The folks at Sircle Corp. were gracious enough to send me their HQ-330 laminator so I could try it out and let you all know what I think of it.  This is a great machine!  The price point – well under $100 – makes it accessible to homeschoolers of modest means, and it will meet the vast majority of your laminating needs.  (Posters are the only thing I can think of that the average homeschooler is likely to want laminated that exceeds the HQ-330’s capabilities.)  It has several heat settings and will laminate items up to 13″ wide, with up to 5mil laminating pouches.

The design of the machine itself is very well thought-out.  It’s lightweight and compact, easy for getting into and out of storage.  There is even a built-in handle to make it easy to carry around.  The controls are very intuitive, and I would have had no problem operating it even without reading the instructions.  The exterior gets pretty warm when the laminator is running, but it does not seem to get hot enough to burn a child who wanders over and touches it.

The HQ-330 has handled everything I’ve thrown at it – even things it isn’t supposed to be able to do.  (I bought 10mil bookmark pouches, not noticing that they were 10mil.  I have to run them through twice and it doesn’t do quite as perfect a job on them as the lighter-weight pouches it’s designed for, but it has managed them, too.)  One of the handiest features of this machine, and one that is not available in other laminators at a similar price point, is a release lever for clearing jams.  This is the only feature I’ve not been able to try out, because I can’t make the machine jam!

The only complaint I have is with the instructions.  They are apparently translated into English from some other language, which makes for some odd wording.  This is not a problem, though.  The text is readable enough and, as I mentioned earlier, the machine is so easy to use that instructions for the basic functions really aren’t necessary.  I did, however, find them lacking in one area.  This particular laminator has variable heat settings.  There’s a cold setting, and then 80, 100, and 125 (degrees, I assume).  There is nothing in the instructions or anywhere else to suggest which heat settings the user should select for what.  I just started at the middle setting and did some experimenting.

This is really a very handy tool to have around.  It’s great for making manipulatives, worksheets that can be used over and over, etc.  I have been using it to make some homemaking tools, as well.  (You’ll see pictures of many of these items in future posts.)  My computations show that if you laminate semi-regularly, it is far less expensive to purchase this machine and do it yourself than to take your materials to Staples or OfficeMax for laminating.  You save the time and trouble, too, of transporting them, standing in line, etc.!  I most definitely recommend this machine.