Comparing Pouch Laminators – Fellowes Vs GBC

Until you find yourself in the market for a laminator, you may not realize all of the options and features that are available in laminating systems. A good pouch laminator is a great item to have on-hand if you want to protect your letter- and legal-sized documents and photographs. This article will discuss some of the differences between pouch laminating equipment from two of the largest manufacturers of laminating equipment: Fellowes and GBC.

These are both trusted names in the document protection industry, and there is good reason for that. Both of these companies are well known for building reliable binding and laminating equipment. However, there are subtle differences in the capabilities and features of their machines. In this article, we discuss the relative merits of the Fellowes Saturn 3i 125 and the GBC Swingline Fusion 3000L to explore those differences. Let’s compare these two machines and see which one you should get.

Key Specs

Lamination Type: Most pouch laminators are thermal or “hot.” If the machine has a pressure-sensitive or “cold” setting then you can use self-adhesive pouches with your machine. The cold setting is ideal for fragile documents and photographs.

Number of Heat Settings: The more settings your laminator has the greater your ability to fine tune your lamination finish. While same thickness pouches should have similar melting points, it can be handy to be able to adjust as needed.

Warm Up Time: The faster your machine heats up the sooner it will be ready to use.

Max Pouch Thickness: Lamination pouches come in thicknesses that range from 3 to 10mils. The thicker the pouch your machine accepts the more options you will have for how ridged your final product is.

Laminating Speed: The speed of your laminator determines how quickly it will be able to process your document. The Fellowes will be able to finish a letter-sized document fed short side first in 55 seconds. The GBC machine will finish the same job in 34.7 seconds.

Number of Rollers: The more rollers your machine has the more evenly distributed the pressure and heat will be distributed. The higher the roller count the cleaner and smoother the lamination will be.

Machine Dimensions: This is the actual size of your machine. It is important to think about where you will be storing your machine while it is not in use and if it will fit.

Max Document Width: Pouch laminators will be able to laminate any size page up to the maximum width. Wider widths also can allow you to feed your document through long side first for faster results.

Warranty: Length of warranty provided by the manufacturer. Check product literature or contact us for details.

Features:

Lamination/Jam Sensor: These sensors can detect if a pouch is being fed through incorrectly or crooked. The machine will stop operation to prevent further jamming and alert the user.

Release Switch: If you are experiencing a jam or have fed your pouch through wrong, this button will release the grip on the pouch and allow you to remove the jam from your laminator.

Auto Shut Off: This power-saving feature will turn off your laminator after a set time of idling. This saves power and prevents your machine from overheating during downtime.

Conclusion

Both Fellowes Saturn 3i 125 and the GBC Swingline Fusion 3000L laminators are very similar in many respects. They both have ways of preventing and resolving pouch jams, and they produce great results. However, the Saturn 3i 125 has a slight edge over its competition because it has an additional heat setting that will allow you to troubleshoot and get the best finish from your pouch. You are now ready to make the decision as to what is the right laminator for you. Buy your pouch laminator today.