This shredder does what it advertises, which is, it makes confetti of papers containing sensitive material. But what makes this shredder worth the money is that it makes confetti with no drama. Let me explain. The motor is strong, and it can handle a good number of sheets of paper (more than 10) at once without jamming. It will handle this stack even if you put the paper in corner first; the motor just keeps churning. This is important if you have a bunch of paper to shred and you just don't want to pay that much attention to how you load the paper on top.
The motor does not have a tendency to overheat. Once again a good thing if you have lots of shredding to do. The confetti cut does save space, so you empty out the bin alot less than a strip shredder and it takes up less space in the garbage bag. You don't have to remove the motor to empty the bin, and because the bin is enclosed, much less nasty paper dust escapes into the air.
Overall, it does what it's suppose to do. In my book, that's a good thing for a shredder.
This shredder is awesome. It's quiet, it chews up junk mail without opening it. It's easy to empty.Fellowes PS80C-2 "Deluxe" vs. "Office" Shredder I've done some research and am planning to buy the Fellowes PS80C-2 Shredder and noticed that Amazon sells an "Office" version (model #36180) and a "Deluxe" version (model #36180-02). The "Office" version was first available at Amazon in 1999 and the "Deluxe" version was first available in 2002.
I was curious of the difference between the models since there is a $20 difference in price (the Deluxe version being more expensive) so I called Fellowes directly . The Fellowes representative was unaware of any differences and stated that they are the same model. They do not sell a "Deluxe" model with a model #36180-02.
I noticed that one of the Amazon reviewers for the "Office" version stated that Amazon had the wrong photo posted for the "Office" shredder. This appears to be correct as the photo of the "Office" shredder (model #36180) on other web sites (including Fellowes) is what Amazon has as the "Deluxe" shredder. Do yourself a favor and buy the "Office" version and save yourself $20.
My primary complaint about my old shredder was that the entire head unit had to be lifted off the basket when emptying it. Not only was it cumbersome and heavy, it would inevitably flick shreddings everywhere. So, my criterion for the new shredder was that it have a pull-out basket with no need to remove the head unit. The PS80C-2 does just that; plus, you can fit a standard 13-gallon kitchen trash bag into the basket, so the ease of emptying and risk mess is further minimized. Finally, it also has a safety feature that prevents the shredder from working if the basket it not all the way in. So, you don't have to unplug it from the wall each time you empty it.
As for shredding performance, it lives up to the promised 10-sheet capacity with no problem. How nice is it to take the daily crop of junk mail and throw it in unopened? This little wonder saves time that way. Plus, it shreds staples, small paper clips and credit cards, too. I haven't tried it with CDs, but I'll bet it would handle with ease. Also, it's relatively quiet compared to other shredders with a humming motor sound compared to my old model's high-pitched griding.
Lastly, it's got a contemporary look that matches the graphite/silver color scheme of any new Dell PC.
A very nice buy for home office use.
With Fellowes' Powershred cutting system, the PS80C-2 easily handles paper clips, staples, and even credit cards without damaging the shredder. Should a problem occur, the reverse feature will usually spit the offending object back out. With the confetti cutting method, each sheet is cut into small 5/32-by-4/5-inch pieces for extra security and smaller waste size. The auto start/stop feature automatically shreds inserted paper when in auto mode and has a recommended daily use of 50 to 100 shreds, or up to 800 sheets per day. Speeds are as fast as 14 feet per minute, while the motor runs off a 120V-60Hz power supply.
The PS80C-2 measures 15 by 9.25 by 21.75 inches and comes backed with a one-year limited warranty on both parts and labor.
