Ativa Diamond-Cut Shredder: Takes What I Give it and Likes It!

Let's see now, how many shredders have I broken over the years? I'll say two, both Fellowes brands. Yes, it's probably my own fault for overworking them.

But when I replaced my most recent Fellowes confetti-cut shredder recently, I wasn't too sad. I know I probably overfed it, but it jammed quite a bit and sometimes sounded like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It probably disturbed people in other offices near me.

Why Ativa? Price and Convenience

When I shopped online for a new office space heater, whose review is handy right here: http://www.epinions.com/content_203290087044 I also bought a shredder to get Office Depot's free delivery on orders over $50.

The Ativa 8-sheet diamond cut shredder appealed to me because the price was attractive at under $60, the capacity was better than I'd had before, and it promised to destroy those pesky credit cards that you never asked for but get in the mail almost weekly.

I wasn't sure of the size or appearance when I ordered it because the picture wasn't that clear, but I was pleased when it arrives. It has an attractive pewter colored top on a heavy black wire basket.

The downside of that is if seeing what you have shredded bothers you, you may not care for the design. The upside is that you can see how full your shredder is.

My old Fellowes shredder had an opaque basket, so sometimes my shredding would be interrupted because the basket was full, but I didn't notice.

Another aspect of this product that appeals to me is that it's lightweight when emptying the shreds into a larger waste container. The top of the shredder doesn't have bits of hanging paper to fall out and mess up your floor, and that's unique to other products I've owned,

Features, Bells and Whistles

Here are the unit's specifications, taken from the Office Depot website:

number of sheets per pass - 8
throat width - 8 9/16 inches
cut style - cross
shred size - 5/16" x 1 15/16"
accepts paper clips/staples credit cards; staples
overload protection - yes
integrated waste receptacle yes
waste receptacle capacity 3 3/5 gallons
manual reverse - yes
automatic start/stop - yes
maximum shred speed - 9 fpm
full-bag indicator - no
height - 15 1/4 inches
width - 12 inches
depth - 7 3/4 inches
warranty - 5-Year Limited
brand name Ativa
manufacturer Office Depot
model name DQ80M

This is the first shredder I've owned that has a green indicator light on top to show that the unit is ready for use. The operation controls have three settings: REV, ON and AUTO. You can leave it on AUTO all the time. The REV button is to help you out of paper jams, but I haven't had to use it yet.

If you run your shredder too long, the motor automatically shuts off, and the manual recommends that you leave it off for 10 minutes before resuming.

I have run at least five or six sheets through in one pass, and all that does is slow this unit down a bit. The diamond cut strips are as sharp as those I do in just one pass. The fewer sheets you feed, the faster the unit operates.

This Ativa shredder is not very noisy. If you're using it at home, you can probably do so without waking up the baby, your spouse or partner. It's an ideal size for home or small office use.