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Technical Details Fellowes Intellishred PS-79Ci Shredder
- NEW Jam Proof System
- SafeSense(r) Technology
- Time Saving Sheet Capacity Indicator.
- Sleek, Modern Design
- Easy Empty 6-gallon pull-out bin and casters.
- Product Dimensions: 12.8 x 15.2 x 21.5 inches ; 29.5 pounds
- Shipping Weight: 36 pounds
- Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
- ASIN: B000WB397I
- Item model number: 3227901
All Reviews for this Item
180 of 181 people found the following review helpful:
5 stars, Superb Shredder, April 1, 2008
By bulletx
This review is from: Fellowes Intellishred PS-79Ci Shredder (CRC32279.1) (Electronics)
I have had the Fellowes Intellishred PS-79Ci Shredder for one week. I have used it on several occassions for up to 15 minutes of intermittent shredding and it has worked flawlessly.
I have shredded up to 12 sheets of paper at one time (shredder works a little harder but still smoothly shreds), a couple of credit cards and approximately 15 CD/DVD disks. The operation with paper and credit cards is surprisingly quiet. You could probably shred with someone sleeping in the next room and not wake them. The noise level (dB) is probably doubled when shredding a computer disk, but it still is quieter than any other shredder I've worked with.
One time the shredding process stopped with paper still sticking up above the shredder. I had a pair of 8-10 bank checks, side by side, so that a total of 16-20 total checks were being shredded at one time. I thought that since the checks took only a fraction of the available space for feeding in paper that I could shred two stacks at one time. Well, the shredder stopped. I pressed the reverse button for a couple of seconds, then the forward button until all the checks were gobbled up. No further misfires since then, even doing the same thing again with checks.
Everything functions as Fellowes states. I was pleasantly surprised to receive a small bottle of oil and several clear waste bags. The bags work great. The operating manual is brief but answers some essential questions like what to do with shredding malfunctions, what not to shred, how long to shred and maintenance. While Fellowes tells you when to oil (at every waste bag exchange), Fellowes could have detailed exactly how to use their oil. Hopefully Fellowes technical support will be helpful when a question arises.
Shredded material size is as stated and is the same for paper as well as computer discs and credit cards. There are units with more finely shredded material, and there are many units that do not shred as small. A motivated thief with patience and plenty of time could reconstruct most any retail shredder's output. That said, a thief would most likely dumpster dive for someone else's unshredded documents before sifting through your well shredded ones. Overall, I feel reasonably comfortable with the level of security of the shredded material with this unit.
The construction and design appear to be of excellent quality with appropriate ruggedness. There is no bowing or undue flexibility of the frame when the drawer is out as has been commented on with the Fellowes Powershred PS-77Cs Shredder. The castors are resonably medium duty and can lock down to keep the unit from rolling away. The shredder without the castors sits flat and stable.
Would be nice to know about the quality of the internal parts. I have read that some machines use plastic toothed gears which have higher/earlier failure rates than metal ones. At least this shredder has a two year warranty for the entire unit, which is twice many competing machines.
Overall, the PS-79Ci shredder is an excellent unit, working exactly as advertised. The Fellowes website has a nice multimedia presentation on the operations of this unit, including the noise level. I haven't had this unit for very long but I am extremely pleased so far with its performance and fit and finish. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a light to medium duty shredder for home or home-office, especially if they want a longer warranty, low noise operation, very good build quality and plenty of whistles and bells that actually are useful and work.
87 of 88 people found the following review helpful:
5 stars, Monster Shredder, December 6, 2008
By CarpCaster (CA, USA)
This review is from: Fellows Powershred PS-79Ci Shredder (CRC32279.1) (Electronics)
I purchased this shredder. Ordered it Tuesday afternoon, got free super saver shipping and received it Friday afternoon. Unbelievable. Amazon really knows how to ship.
There are a lot of reviews already but I thought I could add a few things.
