Strip cut shredders slice paper into long, straight shreds. While this does offer some degree of security, it's not too hard for someone to reassemble shredded documents, recovering the data.

More thorough types of paper shredder have made this variety all but obsolete.

Cross-cut or diamond cut shredders cut paper crossways, as well as lengthwise.

This results in much smaller chunks that would be too tricky to reassemble for all but the most determined of criminals.

If you want the gold standard of paper shredder, opt for a micro-cut shredder.

This masticates paper into tiny, confetti-like chips, making it virtually impossible to reassemble a document in any meaningful way.

Basic paper shredders deal with paper alone, but many mid-range and high-end home shredders can also tackle items such as credit cards and CDs.

Some of these use special attachments for dealing with plastics, and only cut them into thin strips. The best models will micro-cut or cross-cut them.

Luckily for anyone who has to shred a lot of paper in one go, shredders process more than one sheet of paper at a time. The amount of sheets a paper shredder can deal with is referred to as "sheets per pass."

Smaller models may only be able to take on two to four sheets per pass, whereas more hardcore models can tackle 20 or more sheets per pass.

All shredders have a run time or "duty cycle." This is how long the machine can operate continuously before switching off to cool down.

Smaller models designed for light home use may have duty cycles as short as two minutes, whereas units made for heavy-duty use may have duty cycles of 40 minutes or more.

As mentioned above, paper shredders need to cool down after each duty cycle. This probably isn't a big issue for home use (unless you like to save up items for shredding and tackle a large pile in one go), but for office use, a long cool down time can be prohibitive.

Most paper shredders have cool down periods between 20 and 40 minutes.

Shredding speed is generally measured in feet per minute (FPM).

A home shredder can tackle between 5 and 10 FPM, on average, whereas heavy duty models designed for office use may be able to shred 30 FPM or more.

Micro-cut paper shredders tend to run at a smaller amount of feet per minute, since it takes longer to cut each sheet into tiny pieces, but what they lack in speed they make up for in security.

Want to shred like a pro? Check out these tips.

• Keep an eye on the amount of paper in your shredder's waste basket. Overload it and you can damage the motor or cause jams. Models with a clear viewing window are invaluable.
• Paper shredders with pull-out bins are much easier and more convenient to empty, compared to the kind where you have to lift the entire shredding mechanism off the waste bin.
• Unless you only want to shred the odd document here and there, pay attention to the length of each paper shredder's duty cycle — some are frustratingly short.

• Most paper shredders are much more effective when you shred one or two sheets less than the maximum sheets per pass. So, if a shredder can tackle 12 sheets per pass, try feeding no more than 10 or 11 in one go.
• If you have kids or pets, we recommend a model that has a safety shut-off feature. This automatically switches off the shredder if fingers or paws get too close to the blades.
• Empty the waste bin of paper before shredding credit cards or CDs. Shredded paper is recyclable, whereas CDs and credit cards may not be (depending on your local recycling rules), and you don't want to spend hours picking chips of credit card out of a full bin of paper.

You can find paper shredders to suit all budgets, but expect to pay significantly more for heavy-duty machines, compared to those designed for light use.

• Basic Micro-Cut Shredders:

These can cost as little as $30 to $50, but the most inexpensive models will have extremely short duty cycles and will only be able to tackle a small amount of sheets per pass. Some are so compact you have to fold a sheet of A4 paper to fit it in.

• Basic Cross-Cut Shredders:

These cost roughly $20 to $30. Even basic models are likely to take on more sheets per pass and have longer duty cycles than micro-cut shredders of a similar quality. Many can also deal with CDs and credit cards.

• Mid-range Micro-Cut Shredders:

Expect to pay around $50 to $100 for one of these. These have much longer duty cycles and can shred more sheets at once than basic models, but most still won't be quite heavy-duty enough for office use.

• Mid-range Cross-Cut Shredders:

These cost roughly $30 to $90. Most of these models are more than sufficient for home use, and some may even be fast and powerful enough for use in a small office.

• High-end Micro-Cut Shredders:

These cost between $100 and $300. Those on the top end of the spectrum will have about all the extra features you can think of, plus a formidable duty cycle and sheets per pass, but even the less expensive models are more than enough shredder for all but the most heavy-duty environments.

• High-end Cross-Cut Shredders:

These cost about $90 to $200 (though you can pay much more for commercial-grade models). These models have all the bells and whistles, shred quickly, can take on a large amount of sheets per pass, have long duty cycles, and fast cool down periods.

Q. Are paper shredders safe to use?

A. Yes, paper shredders are very safe. Despite having extremely sharp blades inside, modern paper shredders boast a range of safety features, including guards to protect fingers, tucked away switches so you can't accidentally turn them on, and automatic switch-off to avoid overheating.

Q. What extra features should I look out for in a paper shredder?

A. Some features aren't essential, but can be nice to have. If you want a top-notch shredder, here are some additional features to look for:

• Overload protection (to avoid jamming)

• Full wastebasket indicator

• Quiet operation

• Safety lockout

• Manual reverse

• Automatic document feeder

• Pull-out bin

Q. How small will a paper shredder cut my documents?

A. This depends on which make and model of shredder you choose. There's no standard size for micro-cuts, cross-cuts, or strips, so you have to check the manufacturer's specifications for the exact dimensions.