Before you specify
Frequently Asked Questions
How many sheets does the B34 take at P-5, and why more than the B24?
Thirteen to fifteen sheets of 80 g/m2 paper, against nine to eleven for the deskside B24 in the identical 1.9 x 15 mm cut. The difference comes from the motor and the cutting head: the B34 uses a 700 W drive where the B24 uses 610 W, with a wider 310 mm cutting assembly. If your bottleneck is people standing at a shredder feeding small stacks, that jump is the main thing you are paying for.
How long before the container needs emptying?
HSM measures the 26.4 gallon (100 litre) container at approximately 1,273 shredded sheets at this cut. A department of twenty people shredding ordinary confidential paper will typically empty it once a week. The machine shows a bin-full indication on the display and shuts off automatically, so it will not back material up into the cutting head. A large door opening makes emptying manageable despite the machine's 93 lb weight.
Can it shred CDs, DVDs or other optical media?
No. HSM rates this configuration for paper, staples, paper clips and credit cards, with no O rating for optical media. The micro-cut geometry that delivers P-5 cannot pass a rigid disc safely. If discs are part of your disposal stream, run them through a P-4 machine that carries an O-3 rating, such as the SECURIO B32 at 4.5 x 30 mm, or use a dedicated media destroyer.
Will tabloid or A3 paper feed without folding?
Yes. The intake is 12.2 in (310 mm) wide. Tabloid at 11 in and A3 at 297 mm both feed short-edge first with clearance. Letter, legal and A4 are straightforward. Only very wide plan sheets need folding, and for those the SECURIO B35 offers a 15.75 in throat. Remember that folding doubles the paper thickness and correspondingly halves your effective sheet capacity.
What bags fit the B34?
Two options. Disposable: HSM 34 gallon tear-resistant bags, part 3310000004, on a 100 count roll, shared with the Classic 125 and the SECURIO B26, B32 and AF500. Reusable: the blue nylon HSM shred bag 3NB210R03330, listed for the Classic 225 and the SECURIO B32 and B34 series. On a machine emptied weekly for years, the reusable bag is usually the cheaper choice.
Does the lifetime cutting roller warranty apply here?
Yes. HSM's lifetime warranty on solid steel cutting rollers covers SECURIO document shredders at security levels P-2 to P-5, and this model is P-5, so it sits inside that cover. The machine itself carries a three-year warranty. Worth noting for comparison: the P-6 models in the SECURIO range fall outside the lifetime roller cover, so stepping up a security level can mean stepping down in warranty.
Is this shredder NSA approved?
No. NSA/CSS Specification 02-01 requires a maximum particle of 1 mm x 5 mm together with listing on the NSA Evaluated Products List. This machine cuts 1.9 x 15 mm, above the limit on both dimensions, and it is not on the EPL. DIN P-5 is a commercial confidentiality classification and does not carry across to US government classified destruction requirements, whatever a listing elsewhere may imply.
Is it quiet enough to sit in an open-plan office?
HSM publishes approximately 56 dB(A) at idle and lists a quiet operating mode among the machine's features. Idle is not the figure you hear during a shred, and no manufacturer publishes a meaningful under-load number, so treat 56 dB(A) as a comparison point rather than a promise. In practice a B34 is usually sited in a copy room or a corridor bay rather than next to desks, mainly because of its footprint.