A reviewer commented about the mess in the shred bin. Yeah, but it is only a minor problem. All my past shredders were worse. I shredded some CDs and DVDs and they make a mess because of the paint on the non-writable side. If you jar the bin slightly and push the pile down with your hand before pulling the bin out the rest of the way, you can minimize the mess. But with CDs and DVDs, some of the stuff is so light it blows around.
Someone commented about the on/off switches. There are two. A master rocker switch in back that I would guess you always leave on. The switch on top you might turn on and off. If you leave the unit on (both switches) all the time, the blue light will run and use a little power. If you really want to be green, I guess you could turn it off.
I want to stress what some other reviewers said about this monster. This is by far the best shredder (and most expensive) I've owned. I owned about three el cheapos before. They all burned out. I use this at home and I'm a nut about shredding anything with any personal information on it. So I might use it more than the average household and I can't imagine ever stressing this beast. But I did give it a shot (below). For day-to-day shredding, this thing wouldn't break a sweat. It is almost overkill but I could see this unit lasting years.
While vacuuming out the unit after shredding the DVDs, I looked at the business end of the shredder. There is a spindle of nasty looking, sharp metal teeth between plastic guides.
The power cord is bent at 90 degrees so the unit will sit closer to the wall. Nice touch that a lot of other manufacturers should do.
I had a pile of paper to shred since my last shredder burned out. It sawed through that pile in a few minutes. My old shredder would have loudly churned through the pile in about two hours. I always dreaded shredding before. Now, I'm looking for things to shred. The other thing is, this unit is very quiet. It produces a low hum as opposed to the much higher pitched whine of cheap shredders that beg for mercy if you give them a couple of sheets at a time.
The teeth are metal so follow the instructions and oil them. Nuff said.
Now for the main selling point. I had about 250 CDs and DVDs (old computer backups). You don't want to just toss your personal data in the trash - you have to shred that stuff. Most reviews of most shredders never mention shredding DVDs which seem a little tougher to me. This unit had no problem with the CDs or DVDs. I shredded them in groups of ten. I oiled the teeth a couple of times during the process. Awesome!
I used the guide for the credit cards, CDs and DVDs. I think there are probably tougher teeth in the middle and the guide makes sure the plastics go through in the right path.
The auto shutoff works as advertised. The teeth are so far down that I can't see a baby's finger getting in there. There's no way an adult's finger could get in. Maybe Gene Simmon's tongue (Kiss) could get in the slot. :-)
Look no further. Buy this shredder.
98 of 100 people found the following review helpful:
5 stars, FELLOWES CUSTOMER SERVICE, June 13, 2008
By H. P. Mc Cormick "Budmac" (Tucson, az) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Fellowes Intellishred PS-79Ci Cross Cut paper Shredder (CRC32279.1) (Electronics)
I had such a rare customer service experience I could not let it pass without a public compliment. In a nutshell, I wrote to Fellowes complaining about a problem I encountered with two shredders. I did not ask for anything, but I wanted someone to know that there was a problem with the shredder.
To my utter surprise, I was contacted directly by Mr. Fellowes and without excuses, recognized the problem and solved it on the spot.How refreshing it is to deal with a company that where the principal is directly involved and customer service is not farmed out to some third party in a foreign country.
32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5 stars, Awesome Shredder, October 1, 2008
By basementjack (Chicago, IL USA)
This review is from: Fellowes Intellishred PS-79Ci Shredder (CRC32279.1) (Electronics)
This is the shredder I would build for myself if I could design one from scratch!
Fellowes has a great product with this new lineup (also inlcudes an 89 and 99 model)
The 79Ci is a powerful shredder - feed it 1 sheet or drop an envelope of junk mail in it - it pulls at the same rate and doesnt make the whining sound that most shreders make.
I like the safety features - there's a metal touch sensor in front of the feed slot - touch it and the thing shuts off. It also has a blue lit power switch on top of the unit, and an additional on-off rocker switch on the back.
It has an LED thickness meter that tells you if what you're feeding is too thick. If you have a bunch of junk mail to shred, you can disable the thicknes sensor by holding 2 buttons at the same time.
