Side by Side Comparison of: Scotch vs US Office Supply

This is the same laminator I use at work which is why I decided to purchase it for home use. It warms up quickly and is extremely easy to use. I appreciate the fact that you can buy various sizes of laminating sheets to use with different products.The plastic piece in the back that pops up to help hold the item in place as it goes through is slightly flimsy which makes it awkward to work with but it doesn't affect the process at all.

I'm a teacher and this is perfect to have at home when I am working on projects for the classroom and need to laminate. Thicker than what we have a school, love it.

I have had this laminator for one year.I use this laminator "occassionally", not "commercially".My primary use for this laminator is for 8.5 X 11.0 sheets for large-print recipes printed on them for use in the kitchen and "no parking" signs in my alley.After one year I can report the following:- I fully recommend this Scotch product for non-commercial use (although I noticed my neighborhood pack-n-mail store uses the same product for their lamination for a dollar a sheet - so at 30 sheets I have paid for the unit!).- I have had no mechanical or electrical problems after one year use - light use.- I have had no problems laminating, say, 12 items one after the other. I have not tried to laminate 100 sheets in succession. Someone else reported overheating at 40 sheets.- You have to wait a few minutes for the unit to heat up before starting but it is just a couple of minutes, no problem.- It is for general/residential use/volume. It is not for commercial or high volume use. For instance, 500 laminated sheets would be an all day project to do (slow speeds and probably some "cool down" periods).- Yes, it has a slight smell from the heat as it "melts" the sheets into place.- I have had no problems with the sheets coming apart (just be sure to wait for the unit to reach full temperature before starting - the "ready" light comes on).- If you let the items sag as they come out then it will be permanently curved down. If you lift up on the item as it comes out it will be permanently curved up. If you hold it perfectly level as it comes out it will lay perfectly flat. If you allow it to come out on the desk/counter it will curve up slightly. I place it at the edge of my desk and hold the item perfectly straight as it comes out and it remains perfectly flat once it cools within seconds. It retains whatever curl it has or doesn't have as it cools within seconds.- The laminated sheets are impervious to water and soap (for instance, I use the recipe sheets in the kitchen and then wash them afterwards with zero problems, I also use them for "no parking" signs in the alley in the rain with no problem - perfectly tight lamination). I have not left them in the sun for extended periods of time to see what the sun would do to the lamination.- See the other reviews for class room use: apparently highly recommend for classrooms by the teachers and that seems very reasonable to me from my home use. I could see laminating 30 items for 30 students - great price for non-commercial use like this. I looked at commercial laminator units - I could buy and wear out 10 of these for the price of one commercial laminator.- Amazon has the best price I found after seeing this unit on Amazon and two or three brick stores.- I have had no problems with the sheets provided with the unit or with Scotch sheets purchased afterwards. I don't understand how others have had any problems with the Scotch brand products made for this Scotch brand unit. Am I missing something here?- Yes you can laminate thin or thick paper (say 18 to 24 pound paper and photographs easily). I have not tried poster board thickness but I wouldn't hesitate to do so - maybe give poster board a little extra room at the edges is all.- Yes you can trim it down. For instance, 5X7" pictures laminated for 8.5" X 11.0" paper then trimmed with scissors. I have had zero problems with the seal after trimming these down. Let the unit fully heat up before you laminate and then let it fully cool down before you trim it. It only takes seconds, not minutes, for it to completely cool down before you can trim it as you like. An extra 5 seconds of patience makes all the difference.- Read the little manual for hassle free usage. (duh!)- Warm up: I just tested it. It took 6 minutes to warm up in a 70 degree room with 3ml lamination selected. In that time I still haven't found my lamination sheets. I have never never found the warm up time to be a problem. I walk into the office to laminate, I hit the on button, and before I find my sheets and carefully insert my item the unit is ready for lamination. After that, I just leave the unit on until I am finished with my laminations for the day. It smells a bit like hot electrical wires - especially at the 3 minute mark after months of being turned off.- I would never leave the unit turned "on" for any length of time for safety reasons - I only turn it on when I need the unit. I basically turn the unit off when I', done with the job and leave my den.- The unit handles 3 ml sheets and 5 ml sheets. The 3 ml sheets seem plenty thick for everyday use. I have not used 5ml sheets yet. Not sure why I would ever need 5ml sheets - heavy duty garage usage maybe? I would probably let it warm up a little longer for 5ml just to make sure it is hot enough to melt the sheets together.- I have never really needed the "release" lever - when it drops the sheet it's done and ready for the next sheet. Wait, now I remember, I have used the "release" lever when I insert the item completely and utterly cock-eyed and I just want to pull the whole thing out and start over because it is going in at such a weird angle that it will soon jam at one edge or the other...duh! This is a human problem - not a product problem. Oh, by the way, I like the little "flip-down" entry door on the back with guide bars. Close it and it saves space. Open it (and use the guide bars!) and it works just fine to line up the sheets perfectly for entry.- Make sure you have your paper lined up inside the lamination sheets just as you want it before you insert the item for lamination - once you start, let it finish. If you have some "rare" item you are laminating I would practice first before laminating it. You could always cut it loose if you don't like the results such as placing your item in crooked or something. I have done this and all you do is cut it out and just toss one lamination sheet - no big deal, easy to do. - The cord is 5'3" long. It is not retractable but there is a place to wrap any extra length you may have. I just discovered this and wrapped up about a foot and half of extra cord length off my desktop.- Standard USA 120v two-plug, no 3rd ground plug required.- Made in China.- United Labs listed.- Off white color.

