GBC AutoFeed Plus 300M Shredder

Sixty minutes of continuous run time is what makes the AutoFeed+ 300M different from everything below it in this range. The 100M, 150M and 230M are all rated at 20 or 30 minutes, which is enough for one hopper load; the 300M doubles that, and pairs it with a 300-sheet hopper. It is the model for people who shred in real sessions - clearing out a filing cabinet, closing a client matter, doing an annual records purge - rather than dealing with a day's paper.

Key Features

• 300-sheet auto-feed hopper. More than half a ream in one load, shredded without anyone standing at the machine.
• 60-minute run time - double the 230M's and triple the 100M's. This is the specification that lets you run consecutive loads rather than one and then a wait.
• P-5 micro-cut at 2 x 15 mm, 30 mm2 per particle, unchanged from the rest of the M-series. Capacity is what you are buying here, not extra security.
• 16-gallon bin, the same as the 230M, which is worth knowing: the 300M holds more paper per load but not more waste per empty.
• Eight-sheet manual feed slot, 9 inches wide.
• Staples, paper clips and credit cards all supported.
• 55 dB - the same quiet rating as the smaller models, which matters more on a machine intended to run for an hour.

Specifications

ACCO does not publish a basis weight for the auto-feed and manual-feed sheet figures, a shipping weight, or a motor wattage for this model, so those rows are omitted rather than estimated. Sheet ratings in this category are normally quoted on lighter paper than US 20 lb bond.

What's in the Box

Shredder with auto-feed hopper, 16-gallon pull-out bin and power cord. Shred bags are not included and no bag part number is published for this bin.

Setting It Up and Living With It

The 300M is the largest cabinet in this group at 17 by 19 inches and 29 inches tall, and it is designed to stand on the floor with clear access from the front. The bin is the part you will interact with most, so leave enough room to pull it fully out rather than tipping it.

Because the hopper is large and the bin is not proportionally larger, the practical rhythm on this model is: load, run, check the bin, reload. Flatten anything creased before it goes in - folded sheets read as doubles to the feed mechanism and are the usual cause of a stalled load - and press the waste down before deciding the bin needs emptying, since micro-cut particles settle slowly. Bin liners are the only consumable and are not included.

Who Should Buy This - and Who Should Not

Buy the 300M if you shred in sittings. A law firm closing files, an accountancy practice after tax season, a clinic running an annual records purge - these are hour-long jobs, and the 60-minute rating plus the 300-sheet hopper means you can start it and come back. At P-5 it also satisfies the stricter end of commercial destruction policies without moving to a commercial cabinet.

Do not buy it on hopper size alone. The bin is 16 gallons, exactly the same as the AutoFeed+ 230M, so the 300M fills its bin faster relative to its hopper - you will be emptying between loads, not after them. If your sessions are shorter, the 230M is the same security at less cost and a slightly smaller footprint. If they are shorter still, the 150M or 100M are the honest answers. And if the requirement is a machine several people use continuously through the working day, no AutoFeed+ model is rated for that; a continuous-duty commercial shredder such as the CX34-44 or CX40-59 is the correct category, at P-4 and P-3 respectively.