If you leave the thicknes sensor on, and stick something thick in(like a typical credit card junk mail piece, unopened) and it stops halfway though, you can push the forward button and force it to pull it through anyways. No need to reverse (though you can reverse if you want, there's a button for that too)
Comes with some plastic bags, some oil (for lubricating the cutters - just drip into the slot while holding the reverse button), wheels and a nice holder that I keep the manual and oil in. I found that the cheap 8 gallon kitchen bags we had around also fit the 6 gallon bucket.
With my old shredder, I had to open each piece of junk mail and feed a few sheets at a time into the shredder. Because of this I rarely shredded, and had accumulated a nice pile of junk mail.
The new 79Ci ate each and every piece of that junk mail- and I didn't open any of it.
Basically it's so easy to shred junkmail that you'll do it every time and it'll never pile up.
It also does CD's and credit cards.
I purchased mine from Office Depot for $180! - I had compared it instore to an Ativa model that cost $200 and claimed to do 20 sheets.
There was no comparison. the $200 Ativa started to groan as soon as I put a few sheets in. If I had to guess, this Fellowes 79Ci is at least 3 times more powerful. Also the Ativa didn't have the safety features, didn't have the thickness guage, didn't have an option to 'power through' paper jams, etc..
All in all I'm so happy with this thing that I had to take a few and write a review - this is the shredder to get - oh and one more thing, I wondered if I should have spent the extra for the next model up (the 89ci) but after shredding envelope after envelope of unopened junk mail today, I can't see needing anything more. The 79Ci is plenty good enough.
If you are thinking of ordering this from Amazon, I think you'll be ok, the shredder is boxed 'floating' in the box using those bio-degradable paper forms to keep in away from the cardboard on all sides, plus vertical the corners of the box are reinfoced with another layer of cardboard - it should be good to ship even if it doesn't get re-boxed.
I hope this review helps you make a good buying decision.
131 of 148 people found the following review helpful:
3 stars, Shreds Great - but check out the overall design, October 25, 2008
By David A. Dubs "rf_dave" (Maryville, TN USA) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Fellowes Intellishred PS-79Ci Shredder (CRC32279.1) (Electronics)
I just unboxed the shredder last night, so the review is fresh from one night's use. I am stepping up from a lightweight waste basket top unit. The many reviews touting the shredding head are correct, I am commenting on the design subtleties.
* There are no instructions in the owner's manual for oiling the shredder. It is stated that the shredder should be oiled with every empting, but the how and where are not stated.
* This puppy is a significant piece of office equipment. Previously, I would put the shredder head in a drawer, and pull it out every week or so for a shredding session. The PS-79Ci works best when sitting on the floor, and as such you must commit a chunk of floor space for the shredder. I opted not to use the included casters.
* There are two on and off switches. You must first have the power rocker switch turned on, and then you activate the shredder control micro switches with a front-panel push button. Sometimes simple is easier. Why not have just one switch that turns everything on and off?
* The owner's manual has no recommendations as to the electrical state in which to leave the shredder between uses.
* When the cutter is activated with the front-panel push button, a brilliant blue LED comes on. This light is bright enough to serve as a replacement nightlight in my home office.
* The shredder comes with a couple plastic bags for the paper bin. I found that the shape of the paper bin did not accommodate the bag very well. The bags are also a stiffer plastic that does not conform to the bin interior, and the bag itself takes up a lot of volume. I wound up pitching the bags, for they don't work as wastepaper can liners due to their shape.
* The bin takes a fair amount of force to remove and replace. I found that I needed two hands to get the bin to snap back in place. One hand is needed to push the bin while the other hand holds the shredder. This situation would be more pronounced if the casters were installed. It would be nice if bin replacement was a one-handed operation.
* Shredded paper builds vertically above the bin level. You must first settle the pile, getting it below the bin top, before completely removing the bin. If you just yank the bin out, you may wind up with confetti all over the floor.
