Jeff McRitchie

Akiles WireMac Duo Combo 2-1 Pitch and 3-1 Pitch Wire Binding Machine Review

In the past, buying a double loop wire binding machine meant choosing between either a 2:1 or a 3:1 pitch hole pattern.The Akiles Wiremac Duo Combo changes this. It provides the ability to bind documents using both 2:1 and 3:1 pitch wire. This provides a great solution for organizations that need to bind both large and small documents.

• In the past, buying a double loop wire binding machine meant choosing between either a 2:1 or a 3:1 pitch hole pattern.
• Many users liked the small and professional look offered by 3:1 pitch wire. However, 3:1 pitch double loop wire can only be used to bind documents up to 9/16" thick. Companies who wanted to bind larger documents with wire had to settle for a 2:1 pitch wire machine or had to buy two binding systems.
• The Akiles Wiremac Duo Combo changes this. It provides the ability to bind documents using both 2:1 and 3:1 pitch wire. This provides a great solution for organizations that need to bind both large and small documents.

Strengths / Features:

• The WireMac Duo Combo can produce two completely different hole patterns. It can punch a 3:1 pitch pattern with three square holes per inch. This pattern can be used for finishing documents with 3:1 pitch wire-o spines, GBC Proclick reclosable spines and with 3:1 spiral coil. It can also punch a 2:1 pitch hole pattern with 2 rectangular holes per inch. This pattern can be used with 2:1 pitch double loop wire and with 0.400 pitch spiral coil. Thus, with two hole patterns it is possible to bind documents with five different binding styles.
• The Wiremac-Duo has two separate punching throats that are fourteen inches in length. Both have open throats, continuous punching guides and fully disengageable punching pins. This allows the WireMac Duo to punch any length of document less than fourteen inches. Sheets that are longer than 14" can still be punched. It just requires a two step process.
• On the right side of this machine there are two knobs for adjusting the depth of the holes from the edge of your paper. The Wiremac Duo Combo can be set to punch the holes closer to the edge of the paper when binding thin documents and further from the edge when binding thicker books. This helps maximize the usability and strength of your bound documents.
• The WireMac-Duo also includes a heavy duty wire closing device on the front of the machine. This wire closer is made of highly durable steel components and designed to maintain its accuracy after thousands of binds. On the front of the wire closer there is also a set of wire hanging hooks that can be used to help hang your sheets onto double loop wire spines.

Weaknesses / Limitations:

• Although it is possible to use this machine with several different pitches of spiral coil, the WireMac Duo does not include a coil inserter. This machine can be used with both 3:1 and 0.400 pitch coils. However, these pitches of coil are fairly unique and can be difficult to find. If you plan on using this machine with either of these types of spiral coil, it is a good idea to order your supplies as far as possible in advance since they are often produced on demand and can take a few days to ship.
• Each of the types of binding offered by the WireMac Duo has limitations. Here are a few that you might want to remember:
  • Three to one pitch double loop wire is only available in diameters between 3/16" and 9/16". It is impossible to make 3:1 pitch wire in sizes larger than this.
  • Two to one pitch wire is usually used to bind documents that are between 5/8" and 1-1/4". However, small sized 2:1 pitch wires are available in sizes between 1/4" and 9/16". These special small sized wire is usually more expensive that standard 3:1 pitch wires of the same diameter.
  • GBC Proclick spines are available in three sizes: Small (5/16"), Medium (1/2") and Large (5/8"). They are also only available in four colors: Black, Navy Blue, White and Frost.
  • 3:1 pitch spiral coils are available in diameters ranging from 6mm up to 50mm. Small diameters are fairly easy to use while larger diameter coils can be quite difficult to insert. This is especially true when trying to insert larger coils into the small 3:1 pitch square holes produced by this machine.
  • 0.400 pitch coils are only available in large sizes for binding thick documents. These coils are sold in diameters ranging from 20mm up to 56mm. These coils will need to be inserted by hand because of their size and the fact that there is a slight difference between the pitch of the holes and the pitch of the coil.
• Packing all of these features into one binding machine can make it a little bit intimidating for inexperienced users. The WireMac Duo has a lot of knobs, handles and buttons. These can be somewhat confusing for new users and individuals who have never used a binding machine before. This machine can take a little bit of getting used to and some experimentation before users feel comfortable with all of the features that it offers.

Recommendation:

• The WireMac Duo Combo is offered at a great price point and offers a huge number of features. Any organization who is considering a manual wire binding machine should strongly consider this machine as an option.
• It hardly makes sense to buy another binding machine just to discover that it doesn't produce the hole pattern that you need.
• The dual punching patterns offered by this machine offer a huge amount of flexibility and versatility for organizations.
• In fact, the Akiles Wiremac Duo is an awesome machine for copy shops, professional organizations, office environments and small print shops that want to bind different sized documents and reports.
• However, the WireMac Duo is really not meant for high volume production. Its manual punch is great for organizations that need to bind a few documents a day. Organizations that need to bind more documents than this should really consider a larger electric punching machine.

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