Customer Reviews

GBC HeatSeal H100 Photo and Badge Pouch Laminator, 4.5 Inch Width Capacity, 3 mm to 5 mm Pouch Thickness, Gray (1701280)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is pretty good for the price, but dont forget to turn it off or it will burn itself out in about half an hour.

i agree with the other review. we have burned out 2 in a little over 6 months..

It's a very simple to use laminator. All you have to do is turn it on and wait for the red light, indicating that it has reached the appropriate temperature. Once you put something in, it'll come out laminated, but don't expect a quality lamination. You get exactly what you pay for.

The main problem is that this laminator simply isn't hot enough. It will seal papers inside the lamination, but it won't be a solid bond. Expect laminations to peel off at the edges, or even peel completely off after a short period of time. This is fine if you plan on laminating something and letting it sit there, but if it's going to be handled even the slightest bit, it's very likely that you'll have to re-laminate eventually.

Also, the heat isn't consistent once you place it through the laminator. I've had occasional laminations where I put it in and, halfway through, the red light will turn off, indicating that the temperature is below the necessary level. This results in one half being bonded correctly, while the other half isn't. If I re-laminate it, the bonded half tends to fade in color, and the previously un-bonded half looks fine. This isn't very appealing.

If you look closely on all the laminations, you'll see that even if the paper comes out completely laminated, the inconsistent temperature has a major effect on the look of the final lamination. It's noticeable that as the paper is fed through, the laminator becomes less hot. You'll end up with a gradient looking product where the top is more faded than the bottom due to it losing heat as the paper is fed through.

I ended up putting this in the closet and investing in a quality $150 laminator and it made a significant difference. I have none of the problems listed above, especially the strength of the lamination. I can subject my laminations to the worst of abuses and it simply won't un-bond. I suppose it may come in handy if my main laminator stops working and I need to use something quickly, but I really don't recommend this at all.

I purchased one of these laminators in 2002 and have been using it since then. I have never regretted my choice. After all why would you want to leave the machine on for such a long time if it is not in use?

From the picture shown and that 9 X 11 1/2" envelopes where said to be for this machine I thought that it was a full size, not a card size. I haven't used it. I hate to return things so I will live with my mistake.