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5 stars, Wish I'd bought this one first!, August 6, 2008
By Follow the Sun (Houston)
This review is from: Fellowes Intellishred PS-79Ci Shredder (CRC32279.1) (Electronics)
My first paper shredder was also a Fellowes--but a standard, cheapish, home office one. After years of wearing my hand out by shredding documents with scissors, I was thrilled just to have a paper shredder! My excitement lasted a very short time, as the typical shredder nightmare began and pretty soon all I had was a large, rather undecorative paper weight sitting in the corner of my office.
I was skeptical about purchasing this shredder--another Fellowes--but being that it got such great reviews and was guaranteed to be unjammable (I haven't seen any other shredder that claims this), I figured I'd give it a try.
We've had our new shredder for about a month--and I'm really very much in love with this little machine! First of all, it's a really good-looking shredder. It has a much sleeker and cleaner design than most office machinery.
Most importantly--I really don't see any way I can jam this one up. At the slightest hint of a jam, the machine shuts off, reverses, and refuses to move forward again until you pull out the offending item. There is even a "traffic light" of sorts that stays green if you are feeding in a correct amount of paper, yellow if the amount gets to be a bit much, and red if you've overdone it.
Accidentally feed paper in sideways? What would formerly have caused an awful, messy, diagonal-paper jam is no problem for this shredder, as it stops, thinks for a second, then powers through the crumpled, diagonal sheet.
I really love our new shredder. As geeky as it sounds, it makes shredding fun! I could sit here and feed this little guy all day!
25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5 stars, Quiet and efficient, February 27, 2008
By P. McGihon (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Fellowes Intellishred PS-79Ci Shredder (CRC32279.1) (Electronics)
The Fellowes 3227901 Intellishred PS-79CI Shredder lives up to it's name as a quiet and efficient shredder. It easily shreds 10 sheets of paper at a time with very little noise and doesn't even notice staples accidentally left in corners. Great shredder for the money!
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
3 stars, Shreds great, designed not-so-hot, June 3, 2009
By Id (Chicago, IL)
This review is from: Fellowes Intellishred PS-79Ci Shredder (CRC32279.1) (Electronics)
This thing will shred your documents and other media no problem. My issue with the product is not the shredder, but what happens after shredding. For some inane reason, the bin below the shredder has two sharp plastic prongs that point inward into the bag area.
When you try to take out the plastic bag that collects all the shreds, those two plastic prongs tend to rip the bag. I like to stuff the bag pretty solid whenever the unit tells me the bag is full. The downside is that you can't take it out without it ripping because of those two prongs, thus giving you a giant mess. I end up having to re-bag the special bag that is 'custom' made for this unit.
Overall the unit shreds great but is ruined by two idiotic plastic prongs that rid the collection bag. You'll have to be careful taking the bag out each time, or just replace the bag when it is only partially full.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4 stars, Like shredder, having bag issues, July 5, 2008
By Deborah Wilk "bandaid" (fresno, CA USA) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Fellowes Intellishred PS-79Ci Shredder (CRC32279.1) (Electronics)
I really like the performance of this shredder. My only issue is bag removals, I find the bags hang up on inside plastic protrusions which are somewhat sharp, causing bags to rip. I have put duct tape over these protrusions on one side, but not on other side. Any suggestions or similar problems?
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3 stars, Shreds Well, Quiet, Small Pullout Bin, October 31, 2009
By Otnip (Austin, TX USA)
This review is from: Fellowes Intellishred PS-79Ci Shredder (CRC32279.1) (Electronics)
This replaced a four-year old Fellowes cross-cut shredder, which developed motor problems. Compared to my previous shredder, this unit is much quieter. However, the paper bin is smaller (6 gal vs 7 gal) and I have to change bags more frequently. The bin also requires a firm, hard push to insert and disable the safety lock. I have to hold the back of the shredder with one hand to prevent it from rolling on the casters, and use my other hand to insert the bin with a firm, hard push. The shredder indicator lights are a little over-engineered; some are useful, but I found the shred capacity LED bar display gimmicky.
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