Price: $84.98 - $67.86
(as of Oct 06, 2025 02:05:13 UTC – Details)
The Aurora AU1208XE 12-sheet crosscut paper/ credit card shredder with a 4.8 gallon wastebasket is the perfect business and home office device to keep you safe from identity theft. The AU1208XE accepts up to 12 sheets of paper at a time and shreds them into small pieces (3/16 by 1-9/16 inches), security level P-3.
In addition to paper, the AU1208XE shreds credit cards, keeping vital information from falling into the wrong hands. The throat of the shredder is 8.7 inches wide and allows continuous shredding for 7 minutes. The item includes a 4.8 gallon wastebasket for easy emptying and an overload protection feature to prevent serious paper jams.
Product Dimensions: 13.23″ W x 9.29″ L x 15.12″ H
Item Weight: 12.81 pounds
Shipping Weight: 14.79 pounds
Item model number: AU1208XE
Crosscut with 12 sheet capacities; shreds credit cards and small paper clips.
Shreds paper and credit cards into small pieces (3/16 by 1-9/16 inches), security level P-3.
Overload and thermal protection, 4-mode power switch (auto-off-reverse-forward).
Nonstop 7-minute continuous run time, anti-jam auto-reverse to clear paper jams.
LED indicator lights Misaligned / Overload / Overheat / Power On status
Customers say
Customers find the paper shredder works well for general household use, is quiet, and is an affordable option for home or small office use. They appreciate its ease of use, with one customer noting it’s easy to pull out and empty, and they like its cut quality, with one mentioning it can handle up to 16 sheets of paper. While some customers find it fast, others say it’s pretty slow, and opinions on durability are mixed, with some saying it will last a while while others report short-lived performance.
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Keshav Bhat –
highly satisfied
The Aurora AU1640XA is a decent shredder for home or small office use. Here’s a breakdown of my experience with it:Pros:Shreds multiple materials: This shredder handles not just paper (up to 16 sheets at a time), but also CDs, DVDs, and credit cards, which is a plus for secure disposal of various sensitive items.Crosscut confetti: It cuts documents into confetti-sized pieces (5/32 by 1-7/32 inches) offering P-4 security level, good for basic identity theft protection.Decent run time: With a 30-minute continuous run time, you can shred a good amount of documents before needing a cool-down period.Large capacity bin: The 5-gallon pullout bin is a good size and reduces the need for frequent emptying.Anti-jam feature: The anti-jam feature helps prevent frustration by automatically stopping and reversing the paper if it detects an overload.Cons:Not heavy duty: This shredder isn’t ideal for high-volume shredding jobs. The 16-sheet capacity and 30-minute run time are better suited for occasional use.Noise level: Like most shredders, it can be noisy while operating.No automatic feed: You’ll need to feed the documents manually, which can be slow for larger shredding tasks.Overall:The Aurora AU1640XA is a functional and affordable option for home or small office use. It shreds paper, credit cards, and CDs into unreadable pieces, offering basic security for your documents. However, if you need a heavy-duty shredder for frequent use or large volumes of documents, you might want to consider a more powerful model.
Donna S –
Silent wonder!
We got this to replace our old shredder that wasn’t up to the task of a large job. Not only did this shredder not overheat, but it was much quieter than our old one. It handles paper, discs, and credit cards with ease. Definitely a good one!
Carolyn J. Ryan –
I’m like a kid with a new favorite toyā¦.it’s great
Quiet, powerful enough for my purposes (to clear out personal bills, tax returns, and papers with identifying info). I’m surprised at how well it performsā¦can insert folded bills and it gobbles them up. The bin is a tad awkward, but it helps to cut down a paper grocery bag and put it in the bin. This allows you to pick up the bag and empty it without over handling the not terribly sturdy bin. I overloaded it once, and the overload button popped on. Reversed, and then had to do a bit of tugging to get paper out, but it cleared perfectly and worked fine after that. I shredded enough paper yesterday to fill the bin 4 or 5 times. It did not overheat, though I did put stuff in carefully and not too fast. Go for it. Get that junk out!
HappyGrandma –
Very sensitive Bin Full alert
This shredder is good for a small home office. I have hundred-page legal-size work docs that I need to shred and this handled it well. It did not overheat. It does have a very sensitive bin full stop function. If any shreds get caught in the cutting device, it will stop and give the bin full alert even if the bin is only half full. I find rather than stopping every shred to push down and clean the cutters, it’s better to just empty the bin. I wish I could go longer without having to do so but that’s the tradeoff. It’s relatively quiet and says you can use vegetable oil to oil it. I never knew!
Pumpkin –
I believe you should spend a little extra and get a good paper shredder. This one is superb IMO.
