Aurora AU1210MA Professional Grade High Security 12-Sheet Micro-Cut Paper/CD and Credit Card/ 60 Minutes Continuous Run Time Shredder

This shredder does an amazing job. It can handle the amount of sheets indicated, which is a lot more than my very old unit. It's quiet and the bin is large to handle a lot of material. The shredded paper is very small pieces, so no long strands of paper. It does indicate to oil it periodically, so I bought some oil and when doing a lot of shredding I put some oil on a piece of paper and run it through. You'll know when it's time as it makes a little more noise. Or reoil every time you empty the bin. The bin can be tricky to empty and not have pieces all over the place, but I've learned to turn it sideways to empty into my trash bags. I have to do a lot of shredding in the volunteer position I'm in, so I needed something to handle more paper at one time. For the price, this is a great unit.

This works great. It's pretty quiet and cuts into small pieces. Bin is a good size and easy to empty. I like it.

I was looking for a shredder to replace my very old GBC Shredmaster strip-cut shredder, which was adequate for low security work, but left the papers easily reassembled and only ran for less than 10 minutes before needing to cool down. I chose the Aurora AU1210MA based on a recent Consumer Reports review which rated it a 70 vs. the Fellowes Powershred LX22M at 89, but the latter costs more than three times as much and only has a 30 minute run time vs. the Aurora's 60 minutes. The only other higher scorers were the Tru Red TR-NMC122A (scoring 72), which was about the same price and was rated slightly better for noise but it has a 5 minute run time followed by a 60 minute cool-down, and the Amazon Basics 8 sheet Microcut (scoring 71), costing quite a bit less, but it also has a 5 minute run time (with a 30 minute recovery period).The Aurora arrived very well-packaged in a sturdy box with tight-fitting cardboard inserts that completely protected it from damage. It was not inside of a second box, and there was no need for one. It was easy to assemble and was more compact than I expected it to be. It weighs about 22 lbs, most of which is in the shredding head. The wheels make it easy to move around. I'm not sure if it would work with shredder bags, due to the bin layout, but I'm emptying it into a 30 gallon paper lawn/leaf bag so I can meet my county's requirements for curbside recycling of shredded documents, which prohibit plastic bags. The large opening of these paper bags makes it easy to empty the bin without spilling any confetti.I've now been shredding old records containing sensitive information like Social Security numbers for several days and this is what I've noticed: the Aurora has never stopped working, despite some long shredding sessions and some thick sheafs of paper, and it has yet to jam. I've nearly filled a 30 gallon bag. It is very quiet, despite Consumer Reports rating it as a 3/5. My only minor complaint is that the bin isn't quite as sturdy as the rest of the unit, and requires a bit of care when reinstalling to make sure it is aligned properly so it will close completely. One thing I noticed from reading the owner's manual is that it can be oiled using ordinary vegetable oil -- no need to buy special purpose shredder lube or pre-treated sheets. That should save money over the long run. I've not oiled it yet, since it's just a few days old. I have shredded some stapled documents with no problems. I haven't tried any credit cards or CDs yet.I think that this shredder will give me many years of service and I'm very happy with my purchase. While I would have loved to own CR's highest-scoring unit, I couldn't justify spending around $400 for it and I really appreciate that the Aurora has the best rated endurance of any of the models I considered.

Wow finally got a real shredder with some guts. Quiet, powerful, made well, easy to control, big basket and tiny pieces. Beats the under $50 shredders in all aspects. Should have got his before. Price is very reasonable for what you get. I love my shredder. Oil it per the inventors and put half of amount of max paper they say and it will last a long time

This is a really good shredder, it cuts sheets of papers into very fine particles. It is not extremely noisy either. It does not take up a lot of space, fits very well in the corner.

I got this to replace an older Fellow's shredder. The old shredder worked fine, but was a crisscross that didn't create as small of pieces as I would have liked for security. I got this for the micro shredding and also because it can shred credit cards. So far it's worked great! Shreds things very well. And is actually considerably quieter and smoother sounding than my older shredder.

This works perfectly and is much quieter than my old one. I like that it has a longer shred time even though I don't shred for 60 minutes. I am shredding a lot of old documents. It's no problem for this one. It feeds a little slower than my old one and gives me time to get the next ones in line.