Side by Side Comparison of: Scotch vs Apache

They have worked perfectly for every project I've used them for. I've mainly been using them for photo projects and I can easily fit 3 4x6 photos in one sleeve and the photo seems to come out even brighter and crisper than before.

Keeps papers tear free for years in my classroom! I use them with my scotch laminator, and they allow my center materials to stay nice and neat for several years! Makes it worth it for me to put together colorful, fun centers!

These laminating pouches are the perfect thickness to laminate bookmarks that fit comfortably between pages. I just re-ordered a pack of 200 sheets and will definitely be getting use out of them! I use them with the Scotch Thermal Laminator 2 roller system and got really great results. They're thick enough to handle easily when feeding into the laminator machine. I've laminated both 100lb coverstock as well as 80lb, so I laminate paper on the thicker side and they work amazingly well. There is a good seal and when the paper is fed correctly, no crinkling of any sort. I've never had an issue with the laminate bubbling or warping. I found the best way to feed into the machine is setting the document in the laminating pouch on top of something that is on level with the opening feed. (I use the box that the 200 pouches came in or a stack of books). This ensures a straight feed for good results everytime. The laminating pouches may be a bit opaque but once it heat sets and is fed through the machine, it comes out crystal clear. I've recently started using these to make little ID badges as well. A great product that I would recommend and will definitely be purchasing again.Over time, I will update my review for longevity and quality of the product. If you found my review helpful, please vote with a YES/LIKE. It would be greatly appreciated!

I love these laminating pouches! I am an elementary teacher and I hate how the school lamination is thin and comes off easily, even when it hasn't been trimmed too close. I used my Scotch Thermal Laminator Combo Pack, Includes 20 Letter-Size Laminating Pouches, Holds Sheets up to 8.5" x 11(TL902VP) for 2 and a half years before a rogue off-brand laminating pouch got stuck in it and essentially took it out of commission. My hubby was able to disassemble it and get it out, but the sticky residue remained. I keep it now as a backup for my Scotch Thermal Laminator, 2 Roller System, Fast Warm-up, Quick Laminating Speed (TL901C-T), and have vowed to NEVER buy off brand pouches again. Haven't had a problem since, and the cost is well worth it!

These are awesome. They are crystal clear and you can cut right down the middle of a single laminated sheets without it coming apart (it will come apart if you laminate two sheets back-to-back and cut too close to the papers with lamination sticking to one side of each page). WARNING: Make sure you insert the page closed-side first. If you insert the open side then you will break your laminator. True story! Happened to me because I was trying to do too many things at once and wasn't paying attention. It melted all around the rolling bar inside my laminator. Had to get a new one. BESIDES the point. But just wanted to give warning when I can. Great sheets. Great price. Love them!

My wife loves crafting and making all sorts of things. She needed to laminate some stuff and I decided we should just buy one. This unit does a really good job. I was really impressed how some items she made for a party she was planning turned out. The lamination was nice and thick and looked professional. It wasn't flimsy like some of the home laminating I have seen. The unit heats up fast, and auto feeds the pouch in. It couldn't be any simpler. It is so easy, that I have even laminated some things for my football coaching and a little mothers day project for the wife.Also, make sure to order the pouches online as well, they are much cheaper.

Excellent gloss and crystal clear 5 mil laminate!Each laminate pocket is about 1/4" wider on all 4 sides of a 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper. The corners are slant-cut so the finished product does not have a sharp corner that pokes or worse, cuts someone.Works in any generic laminator set to 5 mil heat and speed setting.Finished laminate is super clear, crystal, and smooth.

I hope these come back in stock. They are amazing an no other product works as well (we have tried many!). The pages are crystal clear, and the 5 mil works really well. It is stiff enough that the sheets are rigid but flexible. It's possible to laminate a page and then cut it into pieces, and the pieces remain laminated. We've used it on exterior signs, Board game player aids and pieces, memory items, etc.I noted one person had trouble with the edges fraying. We always try to avoid dull blades and I have had nothing but clean cuts both with scissors and on a trimmer.

