Customer Reviews

Fellowes Powershred W-11C 11 Sheet Cross-Cut Shredder (3103201)

5 star:		(301)
4 star:		(199)
3 star:		(34)
2 star:		(22)
1 star:		(51)

 

 

I bought the Fellowes w-11c yesterday on sale at a local store. I was trying to decide between it and another Fellowes "small business" class shredder that was on sale for $160, three times the price of the w-11c. I've replaced enough shredders that I figured it would probably save money in the long run to get a top-of-the-line shredder and pay out the $160 instead of replacing the shoddy ones as they break down.

I just couldn't bring myself to spend $160 on a shredder, though. As much as logic and reason said it was the right thing to do, I couldn't make myself do it. Instead, I bought the w-11c, in part based on the decent reviews I've seen on here. I don't run a home business, I just have lots of junk mail, canceled checks, and other personal documents I'd rather not leave in the trash for thieves to steal. That junk mail and those papers have been accumulating for 6 months, going in a big "shred it when you get a new shredder box."

Well, today was this thing's trial by fire. I emptied the box into the shredder and I was RELENTLESS. Unopened credit card offers, old bank statements, several checkbook pads for an account I no longer have, and more. I pushed the thing to its limit. It definitely handles the advertised "11 sheet" capacity, though it does so with some protest and a very noticeable slowing of the shred speed. It gets through it, though, and it's none the worse for wear. Today alone, I had to empty the bin 9 times... and its still running great! The construction is solid, safety features are great (the additional child safety lock on the top is really secure and impossible to override), and this thing can take whatever you throw at it, within reason.

All in all, I'm very happy I saved $110 and went with the w-11c instead of the business-class unit. If you shred perhaps 2 to 10 things per day, this is the ideal unit for you (especially if you don't like having to open junk mail envelopes before shredding 'em!)

we used this lightly for about a year. THen i tried to cut cardboard. . . it stopped. And then it started after a cool off! Don't cut cardboard with this and You'll love it.
It does handle CD's and credit cards, as well as cardstock. But don't put corrugated cardboard in it.

the '11 sheet' is a stretch, but it's reliable, fast, and clean. It will handle junk mail without you opening the envelop. Cross cut is more space efficient and more secure than strip cutting. It packs down well, and when we use it like straw in the yard or garden, it stays down.

The bin is under the shredder, and to empty it you have to lift the shredder. It's a bit heavy. This is generally cleaner than a removable bin below, but paper shreds do fly around a bit. On the other hand, the shredder always fits right back into the top of the bin, so you won't have to worry with bin placement issues. The shredder must be properly mounted to function.

It is quieter than the last one we owned. This doesn't make it quiet -I don't think there's a 'quiet' paper shredder in the world. It may not be as good as the $200 shredders, but it's great for the money.

Highly recommended for the price.

This is a pretty good shredder. It can shred paper very well into tiny slices. However, emptying the bin can be a bit of a pain. Lifting the shredder is easy, because there is a handle, but it is also pretty hard, because it's pretty heavy. To shred adhesives (even though it says it can't), put the adhesive on a blank sheet of paper or make one side of the adhesive stick to the other side. Overall, this is a decent shredder and I would certainly recommend it.

UPDATE: 3/1/2010
I still have this shredder. One person said this shredder can handle CD's. Honestly, from how I tested it, it can't. The CD got stuck and I had to use a scissor to finish it through. Do not try to shred CD's. Overall, still a good shredder; able to shred credit cards, unopened junk mail, invoices, and adhesives (if you follow the advice above).

UPDATE: 6/4/2010
Still running strong. This shredder still does the job to get rid of all the extra papers I don't need.

UPDATE: 9/15/2010
Still the best shredder in my house. I owned this shredder almost for 7 months and still one of the best.

UPDATE: 1/22/2011
Almost a year with this shredder. This shredder has took down so many papers and adhesive Amazon labels, this is something that was worth buying. Still no problems with this shredder. Such an incredible product.

UPDATE: 5/15/2011
Almost one and a half year since I had this shredder. Still running strong and I shred loads of paper every week. I oil this shredder perhaps after two or three full loads of paper. Still works like a charm. How incredible is this shredder?

