Customer Reviews

Fellowes Intellishred SB-89Ci Shredder (CRC32289.1)

5 star:		(88)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Wow, this is a vast improvement over my 8 year old shredder...no doubt about that, but it stands on its own in features, ability, and QUIETNESS! Fellowes is an excellent brand so, even before checking reviews, I knew this would be the brand for me this time around.

First of all, I love how much more quiet this is than my old 5 sheet shredder. It doesn't make that type of sound, like you are putting a body into a wood chipper, like the old ones did so that is a vast improvement.

I love not having to open up every credit card solicitation envelope, unfold everything, then shred. This shredder will take it right down, as long as it isn't a particularly thick item (up to 15 sheets).

So far I tried it on one credit card...zip! done! That rocks! The safety features are great. I tested it by just running my hand over the top while shredding. The safety light came on and it stopped immediately.

The shredder came with a couple of the liner bags. I appreciate that because I can decide if I like them before buying them. I'm not sure I'm going to like them and they really aren't necessary since the bin slides out easily for disposing of the contents. It also came with a little bottle of oil. It looks like enough oil to last a good long time, so don't bother buying the upsell bottle of oil!

There are wheels, two of which have breaks, that easily snap in (this is nice because this shredder is large and kind of heavy). The instruction sheet for that doesn't tell, or show, you where the ones with breaks go so I don't know if it matters, but I put them on the back.

It also comes with a little vertical file type thing that you slide on to the back. I suppose that is for your shredding pile but I am using it for the bags, oil, and the instruction booklet. With this bad boy I don't think I am going to let a backlog of shredding pile up! zip zip and you're done.

I think my two favorite features are the quietness and the slide out bin. My old one sounds like a chainsaw murder scene, plus I had to disassemble it and take the entire bottom to the trash for emptying.

This shredder does a good job but I think it is over-rated as to how many sheets you can run through at one time and to the noise level. Like most other shredders I have used in the past, you can count on the ratings to be inflated by a factor of two. This shredder comfortably handles about half the number of sheets claimed, certainly makes noise (although not as shrill as cheaper machines), and cannot shred all of your unopened junk mail. I found some pieces of junk mail choked the shredder.

Overall, I would still buy this shredder. I would just advise others that the capabilities/strengths are inflated.

I bought this "Intellishred" shredder to replace an old Fellowes shredder we used for three years (which worked fine), but just stopped working when a plastic gear broke inside. I was hesitant to buy another, but after reading all the reviews and checking out the competition, I really didn't see many alternatives. I'm VERY happy with this purchase so far (after two months). My old shredder was noisy, but I figured they all were... wow, in comparison, this one is unbelievably QUIET! It shreds everything I give it, and it keeps on going, all without any bothersome noise. In fact, I go around looking for things to shred! So far, I am very happy with this purchase. Note that it comes in different sizes, this was perfect for our space... but there is a bigger bin available if you need one. Get the bags to go with it, they are very convenient.

Update: January, 2011... this shredder is still going strong and quiet as ever. Amazing!

I bought this shredder to replace a previous Fellowes shredder that had stopped feeding. When I contacted the comnpany the indicated that the repair parts for the old unit were no longer available. I disassembled the old one, and, found out that it required only two nylon gears to put it back in running condition. why the most critical parts of the machine were not made of more durable material defies common sense. So much for repair, reuse, and recycle.

Therefore, I was forced to buy a new machine. I shopped around local big box stores, office supply shops, and the internet. My finding was that although a few units were availalbe in local stores, the selection was usually quite limited. That sense was magnified a hundred times when I began looking on the internet at all the units and manufactureres that produced shredders. In the end, I decided to take the chance on another Fellowes machine, the 89ci which is a small business unit that I will use only in the home. It seemed to offer the best value of all the others I reviewed for the unse I intended it.

I oped for a "business strength" unit for home use to potentially avert a recurrence of the failure with my former machine. I was pleased with the way the 89ci was packed and shipped, and, it worked well right out of the box. I did not find the paper tray included that was referred to in the packing list, but, I really don't need it anyway. Also, the instruction sheet is marginal at best and fails to provide definite guidelines for how often to oil the unit. (A number of internet articles suggest oiling at least each time you empty the bin. The most practical advice on how to do this seems to be by squirting a zig-zag oil track across a sheet of paper as you shred it.

The machine is touted to never jam. That statement is a bit of stretch of the word. Too much paper will make this machine just "stop", like all the others. However, this machine will eventually power through on its own, or, you can give it a power assist by pushing on the "hyper power" ring surrounding the main power switch. This does prevent the onerous task of removing a jammed stack of pages from the feed slot, but, the machine still stops if overfed. (I guess I'm looking for something equivalent to a tree chipper that will take whatever it is fed and shred it!)

The 89ci has a "power on" switch on the back and a switch on the top lower right front corner of the top which serve duplicate functions. One could be left off. Also, there is a cascade of lights on the top right that indicate when the feed load will slow/stop the machine. This is also overkill. A single warining light would be more than enough. Finally, the "on" switch incorporates a light that is totally unnecessary. When you feed the machine and it is turned on, then, the machine should shred. If it fails to work, then turn it on. The elimination of the fancy light cascade and the "on" light would reduce the consumption of power when the machine is not working and eliminate and unnecessary switch that can potentially fail.

The separate CD/credit card shredder slot feature is a disappointment. It is very difficult to make the machine feed a single credit card size object. It will not grab it and feed. I have had the best luck just sandwiching such cards between sheets of paper and using the regular feed.

