Customer Reviews

Powershred MS-460Cs Safe Sense 10 sheet Confetti Cut Shredder

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

My previous shredder was a 1999 Fellowes PS-80, which still works like new, after reliably shredding thousands of documents over the past 8 years. In order to protect my hearing, I have been wearing industrial ear muffs whenever I shred more than a few pages with this old machine. When I read about this new "quiet" MS-460Cs shredder, I decided it was time for an upgrade.

Based on the advertising and the reviews, I expected the shredder to be quiet, but am amazed at HOW quiet this new machine is. The roar of my old PS-80 has been replaced by the gentle hum of the MS-460Cs. I can continue a phone conversation or listen to the radio while the shredder is running. I can leave my hearing protection gear in the garage, where it belongs.

The paper shredding performance is robust, as described in some other reviews. Paper is chopped into tiny mulch, and the motor is rated to run for up to 10 minutes continuously before requiring time to cool down. This is more than adequate for my needs.

There is a second, smaller opening for CDs and credit cards, which shreds items into strips. This is a security compromise, as I believe that a motivated thief could reconstruct a strip-shredded credit card and reconstruct the account number. To get a true cross-cut shred for the credit card, I feed the strips back into the shredder horizontally for a second pass. This is inconvenient, but it acceptable since credit card shredding is fairly infrequent for me.

The controls are simple and intuitive. A Green LED indicates when the power is ON. There is an automatic sensor which turns the blades forward when papers or CDs / Credit Cards are inserted. There are also manual "ON" switches for both forward and reverse, which is convenient for maintenance or for shredding small items which do not trigger the automatic sensors. A 4 ounce bottle of oil is included with the shredder.

This machine has advanced safety features. I was especially impressed how this shredder automatically and instantly pauses the motor and illuminates an orange LED if a person touches any area near the blades. The motor also stops if the waste basket is removed.

The machine is tall, but fits nicely under my desk and easily rolls out on the included casters. There are recessed handles in the front and back of the machine to facilitate carrying the shredder if you are not able to roll it across your floor.

If you can afford the price, the MS-460Cs is a good value considering the quiet and robust shredding performance, safe, easy to use design, and Fellowes track record of building reliable, long lasting equipment.

Note - I am in no way affiliated with Fellowes or Amazon, but I do have high standards and appreciate a quality product.

Bought this model to replace another more basic Powershred which has worked perfectly for 4 years without any maintenance. Replacement was driven by a need to shred CDs, DVDs & credit cards, and the Safe Sense technology seemed essential now I have a child.

Paper shredding is very quiet (on an absolute scale, not just compared to its predecessor). Shredded pieces are the smallest I have observed of any shredder.

CD/DVD/credit card shredding is only strip cut not confetti cut. I might have missed that detail in the product information, or maybe confetti cut of CD/DVD/credit cards is not yet available, or not available at this price point. This was a minor disappointment but not sufficient to lead me to drop a star.

I am not a heavy volume user (haven't been since I signed up on the don't-send-me-any-more-credit-card-offers site), so I can't speak to its ability to work effectively over extended periods, but for my relatively light use, assuming the quality of the brand has been sustained, I foresee this model serving me well for several years.

This is the best shredder on the market. It is so quiet and it really does a great job. I like the fact that it makes what you shred into so many tiny pieces and the container holds so much. Great product for the price

We hear about road rage on the highways, but shredder abuse is the untold vice in the office. If you are subject to shredder rage, leave that attitude at work because if you bring it home, you will not be satisfied with this shredder or any shredder built for home use. And you will do harm.

I have used this machine at home for several months now and am highly satisfied. It does what the ads say. It shreds paper very quietly into tiny pieces. It does so very smoothly, powerfully, and reliably. The tiny pieces pack together well, so you go longer before you have to empty the bin. There just is no comparison to my previous cross-cut shredder whose noise level seems like a jet engine by comparison. To continue enjoying all this great performance over time, you will have to do your part: drip some shredder oil on the blades after you empty the full bin, and refrain from running the machine beyond its limits. Don't shred unopened junk mail whole because that dumps the free (sticky) address labels, refrigerator magnets, note pads, and the horrible gum that sticks fake credit cards to the letters... all this sticky stuff into the precision machinery of the blades. Don't do it! In summary: Treat this Fellowe nice, and he will treat you nice.

