Contents
Fellowes powershred 79ci paper shredder Review
Fellowes powershred 79ci Particle Cut Paper Shredder: First of all, before buying, you should think about what you are buying a home office paper shredder for and what you expect from the device.
Most people have already experienced from their immediate and wider environment how the principle of the document shredder works. In doing so, you have consciously or unconsciously experienced how fast and reliable the device is, what the noise level was, etc. As a rule, you already have an “image” in your head before you buy it – that means concrete requirements. I have summarized the most important criteria here – as a decision-making aid.
- Volume during operation (telephoning should be possible despite the document shredder running.
- Level of cutting capacity (number of sheets at the same time, or actually the scope of the cutting capacity in pages per minute.
- Reliability of paper destruction, i.e. secure destruction of confidential documents (account statements, invoices, etc.
- Length of continuous operation – without triggering cooling pauses (here you quickly notice whether you can destroy an entire folder or whether you have to pause every few minutes because “the device” has become too warm.
- The dust-free operation, or how well the housing protects against escaping paper dust.
- The device should be designed as compactly as possible, that is, does the device fit under the desk and if so, how often does the collection container have to be emptied, and how easily and cleanly is that possible?
- As few “bells and whistles” as possible (a simple automatic operation is sufficient), because every more or less necessary function can also be broken and prevent/prevent the overall function of the shredder.
- Cheaper, or rather a reasonable price for the performance.
Fellowes 79Ci particle cut paper shredder test
The order of the listed requirements for the device is not just a list but shows what is important for most users. This was the result of a survey from January 2022 on our website ratingsway.uk. Let’s work through this list now, or – what does the Fellowes Powershred 79Ci meet from the above criteria and how well?
Regarding 1. Operating noise: I am really pleasantly surprised at how quiet a modern office (home office) document shredder can be these days (with maximum shredder performance and Silent-Shred switched on – only
63 dB ). This means: operating noise is 100% correct!
To 2. Cutting capacity of 16 standard DIN-A4 sheets with 70 g/m² The infeed speed could be a little higher – it is 3.3 meters per minute (other providers are sometimes faster here, have to pause earlier for this), but through the high cutting capacity, the Fellowes 79ci makes up for the lower speed. So:
cutting capacity is also 100% in order.
Fellowes 79Ci particle cut paper shredder test
Regarding 3. Reliability, meaning “the device does what it should” is also 100% fulfilled. The Fellowes powershred 79ci corresponds to security level P-4 of DIN 66399 , which has been in force since 2012 .
Regarding 4. About overheating shutdown – this is also fulfilled indirectly. It is in our “extermination actions” We have not yet come to a thermal shutdown because we wanted to test under real conditions
and not the ultimate capacity of the machine, which is not reached in “normal” operation anyway. More on that is below in the review.
On the 5th topic of paper dust: here, of course, allergy sufferers will be more attentive. ;o). The shredding itself takes place without any visible dust escaping from the device, but paper dust can easily escape when the collecting container is removed and snippets regularly fall between the collecting container and the rear wall (more on this see below in the test).
To 6 . Compact design & rare emptying. This is where it gets a little difficult. The device has a high cutting capacity and therefore needs a large collection container, which quickly fills up with frequent use – here we have to say – unfortunately not fulfilled. Despite the particle debris, it is often necessary to empty the collection container, but we have our tip for that (see below).
to 7 . Simple function: fully fulfilled. The Fellowes powershred 79ci really has EVERYTHING you want in a paper shredder – it works automatically once you’ve loaded the paper. The customer expects and gets “something for his money” here – the Fellowes 79ci delivers almost perfect functions here – as there are:
– Anti-jam technology with automatic paper feed and paper quantity detection.
– 100% prevention of paper jams, including automatic reverse The principle works like this: if you pack too much paper in once, the Fellowes 79ci immediately refuses to cooperate and shows a red LED light. If the amount of paper is actually correct, but the paper has become crooked, the shredder tries to correct the problem by rewinding and retracting it. All the time, LEDs on the edge indicate the status (green to yellow = progress – red = stop, too much paper).
