I put this machine thru a good test. I now have 27+ lbs of bright and shiny copper wire. here is what I learned. (my machine just payed for itself)
27# of copper wire will fill a coppier paper box completly (the 5000 sheet box)
you have to handle the wire several times. I do not do the whole process in one step, too time consuming. This is how I process.
1) grab 10-15 pounds of wire
2) separate all extension cords into single wires
3) run all wire thru the cutter
4) peel off the rubber/plastic insulation (on longer wire I just wrap about 12" of wire around the top of the cutting knife on the machine so it does not come off and the walk backwards with the insulation in my hand, works pretty fast)
on average 10 lbs of wire will give you 4 lbs of copper.