KOBRA 260 TS C4 AO

The KOBRA 260 TS C4 AO is a touch-screen cabinet shredder that cuts paper into 3.9 x 40 mm cross-cut particles, rated P-4 under DIN 66399, and lubricates its own cutting head through a factory-fitted automatic oiler. It takes 17-19 sheets of 80 gsm paper per pass into a 22-gallon bin. Buy it for a department that destroys a steady stream of client, HR or financial paperwork and wants the fastest P-4 machine on the 260 TS chassis.

260 TS C4 AO at a glance

• P-4 cross cut: 3.9 x 40 mm, or 156 mm² per particle
• 22-24 sheets at 70 gsm, 17-19 sheets at 80 gsm
• Automatic oiling system fitted as standard
• Second cutter with its own 4.8 in (123 mm) slot and bin for discs and cards
• 3/4 HP (500 W) motor rated for 24-hour running, 54-55 dB(A)

Where the C4 head sits on the P-4 scale

DIN 66399 allows a P-4 particle of up to 160 mm². The C4 head produces 156 mm², so it qualifies with very little to spare. That is deliberate: by cutting no finer than the class demands, the same 3/4 HP motor that manages 10-12 sheets on the P-5 version of this cabinet can push 17-19 sheets here. P-4 is the class most commercial privacy policies point to for personal and customer records. The full rating, including the disc cutter, is P-4 O-3 T-4 E-3 F-1. It is not a classified-material machine.

Why the auto oiler matters on a busy cross-cut head

Cross-cut knives lose sheet capacity when they run dry, and on a shared machine nobody owns the oil bottle. The AO build doses the head during use, so lubrication no longer depends on a person. What you still own is the reservoir: refills are not included, and an oiler with an empty tank does nothing. Order oil with the machine, and budget for 22-gallon bags as well, because coarse cross-cut waste takes up more room than micro-cut confetti.

The touch panel reports bin status, jams and operating mode. The motor reverses itself on a jam, the cutters stop if the door opens or the bin is full, and the machine drops into standby eight seconds after the last sheet.

Separate slot for CDs and cards

Optical discs, Blu-ray, credit cards and chip cards go through their own cutting unit with a 4.8 in (123 mm) opening and a dedicated bin. Keeping plastic out of the 10.25 in (260 mm) paper throat protects the paper knives and keeps the paper waste clean.

KOBRA 260 TS C4 AO specifications

260 TS C4 AO or another 260 TS?

• KOBRA 260 TS C2 AO: same cabinet and oiler with a 1.9 x 15 mm P-5 head; 10-12 sheets at 80 gsm.
• KOBRA 260 TS HS-6 AO: 0.8 x 5 mm P-7 for classified paper, at 3-4 sheets a pass.
• KOBRA 260 TS S4: 3.8 mm strip, 21-23 sheets at 80 gsm, but only P-2 and no oiler.
• KOBRA 270 TS C4 AO: the same P-4 cut with a 12.2 in throat and a 29-gallon bin, for tabloid sheets.

Good fit, poor fit

A good fit for an office where P-4 is the written standard, several people feed the machine every day, and nobody wants a lubrication schedule. A poor fit if your policy names P-5 or above, if you need 11 x 17 in sheets to go in flat (the 10.25 in throat will not take them), or if the paper is purely routine and a strip cutter would do.