subject: Dahle 30430 Department Shredder Review [print this page] The Dahle 30430 is a high security shredder that is meant to be placed in a common area and used by multiple people during the course of the day. Here are some of this machine's strengths and weaknesses as we see them.
Strengths:
1.) The 30430 offers you shredding at one of the highest security levels available anywhere (including government agencies), and is well suited for those who have the need to destroy documents that are extremely confidential and sensitive. This machine shreds documents at a security level of five which is second only to those used by the Department of Defense and other such agencies. This makes the 30430 a great choice for such organizations as hospitals and financial institutions and others who must abide by the new federal regulations regarding the destruction of sensitive information.
2.) At first glance, the sheet capacity of the 30430 may seem to be on the low end compared to a lot of other shredders on the market. However, what you have to keep in mind is that the documents you feed this machine are going to be virtually turned to pulp. For such a high security machine, and even compared to other similar shredders on the market, 7-9 sheets at a time is actually quite impressive.
3.) The 30430's waste bin is on the larger end of the spectrum as well, holding 35 gallons of waste. This is a nice feature in a shredder that will be used by several people in a typical day. Plus, the ultra small particle size offered by this model will help to ensure that you can go a long time between bag changes.
4.) When we were testing the 30430, one thing that we really liked was the user friendliness of the controls. The control pad on this machine is extremely well designed and it's always easy to tell what mode the machine is in. Using this control pad, you can select automatic on/off, reverse, or continuous run. There are also well lit indicators that will let you know when the door to the shred bin is open, when the bag is full, and when the user is attempting to overfeed the machine. These are great safety functions as well.
5.) It seems that aesthetics have gone out the window when it comes to office machines these days. However we find the 30430 to be an extremely attractive and elegant looking unit. To add to that, we found that the wooden construction of the bin not only adds to the attractiveness of the machine, it lends itself to remarkable quiet operation. This is especially true when you consider that this unit features an impressive 1.25 horsepower motor.
Weaknesses:
1.) The 30430 has a feed opening width of twelve inches, which is great for most jobs, but if you have documents that are larger, you'll need to fold or cut them to fit them through.
2.) There are a lot of people who use shredder every day who aren't aware that these machines need to be oiled on a regular basis. Several manufacturers have recognized this and made machines that are self oiling. The 30430 does not have this capability out of the box. However, the Dahle does make a standalone automatic oiling device that you can purchase and attach to the 30430.
by: Jeffrey McRitchie
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