I purchased these 5 mil pouches at the same time that I purchased the Apache AL9 9" Thermal Laminator and 20 Laminator Pouches. I have been greatly pleased with both purchases.These pouches are very thick and do not crinkle at all as they're being fed through the laminator. The 3 mil sheets that came with the laminator did crinkle if wasn't very careful. I suppose this is because they're much thinner, therefore, more fragile. As far as the feel after lamination, I also preferred the 5 mil. Again, it just feels more sturdy and able to withstand a lot of use, and abuse if the final product is meant for little ones to use or a lot of people to handle. None of the pages I've laminated are showing any sign of damage or wear and tear over the last couple of months that I've been using these.Overall, I'm very pleased with these sheets. They're easy to use and feed through the machine and the final product is always gorgeous!Thanks so much for taking the time to read my review. I do hope that it was able to assist you in some way. Have a beautiful day!

Solid laminator sheets-- very little rippling, hold together well before lamination, crystal clear when laminated, etc. It makes all my teacher stuff look brighter and more professional! I mentioned in a previous version of this review that they aren't smooth enough to use as a perfect dry erase surface because tiny invisible bumps watch the marker, but no laminator sheets I have found are. I still use them for a dry erase surface though, I just eventually have to make a new one after repeated use. After seeing my review the seller called me on the number associated with my Amazon account to see what they could do and sent a new package of laminator sheets (without me asking) and called to make sure I got them. Will definitely be buying these again because I know if the package ever comes damaged they will go above and beyond to fix it.

I bought these along with an Amazon Basics Laminator as both had good reviews. I wanted to prepare professional looking information sheets for our renters. Also we have a Welcome Book with lots of information which gets stained each year. I could have had the sheets professionally laminated but this means that when I change a sheet I have to take the replacement for laminating, therefore I wanted to do it do it at home if possible.I expected that there would be imperfections in the finished product, maybe seams or folds. In fact the quality is absolutely excellent. Just be careful to place the printed sheet centrally in the pouch ie with the same size border all around.I have laminated instructions, the welcome book, photographs and even prepared a folder of the tide times for the year.In all cases the quality of the lamination has been perfect and the finish is simply very professional. I am absolutely delighted with both the Amazon Laminator and the Apache laminating pouches and would with confidence, recommend them to anyone.

I bought these Apache Laminate Pouch transparencies for my daughter, who teaches Kindergarten. She has to laminate "everything." This product is the only laminate pouches on the market that we have found that hold up to the daily wear in the classroom (and we have tried several other brands). This is saying quite a bit, when you have a group of 20 active children using items they manipulate, almost on a daily basis. Then and important factor, this item is affordable, as we have to pay personally for these expendable items. Therefore, you can see why Apache Laminator Pouches deserve 5 Stars.

Super convenient and easy to use! My only complaint is that sometimes when I have finished a sheet, there is still a cloudy looking effect on the paper. Not a big deal and will not hinder my continued use!

These laminating sheets worked well and were easy to use. Note, these sheets require a laminating machine as they are not the sticky type of laminating sheets.

I like it, but need to try some 5 mil stuff. I should have looked deeper and got the 5 mil, but that is no fault of Scotch or 3M. These work well. I used them with the AmazonBasics Thermal Laminator. Both worked quite well.

Works great for laminating for a classroom. Or school seems to never have any laminating film when I need to laminate items for the class.I have bought this several times, the only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because it is really hard to erase if the students use a dry erase marker on it (even Expo). I had laminated papers for small group and it was almost impossible for the students to erase after writing on it. The thinner school laminating film works much better for that.

The results on my laminations come out clear, but with noticeable warping. I don't know if it is the laminate material or the inexpensive Scotch Thermal Laminator I use (I use it so infrequently that I couldn't see spending the big bucks on an expensive laminator). I wonder if a thicker laminate would prevent the warping. Perhaps when I need another package, I will look for the next thckness up.

I purchased Scotch Thermal Pouches 8.9 x 11.4 Inches, 100-Pack (TP3854-100) to use with my Provocraft book binding/laminating machine. I made a book for my niece with the pouches and it came out pretty well (if I do say so myself!) The laminated pages were much more rigid than I was anticipating (guess i"m used to the cheaper lamination the schooloffers) so I was a little worried my niece might cut herself on the edges - thankfully she hasn't.The only real complaint I have so far is that a few of the pages I have encountered had little holes or something in the plastic and while they laminated ok (I used them for practice) they didn't look that great. So you really have to pay attention and look the pouch over before you ruin any items!.FYI, I noticed it is very easy to cut the seal when trimming around the laminated items. I used a cutter to trim my pages but didn't notice the seal wasn't always a "perfect" line around the object so I ended up cutting the seal. Luckily I was able to put the page back through the machine and seal it again. With more practice, I'm sure it will get easier.So far I'm happy with this product :)

The ONLY reason I am giving this 4 stars is because of how it was packaged. The 300 sheets came loose in a big box. Dust got inside and some were bent. Very disappointed in this. HOWEVER, the quality of this product is definitely 5 stars. Really clear, really sturdy. Fabulous price! I will actually order this again, but will contact the seller about its shipping practices.

