Office Depot ATIVA DX120P Shredder

Pros: works great, shreds more than paper, nice warranty, confetti cuts
Cons: a little loud

Security has become a big issue in the world today, and assisting office workers everywhere are shredders that are intended to do the job well. One of those that does a great job at meeting all possible needs is the Ativa DX120P. It is one of those ...

Pros: Shreds lots of paper at once.
Cons: Their customer service sucks

I have had my ativa DX 120P Shredder for a Year and a half. I have had no complaints until now about the quality of the product. It shredded lots of paper at once with no problem. I bought the shredder because of the warranty - which I thought was 5 ...

Pros: It shreds.
Cons: It won't stop shredding.

The first Ativa shredder I ordered was received damaged. It was obvious that this unit had been returned to them once already. The box showed signs of having been opened, it wasn't repackaged correctly, and one of the casters was missing. Why on God's ...

Pros: Heavy duty work rating, internal wastebasket. Quiet.
Cons: None that I can see so far.

The Office Depot Ativa DX120P is a great paper shredder for home and office. My previous shredder had a 6 page limit but it was noisy and got stressed at 6 pages. This machine handles 12 with ease but I find it's usually better not to overwork the machine and I prefer to shred only 3, 4, or 5 pages at a time. The first thing I noticed is that the Office Depot Ativa is much quieter than the machine I had (incidentally, this was a casual use machine that terminally jammed when 8 checks were fed into it by error). The Office Depot Ativa is rated for heavy duty usage and should last a long time in a home or small office. The controls are easy to use, and feature a forward, reverse, and automatic mode. In addition the shredder is mounted on casters so it rolls where you want it. A pull down door in back gives access to the internal wastebasket, so you don't have to take the machine apart to empty it. I purchased my Office Depot Ativa DX120P at my local Office Depot store, taking advantage of a sales promotion.

Pros: Um, I can't think of any. I suppose it DOES shred, even if it sucks.
Cons: It sits in the back of the office taking up space.

I guess our company accidentally bought the lemon of the Ativa line. Ours does not shred more than 2 pages at a time, 3 on a good moment and only 1 of thicker paper. Constantly jams. The only good thing is that Ativa is fixing the problem by giving us our money back.

Pros: Shredded up to 12 pages of paper with staples included.
Cons: Breaks down within 1-2 years of very moderate usage.

I purchased this DX120p from office depot, and got about 1 year and a half worth of usage.  I only use it about once a week, so it got very moderate usage.  It now no longer shreds paper.  It appears that the sensor that senses when you put the paper in and triggers the blades to turn (in auto mode), has just spontaneously gone bad.  There has been no usage error, it is just a defect of this product.  I have already read several reports from other consumers experiencing the same problem.  Its funny, because I'm sure others who have this problem already are well aware that the REVERSE mode works, but the AUTO mode (which is the only mode you can use to shred paper) will not detect when you are putting paper in it.  It is probably a simple fix for an otherwise good shredder.  When it worked, it shredded up to 12 sheets of paper with no problems.  I would say stay away from manufacturers who do not back their products.  And from what I can tell, they refuse to fix these shredders when they just quit working for no good reason.