Oiling into the slot helps reduce friction of the shredding components and paper. My old Fellowes shredder which died needed to be oiled quite frequently or else it would overheat triggering the thermal sensor shutoff. Just keep an eye on the level, and you'll be fine with these. I had to pick out the pieces and take apart the motor mount to clear the rest. The smaller pieces jam things up from the bottom and stops it completely. We measured the level of noise during shredding using the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s sound level meter app.Yes if you see the shredded paper level in the bin get closer to the top, empty it or else the little pieces get picked up when shredding new sheets.We noted how easy or difficult it was to empty the wastebasket, and how many pages the bin could hold before needing to be emptied.We didn’t test with paper clips in this round because in previous tests we found that paper clips tended to break the machines more often than not. We tested whether the shredder could destroy staples, credit cards, and CDs (if the shredder maker advertised that it could).We timed the shredder’s run time and cooldown time.Stick to the maximum page capacity recommended by the manufacturer or fewer pages to avoid overworking your shredder and potentially shortening its life.) We purposely inserted more pages than the maximum load to see when the shredder would jam and how easily we could clear jams.We put batches of letter-size paper through (based on the shredder’s recommended maximum load) in succession to see if the shredder would jam or overheat under normal operating conditions.Many shredders can also grind up paper clips and CDs, which we considered a bonus. Ability to shred stapled documents, paper-clipped documents, CDs, and credit cards: Handling stapled documents and plastic credit cards is a must for any shredder.The shorter, the better, if you want to get back to your shredding job as soon as possible. Cooldown time: This refers to how long your shredder’s timeout needs to be after you exceed the run time.
#OMNITECH SHREDDER OVERHEAT LIGHT FULL#
In our testing, most of the shredders’ bins got full within 10 to 15 minutes of nonstop shredding, rendering claims of ultra-high run times moot. Less-expensive shredders have run times under five minutes, while the best home and small-office models have run times rated at 10 minutes or more.
![omnitech shredder overheat light omnitech shredder overheat light](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/JYIAAOSwAZphMPVm/s-l1600.jpg)
![omnitech shredder overheat light omnitech shredder overheat light](https://www.pcstats.com/articleimages/201208/shredder_label.jpg)
Though this model is slightly bigger than eight-sheet shredders with lift-up tops, it still fits under most desks, and we think the pullout bin and wheels are conveniences that make it easier to keep up a shredding habit. It can handle old plastic credit cards, as well, and it has a separate slot for data DVDs, which is helpful for reducing wear and tear on the main shredder gears. Like other micro-cut shredders, this Amazon Basics shredder chomps documents into tiny shreds measuring around 5/32 by 15/32 inches, making any sensitive paperwork all but impossible to reassemble. Whereas some other tested shredders jammed or emitted a burning smell after a few minutes, the eight-sheet Amazon Basics ran trouble-free well past its five-minute run time as we continuously fed it batches of paper-it tore through about 360 pages (or 90 four-page credit card statements) before the bin was full. The Amazon Basics 8-Sheet High-Security Micro-Cut Shredder with Pullout Basket typically costs more ($5 to $25 higher at this writing) than competing eight-sheet micro-cut shredders, but it’s worth the investment.