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Rexel momentum x308 paper shredder review
First impression:
Rexel Momentum X308 Paper Shredder: This time we have the Rexel X308 Momentum – if you look around on the internet, this is the cheapest Rexel brand paper shredder that (barely) cuts particles (cheaper is only the strip cut model S206).
In such a low-price segment, you can’t really expect much. From our test experience, these are devices with which you should process a maximum of half the specified maximum capacity. But let’s see if that’s true. It could be a diamond for the price of a pebble – (watch out for humor! ;o) The first acoustic impression – on paper may be sufficient: tolerable 72 dB, cheap (under 50 € – class), safety class P-3 and for them Target group (home office / small office) sufficiently strong (8 pages maximum / 3 minutes continuous load / 60 min break). Let’s test whether the first impression is correct.
The X308 device from Rexel, which is a mid-range device in the security class with a good security level (P-3) that is just about sufficient for normal use – higher demands can be met with the X406, which is almost 5-10 euros more expensive. Especially absolutely necessary in sensitive areas, such as in medical practices or in the notary’s office. Because under certain circumstances small parts of a document are still legible. But for everyday bills, this security class is sufficient. However, we recommend security class P-3 (particle size approx. 5 x 42 mm) and cross-cut as the absolute lower limit – if you have nosy neighbors or the like, then rather P-4 (particles are then 4 x 28 mm).
With its anthracite design, the X308 Momentum easily fits into any “usual” office landscape. A place under the desk is of course not a problem given the low height of just over 34 cm. Because the Rexel X308 is very compact and light (approx. 32 x 34 x 22 cm with a weight of 3.5 kg) – and with a very small collection container of 15 liters for around 125 shredded leaves, it fits well and unobtrusively under everyone Writing desk.
The particle cut produces a white mountain of paper particles, which occasionally have to be pushed around, otherwise, the paper will jam up into the slot and block. Unfortunately, you can’t see the fill level well because the viewing window is very small. If the collection container is full, you have to lift the cutting head to empty it, with snippets falling by the wayside again and again. Unfortunately, there is no practical container drawer in this price range.
Next to the paper slot are the (minimum) functions of each shredder as a slide switch “R” (reverse), “ON” and start (via light barrier), “►” (forward) next to the overheating LED – located behind the slot the rocker switch for on/off. The automatic stop the shredding automatically when there is no more new paper, overheated, overloaded, or the waste paper basket has been removed. The “R” (Rewind) button helps clear most paper jams.
The operating noise is unfortunately absolutely “normal” in this price range of document shredders, at 71 dB when idling. This corresponds to a normal conversation volume in the immediate vicinity. The reason for the noise is first of all that the motor is too weak, which has to compensate for the low cutting power with a higher number of revolutions – and so the noise jumps to 73 dB when it comes into contact with the paper. By far the majority of buyers of document shredders complain about the processing noise of their devices – the Rexel X308 Momentum is in the upper level in terms of processing noise and is unfortunately no better than the majority of document shredders in this price range.
How and what did we test?
We tested the Rexel X308 Momentum with (according to the instructions) a maximum of 8 sheets (80 g / sqm) per
pass. So we counted 8 sheets and threw them in – by the way, we always had staples and
paperclips with us – but they weren’t a problem.
The device starts with 70 dB when idling and “accelerates” to 73 dB before the paper is cut up
. After (hand-stopped) 14 seconds, the X308 stops cutting.
According to the supplementary sheet, a maximum of 8 sheets (80 g / qm quality) should be processed per pass – and thus determine the maximum possible amount of paper – but they make the stack more badly than right. We suggest using a smaller amount of paper, otherwise, the processing speed will drop sharply and the motor will heat up quickly. Continuous operation of just over 3 minutes is also possible here. The cooling pause is then 57 minutes, which corresponds to the manufacturer’s information of 60 minutes.
We “tortured” the Rexel Momentum X308 several times with the maximum paper load. As a result, after the second run, the quality of the particles deteriorated significantly and more strips (or connected snippets) were produced instead of individual snippets. However, we assume that this is an isolated case and does not apply to all devices. Nevertheless – document shredders for €50 can be enough – but sometimes not. We sent the device back after the test and did not test any other X308.
The quickest and most “reliable” way (see above) is to work through the mountains of paper by avoiding the maximum load – otherwise, there is a waiting time of around 60 minutes for the device to cool down. With the Rexel X308, we have measured the best, i.e. fastest, processing volume without waiting breaks with a paper volume of 2-4 sheets – it takes around 10 seconds per pass and the paper throughput can be almost doubled. Commercial staples and paper clips (no large ones!) are allowed by the manufacturer, and these were also problem-free in our test. However, the manufacturer Rexel also excludes many media from processing: newspapers, foils, laminated documents, (adhesive) labels, plastic foils and CDs/DVDs/credit cards.
What we liked:
(+) tolerably quiet – corresponding to the price range. (Starting with 71 dB -> maximum 73 dB)
(+) price-performance ratio okay with low utilization.
(+) adequate security level P-3 for the home office / small office
What we didn’t like:
(-) Filling level difficult to see because of the small viewing window
(-) only a short maximum load runtime of 3 minutes, then a long break of around 60 minutes, but sufficient for private use in the home office or small office.
Conclusion:
The Rexel X308 Momentum is a “bread-and-butter” shredder, with no special features, i.e. no particular strengths and some weaknesses. However, if you operate it with a low load (maximum 4 sheets per pass), it does its job quite well. However, if you operate the device for a longer period of time at the maximum limit of 8 pages per pass, it happens (irregularly) that the paper is no longer cut cleanly, but instead produces coherent stripes . This behavior never occurred with a workload of a maximum of 4 sheets per pass. As long as you don’t work at the maximum load limit, we can recommend the Rexel X308 for a home office or small office – with a good price/performance ratio. If you want to do a little more for your data security, buy the almost 5-10 euros more expensive momentum X406 with security level P-4 . If you want to process CDs/DVDs/credit cards, you have to use sturdy scissors.
… and was there anything else?
… the manufacturer Rexel strongly recommends using oiled paper regularly and not spraying oil directly into the paper slot. Rexel recommends a regular “oil cure” – with “original” Rexel oil paper. This is important to maintain consistent volume and cutting performance. The Rexel oil paper is run through once after the container has been emptied – that’s it.
