ideal. 2604 High Security Super Micro-Cut Centralized Office Paper Shredder with Automatic Oiler, Continuous Operation , 6–8 Sheet Feed Capacity, 26 Gallon Bin, 1 Horsepower Motor, P-7 Security Level

I'm incredibly astounded by how awesome and well-built this 2604 super-micro-cut (P-7) shredder is! It's essentially a 'disintegrator' of paper, and runs about 2x (twice!) the shred speed of my previous 2445smc model by the same company. I included photos of the shredder blades and tiny particulate (the brown particulate is dark kraft packing paper stock I first ran as a test). This is the Self-Oiling model of the 2604smc, which I'm very glad I purchased. After buying the smaller 2445smc (and investing more $$ in a shredder than I had planned) I grew a little 'paranoid' about ensuring it was always being oiled enough—something I can now relax about with automatic oiling. Such much easier and one less thing to worry about. The 2604smc is large and very powerful— at first I questioned a max capacity of 'only' "8-sheets", but once I realized just how many cutting blades were powering through simultaneously I realized how powerful this unit's motor really is. It sounds a little louder to me than the smaller ideal model 2445smc (my first shredder from ideal.), though thankfully not annoyingly so. Two of the photos show this mid-sized (largish) 2604smc model next to the even larger (I call giant) 4005cc model, also built by the same company, tho that 4005 suffered SEVERE shipping damage by the heavy freight company used to deliver it to me and I'll post a review under that 4005cc listing as soon as I see how the company chooses to correct/make-right that 3rd shredder purchase of mine. To confirm: I really am astonished by how incredibly well-built, solid, powerful, and graceful this "well-oiled machine" really is. I cannot recommend this machine highly enough! A rarity these days: It's truly exceeded my expectations.

I absolutely love this shredder! I have used many shredders throughout my life and I had no idea that a high quality shredder existed until I discovered this line called ideal. This shredder is a power horse when it comes to shredding and I was able to shred my boxes of built up paper and whole pieces of junk mail without any issues. I don't know if it's the fact that this machine is 100% German made but everything is high quality...even the wooden cabinet and sturdy bin inside of it. I also never knew when to oil my shredder so I love how the auto oiler takes my worries away. I even noticed on the oiler they put these little protection straps around the cap so I couldn't accidentally throw it out (picture attached). I paid good money but I know my investment in this shredder will last me for many years to come. I would highly recommend this shredder to anyone...you will not be let down.

Purchased the Ideal 2604 P-4 shredder. I am very satisfied with this unit. This is a commercial level heavy duty shredder, that I purchased for home use. The motor will accept continuous paper feeds and fill the entire 26 gallon bin without overheating or stopping. The motor can continuously run and will not stop to dissipate heat, unlike the smaller home shredding units. This unit will easily accept a dozen sheets, but does not appear to accept the advertised 25 sheets. The motor easily reverses to spit out an overloaded feed. The automatic oiling feature is very convenient. The safety guard protects against inadvertent positioning of fingers near the feeder. Opening the receptacle bin door or moving the safety bar automatically stops the shredder. There is an indicator light that informs you if the feed size is too large. The system will automatically stop if the bin is too full. Make sure you order extra 16 oz Ideal oil for this unit. The P-4 level cross cut security level shredding is extremely secure and adequate for home or commercial use. I see no need or cost to move up to an espionage P-5 security level that, for home use. This Ideal shredder is solidly built and very heavy. The unit is delivered in 2 separate boxes and is definitely a two person setup. The receptacle container/bin and shredder unit are accurately engineered to fit nicely. Setup is fast and intuitive. The unit is setup on wheels to easily move around. The heavy duty plastic receptacle bin can accept standard trash can plastic bags, that are much less expensive than the Ideal plastic bags. Only drawback is dropping of the shredded particles into the cabinet when the bin is pulled out, but this is true of all shredders. I researched the purchase of a commercial unit for home use, and most of the purchase decision is based upon the limited reviews available, so there is a bit of leap of faith in purchasing such an expensive unit for home use. I was not at all satisfied with any of the smaller home units, where the units were limited in the handling of the number of sheets, and suffered from overheating and the small bin sizes. I required a heavy duty shredder. To my pleasant surprise, this Ideal 2604, despite the high purchase price, in my opinion, is phenomenal. The engineering seems solid.

I got tired of buying a new shredder at Costco every few years and I got this for my office instead. Pros: * you will get tired before it gets tired. * it's self oiling! * holds a lot of shredding! * it's pretty quiet; all things considered. * if you are having a bad day, you can just shred some stuff. It's cathartic. Cons: * you can't really feed more than 6-7 sheets into it. I know it says 8 sheet maximum, but that seems to be a stretch. Considering how fine it is shredding, and once you see the crazy shredder gear setup, it will make sense why you can't feed that much through. * it's pretty big. This thing takes up a lot of space in a small office. I'd say it as about same footprint as a large home dishwasher (only taller). * accessories are pricey.