Choosing a plastic spiral coil binding machine can be difficult. There are literally dozens of different machines on the market and it seems that all of the manufacturers claim that their machine is the best.
In order to sort through the riff raff and decide on the right machine for your organizations needs you will need a way to compare the different machines on the market. The eight features listed in this article are designed to help you compare spiral coil binding machines and decide which machine is the best for your organization. Here they are...
1. Punching Mechanism: Some coil binding machines have an electric punching mechanism while others use a handle that you pull much like slot machine handle. Electric spiral coil binding machines are best suited for organizations that need to bind large numbers of documents or need to complete their binding projects quickly. Manual binding machines are less expensive and are ideal for organizations that don't need to bind large numbers of documents.
2. Punching Capacity: Depending on the volume of binding that your company needs to do, the punching capacity of your coil machine can make a big difference. Depending on the machine that you choose, you could have a punching capacity of a few pages or as many as thirty pages.
3. Electric Coil Inserter: Many spiral coil systems include an electric spiral coil inserter on the top or the front of the machine. These binding machines have a set of powered rollers that can be used to help spin the coil onto your documents. If the coil binding machine doesn't have an inserter on it you will need to spin the coils onto the book by hand. If you are planning on binding more than just a few documents you will want to consider choosing a machine with a coil inserter.
4. Disengageable Dies: Most spiral coil machines do not have fully disengageable dies. The holes for coil binding are placed so close together that it is difficult to include fully disengageable dies. However, if you plan on binding odd sized documents including oversized documents, half letter, landscape, legal or 11" x 17" documents you are going to want a machine with at least some disengageable pins. For scrapbooking and crafting you will most likely want to choose a machine with fully disengageable dies.
5. Construction: Inexpensive spiral coil machines are sometimes made of plastic. These machines are fine for users who need to bind just a few books. However, if you plan on binding any type of volume you will want to select a machine with all metal construction. Over time, metal binding machines will hold up better and will have less chances of breaking than plastic ones.
6. Crimping Pliers: Many spiral coil binding systems include a complementary set of coil crimping pliers. These pliers are used to cut off the excess spiral coil and bend over the end of the coil to keep it from spinning off the edge of the book. These pliers are a necessary part of the binding process and should be purchased separately if they are not included with the machine.
7. Pitch: Spiral coil binding units are available in a number of different pitches. The most common pitch is 4:1 (four holes per inch) however coil binding machines are also commonly available in 5:1 pitch (five holes per inch). More than likely, you will want to choose a 4:1 pitch coil binding machine unless you have a compelling reason to choose a different pitch.
8.Warranty: The final factor to consider when choosing a spiral coil binding machine is the warranty that comes with the machine. Warranties range from 90 days up to two years. Some companies such as Akiles, Tamerica and DFG offer a return and repair warranty. Others such as GBC offer a replacement warranty.
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