HSM shredstar X8 3/16 x 1 1/8 inch with separate CD cutting unit - HSM1044w

The HSM shredstar X8 is the middle of the three machines HSM builds on its small 13.58 x 9.65 x 15.16 inch shredstar chassis, and the one most people should look at first. It cuts P-4 particles at 3/16 x 1 1/8 inch, takes 8 sheets of 80 g/m2 paper in a pass, and drives that with a 250 W motor — double the power of the 5-sheet X5 in exactly the same body, with exactly the same 4.8 gallon bin. What you are buying over the X5 is motor, not security.

Key Features

• 250 W motor in a compact body. The most powerful motor HSM fits to the small shredstar chassis, and the reason the X8 holds an 8-sheet rating where the physically identical X5 manages 5.
• P-4 particle cut, 4.5 x 30 mm. 135 square millimetres per particle against the DIN 66399 P-4 ceiling of 160. Suitable where a written policy sets P-4 as the minimum for personal data.
• Separate CD cutting unit. Discs and plastic cards use their own slot, their own cutter and their own collection container. Paper waste stays clean, and the paper cutting head is never asked to bite polycarbonate.
• Staples and clips accepted. HSM lists staples and paper clips as shreddable, so routine paperwork does not need preparing.
• Automatic reverse and light-barrier start. Feeding paper starts the motor; overfeeding reverses the stack back out instead of stalling.
• 4.8 gallon bin, approximately 225 sheets. Removable housing top for emptying, plus an inspection window that shows the fill level and an automatic stop when the bin is full.

Specifications

Specifications taken from HSM's published technical data for article number 1044123. HSM does not publish warranty terms on the datasheet for this article, so no warranty figure is stated here.

What's in the Box

HSM does not publish a packing list for this article. The datasheet confirms the cutting head with its integrated separate CD cutting unit, the 4.8 gallon waste container and the inspection window. Shredder bags and lubricant sheets are not listed in the scope of delivery.

Who Should Buy This — and Who Should Not

Buy the X8 if you are a single user or a two-person office, you shred small batches several times a week, and you want P-4 without stepping up to a floor-standing machine. Eight sheets covers a stapled report; 13.01 lb and a 15 inch height mean it fits under a desk or on a credenza.

Do not buy it if you want a bigger bin. The 4.8 gallon container is the smallest in the shredstar range and holds around 225 sheets. The shredstar X10 gives you the same P-4 cut and the same 8.66 inch throat in a taller body with a 5.3 gallon bin and a 250-sheet rating at 10 sheets a pass; the office-chassis shredstar X12 takes it to 6.1 gallons and 290 sheets.

Do not buy it if your requirement is P-5. The X8's 4.5 x 30 mm particles are P-4 and cannot be made smaller. The shredstar X6pro is the P-5 machine in this size class, at 1/16 x 5/8 inch and 6 sheets. And if several people will share the shredder daily, none of the small-chassis machines are the right answer — move up to the office chassis, where the X17 and X20 have castors and roughly 325-sheet bins.