KOBRA 260 TS C2 AO

The KOBRA 260 TS C2 AO is the P-5 member of the Touch Screen Line: it cuts paper to 1.9 x 15 mm - about 28.5 mm2, comfortably inside the 30 mm2 ceiling for DIN 66399 P-5 - and it does it without asking anyone to oil the cutting head, because the automatic oiling system is built in. The feature that actually changes how people use it is the second cutting unit: a separate 123 mm slot with its own bin destroys CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray discs and chip cards without the plastic ever touching the paper knives.

Key Features

• P-5 micro cut at 1.9 x 15 mm - the level most privacy and financial-records policies specify, and two full DIN steps above the P-3 cross cut common in cheap office machines.
• Automatic oiling system, fitted as standard on this AO model. Under-oiling is the most common cause of premature cutter failure, and this removes it as a human task.
• Separate optical-media cutting unit with its own 4.8-inch throat and its own bin, so paper waste and plastic waste stay apart and both can be recycled properly.
• Touch-screen control panel showing bin status, jam state and operating mode instead of a row of indicator lights.
• 24-hour continuous-duty motor - the machine will not stop for a thermal cool-down partway through a purge.
• Energy-saving standby that engages after about eight seconds of inactivity.
• Quiet for its class at 54-55 dB(A), which is close to normal conversation and workable in an open-plan room.

Specifications

What's in the Box

The machine arrives assembled on its castored cabinet with both bins fitted - the large pull-out bin for paper and the smaller separate bin for optical media - and the automatic oiling system installed. Oil refills and disposable waste bags are consumables and are not included; the auto-oiler is only useful for as long as there is oil in it, so order a refill with the machine.

Who Should Buy This - and Who Should Not

Buy the 260 TS C2 AO for a team of roughly five to twenty people handling client records, HR files, medical or financial paperwork, where the policy says P-5 and where somebody also has a drawer of old backup discs to get rid of. The automatic oiler makes it a sensible choice for shared machines that nobody owns.

Do not buy it for volume. Ten to twelve sheets a pass at 80 gsm is modest, and if you are clearing boxes rather than day-to-day paper the 260 TS C4 AO takes 17-19 sheets at P-4 in the same cabinet for less money. If your bin is emptied more often than you would like, the 270 TS C2 AO gives the same P-5 cut with a 110-litre bin and a wider 310 mm throat. And if a policy names NSA/CSS 02-01 or classified material, P-5 does not qualify at any volume - the 260 TS HS-6 AO does.

Kobra publishes different limited warranty terms for standard office models and for high-security models, and the terms have changed between product generations. We confirm the exact warranty in writing on every quote rather than printing a figure here that may not match the unit you receive.