Dahle PaperSAFE PS 100 Paper Shredder, Oil Free / Hassle Free, Jam Protection, Security Level P-4, 5 Sheet Max, Shreds Staples, Paper Clips & Credit Cards

The Dahle PaperSAFE PS 100 is a compact, oil-free P-4 cross-cut shredder for one person, taking 5 sheets of 20 lb paper per pass into a 4-gallon bin. Its cutting cylinders run without lubricant and it also accepts staples, paper clips and credit cards, so there is nothing to buy or maintain after purchase. It suits a home office or a single desk that shreds a few pages at a time.

PaperSAFE PS 100 at a glance

• P-4 particles of 3/16 x 11/16 in, about 84 mm²
• 5 sheets per pass on 20 lb bond
• Oil-free cylinders, no bags and no filter to replace
• 4-gallon pull-out bin emptied straight into recycling
• Small footprint: 8.5 in wide, 13.75 in deep, 7.9 lb
• 1-year machine warranty, 5 years on the cutting cylinders

A confidential cut in a small machine

Many shredders at this size only strip-cut. The PS 100 cross-cuts to P-4 under DIN 66399, leaving pieces of roughly 4.8 x 17.5 mm, comfortably under the 160 mm² that level permits. That is enough for bank statements, tax papers, medical bills and client letters in a home business.

Overfeeding is the usual problem with small shredders, so Dahle adds automatic jam protection: when a stack is too thick, the motor reverses and pushes it back out. A thermally protected motor and automatic start and stop complete the package.

Knowing the PS 100's limits

Five sheets is a small pass: roughly a folded letter and its envelope. The bin holds 4 gallons, so clearing a backlog of mail will fill it in one sitting. The motor is designed for intermittent use, feeding documents as they arrive rather than working through boxes. At 70 dB it is the loudest PaperSAFE model, fine in a private room but intrusive in open-plan space.

It is also not rated for CDs or DVDs, and there is no dust filter on any PaperSAFE machine. On the positive side, the absence of oil, bags and filters means the purchase price is essentially the whole cost.

PaperSAFE PS 100 specifications

PS 100 or another PaperSAFE?

• PaperSAFE PS 140: identical cabinet, particle and bin, but 10 sheets per pass and a quieter 65 dB.
• PaperSAFE PS 240: a finer 1/8 x 7/16 in particle, a 7-gallon bin and an O-3 rating for CDs and DVDs, at 10 sheets.
• PaperSAFE PS 260 and PS 380: 12 and 15 sheets per pass in the larger 7-gallon cabinet at 60 dB.

Who should buy the PS 100

Buy it if you are one person shredding household or home-office paperwork a few pages at a time and want a machine you never have to service. Choose a different model if you shred daily in volume, share the machine with colleagues, need to destroy discs, or work in a quiet shared room where 70 dB would disturb others.