Amazon Basics 12-Sheet Cross-Cut Shredder Tested: Compact, Capable, and Affordable

6 min readThis compact shredder proved far more capable than its $60 price suggests, running far longer than its rating and handling everything from junk mail and stapled documents to expired credit cards.Although advertised as a 12-sheet shredder, I found nine sheets to be its comfortable working pace, with 10 possible but reluctant.Empty the bin before it looks completely full. In my testing, shredded paper packed beneath the cutters before I ever managed to overheat the motor.In real life, I don’t do a lot of shredding.Living in this digital age, I’ve gone almost entirely paperless for my bills. I read publications online. All my “checks” come by direct deposit so they are never “in the mail.”What papers I do shred (other than for shredder-testing purposes) tend to arrive ad hoc, single odd pieces—a credit card receipt with too much personal information on it, credit card and insurance offers with way too much personal information exposed, the papers that come with a new credit card, and the now-expired credit card that’s too tough for that old pair of rusty scissors. Whatever I have needed to shred, it usually isn’t much.So how much shredder do you actually need? If you’ve largely digitized your life as I have, you may only need to occasionally shred that too-personal junk mail or expired bank statement or credit card. So, if you don’t accumulate reams of documents that require daily destruction, this $60 Amazon Basics model is all the shredder you'll likely need.After several weeks of testing, I discovered this little machine is considerably more capable than its price would suggest—and for $60, my expectations weren’t high. After evaluating far pricier models, such as our Best Overall Fellowes Powershred LX220, I expected this cheap a unit to quickly heat up and stall, choke on some folded documents, jam on thicker piles, or on the odd staple. I got none of that.Instead, the Amazon chewed through stapled documents, folded mailers, unopened junk mail, old credit cards, and every odd scrap of paper I could find without a single paper jam until I deliberately exceeded its real-world sheet limit.For a budget shredder, you're getting the reverse and forward controls that you might be surprised to find at this price point. When there is a need to clear papers, you might find a forceful nudge does the trick. Outside of its loud chewing motor and unimpressive ability to shred large stacks of paper, there was surprisingly little difference in how it handled the kinds of everyday documents most people actually shred.ProsRuns longer than ratedRelatively small; ideal for tight-fitting home office and fits under a desk when not in usePortable; while lacking wheels, it weighs just 12.6 pounds, and shredding top fits inside included wastepaper binConsLarger cross-cut pieces less secure than miniscule micro-cut piecesReal-world use falls short of claimed 12-sheet capacity Top can accumulate paper dustKey SpecsSecurity LevelP-3 (Cross-Cut)Sheet Capacity12 sheets (9 sheets recommended based on testing)Run TimeRated 9 minutes continuous; 40-minute cooldownBin Capacity5 galFeed Opening8⅝ in.Also ShredsStaples, paper clips, credit cardsDimensions13.2 x 7.7 x 15 in.Weight12.6 lbWarranty1 yearSmall Size, No Casters, Yet Portable Physically, the Amazon Basics is compact and refreshingly unpretentious; one sliding tab on top toggles between reverse, off, on (oddly labeled “auto”), and forward. There’s a line of warning icons on top as well, such as keeping small hands, neckties, hair, and non-shreddable items such as books away from its shredding mouth.These warnings may seem like common sense, but considering its unprotected shredder mouth, these warning icons represent ever-present reminders for homes with curious young children and those persons with dangling hair or clothing.At just under 8 inches deep and a little over 13 inches wide, this Amazon shredder occupies surprisingly little floor or under-desk space, which makes it ideal if you’re a space-starved apartment dweller like me. Weighing about 12.6 pounds, far lighter than any of the shredders in our buying guide, it’s easy to move from storage to usage and back again even though it lacks casters, which you’ll find on most larger shredders.Unlike many shredders that use pull-out bins, Amazon’s cutting head simply lifts off from its 5-gallon wastebasket thanks to a wide molded handle. Initially, I thought the handle was designed for carrying the entire shredder, but then I discovered it lifts only the shredder mechanism. I soon realized Amazon’s approach actually makes emptying the bin remarkably simple.Stewart WolpinA pull-up, shredder-wide molded handle is part of what makes emptying the 5-gallon bin so simple.This lift-off top creates Amazon’s best portable attribute: when not in use, the lift-off shredder mechanism top fits neatly inside the empty bin. Not only does this in-the-bin storage balance the otherwise top-heavy combination, but the whole shredder is now just 13.5 inches tall and so far easier to move around and more compact than any shredder model I’ve used.Lining the 5-gallon bin with a kitchen trash bag (perfectly sized 6-gallon capacity recycling bags available) made disposal even easier. During my testing, I appreciated that the shredder refused to operate unless the cutting head was fully seated on the bin—a reassuring safety feature I encountered firsthand while clearing a paper buildup beneath the cutters.The shredder handles staples, folded mailers, and plastic credit cards without complaint. It cannot handle CDs or DVDs, laminated documents or magazines. Its advertised 12-sheet capacity was more optimistic than reality. With an 8⅝-inch feed opening, aligning a full dozen sheets is trickier than it sounds. I found that 12 sheets consistently stalled after entering only partway, while 11 behaved much the same. When I was at 10 sheets, those all eventually passed through—grudgingly—but nine sheets