I normally don't review the things I buy on amazon, but after buying this and using it extensively for a classroom, I absolutely had to review this for anyone still doubting. Working with students in the 6 - 7 yr range, anything you're using over and over again absolutely must be laminated, or it will be destroyed. The things I laminated using this held up amazingly well - far better than the paper I had laminated onsite by the school.Pros:Good quality plastic, very thick, holds up to bending and heavy useCan be cut to make bookmarks or other shapes without peelingSimple and easy to useCons:Slow!Over heats after laminating about 40 consecutive sheetsIf you have the time and are looking for a laminator that's affordable, I would recommend getting this.

This unit is of the sort that you can plug in and use immediately after only a cursory review of the operating instructions. Very easy setup, very easy to select the variable thickness of the pouches available, and capable of doing 2 sheets at once (front/back) in the lighter pouch, if it is sent through on the thick setting. I and two friends used it about a dozen times right out of the box in a chilly basement, and it warmed right up and functioned like a champ.I have NOT been using it long enough to give a suitable use and wear review, but I anticipate no troubles.This is perfect for tabletop gamers, parents who want to make chores lists, businesses who need semi-permanent schedules, delivery persons who need a resilient route map, cooks who like to keep a 4x6 or 5x7 file of stain-proof cards, memorializing articles for long term keepsakes, or any other task that would benefit from use of a laminated cardstock, provided it is not substantially thick, and is 8.5 x 11 or smaller.I have not tested an alternate sized paper.Overall easy, good quality, well worth the price.

This is my first laminating machine and I am really enjoying the functionality, steadfastness and reliability so far of this work-horse. Mainly, I'm using it with Scotch's thermal laminating pouches (business card size) and it does a great job sealing. The machine is surprisingly quite as it churns out perfect laminated 3 x 5 business cards. It is ready to use within a few short minutes and so far, hasn't over-heated or barfed up anything unusual. I like this laminating work-horse; it does a decent job at an affordable price for what I need it to do.

The laminator works greats, heats quickly, seals well, and holds most things when cut. I had some let go when I cut them but I think it is because I didn't switch to 5ml. I am very pleased with the machine. I do wish the assortment of pouches was different as there are some I will never use and I ran out of the large ones quickly.

I was looking into buying a laminator as I've got kids with various school projects going on plus I've got a lot of important documents I would like to have protected. I viewed the various ones available but this one in particular caught my eye. The reviews were encouraging & of course with the additional items included for the price it's set at, I had to grab this while I could. I bought it in November 2015 and so far it's been working just great. Very simple item to use, it doesn't take long to heat up at all & it laminates the documents easily and quickly. It's a good buy and I'm pleased with it.*Word of advice DO NOT use this to laminate sonogram pictures if you're considering it as the heat will destroy them. I learned this the hard way a week ago now my daughter's baby pic is ruin. I wanted so to protect it but it was my error, should've looked it up online but that was the last thing on my mind.

