This Fellowe is quite a cut-up.

Author's Rating:

Pros: Does a great job of shredding.

Cons: Can't see when the basket is full.

The Bottom Line: 
This is a sturdy shredder designed for home use. I have had no problems with it so far.

Author's Review
Upon the abrupt demise of my Royal cross-cut paper shredder, I had to obtain a replacement. I was looking for a $20 shredder, but finally settled on a $40 Fellowes, model P400C-2.

After opening the box, I discovered that there was a terrible plastic smell to the waste container that accompanied the shredding mechanism. I almost packed the whole thing up to return it, but instead decided to place the waste container outdoors for a couple of days. This did the trick. No more smell.

The assembly was simple. Just place the mechanism on top of the basket. It only fits one way; you cannot make a mistake. If the mechanism is not seated properly on the basket, a red light will appear and the shredder will not function. The shredder can be used only with this waste container because of a safety interlock switch. The basket is very sturdy....it has to be because the shredding mechanism is heavy.

To prepare the paper for shredding, remove paper clips and staples. Make sure that you feed no more than five sheets at a time. I never feed more than two. The entry width is 9 1/2 inches wide. The resulting confetti is 5/32 x 2” (3.9 x 50mm).

The shredder works wonderfully. It was rather noisy at first, but now it seems to be quieter. Perhaps I am just getting used to the noise, or else the cutting wheels are just settling in. Who knows. The noise is low pitched and not too annoying.

The switch has three positions: automatic, stop, and reverse. Automatic is stand-by mode. The shredder automatically starts when paper is inserted and stops after the shredding is finished. Actually, the shredder runs for a few seconds after the paper is shredded, but this insures that the paper has dropped into the basket and is not still entangled in the wheels. This is a good thing. My previous cross-cut shredder stopped when the paper had passed through the entrance slot, but was still partly caught in the wheels.

So far, I have had no paper jams, so cannot give first-hand knowledge of the reverse position. The instructions say that if you have a jam, slide the switch to reverse and run in reverse until the paper clears. If it jams in reverse, unplug the machine, lift the shredding mechanism, and cut or tear away all the exposed paper, above and below the wheels. Then reposition the unit, plug it in, and run in reverse until all paper clears the wheels.

There is a thermal overload protection switch that turns the shredder off if it overheats. So far, I have not had this happen, although I have used the shredder for extended periods of time. If the shredder overheats, it will turn itself off for about 15 minutes.

I wish that the waste container had some indicator to tell if it was getting full. I was shredding merrily away when I heard the motor start to labor. I lifted the mechanism, and found the waste container completely full and paper shreds beginning to clog the wheels. I had no idea that I had shredded that much paper. I noticed that a few of the shredders I saw in the store had see-through waste containers. Now I know how important that is.

The operating instructions warn you not to shred continuous forms (will lead to overheating), adhesive labels, transparencies, glossy paper, newsprint, plastic or cardboard. The gradual failure of my previous cross-cut shredder began when I inadvertently ran a gummy label through the machine. The adhesive stuck to the wheels, which made paper stick to the wheels, which created countless paper jams. I was never able to remove the adhesive from the wheels, no matter how hard I tried or how many different ideas I had to achieve that end.

The Fellowes P400C-2 has a one year warranty.