Paper shredders are privacy tools, and you usee them to shred any personal / business information you don't want lying around where othe rpeople will be able to find them.

Good paper shredders can also shred data disc, credit card and deal with clips etc easily.

Good paper shredders are cross-cut shredders with 'level three security', able to  cut documents into smaller, hard-to-recover pieces sized anywhere from ⅛” to ¼” (3.9 mm to 5.8 mm). They also have large 4-8 galon drum to hold the shredded material.

Paper is not the only thing a good shredder should shred. It should also make quick work of credit cards and old data CDs/DVDs, and be able to deal with paper clips or staples.

The best paper shredder: AmazonBasics 12-Sheet Cross-Cut (easy-to-use, quick, affordable, safe, best for occassional shredding)

The best paper shredder upgrade: Fellowes 73Ci 12-Sheet Cross-Cut (costly, best for frequent / volume shredding needs)

The best superfine paper shredder: AmazonBasics 12-Sheet High-Security Micro-Cut (for extra careful people)