5 Best Paper Shredders of 2026

The records you accumulate can contain sensitive data, such as your Social Security number, credit card and bank account details, and private medical information. Simply discarding them may leave you vulnerable to identity theft and fraud.

But a high-quality paper shredder will speedily cut through those stacks of paper, turning them into illegible strips or confetti-like particles that no one can piece together. If you want to be even more selective, look for a model that doesn’t take up too much space and works quietly enough to avoid waking everyone in the house.

We put 19 popular paper shredders to the test in Consumer Reports’ independent labs, feeding paper into models by brands such as Fellowes and Wolverine to determine which have the power and features needed to shred the most paper in the most secure way.