All in all, I am satisfied with the sturdiness of the unit and the way in which it functions. But, it could be simplified and improved by removing all the bells and whistles and concentrating on making from follow function, potentially making the machine more durable and economical. I am hopng that I don't face a similar failure with this macine and the nylon gearing mechanism. Use the production savings from the switch and the light cascade mentioned above to make the nylon gears out of steel and improve the durability of the machine by a quantum leap!

This is my second shredder purchase. Old shredder is an Executive Machines EPS-1501X (which may be discontinued). It is functional, but the paper sensor is broken and one has to turn it off or it will keep running.

I was able to compare performance.

* Both shredders handle 15 sheets, however the Fellowes is pickier, sometimes indicating a jam when eating 10 sheets that had a fold. EM will shred paper thicknesses that the Fellowes will reject.

* Fellowes is quicker, crunching paper in 4 seconds vs 6 for the EM (though it is a bit old)

* The paper slot on the Fellowes is a bit wider, allowing the envelope containing flat 8.5x11 sheets to be shredded without opening

The real problem with the Fellowes is the horrible design of the waste basket. There are four 1" sharp plastic projections molded on the inside of the basket, as if there was supposed to be a part screwed on at that point. In addition, there is a plastic prong screwed to the inside of the basket which tells the machine whether the basket is in or not.

These bits of sharp plastic make it extremely difficult to remove a full waste bag without ripping it and spreading shreds over the floor. To me, this design flaw is unforgivable and I would not repurchase.

The EM machine has a completely smooth waste basket, the window even has curves shielding the screws, designed to allow one to easily remove the bag without tearing. The basket sensor uses some other

I purchased the SB89Ci because it had very good reviews throughout the internet. My previous Fellows Shredder that I bought 3 years ago finally broke after the sensing unit did not work anymore.

Pros for the 89Ci: 1) Shreds very fast and efficiently, 2) Easy to remove shredded paper without making a mess, 3) Sensing mechanism telling you how much paper you should slide through is very useful in order to avoid jams, and 4) good price based on the features and capacity.

Cons for the 89Ci: 1) Louder then I expected (may be I have an issue with mine?)...but it seems to shred with no problems, and 2) I had an issue with the wheels--difficult to install.

I would recommend this shredder because for about 7 weeks it has worked with no problems. It has not been jammed even once....with my other shredder it would get jammed on a weekly basis. Other then it being a little noisy, it does what it is suppose to do.

This shredder is the BEST I have ever owned. It is powerful and easy to use. Fellows has a super product support line. I called them before I bought the unit. Their superior support waived all concerns I had. Yes, it is expensive but it does not tire like the smaller shredders. It has a very large capacity shred basket that is easy to pull out. The directions are easy to use. Good safety features to protect little fingers. If you bought a $50.00 vacuum what would you get for your money? The same is true with shredders. The price on Amazon is superlative. I received the unit very quickly. It was well packed with no factory defects. I wonder why I didn't buy this earlier to save myself all sorts of annoyance? Because I kept hoping for the elusive cheap shredder that does not exist. But read the direction books. Shredders NEED Oil every time you empty the basket. And shredders hate sticky labels...this will destroy any shredder. Do yourself a favor and cut them up with a scissors and then clean scissors with nail polish remover. If you treat this PRO with respect you will have a real shredding champ!

This is a fairly nice and quiet shredder that just works for the most part. I originally purchased a large, quiet shredder from Staples but it burned out the motor (with a big cloud of smoke) in the first week so I returned it for a refund and purchased this smaller shredder from Amazon.

Overall, I like this shredder because it is so quiet and just works for the most part. One of the disadvantages is it does not shred CDs and credit cards very well. It does shred them, but it usually stops shredding part way through, backs up, pauses, and then continues shredding. Other than this minor annoyance, the shredder works fine. More importantly, it doesn't stop shredding after a full basket due to overheating like the Staples shredder.

Another downside is that the bags do not fit in the basket very well, but this seems to be true of most shredders. The problem is that the front of the basket is higher than the other three sides so the bag more or less just "lays" in the front of the basket since there's no place to "tie down" the bag in front.

After using the shredder for almost a year now, it's still going as strong as the day I bought it and I have discovered a few other nuances in that time. The shredder supports "jam prevention" and is the primary reason it occasionally stops and backs up before continuing shredding if it detects excessive torque on the motor.

I also discovered that when the "bag full" light comes on, replace the bag instead of ignoring the light. The first time the "bag full" light came on, I packed the paper down a little tighter and continued shredding until the "bag full" light came on a second time. Unfortunately, I did myself a disservice because the bag ripped on something in the front of the bin. If you replace the bag the first time the light comes on, the bag lifts right out of the bin with no problems.

I did a pretty thorough research job before deciding on the sb-89ci. This product is exactly what I wanted. Powerful, but quiet. Aggressive, but safe. Nice large basket, attractive machine.

Only possible downside would be the slightly short powercord, as well as the difficulty with actually shredding 15 pages per pass. It depends on the thickness of the paper.

Overall, I would recommend to a friend so far. We'll see how it holds up beyond the initial 2 months.

I got so tired of replacing inexpensive shredders due to disappointing performance/longevity that I decided to spend a few more sheckels in the hope that I could find something to last. This was a lot of money for me--I am just using this for light duty in my home office. But--as I say--I just did not want to have to deal with this again for about the fourth time in less than a year.
Anyway, I've been using this for only a week or so. But the quality level seems very good. It is definitely the most rugged shredder I've owned--I did have a pile o' stuff that I was waiting on the new shredder to shred. I like the very large bin that removes from the front. It even is removable without the casters installed, which seems like good design. I had attached the casters but, given my situation with space, etc, decided to remove them. The unit is still stable without them and seems to work either way.
So far I have no complaints with this unit and it "feels" like it will be durable for my purposes.