3 of the Best NSA-Listed Hard Drive Destroyers in 2024

by WhitakerBrothers July 28, 2020

NSA-Listed Data Destruction Equipment: Our Review

Today, we’re going to review the top 3 best hard drive destroyers in 2024. These devices range from portable destroyers to stationary office equipment. We even gave you a price range of $500 to $16,000, to give you the flexibility you need in making a buying decision.

Proton 1100 Degaussing Wand

The Proton 1100 Degaussing Wand is the most portable and affordable NSA-listed degausser. Even though it’s small, it packs a big punch! This degausser is seriously strong, but comes in at 5 inches in length. As you can see in the picture above, the degaussing wand comes with a protective case that prevents the unit from demagnetizing things that are around it. When I was demoing the unit, I couldn’t help but feel the need to put my credit cards and cell phone as far away from it as possible!!! How to use the product:

Remove the exterior metal casing from the hard drive and unscrew any parts that are blocking the hard drive platters.
Remove the hard drive platters.
Remove the degausser from its protective case and rub the degausser wand from the inside ring to the outer edges of the HDD platter.

Don't forget to get the whole surface of the hard drive platters with the degausser wand when you’re in the process of wiping your drives.

Why do we love this degausser wand?

It’s hard to beat its affordable price!
It weighs less than a pound.
The Proton 1100 is an NSA-listed degausser.
This model is handheld.
Ultra usable and doesn’t need an electrical outlet.

Next, we’re going to move on to a machine that is a hybrid of sorts.

Datastroyer ACD-HS Automatic Hard Drive Crusher

The Datastroyer ACD-HS or as we like to call it, "the taco maker" (because it folds hard drives in the shape of a taco) is a beast of a hybrid machine. What do I mean when I say, "hybrid machine?" You can either crush hard drives with the push of a button, or you can crush them with a manual hand crank. The latter method could be useful if you are in the field, and there is a lack of electricity to power the ACD-HS.

To put it in perspective, this machine could crush hard drives in the back of an SUV or in a chopper. The versatility of the manual option makes this machine one of the most usable and reliable data security devices on the market. The other element of this machine that makes it even more of a hybrid is that you can add an optional solid-state drive module to destroy SSDs. When you combine the ability to destroy HDDs and SSDs into one machine, you gain the ability to destroy data from any computer or laptop.

Why do we love this hard drive crusher?

It’s portable (has a handle at the top) and compact.
The ACD-HS is NSA-listed for 2nd stage drive destruction.
There is an electric/automatic setting as well as a manual crank for operation.
You can crush hard drives in seconds and destroy solid-state drives with an SSD insert.

Datastroyer 105 Hard Drive Degausser

The Datastroyer 105 Hard Drive Degausser is a robust machine that guarantees quality and consistency. This machine is the kind of machine that you can depend on for years to come. I’m not just saying that because it rarely needs repair. The 105 creates a 20,000 Gauss positive and Gauss negative field to demagnetize hard drives. A field of 20,000 Gauss is more than enough to wipe any drive on the market today.

The 105 Degausser is a future proof degausser in the sense that it’s power and capability will outmatch any hard drive that you can throw at it during its lifetime. Another benefit to tote is that there is no mess involved with this machine, and it is relatively quick. You won’t be picking chunks of hard drive or unjamming bits and pieces out of machine teeth with this piece of equipment.

Degaussing is a first stage destruction method for hard drives. In top-secret and high-security use cases, it is recommended that you should crush or physically damage a hard drive for the second-stage of drive destruction. This machine might be more pricey than other options, but it is a machine that will last you a long time, guarantee hard drive erasure, and make sure that you are staying compliant with data security.

Why do we love this hard drive degausser?

Extremely reliable.
The degaussing power of this machine is tremendous and future-proof.
The 105 Degausser is NSA-Listed and has GSA Pricing.
This piece of equipment has an internal Gauss meter and digital screen to assure the user that the hard drive has been degaussed to spec.

Conclusion

So, why did we show you all of these options? Well, it’s because they really cover all of your possible applications for destroying data on a hard drive to NSA specs. These destroyers range from $500 to $16,000, and they range from a handheld device to a sturdy machine for your office or warehouse.

Also, we mentioned first-stage hard drive destruction and second-stage HDD destruction. Degaussing and destroying your hard drives will guarantee that nobody will have access to top-secret or classified information that may have been stored on your hard drives. At Whitaker Brothers, we like to make it known that degaussers are the way of the future. They have the ability to instantly fry hard drives and magnetically remove the data that is stored on the drives.

Thanks for reading the article, and be sure to contact us if you have any questions for our experts! If you haven’t checked out our articles on degaussers, check out our list below: