The Fellowes Quasar 500 is a full featured
manual plastic comb binding machine designed for small and medium
offices that are looking to do plastic comb binding. The Quasar 500 has contemporary design that
sets it apart from many other plastic comb binding machines on the
market. The machines folds closed when it is not in operation. The dark
grey and silver colored plastic housing provides an elegant and
contemporary look that is designed to blend in with other pieces of
office equipment. Plus, the machine offers an ergonomic handle that is
easy to use by operators who are both left and right handed.
Overview:
The Fellowes
Quasar 500 is a full featured manual plastic comb binding machine
designed for small and medium offices that are looking to do plastic
comb binding.
The Quasar 500 offers the same contemporary and ergonomic
design found in other Fellowes comb binding machines such as the
Starlet and the Star. However, this machine includes features that are
simply not available in those less expensive models.
This machine is designed for use with both round and oval
shaped plastic comb binding spines and can bind documents up to two
inches thick (approximately 500 sheets of 20lb paper).
Strengths / Features:
The
Quasar 500 has contemporary design that sets it apart from many other
plastic comb binding machines on the market. The machines folds closed
when it is not in operation. The dark grey and silver colored plastic
housing provides an elegant and contemporary look that is designed to
blend in with other pieces of office equipment. Plus, the machine
offers an ergonomic handle that is easy to use by operators who are
both left and right handed.
Unlike the Fellowes Star and Starlett which only punch 7
sheets of paper at a time, the Quasar 500 is designed to punch up to 20
sheets per lift. Even the largest and most powerful manual plastic comb
binding machines are only rated for between 20-25 sheets of paper at a
time.
The Quasar is capable of binding documents with plastic
combs as small as 1/4 inch and as large as two inches. It includes a
heavy duty plastic comb opener with metal fingers and metal hooks. The
system can open both round combs (1/4 inch - 1-1/8 inch) and oval combs
(1-1/4 inch - 2 inch).
This machine has a storage tray that slides out of the
side of the machine. The storage tray will hold a selection of binding
combs and has a plastic comb size selector. The selector allows you to
determine the correct size of comb for use with your document and it
also allows you to determine the size of any comb that you have on
hand.
Weaknesses / Limitations:
Although
this binding machine can be used with virtually any size of plastic
binding comb, it is not designed to bind documents that are shorter or
longer than 11 inches in length. It doesn't have disengageable pins or
an open throat design. Without any open throat it is impossible to
punch documents longer than 11.25" (oversized covers). Without
disengageable punching pins, documents less than 11 inches in length
will most likely end up with a partial hole on the edge of the page.
Although the slide out storage tray seems like a good
idea, it is not large enough to hold any real quantity of binding
combs. The document measuring device is nice, however, this machine
would benefit from having a larger chip tray instead of built in comb
storage.
Although this machine has an excellent punching capacity
and is capable of binding documents up to 2 inches thick, it is still
made primarily out of plastic. Although this machine looks great, it
might not be the best choice for heavy duty users or for applications
where the machine may be abused (such as schools). These environments
will most likely benefit from a machine made from metal components.
Recommendation:
The
Fellowes Galaxy 500 is an excellent choice for users who are looking
for a contemporary binding machine that will fit in a small office or
medium office environment.
It has an excellent punch capacity, an ergonomic design and can bind documents that are up to two inches thick.
However, this machine is not an excellent fit for high
volume users or for applications where multiple users may abuse the
machine. In those cases it may be best to sacrifice style and settle
for an all metal machine such as the Tamerica 210PB.
This review was written by Jeff McRitchie who is the director of marketing for Mybinding.com.
Jeff has written more than three hundred articles and more than two
hundred reviews on Binding Machines, Binding Supplies, Report Covers,
3-Ring Binders, Index Tabs, Laminators, Laminating Supplies, Paper
Shredders and Paper Handling Equipment.