HSM SECURIO AF500 3/16 x 1 1/8 AutoFeed Cross Cut Document Shredder - HSM2103

The HSM SECURIO AF500 in the 3/16" x 1 1/8" cutting size is the only model in the AF500 range that is rated to destroy optical media as well as paper, which makes it the practical choice for an office that has a drawer of old CDs and expired ID cards to get rid of alongside its filing. You load a stack of up to 500 sheets into the automatic feed tray, close the Lock-and-Go lid and walk away; the machine works through the pile on its own. Its DIN 66399 P-4 rating suits ordinary commercial confidential material - invoices, HR paperwork, client correspondence - rather than regulated high-security records. At 14-16 sheets per pass it is also the fastest of the three AF500 cutting heads, so hand-fed jobs move quickly through the 9.45" manual slot.

Key Features

• 500-sheet automatic feed – Load the tray, close the lid and leave it. The AF500 processes the stack unattended, which is what removes shredding from someone's afternoon.
• Lock-and-Go tray – The feed magazine locks, so a stack of confidential paper can sit in the machine unattended without being readable by whoever walks past.
• Manual slot works during autofeed – You can hand-feed a folder through the 9.45" slot while the stack is still being processed - no waiting for the tray to finish.
• Rated for CDs, DVDs and cards – Uniquely in the AF500 line-up this cutting head carries O-3 and T-4 media ratings alongside P-4.
• 21.7-gallon cardboard box insert – The largest bin in this comparison group by a wide margin, so emptying is an occasional job rather than a daily one.
• EcoSmart standby of 0.1 W – The control programme powers the machine down when idle instead of leaving the motor circuit live.

Specifications

Specifications are taken from HSM's datasheet for article 2103111, the EU-market equivalent of US part 2103113. Sheet capacities are quoted at 80 g/m²; HSM's range brochure quotes higher figures measured at 70 g/m².

What's in the Box

The AF500 arrives as a floor-standing cabinet with the automatic feed tray fitted. HSM specifies a cardboard box insert (the AF500/B32 consumable) as the collection liner for this chassis rather than a plastic bag, and liners are a separate order. Cutting-block oil is listed by HSM as an accessory, not as an included item - budget for a bottle if the machine will run daily.

Who Should Buy This — and Who Should Not

Buy this model if your shredding is high-volume but ordinary in sensitivity, and if you need one machine that also swallows optical discs and plastic cards. A department that clears out banker's boxes a few times a quarter will get more done with the 14-16 sheet, P-4 head than with any finer cut.

Do not buy it if a policy or contract specifies P-5 or better. P-4 particles are 135 mm² - legitimate for general commercial confidential material and for a great deal of routine personal data, but not for records your compliance team has classified as high risk. In that case the SECURIO AF500 in 1/16" x 5/8" (P-5) is the same cabinet, same tray and same footprint with a finer head, at the cost of dropping to 9-11 sheets per pass and losing the CD/DVD rating. If you need P-6, the 1/32" x 7/16" AF500 exists but takes only six sheets at a time and shreds paper alone.