I love this thing! Big quality in a small package. It let's me do all my small and medium teacher jobs from the comfort of my own home! No more waiting in line at school for the laminator for my little jobs !

I love this laminator, easy to use, great for crafts, school, and office. I looked around for awhile to fund the right one and settled on this one, and I'm very happy with it.

I use this product almost everyday since i got it. It is not the fastest machine but it produces quality laminated sheets. I am so glad i bought this laminator!

if anyone loves laminating this kit here is perfect

A good laminator and does the job well enough. it is limited to 3-5 mil thickness laminations, Do not try to run 10 mil as it will not seal properly.The good: it is sufficient for most common home owner and non-commercial type work. Works very well with standard printer paper thicknesses.The less than good: the guide rails for the "In-feed" rollers is very flimsy plastic and can easily have the rack and gear disengage.(but it is easy enough to pop back in place)CORRECTION, This unit does not need a CARRIER ENVELOPE . My mistake, The smell the people mention is the release agent that the manufacturer uses to make sure the plastic doesn't stick to the hot rollers.

This really does the job. Well worth the long wait.

This product laminates well. It is a little tricky to keep the sheets straight, I believe the tray on it that guides the sheet is not sturdy enough. I feel like if it were sturdier then the sheet would stay in straight.

Works just fine with Scotch Thermal Laminating Pouches, 5 x 7-Inches, 20-Pouches (TP5903-20) ! Just follow directions that comes with the box and you should be good to go. :) Just don't let pets/children near it. I live with roommates, so they don't enter my room and mess around with my things. Keep it on good hard surface and not have cloth/plastic near it when you are working with it.Cons: None yet so far, Had it for about year and about to start season 2 of badges so will try to keep update on this!

I haven't been using this machine long, but I've been happy with it so far. It's a very simple device, and it's easy to use. The various users in our office have all been pleased. It doesn't come with a ton of sleeves, so be sure to order more if you plan to do a bunch of laminating.

No one, not this site or the manufacture's site, warns you about the blinking red light. So I'll tell you. If you plug this in and the light starts to blink... it's broken! Send it back! Amazon.com was very good about replacing it. Once we received a new laminator that worked, it worked well. Very simple to use and we have had good results. Why wouldn't anyone explain about the blinking red light?

Very easy to use and works well. I especially liked the amount and different sizes of the laminate materials.

Works great! Just a little concerned on it's longevity.

1 piece became stuck, but all in all it has served its purpose

use it all the time

Great, comes ready to start all types of projects. Saves time, cost less and protects your work.

It actually is the same work horse we've had for the last 6 years. Looking forward to the next 6.

Pretty happy with this laminator for the most part. It does have a tendency to pull sheets through crooked, and i've messed up a few different sheets because it didn't matter how hard you try to go straight it still went crooked. I wish it just had a slightly bigger opening to allow for some room to play. Otherwise it's a great machine.

I always have issues with these small laminators catching the corners of the sheets while being fed through. Sometimes they just bend/curl a little. my last one, however, would jam it all up and I had to get a new one

I ordered this item on January 1. I started to use it for the new school year and find it has broken. No one used it, but it was a great machine while it lasted. I guess there is no warranty. Next time I will order the item with one year warranty... It is worth a few bucks more when it breaks after only nine months.

Overall it works well for the money, but loading the sheets in can be a real pain. The cheap flimsy feed tray doesn't always line up with the opening, and if the sheet isn't at the EXACT proper angle it hits an immovable object just inside the opening. This means you have to wiggle and fight with the sheet to get it into the machine, meanwhile everything you had neatly arranged to laminate is now laying underneath and on top of one another.Patience is highly recommended when using this thing.

The machine works great! However, the paper guide does not stay folded up. In order to protect the guide when not in use, I need to rubber band or somehow tie it up. Disappointed that I just saw the same machine at Target for less than $21.

