To help you with your search of the best binding machine, we have tested 17 binding machines with the help of seven experts. After thorough testing, we found that Fellowes Star has the best performance among all the machines and if you want alternative of it you can also go for TruBind.
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Top 7 Binding Machine
1. Fellowes – Best For Office
Fellowes has built an ideal book binding machine for school, office and recreational uses. It is a light-duty machine that can punch up to 15 documents at an instance and binds up to 150 sheets with a 75-inch comb. The machine is combined with a document measurement device that automatically selects the right document size. And, our team encountered no problem in binding the documents with its adjustable edge guide. The thing to keep in mind is to put the documents vertically inside this machine.
In case you have already a comb bind book, then you can definitely add more sheets into the book with this machine. It is, in fact, a 21 hole punching machine. Well, we advise you to buy additional combs of different measurement for more options. Yet, we have also examined that a paper size more than 11” does not fit into the machine. And, honestly, the directions or instructions are also not very clear unless you already know how to adjust combs into the machine. But, that doesn’t matter if you hire technical support because the overall performance of the machine is satisfactory and investment worthy.
- It is very easy to use.
- Punching is clean.
- Additional combs available for more options.
- It automatically selects the size of the document.
- It processes document fast.
- It does not support document with size more than 11 inches.
Bottom Line
The Fellowes Binding Machine Star impressed us with the quality and user-friendly design. It is probably the best for home and small office.
2. TruBind – Best Electric Variant
It is a professional looking bookbinding machine behind the brand name of TruBind with processing capacity of 20 sheets. The machine also comes with a two-year manufacturer warranty. It uses an electronic coil binder that inserts plastic coil electronically for faster binding. Plus, the machine has a full handlebar for sturdy grip. You customize holes according to the document. For adjustments, it has depth as well as side margin adjustments. The inbuilt pin is also capable enough to let you insert holes accurately over the documents.
Just line your pages with an adjustable guide on the left side and manage the punching depending upon the pin. Also, it is a cost effective solution to have an electrical coil book binding machine. Since it is a manual machine, it sometimes will require oiling for proper functioning.
- The electronic mechanism for fast binding.
- Handlebar offers sturdy grip over the machine.
- Holes are customizable.
- It is easy to use.
- Expensive compared to other binding machines.
Bottom Line
For any professional who has to carry out the binding of documents, TruBind Coil-Binding Machine is the best spiral binding machine.
3. Akiles RubiCoil 11″ 4:1 – Best For Budget Conscious Users
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This is a spiral coil bookbinding machine by Akiles. For us it is one of the best wire binding machine. It has a punching slot for faster punching and efficiency. It has the capacity to process up to 10 sheets at a time. And, this small volume machine has a ‘U’ shaped handle that increases punching strength. The built-in hard steel dies are able to punch through Polyester, PVC, and paper. The machine can easily coil bind book with up to 100 sheets at a time. The design is small, attractive and suitable for small operations.
You can easily install and operate the machine. Just read the instructions before you use it. The coil is itself made to determine the thickness of the document, so do not worry. We have also considered that it is actually for a paper measuring 8.5” × 11”, but you can work on other documents with different sizes. However, we won’t suggest you to go beyond 13”.
- It has a fast and punching process.
- It can process up to 10 sheets.
- It is easy to use.
- Hardly takes space.
- Inexpensive.
- Not suitable for large jobs.
Bottom Line
If you concern to buy a budget-friendly binding machine which takes up less space, then this may prove to be the one for you.
4. Cinch – Best For Home school
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Here is a Cinch bookbinder by We R Memory Keepers that comes with a catchy eye design for versatile use. You can easily use it for creating school projects, journals, mini books, and much more. However, you can punch up to 20 sheets of lightweight size in one go. But you have freedom with the size by using alignment pegs and hole-punch knobs. The soft handle lets you punch manually with ease and keeps the units stable.
Another thing that you should keep in mind while using it is that you will require to buy Cinch binding wires, a wire cutter, embellishments, cardstock, and chipboards separately. This is because they don’t use standard size coils for wire binding. However, it’s quality performance overcomes all its downfalls accurately.
- It is highly customisable.
- The punches are clean.
- It punches 20 sheets at a time.
- A number of accessories are available separately.
- Less expensive compared to other binding machines.
- The accessories cost extra.
Bottom Line
If you deal with a different type of projects on a regular basis and require a lot of customisation, Cinch bookbinder. But you will have to spend extra for accessories. Looking it at its capacity, it is best for scrapbook.
5. Fellowes Helios 60 Thermal – Best For Professionals
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Fellowes is an ideal model of book binding machine for offices especially. It can bind up to 600 sheets at a time with 3-minute thermal binding cycle and 4-minute heat up time. As the binding process is done after heating, so they have made a Heat Shield safety barrier that prevents the accidental contact of documents with the heating plate. It is built with clear indications that allows you to administer the process. The ready beep sound is heard when the binding process gets completed.
