Dahle PowerTEC 828 HD Hard Drive/Paper Shredder

The Dahle PowerTEC 828 HD is a two-in-one industrial shredder: one feed cuts 2.5 in and 3.5 in hard drives into 40 x 40-90 mm fragments at DIN H-4, while a second, 11.8 in feed handles paper at up to 100 sheets a pass, rated P-3 by Dahle. It runs on a 4.5 HP chain-driven motor and a 220 V three-phase supply. It is built for IT asset disposal operations and records centers that destroy drives and paper in the same room.

PowerTEC 828 HD at a glance

• Hard drives cut apart at H-4, not bent: 40 x 40-90 mm pieces
• Paper: 100 sheets of #20 bond or 110 of #16 bond per pass, 5 x 70 mm cross cut
• Separate roll-out bins: 31 gallons for paper, 26 gallons for media
• Also lists CDs and DVDs among accepted materials
• Automatic EvenFlow Lubricator oils the cutters
• Heavy plant: 1,257 lb, 220 V three-phase

Two separate destruction lines in one cabinet

The 828 HD keeps its two waste streams apart from the moment they enter. Drives go through a 4.7 in feed and land in the 26-gallon media bin; paper goes through the 11.8 in throat into the 31-gallon bin. That separation simplifies recycling, since shredded paper and metal e-waste usually go to different processors. Because the drive head genuinely shreds, the platters end up physically separated rather than deformed, which is a different result from a punch-style machine. Chain drive, automatic jam protection, thermal protection and a self-cleaning cycle are all part of the package, and the automatic lubricator keeps oil reaching cutters that have to deal with metal drive housings as well as paper.

A note on the paper rating

Dahle publishes P-3 for the paper side. Strictly, a 5 x 70 mm particle works out at 350 mm2, a little above the 320 mm2 that DIN 66399 allows at P-3. We show the manufacturer's rating, but if your policy demands documented P-3 conformance, ask Dahle for test records before ordering. Either way, this is a commercial-confidential paper cut, not a high security one.

Planning the installation

Treat the 828 HD as a building project as much as a purchase. Before delivery you need a 220 V three-phase circuit in place, a route and floor able to carry 1,257 lb, a dock or liftgate, and space in front of both feeds plus room to wheel out two bins. Bags are not included. Oil for the lubricator and wear on the cutting cylinders are the ongoing costs to budget for.

PowerTEC 828 HD specifications

How the 828 HD compares with nearby PowerTEC models

• PowerTEC 818 HD: drives only, by punching to H-3 rather than shredding. It is NSA/CSS listed as a deformer, runs on 115 V and weighs 154 lb.
• PowerTEC 909 HS: paper only, at the same P-3 rating with 4 x 50 mm particles, 85 sheets per pass and a 17.5 in throat.

Is the 828 HD the right machine?

Choose it if you clear drives and paper together, already have or can install three-phase power, and want to keep destruction in-house instead of shipping media to a service. Look elsewhere if you only handle one of the two streams, if your drives must be destroyed with an NSA-listed device (we found no EPL entry for this model), or if paper must be shredded to P-4 or finer.