Aurora Multimedia AS702MX Shredder

Pros: It was cheap...
Cons: ...and I did indeed get all that I paid for.

With daily news stories about the growing problem of identity theft, my family finally bit the bullet and purchased a paper shredder. Images of someone poking through a landfill or garbage can to peruse my old credit card statements and cancelled checks ...

Pros: Price. Functionality. Credit Card shredder.
Cons: Tedious reassembly after emptying. Doesn't shred CD's or potatoes

It seems that other reviewers would all nominate the Aurora AS720MX dual shredder to appear on America’s Most Unwanted list. After a year with my Aurora shredder I’m withholding my nomination for now The Aurora shredder is a crosscut machine that ...

Pros: Cheap, does the job
Cons: Slow, needs coaxing

I've had this shredder for more than six months now, and must agree with some of the other reviews as regards the capacity and jamming tendency. The unit runs so slowly with more than four sheets fed into it that it's hardly worth the bother. Also, ...

Pros: Lasted a long time when used as intended
Cons: Won't shred CD/DVD Media

I'd have to say that this unit isn't as bad as everyone seems to think. I've had mine for about 4 years and it performed well for the majority of the time. I'll admit it is a bit under-powered for heavy use but it just seems to keep on working. As far ...

Pros: cheap
Cons: Unreliable and flimsy.

I've had the shredder for a few months now. One annoyance is that you have to lift the shredder top off the bin to empty it. There is a failsafe switch that prevents shredder function when the top is off, and it has to line up perfectly with the bin once you put it back. If it doesn't, the shredder doesn't work and you have to keep adjusting the lid to get it just right.

A few days ago, it stopped working completely. I opened her up and one of the plastic gears was shredded. I did not abuse my machine and never over stuffed it.

Pros: Cheap, shreds paper
Cons: Hard to clear jams, very light duty only, short life.

I bought this shredder from Staples because it was almost free after the rebate. Well, it can't handle anywhere near the the stated paper capacity and it occasionally jams which is sometimes a real pain to clear out. The process of emptying the basket is also annoying. When it works, it does the job but this is a small volume shredder. I think my impatient wife fed two much paper through one time too many since an internal gear broke (the gears are plastic). This happened after not much more than a year of operation. My experience is that most all shredder makers sell these cheap low volume models. Stay away from them if you need regular shredding capability. Anyway, I replaced it with an Aurora AS1712X larger capacity shredder. It's larger capacity, more powerful, easier to empty, and much quieter. Also, it doesn't need shredder bags which is in my opinion an unnecessary expense. Now this is one good shredder that does what it's supposed to but be prepared to pay for it.

Pros: Good design, up to 7 pages, shredder for credit cards
Cons: No manual operation, apparently vulnerable paper sensor

I got my Aurora AS702MX for my home office in mid-April, 2004. My shredding volume is small to moderate, about 20 to 40 pages a day. I liked the general design and the lightweight wastepaper basket. Initially I also liked the automatic function: just load the paper, no switching on required. However, this function makes the device vulnerable, it seems. Whenever I removed the shredding portion from the basket to empty the basket and put it back on, I noticed that it took several attempts before the automatic function resumed working. But it always did. A couple of days ago it stopped working altogether. Now I wish there was an option to switch the shredder on manually but there is none. When I switch to reverse, the motor promptly starts. But no more shredding after less than 80 days of moderate use.
The store won't take it back after more than 45 days, so all I can do is forget about it and go buy a - hopefully - better-quality model from another manufacturer.

Pros: I like the metal basket appearance in the office. Credit card feature functional.
Cons: Jams strip plastic gears requiring unit replacement. Underpowered, slow, noisy.

The unit is noisy and difficult to prevent from jamming. The pages misfeed and jam if they aren't fed exactly straight. Even when you feed a few pages, they tend to bunch and jam. The unit doesn't take the number of pages claimed. The shredding is very slow. The credit card feature worked well. When it does jam, the reversal switch frequently doesn't clear the jam. To clear jams requires iterations of inverting and picking out the paper from the shredder with then powering it back up to rotate to the next part of the jam. As a result clearing the jam is very slow and painful.

I was willing to put up with slow and noisy until the last jam resulted in the plastic drive gear stripping and now I have to replace the unit. If they want to put in plastic gears, the gears need to be designed for the load or a clutch must be added to protect the gears.

I had the unit less than a year. I believe the unit is poorly designed and can't recommend it.

Pros: none
Cons: expensive for trash receptacle

Someone should invent a shredder for such crappy products as this one. It has been nothing but an aggravation since day one. Buyer beware!

Pros: Small for a compact area.
Cons: Jams too easily.

This shredder construction allows the shredded paper to not feed out the insuficiently small discharge slot...therefore it jams.  You don't know it has jammed until it is so full it won't accept any more paper.  Tried all the manufacture recommended fixes such as feeding oiled paper.  We also limit the number of sheet feeds to one and it still jams on a regular basis.  Would not purchase another Aurora product based on the reviews I've read.