Jeff McRitchie

A Review of the Swingline Optima 20 Electric Punch

When it comes to hole punches, Swingline makes some of the best available. One of these devices is the Optima 20, a punch that has a decent punching capacity and comes with a great warranty. Here is a short look at this product's strengths and weaknesses. Check them out to see if this product is right for you.

When it comes to hole punches, Swingline makes some of the best available. One of these devices is the Optima 20, a punch that has a decent punching capacity and comes with a great warranty. Here's a short look at this product's strengths and weaknesses. Check them out to see if this product is right for you.

Strengths:

• The Optima 20 has a pretty typical punching capacity for this kind of device. It's capable of punching up to 20 sheets of paper at a time, so it would be good for both personal and office use. The punching capacity is based on 20 lb. paper. You may be able to punch less or a little bit more given the weight of your sheets.
• This device produces holes that are 9/32” wide. The holes will be large enough for you and your reader(s) to easily turn the pages once they've been bound.
• The Optima 20 is powered by 6 AA batteries. Since it doesn't need to be plugged in, you can use this device wherever you want. Plus, it only weighs 4.5 pounds so moving it from place to place won't be any trouble at all.
• Hole punches should be easy to operate and that's definitely the case with this one. All you need to do to operate it is insert your sheets, align them, and then press a button. It doesn't get much easier than that.
• The Optima 20 is equipped with alignment indicators so you'll be able to line up your sheets perfectly before punching them. And if your work ever gets jammed in the machine, there's an automatic reverse mode you can use to solve the problem.
• This is one of the more stylish hole punches on the market. It has a nice blue and silver color scheme that will look great in just about any environment.
• Finally, the Optima 20 is backed by a two-year warranty.

Weaknesses:

• This device can only produce a three-hole pattern. If you need different patterns, you should choose a punch with adjustable punching heads.
• Although a 20-sheet punching capacity is good for everyday use, the Optima 20 wasn't designed to be a heavy-duty punch. Keep that in mind if you anticipate needing to punch large quantities of paper.

In a nutshell, the Swingline Optima 20 is a good hole punch. The 20-sheet punching capacity will be good for students and office professionals, although you need to know that this device isn't really fit for heavy-duty use. It's great that this punch can be powered by batteries and that you'll be able to use it just about anywhere (work, home, school, etc.). You'll find that this punch offers easy operation, that it's stylish, and that the holes it punches are just the right size. The two-year warranty is also a plus. While it would be nice if this device could do more than just a three-hole pattern, overall the Optima 20 is a good choice if you need a hole punch.

Article Tags: Punching Capacity

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