Here is some important info that is not easy to get from the amazon listing: The physical dimensions of the shredder itself are 15 inches wide x 26 inches tall x 13 inches deep. The Fellowes part number for replacement trash bags is 36052 (you don't have to use bags; they just make it easier to empty the bin when full). There is a separate removable tray that fits inside and at the back of the bin to catch the shredded CDs/DVDs and credit cards. As noted by other reviewers, the machine has a separate slot for CDs/DVDs and credit cards and does not cross-cut them. These items drop from the blades in strips that are 3/8" wide. Credit cards could be reassembled by an enterprising dumpster diver to get the name, number, and expiration date. To make that less likely, I don't use the removable tray... the credit card strips fall in among the paper pieces and are buried and hidden.

The only official maintenance requirement, besides dumping the shredded paper when the bin is full, is to apply some shredder lubricant to the blades each time you empty a full bin. In practice, some of the shredded paper can occasionally clump up and hang below the blades without dropping down into the bin. Usually this happens at one or both ends of the blades. This puts a drag on the motor and can reduce the number of pages you can shred in one pass. If you decide to remove the bin and reach in to pull these clumps out of the blades, be sure you unplug the machine from the wall first. The primary reason is to eliminate the remote chance that the blades might start moving. I guess I don't have to remind you that the blades are sharp, so be careful not to get cut!

Given that my last shredder purchase was in the late 90s, maybe I'm easily impressed, but to say this shredder is excellent is an understatement. It was probably one of the best home office purchases I've made in a while.

When I read the previous reviews about how quiet it was, I kept telling myself, "yeah, people are just saying that." Let me tell you, this thing is QUIET. It easily takes on 5-10 sheets at a time and does it with minimal noise compared to other shredders I demoed at local office supply stores. You could be on the phone, watching TV or doing anything and you wouldn't be interrupted with the loud "growling" other shredders make.

Now, sure, noise is an important factor - but let's face it - the purpose of a shredder is to shred. How does this thing do? Let's put it this way, if the pieces were any smaller you'd call it "dust"! Ok - so a little exaggeration there - but the pieces are so small I couldn't believe it. NOTHING in the local stores came close. Even a heavy duty shredder at work (noisier by the way) doesn't cut stuff up this small. If you want security - this is it. Again, you don't give anything up to get the small pieces and quiet operation. It's pretty fast. I shredded up 120+ pages in just a few minutes.

Capacity is good. I had a lot of shredding to get caught up on when my old scanner bit the dust, but I've only filled about 1/3 of the bin. They also throw in some oil and clear bags, a nice touch, so you are ready to go out of the box. Oh, prepare yourself, this is a heavy box that shows up on your doorstep!

My only gripe, and it is a very small gripe, is the credit card shredder. The pieces aren't that small - and you really need to run the pieces through again - to ensure a relatively good shred. Obviously if you run a CD/DVD through it the disc will be rendered useless, but with a credit card if the thief can get your numbers, exp. date, and code from the back, they are golden, and I wish the shred mechanism there would be far smaller pieces.

Overall this is probably one of the best office machines I've ever bought for home use. I recommend it fully - and yes, it's pricey, but it's a good investment. I'm hoping this machine will be around for many years as I can't imagine finding another machine at this price point, with the quietness, speed, thoroughness and capacity.

HAPPY SHREDDING!

Fellowes manufactures another excellent product with the Powershred MS-460Cs.

In comparison with other brands that claimed to do similar work, this machine looks and feels far sturdier.

The Fellowes is quieter and has the feel of a well built tool.

It was shipped fully assembled in its factory packing inside another well packed box for safety. Upon removing it from the box, I found tiny remnants of a previous shredding job in the collection container-obviously a test from the factory to check quality.

This beast finely shreds paper into bits that assure security, the reason I upgraded from a strip style shredder. Size of the shredded bits is crucial, but also noteworthy is that this machine cuts clean with no jagged edges to hold the bits together. Once something is run through this shredder, it is shredded for good.

