Dahle PaperSAFE PS 240 Paper Shredder, Oil Free / Hassle Free, Jam Protection, Security Level P-4, 10 Sheet Max, Shreds Staples, Paper Clips & Credit Cards

The Dahle PaperSAFE PS 240 is the point in the range where the machine starts to handle discs. It matches the PS 140's ten-sheet, P-4 rating but adds an O-3 optical media rating and a seven-gallon bin in a larger cabinet — and it does it while keeping the oil-free cutting head that defines the PaperSAFE line.

Key Features

• Rated for CDs and DVDs. O-3 optical media destruction alongside P-4 for paper, which neither the PS 100 nor PS 140 offers.
• Oil-free cutting cylinders — no lubricant, no oil sheets, no maintenance routine.
• Finer particle than the small PaperSAFE models: 1/8" x 7/16" against 3/16" x 11/16", roughly 35 mm² against 84 mm², both within P-4.
• Seven-gallon pull-out bin, nearly double the four gallons of the PS 100 and PS 140. No bags required or supplied.
• Automatic jam protection with motor reversal on overfeed; thermally protected motor; automatic start and stop.
• Handles staples, paper clips and credit cards as well as paper and discs.
• 65 dB at 10 ft/min through an 8.75-inch feed opening.

Specifications

Sheet capacity is Dahle's figure for 8.5 x 11 in, 20 lb bond paper. The 1/8" x 7/16" particle is approximately 3.2 x 11.1 mm, about 35 mm² — inside DIN 66399's 160 mm² ceiling for P-4, though above the 30 mm² that P-5 would require, so this is a P-4 machine and should not be described as anything finer.

What's in the Box

The shredder with its seven-gallon bin, ready to plug in. No bags are included and none are needed — the bin is emptied directly. No oil is included and none is required. No dust filter is fitted; PaperSAFE models do not have one.

Feeding Discs and Cards Safely

The optical media rating is the reason most buyers choose the PS 240 over the smaller PaperSAFE models, and it comes with handling rules that are not obvious. A CD or DVD does not shear like paper; it fractures, and the fragments load the cutting cylinders unevenly. Feed discs one at a time, on their own, centred in the throat, and let the machine finish before the next one goes in. The same applies to credit cards, which are thicker than they look and often have an embedded chip or a raised number. Never bury either in a stack of paper on the assumption that the machine will cope — that is how cutting cylinders get chipped, and chipped cylinders are what warranty claims are usually about. Also worth stating plainly: the O-3 rating covers optical discs only. Hard drives, solid-state drives, USB sticks and magnetic tape are outside it, and no PaperSAFE model will destroy them safely or compliantly.

Who Should Buy This — and Who Should Not

The PS 240 fits a private office or a two-person practice with mixed disposal: paper most days, plus the occasional backup disc or expired credit card. The seven-gallon bin is the practical upgrade over the smaller PaperSAFE models — it turns emptying from a weekly chore into an occasional one — and the finer particle is a bonus at the same security class.

Do not buy it purely for throughput. Ten sheets a pass is the same as the much smaller PS 140, so if paper volume is your problem and discs are not, the PS 260 at twelve sheets or the PS 380 at fifteen are better value in the identical cabinet. Do not buy it for a whole department: at 19.8 lb and seven gallons this is a personal machine, and a shared floor needs a CleanTEC cabinet such as the 51464 or 51514. And if fine paper dust in occupied space is a concern, no PaperSAFE has a filter — that is exclusively a CleanTEC feature.