MBM DSH0397O 4003 super micro-cut 1/32" x 3/16" (.8 x 5 mm)

This is the highest-security build of MBM's 4003 chassis: a super micro-cut that reduces a sheet to 0.8 x 5 mm particles - 4 mm² - and carries a DIN 66399 P-7 rating. Everything else about the machine is shared with its cross-cut siblings; what you are paying for, and what you are giving up throughput for, is the cutting head. Capacity drops to 8-9 sheets per pass and the machine becomes paper-only.

Key Features

• 0.8 x 5 mm super micro-cut, DIN 66399 P-7 - the highest paper security level the standard defines.
• Particle geometry meets the 1 mm x 5 mm dimensional criterion in NSA/CSS 02-01, though listing on the NSA Evaluated Products List is a separate matter you should verify (see FAQ).
• Same 16-inch feed opening as the rest of the 4003 range, so classified continuous forms and large formats still go in flat.
• SPS safety package with the electronically controlled transparent flap across the throat.
• EASY-SWITCH status indication and ECC+ Electronic Capacity Control - useful here, because 9 sheets is an easy limit to overshoot.
• ZERO ENERGY standby disconnects the machine from the supply after 15 minutes.
• Automatic reverse and power cut-off on overfeed; automatic stop when the bin is full.
• 44-gallon bin on castors, usable lined or unlined.

Specifications

MBM quotes sheet capacity at 70 gsm paper on its published spec sheet and prints an explicit caveat alongside it: "realistic throughputs can be as low as half that of the theoretical capacities quoted." US 20 lb bond is roughly 75 gsm and slightly heavier, so plan around the lower end of the range, not the headline number.

What's in the Box

The machine ships assembled on castors with its shred bin, the printed operating manual and the power cord. The bin is designed to be used with or without a liner, so disposable bags are not included - order MBM part #9000 410 (box of 50) if you want to bag the waste. Shredder oil is also sold separately.

Who Should Buy This - and Who Should Not

Buy it if a policy, a contract or a classification level names P-7, and the volume behind that requirement is modest - a legal practice's client files, an R&D group's drawings, an HR office, a clinic destroying identified records. Eight or nine sheets per pass is genuinely slow, but a 44-gallon bin behind a 4 mm² particle lasts a very long time, because the shred is dense.

Do not buy it as a general office shredder. If most of what you destroy is routine confidential paper, the P-4 cross-cut 4003 (DSH0396O) does four times the work per pass, keeps its lifetime shaft warranty, and still handles CDs. Note the warranty difference carefully: MBM warrants standard Destroyit cutting shafts for life, but super micro-cut shafts carry a one-year warranty only. Do not buy it if you need to destroy optical media, cards or fasteners - this variant is paper-only, and you will need a separate media destroyer. And if the P-7 requirement comes with real volume, look at the 4005 super micro-cut (DSH0503L), which lifts capacity to 10-12 sheets on a heavier chassis.