Tuesday, May 28, 2024

Paper Shredder


Several years ago, I bought a small, cheap paper shredder to dispose of confidential documents.  I've barely used it in the past. Now,  with my decluttering projects, I've discovered it.

It shreds 2 minutes and  rests....45 minutes !
That's even written (in small print) on a label placed on the front  (shredding cycle 2 min, pause 45 min). Haven't seen the label till now.    I checked the instructions. Unbelievable! It's written there too.  

Who sells such a device? Who's the stupid person (Me, me) to buy such an item?
0f course, it soon got on my nerves , and I decided to take care of my documents, manually. 

I've learnt two things from this experience - both already known to us :1.   cheap is expensive 2. one should carefully read instructions before starting work (I could have immediately returned it to the store) and pay careful attention to any label on the front or bottom of the device.

Anyway, I might have to buy a more solid  shredder that will do proper work for old CDs  floppy diskets, credit cards. ( buying a new item?!  - here goes my decluttering principle).
I know things could be destroyed manually, but it's not that effective, and not without risks. 

Perhaps the better devices also have the same working cycle (which is probably meant to prevent motor overheating). Who knows? What a disappointment!

Paper  Shredder  (AI  picture generator)

62 comments:

  1. Oh..what a surprise to find out. I am at my wits end with the shredder at work. It works when it feels like it. This was a great topic for a post. I hope you and the shredder can get along with all that pausing! Thanks for the smile this morning!

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    1. I can assure you, Ellie, it doesn;t make me smile. I feel stupid for even buying it.

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  2. We have a shredder but it doesn't stop for 45 minutes, so I don't think that's a standard thing. This is the 2nd one we've had in the past 15 ish years. Our previous one was a light weight one that we just used up. Good luck with your decluttering. I've sorta started with some stuff in the basement, the linen closet, and some of my huge yarn stash when my daughter was here for Christmas.

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    1. Your shredders make sense. Mine - not.
      Good Luck to you too with your decluttering!

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  3. That's crazy! I have a shredder and it has no rest period. It wasn't very expensive either.

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    1. Crazy, indeed. So, based on what you wrote, I'll have to look for one with no rest period.

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  4. Dear Duta...I had to chuckle because I have had a similar irritation a year ago when I decided to go through YEARS of old documents and get rid of paper clutter. My shredder worked for a little longer than 2 minutes before it needed to rest...but I have to agree...who makes such devices? I'm sure when you begin looking for a new shredder that you will definitely be doing some in depth reading before purchasing it. Have a great remainder to your week, my friend! xx

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    1. Yes, I'll have to do some in depth reading before purchasing a new one.

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  5. That last little guy looks very happy! 😂
    Weird that it rests for 45 minutes. I have never heard of such a thing.

    You and I had a small conversation on my post in March of this year. I just wrote a little more. I have been thinking about it. I don't know if you like links in your comments, so I will just say it was March 29 and the title is King of the Jews.

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    1. Yes, the little guy is happy. I am not. 'Weird' is a mild word here. If the cycle weren't mentioned in writing, I wouldn't have believed it.
      Thanks for the update in your post. I'm not sure it makes it more clear to me. Thanks, anyway.

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  6. But who could guess that a new device was designed only to work a fraction of the time? Don't blame yourself for their terrible design.

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    1. Well, it's nice of you Boud to try and comfort me, but I shoud have been more careful about reading instructions and labels.

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  7. : )))
    It happens to many of us. About 20 years ago or so I bought a very small shredder. It would take forever. So I bought a big one that I still have and it works perfectly. After 30 or 45 minutes of working non stop, I do "make it" rest for a minute or two... just in case!!

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    1. Sounds the very right device! Lucky you!

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  8. Have you ever read the New Testament, Duta? You could read it and see what you think. It's all there.

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  9. Too bad -Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com

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  10. Reading the instructions first is always a good idea. I've made that kind of mistake before, Duta. Hope you can find a reliable one!

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    1. Definitely.
      Not sure I'll buy a new one., but if I do, I'll certainly check things thoroughly.

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  11. 45 mins rest??? that's beyond crazy...

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    1. Perhaps there was a mistake regarding this particular device bought by me. Well it happened several years ago, so nothing to do about it.

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  12. Oh my! One needs to check the item at home so it can be returned. You are helping others learn from your misfortune.

    We use one but for a few sheets at a time. I don’t know how it would respond to many sheets to shred at a time.

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    1. I haven't even got to the topics of sheets numbe, or thickness of shredded bands.

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  13. How intensely frustrating for you. Our shredder does need a rest period - but only after it has been shredding for an hour or so. It does credit cards too - though I don't know about floppy discs.

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    1. Very frustrating! Your device sounds normal.

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  14. I've have never come across a shredder that has to be rested for 45 minutes. But I am sure printers are made to be quirky.

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    1. Probably mine is the only one of that kind.

