What are the Best Cheap Shredders ?

You have to realize that if you plan to buy a cheap shredder, you will have to sacrifice shredding capacity and shredding security.  For manufacturers to bring their product to market at a low price, the first thing that is sacrificed is the number of cutting blades.  Fewer blades mean fewer cuts, and the less cuts that you have, the less secure your discarded information will be.  The least expensive units have blades that operate only in the vertical direction, creating strips of paper.  Crosscut paper shredders also cut in the horizontal direction, which creates confetti pieces. Yet a low cost unit will most likely create pieces that are over 1" in one or both directions.  The better units create a fine confetti that is almost impossible to reassemble.  

Even the best cheap shredders are most likely going to have plastic parts in the gear assembly, whereas the top of the line units have all steel constructed gears and cutters.  This will limit the number sheets that the unit can handle.  The most important consideration is the cutting ability, so do not concern yourself with the extra features, like oversized bins, paper jam indicators, and casters.  All these thing are nice, but when you are to save money, shredding paper should be your utmost concern.

As cliche as it sounds, it must be stated:  you get what you pay for.  And this saying bears itself out in the purchase of a paper shredder.  If you decide to go with the lowest priced unit, remember two things.  Don't exceed the recommended daily shreds, and check the manufacturer warranty.  Regardless of what you choose, a cheap shredder is better than no shredder at all.