As a homeschooler, I believe a comb-binding machine to be a very handy (though not strictly necessary) tool.  Many workbooks, teacher’s guides, etc. come as softcover books that don’t lie flat.  Cutting off the spines and re-binding them with comb bindings can make them much more user-friendly.  Similarly, larger books can be split up into smaller, more manageable sections.  More significant, though, in my opinion, is the ability to bind your children’s work – whether illustrated stories, collections of work from a unit study, or whatever – into self-contained books.  The machine can also be used to “repair” existing comb bindings that have pages coming loose.

Because these machines are such useful tools, I was delighted to have the opportunity to review the C75 comb binding machine.  This is made by GBC (which, incidentally, is part of the same family of companies that manufactures the Wilson-Jones binders I love so much), and is a good basic machine for an average family.

The biggest limitation of the machine is its page-binding capacity.  This one can accommodate a binding for up to 125 pages.  For most of us, that is quite sufficient for the vast majority of our binding needs.  A few of you may want to look for one that will do a larger number of pages.  I certainly can’t see most of my children’s books being more than 125 pages!  It punches up to 10 sheets at a time.  The punching and binding mechanisms use the the same lever, which has a handy latch on it to allow for the binding process and to keep the lever locked down out of the way when the machine is not in use.

The C75 is not heavy, which is one of the things I really like about it.  (I have used a higher-end model in the past and, while its larger binding capacity is nice, it was very heavy.)  It is easy for me to get in and out of its place on my shelf.  It also doesn’t take up an awful lot of space.  This machine could easily sit side-by-side with your laminator on the top of a single bookcase.

One of the details I most appreciate about the C75, though, is a very small one; there’s a comb size guide printed on it.  It is very helpful to be able to just glance at the machine to see what size comb I need for the number of pages I’m binding.

One last note: although I refer to this as a “machine,” it does not require electricity, or other power of any kind.  (Well, except for your own hands!)  You simply raise and lower a lever to punch the pages and open/close the binding comb.

Bottom line?  This is not a top-of-the-line model with a ton of bells and whistles, but it is a good, solid piece of equipment for a reasonable investment.