GBC H925 HeatSeal Sprint Automatic Roll Laminator - 1703002

Staff Review

GBC HeatSeal Sprint H925 Review

GBC is the maker of some great laminators and they’ve just released their newest unit, the GBC HeatSeal Sprint H925. This is a fully automatic machine that has some wonderful features as well as some limitations that might be a bit frustrating depending on what you need in a laminating machine. So here’s an in-depth look at the pros and cons of the H925.

The Pros:

• This machine can warm up in just two minutes unlike other machines that can take much longer. It also has a laminating speed of 36 inches per minute.
• This machine can laminate just about anything, so long as your document isn’t wider or thinner than 11 inches wide. It can laminate banners (more on that in a moment), signs, certificates, covers, sales sheets, and more.
• You can laminate a banner that’s up to 200 feet long with the H925. This is because the machine’s laminating capacity is only limited by how much film is on the roll currently in the machine. For example, the EZLoad 3.0 mil cartridge has 200 feet of laminating film, so it’s possible to laminate a document of that length. Meanwhile, the 5.0 mil cartridge has 100 feet of film.
• You do not need to use a carrier when laminating with this machine because this is a roll laminator that uses GBC EZLoad cartridges. These cartridges are very easy to install even for people who have never used this kind of machine before.
• The H925 has a built-in trimmer as well as a tray that will hold your papers after they emerge from the machine. The front of the unit has an LCD display that makes it easy to operate the machine.
• Each machine has cooling fans that help keep the unit from overheating. Plus, the H925 will shut itself off if it hasn’t been used for more than 15 minutes.
• The H925 has a great warranty that includes a year’s worth of on-site service anywhere in the United States

The Cons:

• The H925 can only laminate with film that’s either 3.0 and 5.0 mil thick. At the moment, you can only use glossy film with this machine. You can’t use matte or specialty films.
• As mentioned above, the H925 can only laminate items that are 11 inches wide. This means you will not be able to work with smaller items such as business cards and traditional 4″ x 6″ photographs.
• Although the H925 has a built-in trimmer, it cannot do flush trimming. This means you will be left with a border around your documents that measures approximately 1/4″. One machine that can do flush trimming is the Fujipla ALM 3220, another fully automatic laminator. (Be aware, however, that the Fujipla will cost you in the neighborhood of $18,000.00.)
• This product cannot perform cold lamination so you shouldn’t use it if you are working with heat-sensitive documents. The H925 can’t do single-sided lamination either.
• The H925 is a very large machine. It has dimensions of 27.25″ (length) x 25.75″ (width) x 27″ (height), so if you have limited space in your office, this laminator may not be the best choice. It also weighs 70 pounds so moving it around will be a bit difficult.
• This unit has a price point of $2,500.00 which may prove to be prohibitive for some organizations. (Although it is still much cheaper than the FujiPla).

Overall, the GBC HeatSeal Spring H925 is a bit of a mixed bag. While it’s very fast and has great automatic features and a terrific warranty, it’s a big disappointing that it cannot do cold lamination, flush trimming, and single-sided lamination. However, if the pros of this machine outweigh the cons for you, it would definitely be a wise investment.