Product Description

PS80C-2 Shredder Silver/Graphite Multi

Product Details

• Brand: Fellowes
• Model: PS80C-2
• Released on: 2005-06-01
• Dimensions: 21.75" h x 15.00" w x 9.75" l, 25.00 pounds

Features

• This Deluxe Shredder will shred 10 sheets per pass and 50-100 passes per day for about 1000 total sheets per day
• The smaller confetti particles (5/32" x 4/5") provides higher security than standard confetti cut shredders
• Reliable electronic auto start/stop feature provides the convenience of one-handed operation
• Unique integrated stand design with separate wastebasket allows removal of the basket without lifting the shredder. Clear window in basket show when it is full.
• Safety interlock switch automatically shuts off shredder when basket is removed

Amazon.com Product Description
The PS80 shredder from Fellowes is ideal for your home or small office. It can handle up to six sheets of standard bond paper and, at 9.5 inches, has a wider entry than most shredders. Plus, the steel blades of the PS80's cutting mechanism can handle staples and paper clips, and a handy waste bin is included for easy removal.

Green and red indicator lights tell you when the unit is ready to shred. When the shredder is in the "on" position, shredding is activated automatically when paper touches a sensor on the blades; it automatically stops when shredding is complete. If the machine is not properly placed on the waste stand, the red light alerts you to adjust it.

This shredder includes a heavy-duty stand and removable wastebasket. These items provide the convenience of not having to lift the heavy blade mechanism when the waste bin becomes full. The PS80 shredder employs cross-cut operation for greater security and waste reduction. This type of cut produces smaller pieces of paper, but may also increase the risk of paper jams. To avoid a jam, empty the waste bin frequently. Using the reverse feature and periodically oiling the steel blades will also keep the PS80 in prime condition. The PS80 is backed by a five-year warranty. --Megan Dugan

Customer Reviews

Typical shredder in this price range...
The PS80C-2 was my second shredder, and a replacement for a smaller, older Fellowes shredder.

The PRO's: 1. Compact desing fits neatly in home/office; 2. Noise level is reasonably low - typical of cross-cut shredders; 3. Properly maintained (oiled and cleared) it is capable of cutting many thousands of pages of plain paper with minimal hassle.

The CON's: 1. As corroborated by another reviewer below (and in spite of manufacturers claims) this model will jam if loaded with more than about 2 standand business envelopes or 4-5 sheets of typical 20lb paper at a time; 2. Thermal protection for the motor makes sense, but is annoying as it will shut this machine down for about 30 minutes after only 10-15 minutes of near-continuous shredding; 3. "Heavy-duty" shredding (items other than light-weight plain paper and/or extended-time use) WILL lead to recurring problems (such as "deep jams" and debris crammed into places that require lengthy and painstaking extrications with tweezers and need-nose pliers) and even the potential for the destruction of critical plastic components such as guide teeth and cutting-cam housings (which would presumably be fabricated from METAL in a more expensive unit). Unfortunately, I've learned this the hard way: I've had to actually disassemble the case and remove the cutting-cams twice now to clear difficult obstructions. This is a dirty and very time consuming exercise. Worse, I've discovered that high-volume shredding of documents of various sizes/thicknesses/types can cause excessive paper chip debris to "backwash" into the motor/cutter housing, which in turn creates significant expansion pressures within this plastic housing. In my case, this lead directly to the BREAKING-OFF of nine of the plastic guide teeth which sorround the cross-cutting cams, and the SHATTERING of the plastic housing assembly in numerous key locations, including 6 of its 8 anchor points. This has rendered my 1.5 year old shredder INOP until replacement parts can be obtained and repairs made. BUMMER!

Overall, the PS80C-2 is probably about average in its price class. Cross-cut shredders seem to be inherently more "delicate" and finicky than traditional strip shredders (the added security offered by cross-cuts comes at the cost of greater restrictions on use). It seems that to obtain the ability to really shred tons of paper of all sorts for more than 10 minutes at a time without jamming/overheating requires a jump up into the "commercial" class of shredders (which start at about 3 times the price of this unit). For VERY LIGHT, CASUAL home use, this unit will probably suffice; if, on the other hand, you tend to shred everything with any personally identifying information on it before discarding, you may be better served splurging for one of the "commercial" models (#320 and higher). That's my intention.

A perfect device for the home office.
While not an industrial strength, heavy duty shredder, this unit is perfect for a home office. It's size allows for convienient placement next to a desk or under a table. The front loading wastebasket is a great plus. One need not worry about lifting the cutting head off to empty the unit as is the case with so many other models. Operation of the unit is simple and is suprisingly quiet considering it's speed and the size of the shreads (7/32 x 4/5"). A test of the 12 sheet limit barely slowed it down.

used it for 5 years
I used this shredder at home for about 5 years, and it served me well until it broke. While shopping for a new shredder, I checked the reviews written on my old one, and was surprised how accurately the minor and major problems that I had are desribed in the existing reviews.

It may be a repetition of what has already been written, but: the main advantage of this unit which I think is the only reason to consider its purchase is that it cuts paper in quite small pieces (5/32 by 4/5 inches), smaller than the majority of other shredders in the same price range. You much more often find shredders which cut into almost twice as large 5/32 by 1 3/8" size. Clearly, the smaller the pieces, the safer is the document destruction.

The disadvantages, which one can live with but which are still annoying, is that (a) it tends to jam if you are not careful to make sure that you do not feed in more than 10 pages; unopened junk mail envelopes do not always go through. You can usually clear the jam by reversing the direction, but sometimes this does not work either. Than a screwdriver and tweezers come to the rescure... (b) if you need to shred a large amount of paper (a stack thicker than an inch), it is likely that the shredder will overheat, shut down automatically, and you will have to wait for half an hour to resume the process. The latter, however, is not a surprise cause this shredder is not intended for continous use, and it is indicated in its manual that it needs to cooldown after every 10-15 min of non-stop work. Finally, paper must be held in a very accurate straight and vertical position before feeding it into the shredder, otherwise it will fold and possibly jam.

The major problem which I encountered recently and which ultimately ended this shredder's useful life is remarkably similar to the one described by someone else: two of the plastic guide teeth which separate paper from the cutters broke, which led to almost permanent and unavoidable paper jams and to a serious damage of the plastic housing by paper debries pushed inside by the cutters. (One has to disassemble the shredder to see this housing and the plastic teeth). The only way to keep the shredder running is to manually clean the paper from between the cutters from the grooves where the plastic teeth are missing. Since this has to be done every 20 or so pages, it is not an option. In theory, this problem could be easily fixed by replacing the part with guide teeth, a piece of plastic which cannot possibly cost more than $5, or better yet, the whole plastic housing (four little internal parts). Alas, Fellowes does not provide any repair services for home and office shredders through its authorized repair centers (such luxury as repair is only offered for commercial large shredders which do not fit under a desk), and does not sell any spare parts. They actually state on their web site that their home and office products are not repairable. So, once a little plastic teeth broke, your $200 piece of office machinery goes to trash - no other options offered.

Even though this shredder served me well over the last 5 years and cut into pieces thousands of pages, I will not be buying another Fellowes shredder. Well deserved 3-star rating.