Your paper coatings actually matter as it is a thermal binder and use the heating cycle in the process. So, if you are using thin pages, then there is a risk of burning also. We tried both setups either by using their binder covers or just binding glue with available binding covers. It works well in both cases. For those who do not wish wire spiral bindings can definitely go for this one as it takes glue in the account. The only drawback is that if pages are not aligned properly, then it may cause an issue at later stages.
- It can process almost 600 sheets in one go.
- It uses a heating plate for perfect punching.
- It can perform several types of binding.
- Perfect for commercial use.
- Expensive for home use.
- The eating plate may burn thin pages.
Bottom Line
We have tested many professional binding machines, but there is no binding machine that incomplete with Fellowes Binding Machine Helios 60 Thermal in terms of processing power.
6. Akiles WireMac-31 Model AWM31 Wire Punch – Best For Heavy Duty Performance
It’s a heavy duty wire binding and punching machine by Akiles. The punching capacity is 20 sheets in one go with independently disengaged dies that allow punching the document of any size. It has been built with a tough metal material. If we go by specifications, it has 3 holes per 1 inch. Also, you get a professional looking product to be used at your home or office as you desire.
Well, we noticed one negative aspect, and that is once the wire is used, there is no way to take it off and reuse it. And, it’s just a wire bookbinder with a punching facility, but it does not comply with spiral binding. Along with saving precious time, it is built to create professional looking documents for your personal as well as official use. Overall, our experts have rated it a reasonable price option with some good qualities.
- It is easy to use and handle.
- Though we do not process many pages, it is fast.
- Clean punching mechanism.
- It requires very little maintenance.
- Expensive compared to similar binding machines.
Bottom Line
We would recommend this binding machine just for being the product of a reliable brand. Hence, you can be assured of quality machine that can take up simple home or office binding tasks.
7. Fellowes Starlet2 – Best For Teachers
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Here comes another bookbinding machine by Fellowes through which you can manually punch up to 12 sheets in a single time. The model uses a comb binder with an edge guide that has a convenience of centring documents. Coming to binding specifications, it can bind up to 120 sheets with the help of 5/8” comb. For easy comb storage, it uses a comb storage tray with document measurement device for fast process. Being a compact machine, you can use it for your home or office. Operation of the machine is easy.
Keep in mind to be kind with the plastic; otherwise, you might end up being frustrated with the machine. There is a chance that you may face issues while punching or binding if you are a first time user. This is the reason you are continuously being advised to take help of user manual or some video for easy operation.
- It punches clean holes.
- It can punch through 12 sheets.
- It uses comb tray to guide the documents.
- It is highly portable.
- Sometimes the machine may frustrate while working with plastic.
Bottom Line
Among all the binding machines, it is the lightest. You can easily carry it around. And the quality of binding tasks is really good for such a portable machine.
What To Consider While Buying ?
Before you buy a binding machine, you have to be clear about the purpose for which you require it. Once you are clear about the use of a binding machine, you can concentrate on the factor of a binding machine that allows you to accomplish carry out various binding tasks. Let’s look at these factors of binding machines so that you can choose the perfect binding machines.
1. Punching
The first step of the binding process is punching. There are generally two ways the punching is done. It is either done manually or electronically. Whichever punching style you choose, you have to make sure that machine offers clean punching. If required, it must also allow you to change the distance between two holes. All the machines that we have mentioned in this list offer clean punching. Most of them are automatic. Different between manual and automatic is of speed. If you deal with several binding tasks regularly, automatic is a great option.
2. Binding
There different types of binding machines depending on the different techniques of binding. Though there are many types of binding techniques, there mostly widely used techniques- comb, spiral, and thermal.
As the name suggests, after the holes are punched, the pages are held by a comb. This type of binding is suitable for thin and small books. Advantage of having comb binding is you can add or remove pages as per your needs. Thus it makes it a best binding system for documents that need to be updated regularly. Fellowes Star is the best example.
These are a popular binding system for legal documents or journals. In order to bind together the pages after punching, a plastic wire in shape of the spiral is inserted through the hole. These type of binding system allows you to work on the document with ease. No products found. is one of the best spiral binding machines that you can buy.
The thermal binding is used for thick books. It provides permanent binding. You cannot add or remove pages. In this, instead of punching, glue is used to keep the pages together. The glue binds the pages when the heat is applied to it. One of the best thermal binding machines we have on the list is Fellowes Helios 60 Thermal .
3. Document Guide
Document guide helps keep the document aligned. Especially when you are punching, you want to keep all the pages well aligned so that when you bind them, pages are in perfect order. Some document guides can be adjusted according to the size of the document. Depending on the type of documents you want the process, check for the same feature in binding machines.
4. Ease of Use
As we have already mentioned, you will get a manual as well as automatic options; it is on you to choose the machine that meets your needs. However, we suggest you go for the electronic machine if you have bind several books or documents together on a daily basis. They make most of the job easy with automatic functionalities.
5. Versatility
There are a different type of binding machines depending on the binding techniques. For example you may need best presentation binding machines. But there are also different type of documents which require certain binding. Even the sizes of the pages used are of various types. You not only bind pages, but you bind it with covers. These covers can be made of laminated paper, plastic or hard paper. Hence, the binding machine needs to be versatile enough to accommodate a variety of needs. If you are going for the versatility of the binding machine, you can go for Fellowes Star .