– SafeSense – prevents fingers from getting into the feed slot.
– SilentShred (“quiet switch” so that you can make calls when the device is running),
– energy-saving function (consumption falls below 1.5 watts after 2 minutes of standstill) and
– floor rollers, etc.
In addition, the Fellowes 79ci also shreds optical data carriers ( CDs/DVDs), paper clips,
staples, and plastic cards – these must be collected separately, otherwise, they end up in the paper waste and you can fish them out individually
Regarding 8. We mean – fully satisfied. You get a lot of value for the price you pay.
As announced, a note on points 4, 5, and 6:
The collection container (according to Fellowes, 23-liter capacity) may be sufficient for everyday office use with a few sheets a day. It is clearly too small for a “destruction campaign”, such as destroying around one or two folders full of invoices or documents that are no longer required. In a “stress test” we were never able to reach the maximum of 20 minutes of non-stop continuous operation as the limit for thermal shutdown (see point 4) , because you then have to go to the waste paper container to empty the collection container.
We have therefore refrained from further stressing the shredder, because in practice the level warning flashes and the Fellowes powershred 79ci stops. You could now “quickly” pull out the collection container, remove the plastic bag, insert a new bag and continue straight away, but this test procedure in no way corresponds to daily use and that is what we are primarily concerned with.
TIP:
If you don’t feel like going to the container – you can lengthen the emptying intervals a little by opening the collecting container and boldly pressing down the intersection point with the flat of your hand. As a result, the “airy paper balloon” is compressed a little more. And there is a little more space for more paper.
Let’s get to the hard practical test – attached is the test protocol with the shredder performance (we start with a completely empty collection container:
1st Pass – 115 pages – Level Warning – open and depress
2nd Pass – 55 pages – Level Warning – open and depress
3rd Pass – 45 pages – Level Warning – open and depress
4th Pass – 35 pages – Level Warning – open and depress
We, therefore, recommend breaking off after the fourth pass at the latest, i.e. approx. 250 sheets, in order to empty the collection container. I have carried out the above values with counted stacks of paper in order to be able to give you specific values.
And that’s where we have come to the maintenance of the device – Fellowes recommends an oil passage after each emptying of the collecting container and that is also understandable and correct with the Fellowes powershred 79ci due to the high performance of 16 sheets. Fellowes recommends using “only a non-aerosol vegetable oil in long nozzle containers”. Other manufacturers write that you only have to use their oil, otherwise, there will be warranty problems – which we think is very fair.
The end:
The oil is dripped along the paper feed slot and then hold on the start button for 2-3 seconds – done. We have also had good experiences by simply dripping the oil onto a piece of paper and then running it through the shredder. Occasionally the sensors have to be cleaned of paper dust – a cotton swab or kitchen paper is sufficient for this. If you “miss” this measure, it can happen that the paper sensor “spins”. But that was all about device maintenance.
Criticism:
It would have been ideal if the Fellowes powershred 79ci had been built around 20-30 cm higher, which would enable much more comfortable operation, i.e. the emptying intervals would be even less frequent – the disadvantage would be – the device would then be so high that it would not be able to be placed under a desk fits more and needs its own place and also falls over more easily. There is another reason to “complain” about the bags supplied for the collection container. The bag is made of polyethylene and can therefore be recycled, but it must not be put in a waste paper container.
From a practical point of view, I do not remove the filled polyethylene sack from the collection container, then empty the sack in the waste paper and then dispose of the PE sack in the plastic container. We would have liked to see matching paper bags here, but unfortunately, you can’t have everything. I hope you enjoyed reading it despite the length and that we were able to give you a few helpful tips for your purchase decision.
Our verdict on the Fellowes powershred 79ci paper shredder: Highly recommended
