Dahle 50564 Oil-Free Paper Shredder w/Jam Protection, SmartPower, German Engineered, 22 Sheet Max, Security Level P-4, 5+ Users

The Dahle 50564 is an oil-free P-4 department shredder built around a 16-inch feed opening, so tabloid, ledger and folded large-format sheets go in flat. It takes 22 sheets of 20 lb paper per pass into a 45-gallon bin and destroys CDs and DVDs at O-3. It is aimed at departments of five or more whose confidential waste is not all letter size.

Dahle 50564 in short

• 16-inch feed opening for wide and oversized paper
• 45-gallon bin on a lockable-caster cabinet
• 22 sheets per pass on 20 lb bond (24 on 16 lb)
• P-4 paper, O-3 optical media
• Oil-free cutting head, 20 ft/min
• 54 dB rating; 2-year warranty with lifetime cylinder cover

What the 16-inch opening changes

Folding wide paper before shredding is slow, and every fold doubles the thickness the cutters have to pull, which is a common cause of jams on narrower machines. The 50564 accepts sheets up to 16 inches across without folding, so architecture and engineering drawings, ledger-format records and print-room proofs can be destroyed as they are. Remember that the 22-sheet rating refers to letter paper; wider sheets should go in smaller handfuls.

To keep a wide cylinder set turning under uneven loads, Dahle uses a chain-driven motor, and Trident Grip jam protection keeps three points of contact on the paper so a stack that enters off-square is still pulled straight.

Running costs and siting for the 50564

The cylinders are oil-free, so the only recurring cost is Dahle 20726 bags for the 45-gallon bin, sold in boxes of 100 and not included. An automatic stop prevents the bin from being overfilled.

This is a large cabinet: 20 in deep, 29 in wide and 38 in tall, weighing 155 lb. Allow space in front for the bin drawer, and enough room above the feed to present a full-width sheet. It runs on 115 V / 60 Hz power. At 54 dB it is better placed in a copy room or corridor than right beside desks.

Dahle 50564 specifications

Comparing the 50564 with nearby models

• Dahle 50514: 26 sheets per pass and a 38-gallon bin through a 12-inch throat. More productive if your paper is all letter or legal.
• DAHLE CleanTEC 51564: the same 16-inch throat, 45-gallon bin and 22-sheet pass, plus dust filtration and a 52 dB rating.
• Dahle 20396: a high-capacity P-4 machine with a 16-inch throat, 38 sheets per pass and a 50-gallon bin.

Is the 50564 the right choice?

Choose it if a meaningful share of what you destroy is wider than letter size and P-4 meets your policy. If everything is letter or legal, the 50514 gives you four more sheets per pass in a smaller, lighter cabinet. If airborne paper dust is a concern, the CleanTEC 51564 offers the same width with a filter. If you need P-5 or finer, look beyond the oil-free department line.