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  15. I bought a shredder at a yard sale years ago and haven't used mine either. I wonder if I'll find the same frustrating thing!

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    1. Judging by what has happened to me, I would say it's always good to use the brought item soon after its purchase.

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  16. Well I think it would probably over heat and then break - I don't have a shredder but it is probably a good idea to have one!

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    1. Yes, it's a good idea to have a shredder. It has some good uses, not only regarding paper, but also plastic cards, and electronics.

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  17. The first shredder I bought was cheap, and cheaply made, but it still worked for 10 solid minutes before overheating and needing a 5 minute break. The next one was a little better, but Hubby taxed it's capabilities and burned the motor out with a major project.

    Now we have less to shred, but I've learned that machines, just like people, need to take a break now and then.

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    1. Taking a break, yes I can understand that, but 45 minutes after work of 2 minutes !! Really!

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  18. How useful it is to have such a "gimmick!" Maybe it was designed for another time when there wasn't so much of a rush! Today we want to do everything now!

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    1. I suppose my device is an error "gimmick", and I'm the victim of it.

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  19. Good me Duta, 45 minutes rest, would take years to rid oneself of old documents.
    I bought one years ago and it too was not expensive but it worked well and I didn't read the directions.

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    1. 45 minutes rest - that's ridiculous, of course.
      After reading the comments, I began to think that my device was probably an error. Pity I haven't used it immediately.

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  20. It rests for 45 minutes... wow.
    Also, do you have to be careful not to have paperclips etc among your papers?
    I enjoy the old-fashioned manual approach too :)

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    1. Paper clips are a known warning. The 45 minutes rest is greatly exaggerated, of course.

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  21. I had a cheap shredder then, when my late mother in law was downsizing, she gave me hers. It does CD's and rarely overheats. I don't think any shredder would handle paper clips. I don't know about the 45 minutes, though.

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    1. Sounds normal shredder. I'll probaly have to dispose of mine if I wish to keep my sanity.

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  22. That sounds pretty insane, shredding just 2 minutes and then needing a 45 minutes rest. That shredder needs to be shredded.
    We have a "normal" shredder that we use for paper only (don't know whether it would do credit cards as well), and we use it quite often. Here, shredded paper can go into the compost bin and will be turned into compost eventually.

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    1. That shredder needs to be shredded" - right!
      Well, I keep saying, my shredder is probably an error device, and I got to own it.

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  23. I had a similar device to yours and burned out the motor!

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    1. This might happen after a while, if the motor gets overheated.

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  24. I made the same experience with a shredder ! and it's true that sometimes "cheap" is expensive, except for clothes ! I don't shred anymore I do it by hand and here in my retirement home are such a lot of papers, so my documents disappear in the quantity !

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    1. It's always good to have an alternative - our hands; we can do things manually.

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  25. Duta, your comment that the shredder would need a rest to prevent overheating was a good, but 45 minutes seems excessive. I use a shredder bought well over 10 years ago and admittedly do not know if the instructions recommended a rest time, but will check now.

    However, I have found that using the shredder creates so much paper dust, that I only use it to shred personal info. I rely in scissors and cutting other info by hand and can really cut interesting patterns😀 then I do not put all the cut paper into the same trash bag. We are told here not to place shredded paper in the recycle bins.

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  26. Thanks for the detailed info. I checked the instructions when I realized the shredder stopped working after a few minutes. That's how I came upon the circuit of 2 min. work, 45 min rest.

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  27. Jajajaja, una maquinita muy débil.
    Mi padre siempre repetía que lo barato sale caro. Lo recuerdo bien. Me ha servido para no cometer el error de comprar algo barato que a la larga sale caro.
    Saludos.

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    1. This is a long time true quote: 'what's cheap is expensive'. However, in this particular case - the price is not the issue. There's some basic error about the device, I suppose. Don't know what it is.

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  28. Ours does not have such a limitation. It stops if it gets hot, but that rarely happens. It's a good idea to oil the blades periodically. Credit cards I cut up manually and dispose of the bits in different bins. CD data I wrap in newspaper and hammer them a few times. Hard drives I take out of the old computer and either hammer them or reformat and use as external storage.

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    1. Thanks a lot Tasker for your good, detailed advice. I'll make sure to follow it.

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  29. We used to have a shredder that would work fine for a while but would then get too hot and need a rest ... but it wasn't a 45 minute one!
    These days we use the manual approach and take care with our cutting and disposal.

    All the best Jan

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    1. There's always the manual approach that comes to our help.

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  30. Wow, that's quite the setup they built. Resting for 45 minutes after 2 minutes of work. That's nuts.

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    1. I should take the device and file a complaint to some high authority. I'm rather lazy about it, but I might do it.

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  31. I would be so annoyed by that. Good luck if you complain...let us know if you get results, if you complain. Best wishes, DUTA.

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    1. I should definitely complain; that device is a big fiasco and an even bigger annoyance.
      Thanks for your best wishes, Bica.

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