The Powershred 99Ci is a shared-office cross-cut shredder rated for 18 sheets a pass and 30 minutes of continuous running. PCMag made it an Editors' Choice in 2017, reporting no jams and unusually low noise, and TechGearLab ranked it 3rd of 15 shredders it tested. Forbes Vetted named it the best paper shredder overall in 2026. It is cross-cut rather than micro-cut, so PCMag advises against it for genuinely secret documents, and at $299.99 and 36 pounds it is a lot of machine for a single desk.
Full review
Capacity and run time
Fellowes rates the 99Ci at 18 sheets per pass with a 30-minute continuous run time followed by a 40-minute cooldown, and PCMag described that duty cycle as "impressively long" when it tested the machine in February 2017. PCMag also found the rating honest rather than optimistic: it shredded up to 18 sheets at once, and pushing to 20 made it pause several times.
The bin is a 9-gallon pull-out holding roughly 550 sheets, with a bin-full indicator. That is the capacity that separates a shared-office machine from a desk-side one, and it is the reason the 99Ci is heavier and taller than most home shredders.
Speed and jam handling
TechGearLab measured 180 sheets per minute in its own hands-on testing and reported that the machine "handled staples and paper clips without so much as a hiccup." PCMag timed throughput differently, at 13.1 feet per minute, and called that good though not as fast as the Editors' Choice model it was comparing against at the time.
On jamming, PCMag was unambiguous: "True to the shredder's name, I had no problems with jams." Both tests are from 2017, so treat them as evidence about the design rather than about a unit bought today.
Noise
Noise is the quality PCMag singled out most clearly, writing that many shredders are "loud enough to be disruptive to nearby workers, but not the 99Ci, which is unusually quiet." For a machine intended to sit in a shared room rather than a closet, that matters more than a few feet per minute either way.
What it will and will not destroy
Beyond paper, PCMag confirmed the 99Ci shreds plastic cards, staples, CDs and DVDs, and envelopes filled with junk mail. Fellowes specifies one disc or card per pass.
The limit is the cut itself. This is a P-4 cross-cut machine producing 5/32" x 1-1/2" particles, and PCMag was direct about the consequence: "If you need to shred secret documents, you will want to look at a micro-cut shredder." TechGearLab made the same point, calling cross-cut "the only knock against this shredder."
Size, price and who it suits
TechGearLab summarised the trade-off as "its high cost and its size (it's about as big as a large kitchen wastebasket)," and PCMag listed "Large and heavy. On the pricey side." among its cons. At 36.4 lb and just over 25 inches tall, it is furniture rather than an accessory.
Forbes Vetted still named it the best paper shredder overall in its 2026 roundup, after consulting a data-security expert. That is the most recent independent assessment available, and it carries no score.
Strengths
- +Rated for 18 sheets per pass with a 30-minute continuous run time before a 40-minute cooldown — PCMag called that "impressively long" in its 2017 test
- +PCMag reported no jams at all in testing, and shredded plastic cards, staples, CDs and DVDs alongside paper
- +Unusually quiet for its class: PCMag noted most shredders are "loud enough to be disruptive to nearby workers, but not the 99Ci"
Watch-outs
- −Cross-cut, not micro-cut: PCMag was explicit that it is "not secure enough for secret documents"
- −Large and heavy — 36.4 lb and roughly the footprint of a large kitchen wastebasket, per TechGearLab
- −Expensive at $299.99, and PCMag measured 13.1 ft/min — good, but slower than its Editors' Choice pick at the time
How it compares
The 99Ci is the heavy-duty option in this category: more sheets per pass and far more continuous run time than the desk-side models, at roughly five times the price and three times the weight.
Rating sources
Counts as 4.66/5 in our score — this publisher's 181 scores on the site average 4.00, so its scores are adjusted up to compare fairly with other publishers.
“The Fellowes Powershred 99Ci 100% Jam Proof Cross-Cut Shredder ($299.99) is an excellent choice as a heavy-duty shared shredder.”
Counts as 4.74/5 in our score — this publisher's 138 scores on the site average 3.66, so its scores are adjusted up to compare fairly with other publishers.
“During our hands-on testing, it tore through 180 sheets per minute, handled staples and paper clips without so much as a hiccup.”
Our 4.7 score is the average of the 2 scored reviews above, each adjusted for how strictly its publisher scores; 1 more reviewed it without printing a score and is not in the average. More about methodology.
