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If you share an office with one or two other people, and your shredding needs are fairly light, you may want to consider purchasing the Fellowes SB-99Ci. A nice cross-cut shredder designed to destroy a respectable seventeen sheets at a time, the SB-99Ci also is able to easily shred credit cards, compact discs, DVDs, staples, and paper clips. Here we will take a close look at some of the pros and cons of owning a SB-99Ci.
1. As with its many of its other shredders, Fellowes has equipped the SB-99Ci with its very impressive jam proof function that won't allow the machine to run if someone is trying to feed it more than it can handle. This is a very important feature because paper jams can be a real mess, and not everyone is always going to know how much paper a given shredder can handle at one time. We tested it out, and found it to be effective, and liked the red light/green light system for letting us know whether we were within the limit or not.
2. Whether you have a single shredder, or a few of them spread out around the floor of your business, the noise of the average shredder can be a bit of an annoyance to your office mates. The Fellowes SB-99Ci was pretty impressive in that it ran pretty much silently, and we couldn't see how it would be much of a distraction over and above the hum of a normally functioning office.
3. Safety is always a concern when using shredders, as one careless moment could cause some pretty serious injuries. To that end, Fellowes has developed a remarkable technology that places a sensor at the paper feed that is able to detect body heat, and will shut off the machine if you hand gets too close to the opening. We bravely checked it out, and it worked extremely well. We are guessing that Fellowes competitors will be trying to imitate this impressive safety feature sooner rather than later.
4. We thought the 9 gallon bin was easy to empty and deal with in general, and we like the fact that the SB-99Ci has casters for easy moving about the office.
1. Though this is pretty typical for a lighter use shredder like the SB-99Ci, it is important to know before you buy that this particular machine is designed to run for only about twenty minutes at a time before it will require an off time of forty minutes or so. Offices that need to continuously shred documents will want to consider a heavier duty shredder with a continuous duty motor.
2. There is no jam release on the SB-99Ci, but we are guessing that is because Fellowes has such faith in its jam proof system that the figure you won't need it.
3. Also typical of most machines in its class, you will need to oil the cutters of the SB-99Ci periodically. Larger commercial shredders will include auto oiling technology. However, since this machine doesn't have that type of technology, you will need to oil the shredder after every few uses.
4. It seems to us that this machine could and should come with an automatic sleep mode to save power when not in use.
Recommendation: For light use, the SB-99Ci is about as reliable and feature-laden machine as you are going to find anywhere. The two year warranty is also a bonus, and it is worth noting that the cutter themselves are actually under warranty for the life of the machine. You can't do much better than that.
Finding the just the right shredder to meet the needs of your office can be a bit difficult. There are a lot of different factors you will need to take into account, and one of the major ones is determining how often, and by how many people, the machine will typically be used. If you are in a large office and are searching for a shredder that is up to the task of high volume use and multiple users, you might well be considering the Fellowes C-480C, a machine that Fellowes claims to be up to the task. In the following review, we will take a closer look at the 480C, in order to help you decide if it is the right machine for you.
1. One of the things that users of shredders often don't understand is that most machines are designed to be used for only a certain amount of time before they need to rest. The C-480C, on the other hand, is a continuous use shredder, meaning that there is no required on/off time. This is a very important feature for a heavy-use situation.
2. The C-480C features a jam proof system that automatically senses the amount of paper that a user is trying to run through the shredder. If it is more than the machine can handle, the motor will not start, and an indicator light appears. We find this to be a very helpful function. It makes this shredder almost impossible to jam.
3. Most people don't even know that shredders need to be periodically oiled. The C-480C contains a system that automatically oils the machine, so you don't have to worry about it. An indicator light comes on when the system runs out of oil, and replacing the container seems to be a fairly simple process.
4. The more your shredder gets used, the more chance there is for an accident to occur. Fellowes leads the industry in safety measures and this machine features what Fellowes calls Safe Sense, which is a sensor that detects body heat near the paper feed, and automatically shuts off the motor.
5. The paper entry for the C-480C is an extra wide sixteen inches, which is great if you find yourself needing to shred larger documents. The cross cut is 5/32" by 1 1/8" which should meet the security needs of most businesses.
1. Some of Fellowes' other machines feature their Turbo Jam Release, the 480 does not. Instead this machine has the JamProof system and a bulldog mode to power through jams. Still it would be nice to have the Jam Release on this model as well.
2. Also, even though it is designed for continuous use, it might be nice if there were a power saving sleep function for when the machine is not in use.
3. At 25 inches wide, the C-480C shredder may not be as sleek as you might want. This is a big machine and is designed to be shared amongst a number of users. If you need a shredder to put under your desk, Fellowes makes a number of smaller shredders that will be better suited for that application.
4. Fellowes is making a name for itself by making great shredders. Normally their shredders feature both attractive designs and innovative features. The C-480C has the innovative features but looks like most other departmental shredders. It isn't ugly or an eye sore, it just doesn't have the innovative look that some of Fellowes shredders offer.
Overall, for heavy office use, the Fellowes C-480C looks to be as good, reliable, and low-maintenance a shredder as there is on the market. This is a great shredder for a department with ten or more users that needs to shred large volumes of paper on a daily basis. This shredder is easy to use and has some great features. Check it out for yourself. Perhaps the C-480C is the right machine for your office.