GBC CombBind C500 Plastic Comb Binding Machine Review

Overview:

Formerly known as the ibico ibimaster 500, the GBC CombBind C500 is both a plastic comb binding machine and a 3:1 pitch twin loop wire binding machine, making it possible to use Plastic Combs, Double loop wire, Proclick and Zipbind all with the same machine. Beyond a great selection of binding options, the C500 also provides simple, fold-up storage, allowing you to hide the machine away with a minimum of effort. In addition, the streamlined design of the machine gives it great form, as well as function. All of these features work together to create an excellent option for your comb binding needs.

Features:

The C500 has many useful features, beginning with dual punching slots to punch a 3:1 pitch round hole wire pattern, and 19 hole rectangular holes for plastic comb binding. It is also capable of binding documents up to 9/16" with wire, documents up to 2" thick with combs. The round hole 3:1 pitch punch is also compatible with 3:1 pitch spiral coil. All of this combines to make the C500 one of the only machines available on the market that can use twin loop wire, plastic combs and spiral coil binding. In addition, the C500 is capable of punching standard sized and oversize covers, which can be an excellent and versatile feature. In addition, the C500 includes a plastic comb opener and a twin loop wire closer. This allows you to effectively finish both comb-bound or wire-bound projects.

The C500 offers form, as well as function. It boasts an ergonomically-designed punching handle. This handle is the ideal solution for operators who are either left handed, or right handed, this allows a greater number of personnel to work on the machine. In addition, the C500 has a compact design, which makes it very suitable to folds up for storage making it ideal for organizations that are short on space.

Limitations:

Although the C500 is an extremely useful machine, it is not ideal for organizations that need to bind odd sized documents. The reason for this is that the C500 machine does not include a depth of punch margin control or disengageable dies. Both of these features are good to have in a binding machine, and without them, there are limitations, particularly with larger volume projects. In addition, the fact that the machine is manual can also be problematic for larger projects and can become quite tedious for organizations that bind a large number of documents.

Finally, the machine does not have a coil inserter. This can be a potential problem, because the very popular 3:1 pitch spiral coil must be inserted by hand, making the entire process longer and somewhat inconvenient. This, along with the other limitations, should be considered when making decisions on the suitability of binding equipment for your needs.

Construction:

The C500 is not an extremely heavy-duty machine. Because it has a plastic body and handle, it is not suitable for long-term, high-volume use. For moderate use, however, this equipment is very suitable for moderate volume applications. In this scenario, the C500 should hold up quite well for most of your binding needs, both long and short term. The wire closer uses a plastic adjustment mechanism to set the closing gap. If this mechanism is not properly cared-for, this equipment could potentially wear over time, and could cause issues that could cause problems later.

Recommendation:

The C500 is great for small and mid sized organizations, unsure of the binding-type they need. Because the system offers five major choices (including: Combs, Wire, Coil, Zipbind and Proclick) it is a very versatile machine and is highly recommended for applications requiring versatility. The convenient, fold-up design makes the system easy to store, but it you are interested in high-volume binding, the C500 may not be the ideal for you. So take a good, hard look at the C500 and see If it is the right equipment for you.

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GBC MP2000W3 Modular Fixed Die 3:1 Pitch Twin Loop Wire Binding Punch Review

Overview:

The GBC MP2000W3 is a fixed die modular binding punch that produces a 32 hole square hole pattern (on an eleven inch sheet) for use in binding documents with 3:1 pitch twin loop wire.
It is meant to be used in a small to medium sized organization that needs to bind documents using twin loop wire.
This machine does not include a wire closer but instead is designed to be combined with either the GBC MC50 manual wire closer or the GBC TL2900 electric twin loop wire closer.
The MP2000-W3 can be used by a single operator who does both the punching and binding or can be used as part of an assembly line to help increase productivity.

Strengths / Features:

This machine is designed with a vertical punching throat. This allows users to use gravity to help align their pages for punching. As pages are inserted into the MP2000W3 you can simply tap them on base of the punch and slide them into place. This is helpful for making sure that your pages are always lined up for punching and eliminates costly mispunches.
The MP2000-W3 is a medium duty wire binding punch that is capable of punching up to sixteen sheets of twenty pound paper at a time. It produces a three to one pitch hole pattern that has three holes per inch (32 holes on an 11" binding edge). Although there are certainly machines on the market that are capable of punching more sheets, this machine does an excellent job and offers exceptional punching quality. The hole pattern produced by this punch can be used for binding documents with 3:1 pitch wire, GBC Proclick and with special 3:1 pitch spiral coils.
The MP2000W3 has convenient and easy to use punching controls. You can activate the punch by pressing the conveniently located palm switch on the front of the machine. Or if you prefer you can use the heavy duty foot pedal control that is included with this machine. In general the push button control will be faster for short run production while the foot pedal will be better for long runs. However, the choice is really yours.
The modular nature of this machine allows it to be used as part of an assembly line for creating wire bound documents. By having one person punch your documents while another person binds it is possible to almost triple your productivity over the use of a standard all in one binding machine. This can present substantial cost savings to your organization and gives you an option for completing those important jobs quickly and efficiently.
The MP2000W3 uses a fairly unique edge guide control that is easy to adjust and move. I was impressed at how easy it was to move the edge guide and lock it in place with precision. This makes setting this machine up for punching different sized documents a lot easier.

Weaknesses / Limitations:

This machine is designed to produce a 3:1 pitch hole pattern that is traditionally used with twin loop wire. However, 3:1 pitch wire is only available in sizes between 3/16" and 9/16". If you need to bind documents that are larger than this you will need to choose a different binding style. If you want to use wire to bind larger documents you will need a machine that can punch a 2:1 pitch hole-pattern. Many organizations opt to purchase an interchangeable die punch such as the MP2500ix which allows them to switch punching patterns in order to bind both large and small documents.
The MP2000-W3 has a two second punching cycle. The punching cycle is a measurement of the time that it takes for the machine to punch a lift of paper and reset itself so that it is ready to punch again. A two second cycle is fairly comparable to the punches that are included on most desktop wire binding machines. However it is fairly slow for a modular binding punch.
This machine does not come with a wire closer for finishing your books. However, in order to use this machine with 3:1 pitch twin loop wire you need to have a wire closer. GBC makes two options for wire closers that can easily be stacked on top of the MP2000W3. The MC12 is a twelve inch manual wire closer and the TL2900 is a heavy duty electric wire closer. Both machines work great, the choice will mostly depend on your budget and how many documents you need to bind.
The MP2000W3 does not have fully disengageable dies. Instead, there is a small section on the machine behind the punching slot that flips up. Inside that section there are seventeen disengageable punching pins. Using these pins and the open throat design of this machine it is possible to punch virtually any size of document. However, if you have a particular document size that you need to bind it is a good idea to check first to see if this machine can be configured for use with that length of sheet.

Recommendation:

The MP2000W3 is ideal for small and medium sized companies that are looking for a high quality electric punch for binding documents with 3:1 pitch twin loop wire.
This machine is designed to be used along with a modular double loop wire closer which can be conveniently stacked on the top of the punch or can be used on the side in an assembly line fashion.
This machine is an excellent option for organizations that only do one type of binding and want to increase their productivity without breaking the bank.
However, organizations that do a lot of punching or who need to bind documents with multiple binding styles should really look at an interchangeable die binding punch such as the MP2500ix or the GBC Magnapunch.

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