OVERVIEWThis is my second Aurora. I broke the last one when I tried to clean the blades. =( The first Aurora I bought about 10+ years ago. I was so impressed with its quality that Aurora was the first name I looked for in shredders. The first one was $90 and did microcut. This one was specially priced for $109. I compared it against the Bonsai $70 shredder, an Aurora $90 shredder, a Boxis $120 shredder. I decided this one with all of its features would be a nice upgrade; I have to say, I am glad I spent the extra $20-$40 because this thing is one excellent shredder.THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR:1) My only real cause of warning is be careful if you ever try to clean the blades. My last Aurora and this one has wires and electronics within view of the blades meaning if you plan to jam something up in the sides to clean out stuck paper, you might want to leave it alone. That is how I broke my first Aurora and this one has the same exposed wiring as my last one. I feel like Aurora needs to put better guards over the electronics and I believe this is the only shortcoming I know of and cause of warning to anyone buying Aurora paper shredders. CAREFUL CLEANING PAPER OUT FROM AROUND THE BLADES!!!!! LEARN FROM MY MISTAKE!!!!2) Basically of no importance in my opinion but this is a crosscut not a microshred shredder. It cuts bits about 1″ L x 1/8″ W. I don’t believe anyone would ever try to piece together or be successful at piecing together from probably hundred of thousands of pieces – but I am sure there is that one person out there who could and did somewhere on the planet which became the reason for microshred, or perhaps it came out for the most paranoid of us? I see no reason to be concerned that you need a microshred; I believe this things shreds are plenty shredded up fine enough.3) Definitely get a 5 gallon pull out basket. Get bigger if you can. 5 Gallons isn’t as much as I thought it would be and the bin seems a bit short. It doesn’t take long to fill it up. This may negate one of my benefits of the 30 minute run time because it won’t take 30 minutes to fill up the bin. I wouldn’t want to go much smaller. Expect to carry the bin out to your recycle outside because dumping indoors expect to clean a mess – paper goes everywhere.4) If I were to nitpick, I wish the opening was wider. I cannot fit the longest envelopes in long ways – I have to turn them sideways. Also, sometimes it seems to have trouble getting the motor to switch on automatically – like you have to shove the paper way down in the mouth to get it to turn on. It’s more noticeable with single ripped, floppy pages and crinkled receipts. Neither are deal-breakers just small gripes I could see people having.BENEFITS OF THIS SHREDDER OVER MY LAST AURORA SHREDDER THAT COSTED $90 OVER 10 YEARS AGO:1) I am happy to see the price of shredders has not significantly increased over the period of time.2) This shredder is so quiet. I can hear the TV or talk with this running. The last shredder was crazy loud. You could hardly do anything else while running it.3) When you get into a rhythm of shredding this thing can run continuously for 30 minutes. My last and the cheaper one can only do 5 minutes of continuous run time. When more than one person is trying to clean a pile of junk mail it is easy to run a shredder for 10-15 minutes almost continuously. I believe it is worth the slight cost incurred to get the longer running professional motor.4) I like the 16-page capacity. My old Aurora, I am guessing was probably a 10-page, would get itself stuck mid-shred, this thing has yet to get stuck mid-shred. I have put 2 unopened envelopes through at a time and I hear the motor struggle a little bit but it hasn’t quit on me.5) I have not had it jam. It claims it is jam-proof but also says it is jam-proof reverse. Reverse sometimes didn’t want to clean jams on my old Aurora but I was always able to pull hard enough with the unit to clean jams but it got me worried a few times. I have put enough paper through this unit to jam the old one, but one needs to use reason and patience to try not to do anything to jam the unit. Jams are scary: this unit has not yet jammed: seems the unit will be tough to jam: but use your sense and don’t overload it. It will shred a lot but I don’t recommend thinking it won’t jam and if it does, since it takes a higher capacity, may be even harder to unjam than my old system. Just thinking ahead.
Robin –
Finally a good shredder
I’ve put off buying a shredder but I really needed one. Amazon had a great price on a quality shredder. I’ve been pleased with it-runs smoothly.
Michael –
Shreds extremely well, big disposal bin, easy to use and empty.
Honestly if you are impatient like me, this thing was really great. Shredded up any and all mail, even several pieces without any issue. Follow the instructions of course, but worth the cash. Had a smaller one that would constantly get stuck because I hated sitting there putting one thin piece of paper in one after another. This thing was a beast and can’t say I was disappointed. Has a very large disposal bin that lets you know when it is getting full. You just pull it out, empty it and put it back in. Super easy.
David and Tracey –
bought this to shred cardboard to make it easier to compost. works fabulously
SILVIA DĆAZ –
FunciĆ³n muy bien
Roy Smith –
I use it for destroying old paperwork with identifying information. It is quick, quiet, and effective. I used to have a portable one that fitted on a waste basket. That never worked very well and was very finicky about paper alignment. This one just does what it is supposed to do.
Eduardo –
El servicio es muy bueno, el contenedor para el papel llego roto la primera vez. DevolvĆ el producto y todo fue muy rĆ”pido, incluyendo el reembolso. VolvĆ a pedir el mismo producto y me llegĆ³ en excelentes condiciones. Supongo que durante el envĆo del primer producto (el que llegĆ³ daƱado) hubo un mal manejo que provocĆ³ que el contenedor del papel se rompiera.
tony summerfelt –
I found myself in the position of shredding 30+ years of paperwork.Yes this shredder is a little on the expensive side, but when you burn through 3 $30 from (fill in your favourite office business store), you will find this is well worth the money.The aforementioned shredders, overheated in under 10min of use, and I had to wait 10-15 min for them to cool down.I have shredded REAMS of paper with this shredder and never had it overheat.So why the 4 stars?You can shred so quickly that the bin fills up a lot quicker. Emptying it is a confetti task that, if nothing else it lets any cooling needed to happen while you do that.Pro tips: – take out any staples you have on whatever you . This shredder could probably handle them. I don’t take thechance.- even if a label is stuck to paper, there is still glue involved. To avoid gumming up the shredding bladesI just cut package labels by hand with good sharp scissors. Learned that the hard way from the abovementioned shredders I burnt out