jams, and its 17-liter pull-out bin, while not class-leading, is plenty sufficient. There's an overheat and overload protection technology to protect the shredder's blades and motor and extend its life. Not to mention, the low-noise design presents a quiet and peaceful shredding experience. 

Overall, given the features, we think this model from Bonsaii represents a good value for a home user that needs to shred more than average.