Fellowes Cosmic 95 Pouch Laminator

The Fellowes Cosmic 95 pouch laminator is a user-friendly machine that's been made for use at both home or work. This is a high-quality Fellowes product packed with some nice special features. For example, you can laminate a number of different projects with the Cosmic 95, including photos and heat-sensitive documents, thanks to the machine's cold-laminating capability. And best of all, this machine is affordable, retailing for under $100.

As far as appearances go, the Cosmic 95 is a good-looking machine that's rather small: it's about 16" wide and 8" tall, so it can easily fit on top of a desk or crafting table. The laminator has a 9.5" opening so you can easily feed in sheets that are 8.5" wide without a problem. It even has a handle so you can move it easily.

Fellowes has given the Cosmic 95 its patented HeatGuard Technology. Featuring double-walled insulation that keeps the heat inside, this means the unit will stay cool to the touch, even when it is laminating. This is a nice feature to have on a machine that may end up in homes containing small children and/or pets. As for the machine's laminating capabilities, it offers two temperature settings: the first is a heated setting designed for use with 3 mil pouches, or 5 mil index card size or smaller, and the second is a cold setting to be used with self-adhesive pouches. The cold setting is nice to have if you'll be working with a lot of heat-sensitive documents. The machine heats up in about five minutes, and a green light switches on when the unit is ready. (The laminator also beeps at you.) The machine is a bit slow when it comes to the actual laminating: it takes about one full minute for it to laminate a letter-sized document. Finally, the Cosmic 95 has a release lever so users can easily remove and reposition jammed laminating pouches.

As mentioned before, the Cosmic 95 has a relatively slow laminating time of about one minute. This machine is definitely not capable of quickly handling a lot of documents. Also, it should be noted that this laminator can only accommodate 3 mil pouches, unless you're laminating index card size or smaller, in that case it is 5 mil. This is extremely important to keep it mind because the machine simply cannot handle thicker pouches, so if you try to feed one in, you'll just wind up frustrated. If you're someone who needs to laminate a lot of documents quickly and/or you need to use pouches other than the 3 mil or smaller 5 mil ones, then the Cosmic 95 isn't the machine for you. You'll need to consider a more expensive laminating machine.

Overall, the Fellowes Cosmic 95 is a good personal laminator that has some limitations. The machine is easy to use and has some thoughtful safety features, so it's recommended for users who won't be laminating a lot of documents regularly and who won't need to use anything other than a 3 mil pouch or small 5 mil pouch. Heavy-duty users will need to consider a different machine for their laminating needs. However, users who want an affordable, user-friendly laminator for occasional use should consider the Cosmic 95 as an obvious choice.