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URL to <$275 shredder that eats CC offer envelopes unopened?

I've had a 6-page shredder for a while now; used mostly to deal with unwanted mail.

My problem is that, while I find it pretty easy to identify junk mail without opening the envelope, my consumer-grade shredder demands that I open basically *all* mail and prep it by flattening out the tri-folded pages. Based on rough estimates, this open & unfold step accounts for ~70% of the time I spend on handling my mail at home.

I'm prepared to open & prep those hideously annoying offers that actually contain a fake plastic credit card, but for the rest, here's the math:

The outer envelope is 2 pages.
Any return-envelope is another 2.
Each tri-folded page is 3.
Each credit card application form is generally folded into 4-6 sections, and is typically slightly higher-grade paper.

Thus, the smallest mail I get has a thickness of 5 pages.

The thickest mail I get in any volume is credit card offers, which breaks down as follows:

2 - outer envelope
2 - return envelope
3 - tri-folded introduction/marketing letter
6-8 - application form
1 - trite "Thinking of not applying?" stickie note
---
Total: 14-16 pages minimum

That is *right* at the upper limit of most cross-cutting shredders in the "prosumer" price range, which tend to top out at with an uncomfortable thin margin of 17 pages.

Basically, I'm wondering if anyone can recommend a cross-cutting shredder that'll handle 21-25 page thickness for less than $300.

twalkabout's picture

opt out

on a side note: you might want to think about trying to decrease the amount of junk mail you get. in particular, you can opt out of most credit card offers (which come indirectly through the credit agencies). https://www.optoutprescreen.com/

there are a bunch of sites on decreasing junk mail, such as
http://www.junkbusters.com/junkmail.html

nevertheless, i have similar problems with a weak shredder, so let us know what you find out.

 
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