Before you specify
Frequently Asked Questions
Is P-4 good enough for GDPR or HIPAA-type material?
Neither regulation names a DIN class, so no shredder can be described as compliant by itself. What P-4 gives you is a documented, widely accepted standard for destroying personal data - 160 mm² maximum particle area - that auditors recognise. Many organisations set P-4 as their floor for personal data and P-5 for special-category or financial records. Check your own policy before assuming P-4 satisfies it.
How many sheets at once, and does paper weight matter?
Nine to eleven sheets of 80 g/m² paper, taken from HSM's datasheet for this article number. Paper weight matters a great deal: HSM's range brochure quotes higher figures because it measures at 70 g/m². US 20 lb copier paper is about 75 g/m², so 9-11 is the realistic figure. Heavy 24 lb or 28 lb stock will reduce it further.
Can it shred credit cards?
Yes, one at a time through the middle of the throat. The head is rated T-4 for magnetic-stripe media. Give the machine a second between cards rather than feeding several in a row, and do not push a card through alongside a stack of paper. Optical discs are a different class and this model is not rated for them.
How often does it need oiling?
More often than a strip-cut machine. A practical rule is to oil every time you empty the bin, or roughly every 30 minutes of accumulated running time under heavy use. Use HSM cutting-block special oil, run it across the full width of the intake, then let the machine run briefly. Skipping this is the single most common reason a cross-cut shredder starts jamming at six sheets when it used to manage ten.
How full does the bin get, and how quickly?
The bin is 8.7 gallons - 33 litres - and HSM rates it at roughly 435 sheets' worth of shredded material at this cutting size. Cross-cut particles settle more densely than strips, so this cut gets meaningfully more paper into the same bin than either strip-cut B22 does. The display tells you when it is full and the machine stops rather than compacting waste into the cutting head.
Will it take a stapled document without me pulling the staples?
Yes. HSM rates the cutting rollers for staples and paper clips and the rollers are induction-hardened solid steel. Remove heavy binder clips, spiral bindings and anything laminated. Sticky notes and plastic windows from envelopes are fine in small quantities but add to the dust that builds up between the cutting discs, so oil a little more often if you shred a lot of window envelopes.
What is the difference between this and the P-5 version of the B22?
Only the cutting head. Same 440 W motor, same 9.45-inch throat, same 8.7-gallon bin, same 375 x 310 x 600 mm cabinet, same lifetime roller warranty. This model cuts 3.9 x 30 mm at 9-11 sheets; the P-5 model cuts 1.9 x 15 mm at 7-9 sheets. If your policy does not require P-5, the extra two sheets per pass here is a real day-to-day benefit.