I don't know how these compare with Scotch brand, but the pouches are thicker than the ones that came with my Purple Cow laminator from the warehouse store. They work fine for homeschool materials with no bubbles or discoloration. I'm very glad I finally ordered them.

Only missed the 5th star because it's just not as firm as I would like. However; maybe every brand is like this. I was using it for interchangeable planner covers for EC Life Planners. It's just too flimsy. This is NOT for yardstick or heavier papers. It left a large air bubble around all edges that were thicker than 2 pcs of paper.

great product for the price some of the sheets stick together when you insert what you want to laminate after laminated there are some marks (not sure if it is my machine) but a great product for the price. After being contacted by customer service they sent me an Apache laminator which fixed the problems. Awesome customer service. I wish all companies were as concerned about their customers as they are. Definitely would recommend their products

Works well. Much more economical than buying locally at the store. Word of caution - if you are laminating something thin such as a sheet of notebook paper, use a cover sheet - otherwise the laminated product has a tendency to curl excessively. Otherwise - excellent. This is my second purchase - I use these to laminate recipes and magazine articles - will be purchasing again in future.

Not as thick quality as comparable 5mil pouches, but decent for the price.Edited to add: However, the company gained another star for excellent customer service. They saw that I was unhappy with the product and went to lengths to remedy the situation. They offered a sample of their 7mil pouches, and the improvement in quality is phenomenal! I cannot wait until they are available for regular purchase, they have converted me from Lamination Depot!

as expected.

Well, these were the cheaper option. They kind of bubble up a bit in my (admittedly) non-Scotch brand laminator. Running papers through twice helps.

There ok. My first use has a discoloration and I'm not sure why

A little thin compared to what you would get at Kinko's.

The thermal film is extremely difficult to separate in order to prepare the document for laminating. Some sort of a tab would be helpful

Maybe I just got a bad batch or something. The inside of each pouch isn't tacky at all. It's almost impossible to keep pieces of cardstock or paper from sliding around inside when inserting into the laminator. Then when that happens, the pouch and the items being laminated get ruined. The pouches I bought before were sticky enough inside to keep stuff from slipping around.

Not a good quality as in my past orders

Didn't come out as thick or hard as I'd hoped.

Bought to use in my friends Laminating machine. Found out his machine uses laminating material off of a roll with a yield of 10 mil thickness.

I think the Amazon Basics work a bit better than this brand; this brand tended to peel away from the items I laminated, even after running it through the laminator several times.

Not a fan of these. I used them to laminate some plain paper nametags for my classroom, and within two days they were bubbling and peeling where the tags had been slightly bent (by my pulling them off a magnet board - not folded, handled by kids, or anything truly strenuous). I find that the Scotch 5mil sheets work better and "stick" to laminated paper more firmly.Edited (2/2/16): The customer service that these guys provide is AMAZING. After reading my review, someone took the time to contact me personally and replace my original package; although I haven't used the pouches yet and can't speak to the quality of the new box, just dealing with the company was enough of a pleasure to raise them a star. :) I'll update this again as soon as I try the new box!

These do not always seal well. I have had them separate several times. Not a thick as other brands 5mil.

Unfortunately, I didn't use until after my return window was closed. But the box I got was cloudy. The free couple of laminating pouches that came with my Scotch thermal laminator were fine - so it's probably a fine product. I'm disappointed in the box I got though.

Have not worked as well as last batch I ordered. Keep wrinkling. Disappointed with quality.

My package came opened- The Scotch box was damaged and had been opened and re closed and the plastic casing around the laminating pouches was opened as well. I did not take the time to count out 100 sheets to make sure they were all there but some could have easily been missing. I didn't want to bother with the hassle of sending the package back. The laminating sheets themselves seem to work fine.

These are knockoff laminating sheets! Too thin and staticky. Lower quality. The sheets also wrinkle when laminating. Right away they felt different than the usual scotch laminating sheets previously purchased on Amazon or stores. Buyer beware.... it's a hit or miss with ordering on Amazon.

