Very nice entry level laminator
345204
Features:

* Small footprint: 14 " W x 3" (6" with paper tray installed) D x 3" H
* Warm-up time (7 minutes specified, 5 minutes measured).  About the same as my 3M Laminator.
* Maximum Size: 9" pouch width x whatever length sheet you can find.
* Speed: 78 sec. to laminate a standard 8  x 11 sheet.
* Handles 3 mil laminating sheets (standard or legal size) or 5 mil photo (4 x 6")

Pros:
* Works well and it's inexpensive.
* Quality of lamination is very good.
* Attractive
* Small size

Cons:
* Not rated for thicker laminating sheets.
* Not as fast as a larger machine but perfectly acceptable for home use.

After un-boxing, the first thing that struck me was the size of this cool little laminator.  It will fit in the corner of your desk and it is attractive.  Setup was very fast.  Just insert the feed tray, plug in and turn on the rear power switch.  A green LED lights when it is warmed up and ready to go (about 7 min.).

Tests:

First test was to laminate a standard 8 x 11 sheet of paper using a recommended GBC 3 mil laminating pouch.  It worked great, although the sheet curled slightly at one end after cooling.  This is not a major issue.

Next test was the same, except I used a standard 3M laminating pouch (also 3 mil).  The end result was the same as above but no curling was observed.

Final test was a side by side comparison with my 3M laminator, which costs 3 times the price of the GBC.  I fed both sheets at the same time.  The 3M had finished laminating the sheet by the time the GBC was half way done.  When the GBC finished, I let both sheets cool then examined them.  I could not see any difference in quality or evenness of lamination between the sheet laminated in the 3M and the sheet laminated in the GBC.  Since the GBC is 1/3rd the cost of the 3M, it gets a big thumbs up.

Conclusion:

If you want a small, inexpensive laminator and don't mind sacrificing a little speed or the ability to laminate 10 mil pouches, this little unit is a great value.  For home or home office use, it will serve you well.
911143
This laminator works well.  We use it a couple times a month at my church office and have not have any difficulties or problems with it.
524088
I didn't know which laminator to chose for classroom use but this one was perfect! It does a great job and heats up quickly.
441531
I have used this printer for several months and am happy to be able to review it here.

It is FAST! That is one of the first things I notice. Sure, the less expensive models get the job done, but how often do you sit and wait for that last page to hit the tray?

I did the math, and the cost in the ink is far below average, less expensive than similar HPs or Epsons.

The oversized paper tray is also a life saver. I buy a ream, I put the ream in. No having to worry about running out of paper - or finding that half-used ream because of paper tray restrictions.

Although tall, the foot print is relatively small, which is nice for a small office or in home business (which is where I use it).

The scanner works well,and I like the ability to select a scan destination on the fly with minimal fuss.

The touch screen is intuitive, and easy to use.

That the printer is wireless makes it so much easier for others to use it - and the ability to plug in a flash drive for that printing is also a welcome feature.

All in all - if the "basic" printer is not enough, but you're not ready to make the jump to the ultra expensive models, this is a very good above entry level laser printer.
173172
Homeschool family for 11 years now and this is our first laminator.  It is SO easy to use.  The drawback is that it lacks versatility.  Maximum size:  8 1/2" x 11".  Minimum size:  whatever you can fit in the 8 1/2" x 11" pouch.  ;)  That said, most of what we would need to laminate likely fits into one of those two categories anyway and you really can't beat how easy it is to use.  My kids could do thiswith the adult supervision the company warns is necessary, of course.  ;)

Works for our purposes and you can't beat the price.  How did we make it all these years WITHOUT a laminator until now?  haha!
2965719
This is the first time I've purchased a laminator for home use so I have nothing to compare it to. But I do know what I need it to do and this one has fit the ticket.

It heats up quickly (in my mind at least) and is very easy to place the item through. I use it with&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Scotch-TM-Thermal-Laminating-Pouches-9-Inches-x-11-4-Inches-50-Pouches-TP3854-50/dp/B0019K3LI8/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Scotch(TM) Thermal Laminating Pouches, 9 Inches x 11.4 Inches, 50 Pouches (TP3854-50)</a>.

I use it to keep newspaper articles safe and protected but more importantly, I use it to keep kids chore charts, rules, reward systems and checklists tidy. We use them with wipe off markers so that they can be written on daily. There is enough of an edge with an 8x11 sheet inside that there is no chance of the laminating sheet peeling apart.

I've only had one sheet get stuck and crimp up and that I was able to run through again to flatten a bit more.

