Before you specify
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I legitimately shred on a P-1 machine?
Material whose disclosure would cost you nothing: superseded price lists, duplicate print runs, expired marketing collateral, internal meeting agendas without names. DIN 66399 describes P-1 as suitable for general internal documents. Anything with a person's name, an account number, a salary, a diagnosis or a signature belongs on a P-4 machine or better. The +1 CC4 in the same cabinet is the direct upgrade.
How does 25-27 sheets compare in real use?
It means most people never split a stack. A standard 1/4 in thick file is about 25 sheets, so it goes in one pass rather than three on a cross-cut machine. Note the figure is quoted at 70 g/m2 paper; at 80 g/m2 Kobra rates it 22-24, and heavier US card stock will bring it down further. Feeding beyond the rating triggers the auto-reverse rather than jamming.
Will the bin last longer because the strips are wide?
No - the opposite. Wide 7.5 mm strips trap air and pile loosely, so the 38.5-litre bin fills in fewer sheets than it would with cross-cut waste even though the volume is the same. Expect to empty it more often per sheet shredded than on the CC4. The transparent front window is genuinely useful on this model for that reason.
Can it handle a whole filing cabinet clear-out?
It can run continuously - Kobra rates the motor for 24-hour duty with thermal protection and no fixed duty cycle - so the machine is not the limit. The bin is. At 38.5 litres you will be emptying every few minutes during a serious purge. For a project of that size a 35-litre 240-series machine with a chain drive, or an off-site shredding service, will finish faster.
Does the auto-reverse handle overfeeding, or will it jam solid?
The +1 SS7 reverses automatically when the cutting head meets more than it can pull, which on a 7.5 mm strip cutter is rare. In normal use an over-thick stack backs out in a second or two and you split it. A genuine hard jam usually means something non-paper went in - a bulldog clip, a ring binder spine or a wad of adhesive labels. The safety stop also cuts power the moment the bin is withdrawn.
Is it quieter than the cross-cut models?
Marginally, and only in feel. Kobra rates the whole +1 range at 55 dB(A). The SS7 sounds smoother because a single-cut head has less to do per sheet, but the published figure is the same as the SS4 and CC4. All three are quiet enough to sit beside a desk in an open-plan office.
Does it shred credit cards?
Yes - Kobra lists credit cards and chip cards among the shreddable materials, along with CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs, all through the same 230 mm throat. Be aware that at 7.5 mm the chip on a card may survive intact as a fragment. If card and chip destruction is a real requirement rather than an occasional convenience, the Kobra 240 SC is purpose-built for it.