Kobra 240 HS

The KOBRA 240 HS is the high security model in the KOBRA 240 range, and the only one that reaches P-6. It reduces a sheet of paper to particles of 0.8 x 9.5 mm — about 7.6 mm² each — which is the level most organisations specify for personnel files, R&D material, legal discovery and anything covered by an internal classification scheme. The chassis, the 9.5 inch throat and the 9.5 gallon bin are shared with the strip-cut 240 models. What is different is the price you pay in throughput: five to six sheets per pass instead of twenty-six. Buy it for the particle size, not for the volume.

Key Features

• A genuine P-6 particle, not a marketing claim. KOBRA rates the 240 HS P-6 T-6 F-3 under ISO/IEC 21964 (DIN 66399). The 0.8 x 9.5 mm cut clears the P-6 ceiling of 10 mm² and the 1 mm maximum particle width. KOBRA's own literature calls this a "crypto cut".
• Continuous duty motor. The datasheet specifies 24 hour continuous duty operation with no cool-down interval, plus motor thermal protection. On a high security machine this matters more than usual, because at five sheets per pass a 500-sheet job is a hundred passes.
• Automatic start and stop. Electronic eyes start the cutting head when paper enters the throat and stop it a few seconds after the throat clears, so the machine is not left spinning between users.
• Energy Smart standby. Illuminated indicators show the machine's state and drop it into a power-saving standby mode when idle.
• Safety stop on bin removal. Pulling the waste bin out cuts power to the cutting head.
• Chain drive with metal gears. KOBRA uses a heavy duty chain drive with metal gears across the 240 series rather than a moulded gear train.
• Cards and film as well as paper. The T-6 and F-3 ratings cover credit cards, smart cards and film at high security levels, so ID badges and microfiche can go through the same machine.

Specifications

What's in the Box

KOBRA does not itemise packed contents on the 240 HS datasheet. The machine ships as one unit — cutting head and cabinet with the waste bin already fitted — with its power cord and manual. Shredder bags are not included. KOBRA's 240-series literature states the machine does not require plastic bags; the bin is designed to be lifted out and tipped. If your waste contractor requires bagged material you will need to source liners separately.

Who Should Buy This — and Who Should Not

Buy the 240 HS if a specific policy or contract names P-6, or if you handle material where a 4.5 x 30 mm cross-cut particle is not defensible. It is a genuine high security machine in a desk-side footprint, and at 42 lb it can be moved between rooms by one person.

Do not buy it as a general office shredder. Five to six sheets per pass at 20 lb paper is slow, and a department that shreds a few hundred sheets a day will resent it. If you want cross-cut security with real throughput, the KOBRA 240.1 C4 takes up to 17 sheets at P-4. If you need micro-cut but can accept P-5, the KOBRA 240.1 C2 takes up to 12 sheets at 1.9 x 15 mm and adds an automatic oiler.

It is also the wrong machine if you are shredding classified US government material. That requires an NSA/CSS 02-01 listed device with a maximum 1 x 5 mm particle; the 240 HS at 0.8 x 9.5 mm does not meet it. KOBRA's 240 HS-6, which cuts 0.8 x 5 mm, is the model to look at instead. Finally, the 240 HS is not rated for CDs, DVDs or optical media of any kind.