Motor noise is very low, even at full load. The noise is a hum instead of a grinding.

It came with a container of blade lubricant and some container liners for the shredded pieces. This was a nice touch.

I have a much older Fellowes strip-style shredder that I've used in my home office for nearly 8 years. It, like the various Fellowes models we have at work, has never failed me.

I'm certain this newest machine will perform equally well for at least that long. After nearly two months of use it feels, sounds, and works like the first day.

As a hint for shopping the various Fellowes offerings, I believe their accurate product descriptions are very helpful in determining what size and style machine to buy.

This may be a good unit for paper, but is NOT suitable for credit cards. I put one credit card into this unit and it only strip cut it (versus confetti) and my account number was still readable. This was not acceptable, so I returned the shredder. After further research, I ended up purchasing the Royal 1610X Confetti-Cut Continuous Form Shredder which pulverized my credit cards as well as paper into the same tiny unreadable confetti bits.

The shredder worked fine until cogs in the gear box stripped. Of course this happened six months after the one year warranty. I called Fellowes to see if I could purchase new gears but was told parts are unavailable.

This unit is replacing a Fellows PS80C which served me for many years. I was getting less and less capacity out of PS80, and more frequent jams. I also wanted a shredder with a smaller particle size. I found too much was readable on the shreds of the old PS80. If you put a statement in sideways and it lined up on a cutter wheel you could still make out my name, or even most of an account number or account balance.

So far the new MS-460Cs is great!

First of all it is VERY quiet. I can do my bill paying/shredding in the evening even after the family has gone to bed. That would not have been possible with the older PS80.

The MS-460 has a very deep throat where you feed paper before it gets to the cutters. I've found that this helps keep everything feeding square to the cutters and pages don't fold up and get doubled over.

The unit senses load and reverses the cutters before a jam occurs. Depending on the thickness of the paper the capacity could be a few sheets less than the stated '10' and the brains of the 460 have saved me a few times already.

On the older PS80 shredder it would have tried to eat the paper, and if I was unlucky would have jammed to the point of needing to dissemble the whole unit and remove the cutters to clear the problem.

The shreds are much smaller than the old PS80 and stack into the waste bin with much less air between particles. Even though the PS80 and the MS460 are similar in size I'm finding I am getting 2-3 times the volume into the MS460.

There is a separate container for the plastic shreds which is removable. This gives you a bit more space for paper in the main waste chamber. I think the cd/credit shredder is fine for CD's but strip cut is marginal for credit cards. To help address this feed the cards so that the long edge goes in first. That way the numbers are cut onto as many strips as possible.

I work with industrial shredders at work, and this is definitely not one of those. This is a SOHO (small office/home office) unit, and if you keep than in mind the unit will work fine. Keep it oiled, keep the cutters cleaned, and don't try to shred 1000's pages in a sitting and this unit should keep your private papers private for years to come.

4-stars, would be a 5 if the credit cards got cross-cut shredding.

I purchased this piece of equipment for an office to compliment a larger commercial Fellowes model. The machine worked well for the first year. However, like other reviewers, ours broke just outside the warranty. Upon speaking with the Fellowes representative, I was told that the equipment was fine but the problem was with the computer inside the shredder. I was also told that the PC part of the shredder did not have the same type of warranty as the blades. The PC is covered for one year; the metal parts for seven. Additionally, they began phasing out this shredder a little while ago. The representative then said that as a result, they do not have any parts to repair this machine. I was offered one solution - purchase the new and improved model. I explained to the representative that had I known what they knew - the PC part of the equipment has a tendency to break thereby making the paper reverse out of the shredder (paper will not go in only out), I would have never spent the money on this machine! The representative just sat there in silence and eventually said, "I'm sorry you will just have to purchase another machine". While I generally like the quality of Fellowes machines, this situation has made me re-think my next purchase. I will have to replace the machine but will think twice before looking at another Fellowes model.

I cannot recommend this model because it will break down. It is just a matter of time, and not that much time!