The first thing you should realize is there are only two types of shredders; a strip cut and crosscut paper shredder. The reason a confetti and micro cut shredder is not considered as two additional types is because both of these must have a crosscut in order to cut into a confetti and micro cut. Of course there are light duty, medium duty, heavy duty and commercial shredders as well but that only refers to the number of pages they will shred at once. In a sense, the crosscut paper shredder is the best type of shredder available on the market.

Crosscut shredders give you a higher level of security than a strip cutter. When you take the strips from a strip cut document and cut them into two inch or less pieces, you get a shredding that is almost impossible to reconstruct. A heavy duty machine can do this with not only documents but credit cards, CDs and DVDs as well. This ensures you that medical information, Social Security Number, address and birth date is not used against you because of identity theft. The Destroyit 2403 Deskside Shredder is one example of a crosscut shredder that can help you prevent your confidential information from being stolen.

Businesses that deal with other people's confidential information use a commercial style shredder and in some cases a pulverizer is used. This literally turns a document into paper dust preventing any possibility of reconstruction. These are much more powerful than the ones available to the public like the Powershred DS-1 Shredder. Although it is a heavy duty shredder it is incapable of pulverizing your documents. Commercial equipment is made for more than 5 users at an average of 20 sheets per pass. The Powershred DS-1 Shredder is only made for up to 5 users at an average of 12 sheets per pass.

Other available shredders include the Intellishred SB-89Ci Jam Proof Shredder and the ROYAL 29124X Medium-Duty Crosscut Shredder. These and many other can be found online at various retailers who'll offer you the opportunity to compare prices, retailers, brands and features. They all offer you quality equipment at a discounted price in comparison to local retailers. Purchasing a shredding machine from an online retailer can give you the security from identity theft you are looking for. They give you peace of mind as well as reduce the your weekly waste volume.

The ROYAL 29124X Medium-Duty Crosscut Shredder will shred small staples and paper clips but is not recommended for CDs or DVDs. The best shredder for those is the Intellishred SB-89Ci Jam Proof Shredder or the Destroyit 2403 Deskside Shredder which are available online at any of the hundreds of retailers. Each retailer gives you specific details for each shredder and allows you to determine which one is best for your needs. Comparison shopping is available at SHOP.COM for your convenience and to help make choosing a shredder easier.