I've owned plenty of shredders in my days, but cannot claim to have ever purchased oil for any of them. My current shredder (micro cut) had very detailed recommendations about oiling the blades, so I figured I'd go ahead and pick up some shredder oil.
After some considerable use, my shredder started "binding" a little on paper, so I applied some of this oil, allowed the shredder to run for a cycle or two and found that it helped the glide of the paper being shredded, but also got rid of that "grinding" noise which I can only assume were the teeth rubbing each. An online blog I read stated that shredder oil, which is recommended over "cooking oil" for this use (not sure why people would use cooking oil, but it was covered in the blog), can prolong the life of your shredder for years to come and all at a very low, reasonable price.
Overall, if you've invested in a decent shredder for your home or office, you should definitely consider picking up some shredder oil and applying it at least monthly (if you use your shredder often) to keep the blades and inner workings lubed and at peak performance.
I was having a lot of trouble with my shredder overheating, and the lubricant sheets I purchased at the office supply store just weren't helping. This seemed to be the answer! I applied it liberally before large shredding jobs, and my machine ran longer than it had before. A hint: be careful when cutting the nozzle to open -- I mad the opening too large, and had trouble regulating the amount of oil I added each time.
I must admit that I'm a paranoid freak who must shred all important documents, especially bills and receipts.
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My wife told me that I really abuse my shredder without paying over time... so that's why I got this shredder oil!
This is a must have if you have a shredder that you use often and would like to keep it in shape for long time...
*** TIPS ***
✔️ If your shredder has a Reverse mode then put the oil across the opening while running in reverse mode. Make sure your shredder basket is not empty by shredding few papers first so that oil is absorbed by the shredded paper rather than on the basket.
✔️ If your shredder does not have a Reverse mode, place several pieces of paper on the shredder then while holding the top of the paper, put the oil across the paper in the mid section then turn on the shredder. This will prevent oils from dripping down too fast.
✔️ Wrap the bottom of this oil bottle with aluminum foil (see picture) so that it will catch any oil drips and you don't have to hold and touch sticky oils on the bottle.
I took the picture next to a soda can for a scale.
I had to purchase a new shredder recently after my old one died. I chose a Fellowes Powershred Shredmate because it was the only one available that fit the available space in my home office.
Only then did I learn that cross-cut shredders like the Fellowes and my dead shredder need oil for peak performance. So I purchased a bottle of Fellowes Powershred Performance Shredder Oil to not only keep it running, but also to prevent problems like diminished sheet capacity and intrusive noise during shredding-both of which my last shredder experienced during its death throes.
I oil my new shredder each time I empty my waste bin. So far, so good...my shredder's still working.
I recommend using Fellowes Performance Oil even if your shredder isn't a Fellowes model.
The only reason I don't give the product five stars is its overly secure packaging. Before using it, you must unscrew the nozzle and remove a seal from the bottle's top. Then, after replacing the nozzle, you must puncture it with a sharp object to create a hole for the oil to flow through. But that's a minor quibble at best.
I have used Fellowes OIl since I purchased my Fellowes shredder 4 years ago. Every time I changed the bag I would squirt a line of oil across the paper feeder and run the shredder a few seconds on foward and then reverse. Lately I have found a better way. Using a newspaper, I squirt the oil across the paper,making sure that it will fill across the entire opening. I then allow the oil to penetrate the paper before sending it thru the shredder. It seems to do a better job of coating the cutters. I really feel that by using the Fellowes Oil religiously, my shredder is still going strong.
- Lubricant keeps your shredder running at peak performance by conditioning the cutters and extending the life of your shredder.
- Convenient 12-ounce squeeze bottle with extension nozzle to ensure complete coverage
- For best results, oil shredder each time you empty the wastebasket or a minimum of twice a month.
The Fellowes Powershred Performance Oil maximizes performance by conditioning the cutters and extends the life of the shredder. For best results, oil shredder each time you empty the wastebasket or a minimum of twice a month. The 12 oz squeeze bottle with extended nozzle ensures complete coverage. For Cross-Cut and Micro-Cut shredders.
I would like a different bottle.. I made a tiny hole but too big. Just be really careful about how much you snip off the tip cause I took too much and it comes out pretty fast... I have no idea if it protects the shredder but I assume it does. Next page is NOT oily...it is definitely good that it doesn't make a mess even if I put too much
I rarely used this with my last Fellowes shredder. It lasted over 5 years, but I noticed a decline in performance as time past. Had I know that a cheap bottle of oil would keep it running like new I would have purchased it with the first shredder I owned. I currently use this with Fellowes Powershred 8MC5 8-Sheet Micro-Cut Paper Shredder and it has kept it running like new every step of the way. The stickers and other tacky substances on junk mail tend to adhere to the teeth of the shredder but run this oil through and all the teeth will be looking like brand new. Its a must have for anyone that wants their shredder running at peak performance all the time.
It does the job (I guess). I've only been using it for a month, and I squirt a little on the sheet I'm passing through when I start my session. I haven't used it every session, only twice, so every other week is about what I expect from a usage standpoint. I had a shredder for many years prior to this, very similar to my previous shredder, and I had never oiled it. The mechanism inside connecting the teeth to the motor finally gave way, which prompted me to purchase the AmazonBasics 6 sheet micro cut shredder. I suppose this oil will help keep the teeth sharp and reduce stress on the motor, we'll see if it was worth it to get the oil...
As far as what you get for the price, the bottle is huge. There should be enough oil in here for years to come. I'm expecting great things from this oil, namely prolonging the life of my new shredder.
After reading conflicting information about using vegetable oil to lubricate shredders, I saw this Fellowes "Performance Oil", which, it turns out is (all or mostly) canola oil. So why is it important to pay this price for this oil instead of simply using canola oil from the grocery store? Even after looking up the topic online, I'm still not sure. For this product, the Amazon price seemed to be pretty good, so once I decided I should go with the approved oil, I think a got a relatively good deal...so long as I forget that it is canola oil.
I thought that lubricating my shredder (also Fellowes brand) would work wonders. While it probably helped, it didn't make it suddenly work a lot better (like being able to shred 6 sheets as the shredder advertised), but I guess I did the right thing for my shredder. And if it only costs me $7 of oil as maintenance for the life of the shredder, I guess I did okay.
I docked a star because the oil itself is fine but the product is missing a very useful element shown in the photo. There was no red stop cap included with the product I received. There is simply the clear stem and when you puncture or snip the top for the oil to flow, there is no stopper cap. I had to use a pen cover and masking tape to try to stop any spillage if it were to tip over.
I'm hoping something just went randomly wonky with the packaging on my shipment and it's not the norm for other users of the product, if not it'll be just annoying to have to find other means of capping the stem.
