Home > Consumer Reviews > Black & Decker CC2000 20 sheet crosscut paper shredder convenient lightweight counter top design black

I agree completely with the first reviewer.

I was a little wary of a shredder marketed as an "identity theft buster" because it doesn't sound very professional, but I'm pleasantly surprised with this little machine. It feels sturdy and well-made, has a very powerful motor, and cuts stuff into very small cross-cut pieces. I've now cleaned out my filing cabinets and shredded credit cards and data DVDs with no problems whatsoever.

Negatives: The shredder opening is only 6", so you have to fold a letter-size sheet in half to make it fit, and the waste basket is very small, so you have to empty it frequently if you do a lot of shredding. Although the front of the waste basket is about 9 or 10 inches high, the *sides* and rear of the basket are only about 5 inches high, so the outside appearance is deceptive. The real measurements of the bin are about 8" deep x 8.5" across x 5" high. It's easy to empty (one handed, really), but you have to remember to do it.

One more thing to mention is that the slot is pretty deep, and you have to push papers pretty far down in order for it to start shredding. You get used to it pretty quickly, and on the plus side your fingers can't possibly fit in the slot and get near the blades.

Overall I am *very* pleased with this machine, since I was looking for motor quality and sturdiness more than anything else. I shopped around for other shredders and found most of the more popular brands in this price range felt quite a bit more flimsy. I might even have bought this shredder at full price, though I was happier finding it on sale at Target for sixty bucks about six weeks ago.

I bought this shredder as a replacement for a diamond cut shredder (which jammed and died). This shredder is amazing. It shreds everything with ease. I've shredded junk mail still in the envelope, CDs, and credit cards. The motor barely slows down even on big jobs. Two small gripes to be aware of before you purchase. First, the throat is made for junk mail which means you can't put a typical 8.5 x 11 page in without folding it in half. This really isn't a big deal though since it can do 20 pages (or 10 folded in half). Second, the bin is deceptively small. Make sure you open the bin after you buy the shredder to get an idea of the size. It is pretty easy to fill it so full you have problems removing it. The bin pulls from the front, you don't lift off the top, so if you overfill the shredder it can be a real pain to get the bin out. That said, those are two REALLY minor gripes in light of how great a deal this shredder is.

This shredder jams constantly. The design is lousy. It appears practically empty when full. You open the drawer and confetti flies everywhere, because the drawer is actually a small fraction of what you see on the front of the machine. The opening is less than 8 1/2 inches, so everything has to be folded. This is a great time waster and a big piece of junk!!

We got this shredder for junk mail. It shreds unopened mail which saves lots of time. It lives up to the 20 sheet capacity and doesn't take up a lot of space. I wish the waste basket was a little larger but other than that a solid shredder.

The main design flaw is that small pieces of paper (like credit card receipts) don't feed easily or trigger the shredding motor sensor. Other than that, it worked fine.

Until, of course, the motor started running continuously, and would not stop even when the top power switch indicated "off" (a safety hazard). The basket interlock still stops it, as does pulling the plug (of course).