Customer Reviews

Royal Machines 140MX 14-Sheet Cross-Cut Shredder (29199R)

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

 

 

*** UPDATE November 10, 2011 ***

Thanks to another reviewer, I have discovered that my concern for safety on this shredder is unwarranted. The product is designed with a safety interlock switch, but mine hasn't worked since day one. I am pursuing the issue with the manufacturer.

Since it's still otherwise reliable, I'll keep it as 4 stars, but I'm hesitant to purchase this brand in the future.

*** ORIGINAL REVIEW - November 12, 2010 ***

I bought this shredder as a gift and liked it enough to buy another for myself.

I've put it though a light daily workout since I bought it a year ago and I am still very satisfied with it.

ASSEMBLY: A small amount of assembly is required. On my initial purchase, a small piece of plastic broke while assembling the basket and I had to return it to Staples, but the replacement unit went together without a problem and it's been fine since. Once the top and base snap together, I'm not sure that it can be unassembled, so don't count on putting it back in the box.

EASE OF USE: It's on casters, so it's easy to move. The casters make it a little wobbly on thick carpeting, but I use it that way without any problem. On bare floors, it's fine. The handle is supposed to be only for guiding it and the instructions advise against using it to lift the unit. Frankly, I do pick it up by its handle on occasion and it has been sturdy enough. (Royal should have realized that if they put a handle on the top of something, that it's only natural to pick it up that way.)

Having a pull-out basket is so much more convenient than having to lift off the top to empty it. The basket is approximately 13"x10"x9" and is very light and easy to handle.

FUNCTION: This 14-page shredder really does shred 14 pages at a time without struggling. And when I've jammed it by overstuffing it, the reverse works satisfactorily. CDs/DVDs are shredded by slicing them into thirds. Credit cards are cross-cut shredded the same as paper.

VALUE: I've wasted money on $60-$70 shredders in the past, so although I hated spending about $95 to shred my paper, it's worth the price to finally have something that works reliably and is easy to use.

SAFETY WARNING: The product is safe if used properly (with the basket in place). However, it will also operate without the basket, making it possible to see and touch the blades from underneath while they are shredding.

I purchased this after reading the reviews and after looking at other models available. Our previous shredder, a model that could only handle 3 sheets at a time and did not do either CD or credit card shredding had finally died. We have been shredding personal papers, so I wanted something that would do cross-cut shredding and would handle more than 3 sheets. This shredder fits the bill nicely and the CD and credit card destruction is an added bonus.

When it arrived, I also was concerned about the materials. However, assembly was not difficult, the hardest part being the wheels. The materials which appeared somewhat flimsy while apart for shipping were much more sturdy once they were locked together. I was very pleased to see that two of the casters had locks. That is good because it makes the unit more stable to use while shredding. This unit will handle more sheets, the trade-off being that it feeds a bit more slowly than the previous unit I owned. Because it does shred more sheets at a time, total amount shredded in the same period of time is much greater.

The bin is adequately sized, and it can be pulled out and shaken down a bit when the chaff starts piling up. that makes it possible to shred more also. For the person who said that it would run without the basket, please contact Royal Machines. Mine has a tab on the basket that works as an interlock, preventing the unit from running unless the basket is in place. If I pull the basket out, it cuts power to the shredder. Still, I would not let a child treat it as a toy. The blades are still sharp even when not running. Due caution should be taken to keep children away from it.

I think that this shredder will give us good service. It seems study enough for home use. If I were running a business, I would want a commercial-grade shredder, one with larger capacity, smaller shred size, and longer run-times to handle commercial quantities. However, for home/home office use, this is a perfectly adequate shredder for a reasonable price.

It does the job, but it's always messy when I empty the bin. The last papers shredded seem to still be in the teeth so when you empty it those shredded papers go everywhere. All this to say it's not perfect but for the price it's ok. I'll keep looking for a better model.

We bought this hoping for a higher capacity shredder than the current 5 page limit on our current product. This shredder started off great, but the gear that drives the cutters completely stripped in less than 2K pages of use. The gears are not made of metal, rather nylon which apparently isn't strong enough for the motors.

Complete waste of money.

Don't waaste your time or money looking at this piece of junk. I opened the packaging and it was such a cheap piece of plastic not sturdy that it is going straight back.It would not stay together and kept falling apart. I would have expected something like this to cost in the $25 range not the $100 range.