The Fellowes Powershred HS-880 Shredder: A Review

Trying to comply with federal privacy laws such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) can be difficult without the right equipment. To comply, you need a high-security paper shredder such as the Fellowes Powershred HS-880. This review will fill you in on all you need to know about this machine so you can determine if it's a good fit for your office. Let's get started....

• The HS-880 is one of the most secure shredders available thanks to its Level 6 security rating. This device produces paper shreds that measure 1/32" x 3/16" so you can be confident that no one will be able read your documents and you'll be in compliance with HIPAA and the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA).

• You can easily shred letter- and legal-sized items with this device as well as wide-format computer printouts. The feed opening is 10" wide. Note that you can only shred paper with this machine. It can't shred credit cards, CD's, and so forth.

• This shredder was designed to be used in a shared work environment. The waste bin can hold 59 gallons of shreds so a lot of people can use the machine over the course of the day.

• This device has a continuous-duty motor so it can shred constantly. It can handle 8 sheets of paper per pass and shred 24 feet of material in a minute. The HS-880 is definitely a good choice if you want a fast shredder.

• You should know that the HS-880 is very big and measures 20" (height) x 23" (width) x 41" (depth). Although this machine has casters on it, you may still find it difficult to move around because it weighs more than 200 pounds.

• If a paper jam ever occurs, the shredder will go into auto-reverse mode to try to correct the problem. Also, the machine will start and stop automatically so using it is very easy. It will even stop running when the waste bin gets full so you'll have a chance to empty it.

• The HS-880 has an interlock switch to prevent unauthorized people from using it. However, it doesn't have any other safety features, so you'll want to be careful when using it.

• This paper shredder comes with a one-year warranty.

The Fellowes Powershred HS-880 is a good paper shredder, especially if you need a hig-security device. Level 6 machines offer the most security possible, so you can use this device to shred classified documents. It's terrific that the waste bin can hold so much and that the feed opening is exceptionally wide. The continuous-duty motor is a nice feature as is the auto-reverse mode. You'll need to consider how much space you have in your office because as mentioned above, this is a huge device. (It's also heavy.) It would be nice if this device could handle multimedia items and if it had more safety features. Nonetheless, the Powershred HS-880 is a workhorse and you should check it out if you need a high-security paper shredder.

About the Author: Jeff McRitchie is the Director of Marketing for MyBinding.com. He regularly writes articles, reviews, and blog posts on topics related to bookbinding, laminating, paper shredding, and office equipment. More than 2,500 of his articles have been published in thousands of locations on the Internet. If you're looking for information about paper shredders his articles are a great place to start.