Before you specify
Frequently Asked Questions
How secure is a P-2 strip cut, really?
P-2 is the second-lowest level in DIN 66399 and is intended for internal documents where disclosure would be inconvenient rather than damaging. A 3.8 mm strip keeps whole lines of text intact along its length, so reconstruction is tedious but not impossible for a determined person with the full bin contents. Use it for drafts, internal notes and superseded printouts. Do not use it for personal data, financial records or anything covered by a retention and destruction policy.
What is the difference between the S4 and the S5?
Only the strip width and the resulting throughput. The S4 cuts 3.8 mm strips and takes 27 to 29 sheets at 70 g/m2; the S5 cuts 5.8 mm strips and takes 30 to 32. Everything else is identical: the same 500 W continuous-duty motor, the same 12.2 in throat, the same 29-gallon cabinet, the same 99 lb weight, the same touch panel. Both are rated P-2, so the S4 is the tidier cut and the S5 is the faster one.
Can it shred CDs and credit cards?
Yes. Kobra lists paper, credit cards, chip cards, CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray discs and floppy disks for this model, and optical media and cards pass through a separate dedicated cutting unit rather than the paper knives. That separation matters: it means shredding a stack of old discs does not blunt the head you rely on for paper. Feed discs one at a time, not in a stack.
Can it shred staples and paper clips?
Yes. Kobra specifies carbon-hardened steel cutting knives that are unaffected by staples and paper clips, so stapled bundles go in as they are. Binder clips, bulldog clips and ring-binder spines should be removed first: they are thick enough to obstruct the throat and are not what the knives are hardened against. Removing them also frees up throat width for paper, which is where your sheet capacity comes from.
How often will the 29-gallon bin need emptying?
More often than you might assume from the volume. Strip-cut waste is springy and does not settle the way cross-cut waste does, so a 110-litre cabinet fills with fewer destroyed sheets than the same cabinet on the cross-cut 270 TS C4 AO. For a busy department expect to empty it once or twice a week, and expect the last few inches of the bin to be air rather than paper unless someone presses the waste down.
Is the 270 TS S4 NSA approved?
No. NSA/CSS Specification 02-01 requires a particle no larger than 1 mm x 5 mm and the specific model has to appear on the NSA Evaluated Products List for Paper Shredders. The 270 TS S4 cuts at 3.8 mm strips and is rated P-2, so it does not meet either condition and must not be used to destroy classified national security information. Kobra's models that are on the current EPL include the 300 HS-6 and the 270 TS HS-6, both of which cut 0.8 x 5 mm.
Does it need shredder oil?
No routine oiling is required. The strip-cut models in this family run Kobra's oil-free arrangement, which is one of the practical advantages of strip cut over cross cut: there is no consumable to stock and no maintenance step for staff to skip. If the machine has been standing unused for a long period or has swallowed something sticky such as label backing, a light service by a technician is more appropriate than pouring oil into the throat.