Finally, Black & Decker answers the question: What would Steve Jobs’ paper disposal system look like?
Plusses
Instead of the typical grinder-over-waste-paper-basket design, Black & Decker set the unit on its ear, flared out the receptacle base and removed all of its right angles. The result: a futuristic piece of office equipment you won’t want to hide out of site, under your desk. It cross-shreds up to six sheets at a time, as well as credit cards. The vertical feeder is cool too, all but eliminating the possibility of getting a tie or hair (or worse) stuck in there.
Minuses
It’s a good thing that the iShred is easy to look at because there is no way in hell you’re fitting that thing under a desk. At around 28 inches tall and 14 inches across the base, you’ll need to dedicate a corner of your office to it. The vertical feeder is safe(r), sure, but it’s also a pain to load. Instead of just gravity do its thing, you have to actively aim and guide your to-be-shredded object into the slit. It’s occasionally temperamental, pausing for no apparent reason when I consecutively loaded as few as two or three sheets.
This is a feather-duty shredder designed for paper document destruction. After feeding it a maximum stack of sheets (with staples), some cardboard and a few old credit cards, I was feeling adventurous. Long story short: The CD won. And now the iShred now makes an odd crunching noise.