proved to be the machine’s comfortable working pace throughout my testing.This Shredder Boasts a Longer-Than-Promised RuntimeThis inexpensive shredder consistently exceeded my expectations considering its price—just not in the ways I expected. For instance, Amazon rates this shredder for just nine minutes of continuous operation before requiring a 30-minute cooldown, but I found that to be shy of what it can really do when I prepared to verify that claim.I assembled what I figured would be enough disposable documents for about 15 minutes of shredding … except 15 minutes came and went, and the Amazon just kept on shredding. As the minutes rolled by and I started to run out of my prepared shreddable supply, I reached for any and every expendable piece of paper I could lay my hands on: junk mail I retrieved from my building’s recycle bin, ripped pages out of old notebooks, old magazines, and mail-order catalogs, canceled checks … whatever paper was within arm’s reach—folded, stapled, unopened envelopes, opened envelopes—all of it went into the shredder.Still, amazingly, the Amazon’s red “overheat” light never lit and the shredder never jammed. Instead, after roughly 40 minutes of feeding every scrap I could find into its skinny mouth and with mashed paper stacked up in the bin beneath its cutters, the Amazon finally quit.What actually forced me to stop shredding was the bin being full. I learned that I need to empty the bin just before the shredded bits reach the top of the bin’s window; otherwise, I’d need to clear the compacted mess from the underside of the shredder mechanism. In either event, simply shifting the top toggle slide to “forward” cleared whatever scraps remained in the shredding gears.Stewart WolpinPro Tip: Empty the bin before it’s full—just before the shredded bits reach the top of the bin’s window. If not, you’ll need to clear a compacted mess from the underside of the shredder mechanism.Bargain Price, But You’ll Find a Few MinusesAs a $60 shredder, there are some compromises. If quiet matters to you, that will be something to consider. It’s noticeably louder than the Staples micro-cut shredder I recently tested, so if you are doing your shredding with the Amazon while someone else watches TV or snoozes in a nearby room, it will be annoying.Also, for $60 you’re getting cross-cut, not the more secure micro-cut. Cross-cut shredders produce larger but still plenty small particles, fine for basic, casual applications. Some micro-cut shredders would cost twice the price of this unit.The upside is these larger cross-cut pieces proved easier to empty and less prone to drifting all over during disposal. I do suggest keeping a dust rag handy for post-shredding cleanup. I found that, after a particularly lengthy shredding session, a fine layer of paper dust covered the top of the machine.Stewart WolpinIf you’ve planned a long shredding session, have a cloth handy for cleanup because you might experience what I did, a thin coating of dust on top of the machine.The VerdictThese days, $60 doesn’t buy many tech gadgets. It might get you a portable battery pack, a Bluetooth speaker, or maybe a wireless mouse. But it will get you this capable shredder that handles nearly everything most folks would feed into it, not to mention that it occupies minimal space and exceeded its rated runtime by so much that I had to empty its bin before it could overheat.No, this Amazon Basics isn’t the quietest shredder. It won’t chew up its rated 12 sheets at once. If you wait too long to empty the bin, shredded paper can begin packing beneath the cutters before the basket is full. And you should run a lubricated shredder sheet through it every three months or so just to keep it operating smoothly.But these are minor compromises for a machine this cheap. If your household shredding consists of the occasional bank statement, credit card offer, insurance form, old 1099, or expired credit card rather than banker boxes full of files, this little Amazon Basics delivered more shredder than I thought $60 could buy—and, happily, more shredder than you’ll likely need.Shop the Amazon Basics 12-Sheet Cross-Cut Paper & Credit Card ShredderOther Shredders We RecommendFellowes Powershred LX220If you regularly shred large volumes of paperwork, the LX220 is my top pick. It accepts thicker stacks, runs quietly, features excellent anti-jam technology, and produces highly secure micro-cut particles suitable for sensitive documents.Staples 12-Sheet Micro-CutIf you can spend roughly twice as much as you would for the Amazon Basics, go for this Staples option that offers quieter operation, true micro-cut security, and a pull-out bin that some users may prefer. It’s excellent for folks who shred a little more often but still don’t need a heavy-duty office machine.Bonsen S3113If your needs go well beyond occasional junk mail and old bank statements, the Bonsen S3113 is a much more capable machine built for larger shredding sessions and higher volumes of paper. It’s a better fit for home offices or anyone regularly clearing file cabinets.Stewart Wolpin, based in New York City, has been writing about, reporting on, and reviewing consumer technology for nearly 40 years. He also serves as the unofficial historian for CTA (Consumer Technology Association), the trade group that produces the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which he has attended and covered since 1984. He is also a huge Beatles fan and a METS season ticket holder. Jamie, Senior Reviews Editor, joined the Hearst Enthusiast Group in 2021. She has covered technology and consumer lifestyle gadgets since 1995—and shared her expertise in print, digital, and in broadcast originating the role of The Gizmo Girl for ESPN’s Cold Pizza. She has written about, tested, and reviewed everything from turkey fryers to high-definition TVs. Her byline has appeared in TWICE, Sound & Vision, Consumer Reports, and many others. In her free time, Jamie is in a yoga class, searching for the perfect matcha latte, or walking the boards.