Great laminator. Just wished I had shopped around a little more. You can pick it up for $20 bucks at Walmart and Target. :/

Everything was included as advertised. We have not used it yet.

The laminating sheets are a bit of a challenge to open and to insert item. Otherwise laminator did a good job with the seal.

I had a different model of scotch laminator that finally stopped heating up (lasted 5 years!) so I bought this as a replacement. Came with a few free pouches-and that's where the good news stops. This model heats up slowly. Sliding the pouches into the heated slot is nearly impossible! You have to line it up perfectly, pushing down on the tray while simultaneously trying to push it in--sometimes you can offer up a prayer at the same time in hopes that it all lines up perfectly. So far I have not had one time where it worked perfectly so it takes me MANY tries to actually get the pouch in. I used my last one 8-10 times a week. With this one, I curse if something needs to be laminated. Overall, I would skip this one and look at other models which will save you time and headache. Once getting the pouch in, it laminates items correctly.

I think this is rather cheaply made. Nothing special. It works and does laminate. The input tray on the back is flimsy cheap plastic that doesn't like to stay in place. I think the idea is that the input tray is supposed to stow. And that would be fine if it would just stay in place during use. I have also had a jam in mine once (my fault because the previous laminations were stacking up and eventually blocked the exit) and I was able to unplug and unscrew the case on the device to remove the jam. If I was to buy again, I would not buy this model.Update: (Reduce one more star)I really think this is junk. The input tray is very poor. Falls down constantly. Every lamination, practically, I must put the input tray back in place. I wish I never bought this because surely there are many others that are much better than this. I have had it longer than can be returned, so I am stuck with using this piece of junk or buying a different one.

The laminator itself still works, but one of the tabs that holds the back of the tray up (and out of the way of feeding lamination sheets) is already broken. Very disappointed!

IT DOES THE JOB BUT I HAVE TROUBLE WITH THE FEEDING TRAY STAYING UP. I ENDED UP PUTTING BOOKS UNDER IT TO HELP WITH THE PROJECT SO MY HUSBAND DIDN'T HAVE TO STAND THERE & HOLD IT UP. I SHOULD HAVE RETURNED IT AND PAID THE PRICE FOR A BETTER MODEL. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS LAMINATOR.

I just received my Laminator and needed to use it right away for a project. I have not been able to get one piece through without it destroying the paper. I have gone through 9 papers so far. It looks like there is a little plastic part that is sticking out in front that is making it not come through correctly...

I enjoyed the product until I ran into technical issues. For some reason, it can't be repaired at home and they advise us not to take it apart. How else are we supposed to fix it if there's a jam somewhere?

Overpriced for the set, and the rollers stopped working consistently after one use, and had to return it. Bought the the unit separately and the new one worked and save over $10.

Starting to make a loud creaking sound while using after the first 6 months.

Jammed within first 20 min of use. Strongly do not recommend this product .

This did not arrive as a combo pack. It only included the laminator, not the laminating pouches.

Didn't work. Arrived in a bag and not a box. Sent back for refund.

I have had two of these, and both of them smoked and quick working within two weeks of getting them. I keep them stored and placed on a table when using. I was only able to use each one once before it smoked.

It's a piece of junk! Used it once and it broke. By the time I took it out to use it a second time it was broken and too late to return it.

Its not the laminator in the picture!!! Its more of a cheaper older style one made from cheap plastic.

I can NOT believe this product failed after about 10 uses. It continues to heat--but the motor that pulls the laminate through the machine has stopped working.And I paid $70 for this????? bull

I did not receive all of the items in this package. The only part that arrived was the laminator - none of the pouches/sheets. I am returning the item and purchasing directly from a store so that I can complete projects for my classroom and students. Very disappointed.

Bought this in October, yesterday February 25 was my first day of using it, of course it doesn't work and the return date for return was November. The roller won't work..., will not take the film through! I will be calling the company!

Did not receive all items. The 115 assorted pouch sizes and Plexon pen were not in the package when received.Now have to go through the process of returning the item and reordering. Was a Christmas present for daughter-in-law.

Only received the laminator. No pouches. I returned it unopened for a refund. Extremely disappointed.