Easy set-up, easy to use, consistent quality.
2331048
Inexpensive yet FANTASTIC laminator!  I purchased this for the office, for the sole reason of not wanting to have to drive somewhere to laminate something the few times a year that it occurs.  For the price point I figured if it didn't do a fair job nothing would be lost.  I honestly couldn't be more pleased.  The machine heats up quickly, the pages seal on one pass at the highest setting with no bubbles, waves or issues.
944991
This is an AMAZING laminator for this price point! It takes right at 4 minutes to heat up which is not an issue for me and my purposes. Once heated up it works like a champ, quietly and quickly laminating 8 1/2 x 11 sheets without issue. Smaller sizes also go through with no problem. The only thing keep me from giving this 5 stars is that often when putting full sheets through the very end will bend. This is not a huge problem if you catch it while it's still hot as you can easily flatten and smooth it out. If you don't catch it quickly enough you can either trim or put it back through to rewarm it. This issue is more of an annoyance than anything else. I've not had any bubbling anywhere in the laminate on the dozens of sheets I've put there thus far.
776429
This is my first thermal laminator. It was easy to use and sure beats trying to laminate pages by hand, where you get air bubbles, wrinkles, or edges not lined up perfectly. Just slide item inside the lamination envelope, and slide into top slot. The machine takes over from there, feeding the lamimating envelope automatically as the heat perfectly seals your item inside. For small items you can place several inside the lamination envelope as long as you space items apart so that there are clear edges between items.
1584264
I had a little black Purple Cow laminator a few years ago and sold it to a co-worker. I regret it! I got this model today to replace a Scotch laminator that stopped working after only a year of moderate use. This Purple Cow laminator was ready to go right out of the box. It comes with pouches of various sizes. I have laminated about 25 sheets of things from normal paper to card stock with absolutely no problems- no wrinkles, no burning smell, no jams-- just smooth results. I love it's compact size and it's very quiet. I teach preschool so this will get a lot of use so I will update with how well it holds up.
3618093
Excellent basic laminator. I use this product to make job aids for our warehouse team at work and for some of my kids projects that I want to keep in nice condition for years to come. When I first got it, I thought it would just come in handy for work. But I have used it for several household reasons too. For example, I have laminated the instructions for taking the refrigerator out of demo mode. If you know what that means, then you know the havoc your young ones can cause by doing this inadvertently. Lol. So I laminated the instructions and hung them on the back of the fridge. Problem solved. Honestly, I use this thing way more than I expected. Worth the investment. The only thing that bugs me is how long it takes. When you are doing a couple things, it's fine. But when you have to laminate 30 maps to hand out, it is excruciating. But I am overall very happy with it.
1658430
Works very well for a bargain-priced laminator.  Small footprint makes it easy to move and store.  It warms up quickly, feeds pouches evenly and seals without bubbles.  I don't think it's sturdy enough for large workloads but for at home needs it works great.  I would recommend it.
1071650
Does the job for entry level players really well
1575073
We have used this as a household light duty laminator.  It works as advertised, warms up in a few minutes and laminates without hassle.
2457600
This is not going to give you the same quality as professional lamination but it's a great home laminator.  I also use it in the classroom.  I have had this machine for about 4 years and have never had a problem with it.  It has been dropped a few times off of a table and the feeding tray broke off but it still works like new.  My son also tried to laminate cardboard from a transformers box w/ two sheets of plastic.  It jammed so he yanked it out backwards.  We noticed a clicking noise after that but it still laminates really well.  We actually found it cheaper at walmart where we get our laminating sheets.
1562529
I spent a long time researching on the perfect laminator to buy.  I did not want to spend more than $50 yet I wanted something that was compact, lightweight and would give me great results consistently.  My main use of the laminator is to make flash cards for my young child who manages to fold, bend and rip regular paper flash cards.  I spent hours reading reviews for the Scotch Thermal Laminator (TL901C-T), Scotch Thermal Laminator 2 Roller System (TL901), AmazonBasics Thermal Laminator, and the Purple Cows (3016c).  I narrowed it down to the Scotch (TL901C-T), AmazonBasics and Swingline.  The AmazonBasics, while the most compact and cheapest, seemed to be least consistent in results.  I read too many reviews about jams.  The Scotch is a best seller on Amazon but it's also about $10 more than the Swingline.  Ultimately, I went with the Swingline because it was cheaper, smaller and seemed to yield good results per other reviewers.

I am happy to report that this laminator has lived up to my expectations.  I have laminated my child's artwork, photos and heavy cardstock for flash cards.  I am thrilled with the performance of this laminator.  It takes about 3 minutes to heat up.  It sounds long but it takes me about that amount of time (maybe more) to lay out everything I want to laminate and put them in their pouches.  A green light will light up to let you know the laminator is ready.  I have experienced absolutely no wait time between laminates.  I have laminated up to 14 pouches in a row with no issues whatsoever.  It takes about 45-60 seconds to laminate an 8"x11" pouch.  There is a cold laminate option which I haven't used and don't think I really will need to use at all.  The only thing I wish this had was some sort of guide for the pouch so that it would be fed in perfectly each time.  There had been a few times where I fed in the pouch slightly crooked and made me nervous that it would come out warped but it has not happened at all.

All in all, I'm super happy with this purchase.
4204837
I purchased this laminator last month when it was a lightning deal as an impulse buy, and I am so glad I did! As a teacher, I can think of all kinds of things to use this for. So far, I have laminated pictures and created laminated bookmarks and personalized photo Christmas ornaments. The quality is on par with the large laminating machines that I have used at school and it is a very compact machine. It is smaller than most printers. It was easy to use and the laminating pouches are very affordable. This machine is wonderful and will definitely be getting a lot of use.