Nice - when it works

I've owned two of these and the both provided similar performance. When they are working they do a great job - but can't handle the rated number of sheets of copy machine weight paper.

The machine has automatic turn off when the basket is full, a nice feature.

The first machine I had got progressively worse as far as jams, and eventually stopped working. To their credit, Royal sent me a new machine after I sent them the broken one under warrantee. However, the replacement machine lasted about the same amount of time - a year, then started jamming and eventually jammed completely.

After taking the machine apart, it is clear why this happens. The design of the shredding mechanism is such that the metal frame bends apart over time, allowing paper to get wedged in the mechanism itself - which only bends the frame more. Once the frame is bent, eventually it will reach a point where the gears don't mesh well and the plastic gears will strip.

It was a nice machine while it worked, but after two failed in less than a year, I'll be purchasing a different brand for my next shredder.