I recently bought this from Amazon...Disposed off lot of personal/confidential/sensitive material in the span of two weeks. Very sturdy. Low down time....will shred credit cards/staples etc. without any issues. .. if you are looking for a cross cut shredder for home/home office at a reasonable price, this is the one to go with..

We recently started clearing the paperwork we had from the last 10 years and our old shredder died. After reading reviews on several shredders, I decided to break down and spend the money on a decent home office type shredder. When we pulled it out of the packaging and setup the shredder, it didn't want to work. We tried a couple of things and I found that the top was not seated completely in the basket. No big deal since most shredders are this way. This one will allow the top to be in correctly in all of the places except one but will not run until completely seated. The basket is made from plastic so it is more durable than the metal mesh one we had before that was deformed from moving and was tricky to get the top on correctly. This one has about an inch gap in the front so I can use it as a trashcan for small scraps which is a big win for me.

The shredder is not as loud as I expected from reviews. I don't know where people get their thoughts from but HELLO PEOPLE, motor with two spinning shafts and close-fit blades are not supposed to be silent! You can shred a few pieces of paper at the same time but not 11 sheets as stated. Maybe 11 sheets of tissue paper but not normal copy paper. It shreds credit cards with ease but only one at a time as stated. There is also a locking mechanism on top to keep prying hands out? I don't understand why it needs to be there if it won't run until the top is seated correctly. It seems to be durable and we buzzed through a ream of paper in about 20 minutes where emptying it takes the longest of the process. Since it doesn't do as advertised on the 11 sheets, I gave it a 4 star rating. It was the only thing that didn't meet expectations.

Last note is for the people that purchase the shredder oil and lubricant. You pay $81.28 a gallon for this stuff! You can use a variety of light lubricants for a fraction of the cost and most of you already have them at home. Sewing machine oil, 3-in-1 oil or (shudder) even WD40 will do in a pinch.

So this thing is supposed to knock out 11 pages at a time. I figured that was a bit ambitious and kept my expectations low. Realistically, anything more than 3 regular sheets of paper makes this thing sweat. 2 is more like it. 6 pages? Fahgetaboutit. It sounds like it wants to roll over and die with 5. I'm getting 3 pages at a time max out of it. Anything thicker than regular sheet paper you're best off going one page at a time.

That said, I'm asking alot of this unit. I have many boxes of old papers I'm shredding and it's been a long, time-consuming project. This replaced an older Fellowes unit that finally burned out. The old one was a really light duty unit with itty bitty blades and it works at about the same rate as this one. Even though the blades appear to be far more robust, the results are similar. Err, okay, the old shredder didn't cross-cut...this one does...so maybe that comparison isn't fair. It also eats staples effortlessly...a nice touch.

All told, it's doing the job. It's just much slower than I thought it would be. The claims of 11 sheets of paper at a time are grossly overblown. I'd throw it a 5 otherwise.

I do like the way this works. I just wish it had a larger basket. I can't tell when it's getting full and if it gets too full it backs up into the cutter. I also wish it came with at least a small amount of oil. It is supposed to be oiled quite regularly and if you didn't order the oil with the shredder, you will have to order it right away.

Was looking for the perfect balance between functionality and price/value. Landed on this model. We received the model and think it's great. Shreds thick envelopes, credit cards without a problem. Has a child lock which we thought was great. Amazon did a wonderful job getting this to us quickly. One feature to note, this item has an auto shut-off feature which triggers if the top unit is not aligned on the waste paper basket. This ensures it won't turn on or stay on if the machine get's knocked over. When setting the top unit on the basket, always make sure the tiny button on the underside of the top unit is making contact with the plastic piece inside the wastepaper basket otherwise you may wonder why the machine's not working. So far this is a really great shredder. I would recommend it to any home.

i did alot of research. i even bought a less expensive one. i just need a shredder for personal use. i took the 1st one back. it jammed in 20 minutes. so far this one hasn't had a problem. i like the safety lock and i have put in as much as 5 sheets at a time. i know it's recommended for more. after the 1st one, which was a different brand, i didn't want to push my luck. i'm very happy with it's performance. there's no bogging down or jamming. it's easy to feed. i would recommend this product.

Strong shredder.. even shreds staples. Cuts paper into little bits, but not confetti. Expected it to be taller... its just conventional size... approx. 1&1/2 ft tall. Shreds all my junk mail easily. Worth the price that I paid. Overall I would recommend this shredder.