Too thin at 3mil...I'm used to thicker ones like 5 or 6 mil. So I had to double bag these - first seal in a single pouch, then put the sealed pouch in a second and laminate a second time. But I'm going to get a pack of thicker ones. These are too light & flimsy.

I don't know if I'm doing something wrong but the corners curl up almost every time I use it. The instruction manual doesn't have anything about that problem.

Doesn't feel like its 5 MIL.

Very thin and flimsy pouches

I just started using this product and it is not 5mil. I have compared it to another 5mil brand and it is flimsy and weak. Very frustrated.

This worked well, but I had to return as the box I received was marked with a warehouse stock description label that read 5 mil but the box clearly states 3 mil.

Not happy with these ones.At first they seemed fine. But the quality is very inconsistent. Some stay flat but most curl or warp. and yes I have played with the temp and speed on my machine. A few are good and a few are bad. Bought another brand and no problems.If your just laminating bits and pieces they may work for you. I make restaurant menus that are coil bound so consistency is very important

Laminates Come out bent in one corner.Cheap price but would not buy again.

A lot of pouches are falling apart while some don't want to come apart at all. Instructions about handling, opening pouches is needed for newbies,

Unfortunately, all of the sheets that I have gotten from this pack do not remain "sealed" once laminated. I thought it was my laminator, so I had that looked at. Then, I bought a different brand/package of laminating pouches and tested them out throughout this month. Every single Scotch sheet that I used fell apart, whereas the other brand remained in tact. I tested this with regular paper along with cardstock. I am very displeased with this product and I will not be purchasing it again.

Worked once, then never again.

the pouch's glue is not strong, my sheet could not be laminated well

I am so upset with this purchase. I ordered the 3mm due to the price. When I used it, it the pages waved at me. I decided to spend the extra money and get the 5mm. When I went searching for 5mm, I ran across an off brand at 1/3 of the price. I read the reviews and decided to order it. Wow! I can't believe how much Scotch rips you off for their name. Never ever again will I buy their sheets. Do your research people. I wish I had.

These are the worse laminating pouches and I'm really surprised since they are Scotch. I had a package of Gordon laminating pouches that I had been using but cannot find on Amazon at all. They worked great! They were clear and did not pucker or bubble at all... however, these Scotch brand sheets pucker and bubble a lot. They arrived with some creases in the first several sheets, but I dug down and got ones out that were smooth and looked good. However, putting them through my laminating machine proved to be terrible. They puckered, they bubbled, they are not smooth and certainly not clear where there are ripples and bubbles. There are even some strange whitish marks appearing in between the top and bottom sheets. I am really unhappy with this purchase and will not be buying any more from this company. I thought they would be as good, if not better, than the last brand I purchased since it was not a top-notch company brand, but I am really disappointed with these. I'm trying to use them as I need them badly, but they are really not good quality at all. I will not be buying these ever again.

I am EXTREMELY disappointed with this product. I started laminating last night and noticed that I had quite a few sheet that did NOT seal. At that time I thought it was no big deal, I'll do more tomorrow. Well, here I am laminating and I have had to re-do over half the sheets I have done today as well as last night. 300 sheets is more like 100 since you have to re-do them. I am almost through the pack and having to re-laminate!!!! The price may have been good but the product is AWFUL.

I'm a teacher and I laminate a lot! These are not 5 mil thick. They are 3 mil for sure. I will be returning these.

I'm very dissapointed the way I recieved the order today. I ordered the 300 ok of 5mil and expected it to come intact in the package and this is how it came....all sheet were out of package as if just tossed into the shipping box amongst other products I ordered. Many were dirty and bent. Pics are attached:

The description was midleading and said it was 5 packs of laminating pouches.

I bought these to laminate flash cards for my children. I don't like giving anything one star but I'm very disappointed with this purchase. I bought these thinking I could save a bit of money but they are no where near as stiff post-laminating as my previous purchase of 5 mil laminating pouches. I don't remember the brand I bought before or I would purchase those. These came out warped and had bubbles in the lamination; 2 things that never happened in the 200+ sheets I had of the other brand so I can only conclude it is the quality of these and not my laminator. I would send these back but it is too much of a hassle and would cost more money. Disappointed...

The sealed ends weren't sealed in over 90% of the packages