Kavinstar MC 15 Micro Cut Paper Shredder Machine Shred Upto 12-15 Sheets (70gsm) at a time with Separate Slot for CD & Credit Card

The difference in how small the pieces are for a micro-cut paper shredder machines over a cross-cut paper shredder machines is tremendous. Here’s a breakdown of the different cut types: strip cut: security level 2, 39 strips per 8.5″ x 11″ sheet cross-cut: security level 3, 399 particles per 8.5″ x 11″ sheet micro-cut: security level 4, 3,000 particles per 8.5″ x 11″ sheet That’s almost eight times the number of particles from cross-cut to micro-cut. When shredding with my cross-cut shredder, I made sure to shred sheets of paper perpendicular to the print. The cross-cut pieces were long enough that shredding parallel to the print would still allow some information to be easily read. With micro-cut, that’s a non-issue. I can shred receipts, bills, and other documents at any angle and the pieces come out extremely small. For all intents and purposes, there’d be no way for anyone to put these pieces of paper back together. NOISE I measured the noise of my old Kavinstar MC15 with an American Recorder SPL-8810 sound level meter and got 91.8 dBA. The Kavinstar, which benefits from the enclosed basket design, measured at 82.2 dBA — almost a full 10 dBA quieter than the Kavinstar. The ambient noise level was about 34.7 dBA and I measured both shredders right near the mouth.

KAVINSTAR MC 15 MICRO-CUT PAPER SHREDDER MACHINE DESIGN & FEATURES

The pullout basket is a sizable 8.9 gallons, which holds a ton of micro-cut pieces. It removes easily when you need to empty it and goes back in pretty smoothly as well. Removing it also activates a sensor that automatically disables the motor for added safety. The three-position auto/off/reverse switch works well, but is the only way keep the shredder off, other than unplugging it. The Kavinstar has a separate safety lock to help prevent yourself and your kids from accidentally activating the shredder. I always unplug the shredder when I’m not using it, but if you like to keep yours plugged in, just keep in mind that there’s no additional lock. I also want to mention that the green LED power light on the Kavinstar is extremely bright. I don’t recommend looking straight down at it, which might be hard to do if you’re standing over it while feeding paper through it. CONCLUSION The Kavinstar 15-sheet micro-cut shredder is a fantastic value. The micro-cut feature alone is worth the small premium over standard shredders, like the Kavinstar MC15. Add the quiet operation and large, easy-to-empty waste bin and it’s almost a no-brainer.