6. Durability
With regular use, any machine loses its efficiency. The same is true for the binding machine. Especially when you are operating large scale binding operation, the machine needs to be highly efficient. During tests, we realized that punching holes might the most affected process. If the cutter loses its edge, it won’t punch through the pages. If you are using the thermal binding machine, you will have to take care of the heating plate. So while buying, make sure there are some warranty or guarantee for the parts of the machines. Most of the big brands do offer 1 year or so warranty on their products. So make sure you stick with them.
How Did We Select?
Do you frequently deal with a lot of paperwork? Do you know what would actually simplify your life? a binding apparatus!
In fact, binding machines are a necessity in places like workplaces, classrooms, and households where a lot of everyday work involving paper is done. It is incredibly efficient and saves you time from having to visit a nearby shop each time you need binding done.
However, given the market’s abundance of possibilities, it can be difficult to select a great binding machine. We are here to help you if you are also perplexed. In this article, we have listed the top binding machines that you can get your fingers on. You will also find a buyer’s guide attached at the end of the blog.
To better grasp the viewpoint and expectations of the customer, we started recommending numerous websites, reviews, and comments. Then, we began concentrating on elements that were essential for the best binding machine.
We used a variety of sources and persons to do our investigation. We made an effort to learn from the aforementioned sites [1] and [2]
Why You Should Trust Us?
By sharing the specifics and information about the products on our website, we at Beonhome are very particular and focused about our goal to deliver the greatest options on the market to the customers. We invest many hours and days into thorough research and testing procedures. We have a dedicated staff for research and testing that covers all the crucial factors involved in locating the greatest product on the market, and we adhere to tight procedures.
While gathering data to shortlist the product, we go into great detail about the procedure. Although it is a laborious task, accuracy and quality are not sacrificed. All features that are essential and necessary to convey the results are covered and included. Our selection method is built around the idea that our customers’ comfort is always our top priority. Just a few things that would appeal to the bulk of the audience and not cause them any trouble after purchase took us days to find. Our objective is to identify the greatest product on the market and promote it on our platform.
We review and evaluate a variety of products, and we never select a product unless we are completely happy with its performance and quality. Apart from several other factors like warranty, budget, etc., we always keep the product’s quality and performance in mind.
Beonhome is a reliable platform that has tested countless products so that clients may choose their preferred item with ease based on their preferences and needs. We only ever make recommendations following comprehensive testing, comparisons, and research.
How Did We Test?
Seven experts and we tested 17 binding machines to assist you in your search for the best binding machine. After extensive testing, we discovered that the Fellowes Star has the best performance of all the machines, however TruBind is a good alternative.
There were no strange holes or loose pages when we tested the machine. This demonstrates the machine’s high calibre. A little tray at the right side of the machine is also built in to keep supplies nearby. The constant pinching alignment over the papers is what causes vertical document loading. It works excellent with laminated papers, which the experts had also tried.
Properties that we minutely observed and took into account were:
- Punching
- Durability
- Binding
- Versatility
- Ease of use
- Document guide
- Body size
- Weight
- Economic viability
- How compact and portable it is.
- The budget of product
After the extensive hours of long research and testing all the 17 models we have come up with the following list. It was after this, that we were able to choose top ones.
Below is a sample result of the tests conducted on the binding machine:
| Product Name | Quality | Ease of use | User -friendly | Overall | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fellowes | 95 | 95 | 94.5 | 94.8 | Check Price |
| TruBind | 95 | 95.5 | 95 | 95.1 | Check Price |
| Akiles RubiCoil 11" 4:1 | 95.8 | 95.5 | 95.5 | 95.6 | No products found. |
| Cinch | 95.5 | 95.5 | 95.4 | 95.4 | Check Price |
| Fellowes Helios 60 Thermal | 96 | 96 | 95.6 | 95.8 | Check Price |
| Akiles WireMac-31 Model AWM31 Wire Punch | 95 | 96.5 | 97 | 96.1 | Check Price |
| Fellowes Starlet2 | 95.8 | 95.5 | 95.4 | 95.4 | Check Price |
Final Thought
When you look for top binding machines you will find several types of binding machines. If you are not aware of the type and what kind of documents that process, you may not be able to choose the right binding machines. But before that, you have to be aware of your requirements. You must know the type of projects you will take up and size of the documents etc. This will help you narrow down the most suitable binding machines.
Fellowes - Editor's Choice
Summary
Fellowes has built an ideal book binding machine for school, office and recreational uses. It is a light-duty machine that can punch up to 15 documents at an instance and binds up to 150 sheets with a 75-inch comb
Great article. Certainly will use these tips and tricks.
I like how you mentioned that a document measurement device is essential to help you with your work. A friend of mine mentioned to me last night that he is hoping to find a spiral binding machine for their workplace and asked if I have any idea where is the best option to buy. Thanks to this informative article and I’ll be sure to tell him that he can try consulting a binding machine store as they can answer all his inquiries.