KOBRA 240.1 C4

For most offices the KOBRA 240.1 C4 is the model in this family that actually fits the job. It cuts a 3.5 x 30 mm cross-cut particle rated P-4 — the level most privacy policies and data protection guidance settle on for personal data — and it does it at up to 17 sheets per pass, which is half as much again as the P-5 KOBRA 240.1 C2. It is also the only cross-cut model on this chassis with an optical media rating, so CDs and DVDs can go in the same throat as the paper. The automatic oiler is built in.

Key Features

• P-4 cross cut at a workable capacity. 3.5 x 30 mm particles, rated P-4 O-3 T-4 E-3 F-1 under ISO/IEC 21964 (DIN 66399); 105 mm², inside the 160 mm² P-4 limit. Up to 17 sheets per pass at 17 ft/min.
• CDs, DVDs, cards and film. The O-3 rating covers optical media, so discs do not need a separate destroyer. Credit cards, smart cards and film are also within rating.
• Built-in automatic oiling system. Cross-cut heads need lubrication to hold their rated capacity. The C4 handles it automatically instead of relying on someone remembering an oil sheet.
• Automatic reverse system. Detects a jam and reverses the head without operator intervention, which on a shared machine prevents most clearance call-outs.
• Energy Smart System. Standby engages eight seconds after the machine stops. On a departmental shredder that idles for most of the working day, that is where the running cost goes.
• 10.5 gallon cabinet on casters. Larger bin than the KOBRA 240 chassis and mobile, with a safety stop that halts the head at an open door or a full bin.
• Continuous duty motor and metal gear drive. 4/5 HP rated for 24 hour operation with no duty cycle, driven through a heavy duty chain drive with metal gears, and carbon hardened knives unaffected by staples and clips.

Specifications

What's in the Box

Delivered assembled — cutting head, cabinet on casters, 10.5 gallon waste bin — with power cord and manual, and with the automatic oiling system fitted. KOBRA does not list shredder bags or a spare oil bottle among the packed contents, so order those separately if you want stock on hand.

Who Should Buy This — and Who Should Not

This is the default recommendation for a department handling personal data: HR, finance, medical practices, law firms, schools. P-4 satisfies most written policies, 17 sheets is enough for real work, the oiler removes the maintenance excuse and the disc rating means one machine covers documents and old media.

Step up to the KOBRA 240.1 C2 if a contract or regulator specifically names P-5. You will give up the optical media rating and drop to 12 sheets a pass, so make sure the requirement is real before paying for it. Step further to the KOBRA 240 HS for P-6, at five or six sheets a pass.

Step down to the KOBRA 240.1 S4 or S5 if you are honestly only shredding general office paper. They are strip cut at P-2, need no oil at all, and take 26 and 31 sheets respectively. Paying for a cross-cut head to destroy meeting agendas is money spent on the wrong problem. Also note the C4 will not take hard drives; no shredder in the 240 range will.