The Akiles Coilmac M is one of the most popular spiral coil binding machines available on the market.
It is designed to bind documents using standard 4:1 pitch spiral coil binding supplies.
The CoilMac-M is a heavy duty metal spiral coil binding machine that is designed for small and medium sized organizations that are looking to bind their own documents with ColorCoil.
This machine is an excellent choice for small companies who are considering binding their own documents using coil.
Strengths / Features:
The Akiles CoilMac manual binding machine is one of the highest quality medium duty spiral coil binding machines available anywhere. Akiles has built their reputation on the fact that their equipment is extremely strong and durable. The Coilmac M is no exception. This machine is built out of heavy duty steel. The body of the machine, the handle, the internal mechanisms, and the finishing table are all made of high quality metal. This heavy duty metal construction is designed to ensure that this machine can be used for years without any problems.
The Coilmac-M punches a four to one pitch hole pattern with four holes per inch. This hole pattern is designed for use with standard 4:1 pitch spiral coil spines. Using 4:1 pitch coil it is possible to bind documents as small as 6mm (1/4") and as large as 50mm (2"). However, attempting to bind documents with coils larger than one inch can be very difficult and is only recommended for experienced users. Still, the wide variety of available sizes and the fact that spiral coils are produced in more than sixty colors and in almost any imagineable length means that the Coil-Mac manual binding machine provides a ton of versatility to its users.
The punch on this machine is capable of punching up to seventeen sheets of twenty pound paper at a time. Although there are certainly heavier duty punches available on the market, this is an excellent capacity for a medium volume coil binding machine such as the CoilMac M.
Weaknesses / Limitations:
Unlike many other larger spiral coil binding machines, the CoilMac-M does not include an electric spiral coil inserter. It does include an inserting table that helps to make the process of inserting spines by hand easier. However, an inserter or coil spinner would make the binding process go a lot faster. For an electric inserter you have to step up to the CoilMac ECI.
This machine does not include a pair of spiral coil crimping pliers. These special pliers are used to cut and crimp the ends of the coil spines so that they don't spin off the book once it is bound. The process of cutting and crimping coil is extremely difficult if you don't have these special coil crimpers. Users who choose the Coilmac-M should really consider ordering a pair of pliers with the machine.
This machine has a thirteen inch punching throat and has five disengageable dies for punching common paper sizes. Users who need to punch letter, legal, half letter or standard European sizes should not have a problem with this machine. However, the Coilmac-M is not designed to punch custom length documents. Attempting to punch odd sized sheets will most likely result in a half hole being left on the edge of your document.
Recommendation:
The Akiles CoilMac-M manual coil binding machine is ideal for small and medium sized companies that are looking for a solution to bind up to fifty documents per week.
It is known for its rugged metal construction, excellent feature set, versatility and dependable performance.
This machine is great for binding a few documents per day. However, it is not ideal for high volume applications.
Larger volume users may want to consider an electric coil binding punch with a spiral coil inserter. Or even a manual punch with an electric spiral coil inserter.
The Coilmac EPI is a heavy-duty electric spiral coil-binding machine with both an electric punch and an electric coil inserter. This binding machine is one of the largest and most impressive desktop combination units on the market today. The Coilmac EPI offers all of the right features for any medium to large organization.
Features:
The Coilmac EPI has one of the largest punch-capacities available in a desktop binding machine. It's official punching capacity is 25 sheets for 20lb bond paper, but 22 sheets is actually more accurate. The machine can punch 2 clear covers at a time, using a foot pedal control, allowing you to hold your document in both hands while punching and inserting.
The machine's open-throat design allows you to punch longer documents, by using the continuous punching guide. The guide is a small metal pin on the side of the punching throat that helps you align the document while you flip it over to punch the other side.
The punching guide is not where the extras end, however. The machine also includes a pair of coil crimping pliers to help you finish your coil bound documents and a depth-of-punch margin control, to allow adjustments for hole locations within the diameter of the page. In addition, the Colimac EPI allows adjustments for binding 8.5", 11", A4 and A5 paper and punching 14" legal sized paper and other longer documents.
Finally, unlike most coil-binding machines, the Coilmac EPI can handle oversized covers by moving the paper guide to align the last pin on the machine with the corresponding hole on the cover.
Limitations:
The Coilmac EPI has a variety of unique benefits, but there are some limitations to take into consideration. While not a widespread issue, the machine doesn't offer fully disengageable dies, making it difficult to work on customosized, non-standard documents.
In addition, the machine's single foot pedal requires the flip-of-a-switch to change from inserting to punching. This makes the machine less efficient for users who prefer to punch one book at a time and then insert the coil. With the EPI its faster and more efficient to punch first, then insert the coils If you work with very large volumes, you may be better served with a stand-alone coil inserter and a modular punch that allows two users to work on a project at one time
Construction:
With heavy duty all metal construction, the Coilmac EPI is built "like a tank." It weighs almost 75lbs and is designed for long lasting durability. This durability makes the coil mack the ideal machine for any medium to high volume applications.
The only part on the EPI that requires regular replacement is the small rubber belt that drives the coil inserter. The belt is simple to replace and only costs a few dollars. Any other components on the EPI can be replaced, but it's usually not necessary. If the need arises, however, the EPI is much easier, and cost-effective to repair than most desktop binding units.
Recommendation:
I would highly-recommend the Coilmac EPI for anyone looking for a solid spiral-coil binding solution for mid-high volume projects. The machine is built to last and should be able to handle almost any job that you have for it.
Higher volume users may need a separate coil inserter or even an additional stand-alone inserter, which may affect the ultimate decision to purchase the Coilmac EPI. In most every other way, however, the EPI is effective and efficient for your needs. You really can't go wrong with the Coilmac EPI.