GBC HeatSeal H210 Pouch Laminator Review
November 18th, 2008- The GBC Heatseal H210 Pouch Laminator is designed for a home office or small office that occasionally needs to laminate documents, photos and promotional materials that are up to 8.5" wide.
- The H210 has a 9.5 inch wide throat and is a popular option for organizations that are on a budget but need the ability to laminate letter or legal sized documents, signs or sheets.
- This review will provide a quick overview of the strengths, features, weaknesses and limitations of the H210 pouch laminator.
Strengths / Features:
- The GBC Heatseal H210 is designed specifically for small organizations that need to laminate documents on a budget. It is the lowest priced laminator from GBC that is capable of laminating letter and legal sized documents. With a market price of about $115, this makes the H210 a great choice for small offices and home offices that are on a budget.
- The H210 has a 9.5" throat which is ideal for laminating small sized documents and documents that are as large as letter size (9" x 11.5" pouches) and legal size (9" x 14.5" pouches).
- The Heatseal H210 has GBC's readyglo technology which means that the throat of the laminator will turn green when it is ready to laminate. It has a five minute warm up time which is fairly decent for a laminator of its size.
- The H210 is designed for lamination with a carrier which is a strength. This prevents adhesive from accumulating on the rollers inside the machine. It also includes a jam release lever to help you quickly and easily remove the carrier from the laminator if it becomes jammed inside the machine.
Weaknesses / Limitations:
- The GBC H210 can handle laminating pouches that are either 3mil or 5mil thick. However, it is not capable of handling thicker laminating pouches. For organizations that need to laminate documents with 7mil and 10mil laminating pouches, the GBC H210 is not a good option.
- The Heatseal H210 has a 9.5" throat. This is fine for laminating most standard sized documents. However, it is not ideal for use with long side sealed letter laminating pouches since it is important to always feed pouches into the laminator with the sealed side first. The H210 is also not suitable for laminating large documents such as menus or 11" x 17" sheets. A laminator with a 12.5" or 13" throat is required for that application.
- The GBC H210 has a small exit tray on the back of the laminator. However, the exit tray isn't really large enough to hold standard letter sized documents or almost any size of document. This makes the exit tray essentially useless on this laminator. It is actually easier to simply leave it folded up on the back of the machine.
Recommendation:
- The GBC Heatseal H210 pouch laminator is and excellent machine for a small office or home office that is looking to laminate letter and legal sized documents.
- The H210 can also be used to laminate photos, name badges and luggage tags with 5mil laminating pouches.
- The limited width of the H210 and the inability to handle thicker laminating pouches does not lend it to larger volume applications. Still, it is an excellent laminating machine at an excellent price point for organizations on a budget.
