Fellowes Quasar 500 Comb Binding Machine Reviewed
Binding a book requires a few special tools
Binding a book requires a few special tools. Comb binding a book requires a social machine. One popular comb binding machine is the Fellowes Quasar 500. This comb binder is compact enough to fit on your desk, yet robust enough to bind a book up to 500 pages thick (hence the name Quasar 500). This machine can be used to bind your reports, presentations and books. This is my review.
You may think, "Doesnt Fellowes make paper shredders?" Many people dont realize that Fellowes makes a lot of office equipment. While this does include paper shredders, they also manufacture paper cutters, binding machines, laminators and office furniture. Fellowes is known, and rightfully so, for making some of the most modern and elegant-looking office products.
The Quasar 500, for all intents and purposes, is an attractive machine. It is designed to look good in an office, be easy to access and sit on a desk. The corners are rounded and it features a gray / charcoal gray design. This color and design blends in nicely with existing office furniture and equipment.
This comb binder punches paper in a 19-ring hole pattern, which is 19 holes along the 11" side of a sheet of paper. While it can be used to punch and bind smaller sheets, it does not feature selectable (disengageable) punching pins, which means you may run into half-punched holes on the edges of paper. It does, however, have a side margin guide that will help you align paper for punching.
The "U" shaped handle allows the operator to punch up to 20 sheets of paper at a time. This is quite a bit considering this is a manual binding machine. Because it has such a high punching capacity, and due to the design of this machine, it is ideal for office and business binding needs. The punching dies can also be used to punch holes in clear covers, poly covers and card stock. Be aware that you will need to scale back the amount of sheets you punch when punching non-standard copy paper.
Because this machine has a 2" binding capacity, you can use the Quasar 500 to comb bind manuals, books, reports and other "thick" documentation. A 2" thick book will take about 25 passes of punching 20 sheets at a time. If this sounds like too punch work for a manually operated machine, you may want to consider using the electric version, which is the Quasar 500 E.
The Fellowes Quasar 500 has a vertical punch. This means that paper stands on its end when punched, rather than lying flat. This is actually an advantage as gravity pulls on the paper, keeping the edges properly aligned and squared up. This allows for more consistent and even punching and is excellent for binding thicker books.
This comb binder includes a comb storage tray, which slides out from underneath the machine. It also includes a document measurement tool, which allows you to easily find the correct side diameter comb for the book thickness you are binding. It also includes a starter pack of 10 binding combs.
Overall this is a well-rounded machine. Most businesses will get years of reliable use out of this machine. For the price, it is a great value.
You can find the Fellowes Quasar 500 comb binder at ABCOffice.com. ABCOffice.com also offers a great selection of other plastic comb binding machines.
by: James I Hill
Tamerica 210pb Comb Binding Machine Review Tamerica Tcc-2100 Comb Binding Machine Review Why You Should Use The Akiles Alphabind-cm Binding Machine Foot Binding - Lotus Shoes Tamerica Durabind Tcc 242 Comb Binding Machine Review Sirclebind Wr-60 Manual Wire Binding Machine Review Akiles Iwire 31 Wire Binding Machine Review Review Of The Sirclebind Wr-200 Manual Binding Machine Spell Binding Magic Shows On Tv Akiles Wiremac-combo Binding Machine Review Akiles Offiwire Wire Binding Machine Review Akiles Wiremac-duo Wire Binding Machine Overview Review Of The Tamerica 213pb Combination Comb & Wire Binding Machine