Pouch laminators are a great investment for protecting documents of all types, from important company documents and pricelists to favorite photographs and mementos. With a wide array of models available at price points ranging from tens of dollars to thousands, it’s important to find the right balance of cost and features that is suited to your specific needs. In this post, we take a closer look at the SircleLam HQ-230, which is a basic and affordable pouch laminator that is ideal for home use.
The Basics
The SircleLam HQ-230 is a 9″ pouch laminator that is capable of laminating both 3 mil and 5 mil pouches. It features adjustable temperature, and includes a cold setting that allows you to seal self-laminating pouches. The HQ-230 is also capable of laminating photographs, which is one of the reasons that it is a popular model for home and hobby use. To make the laminating process smooth and trouble-free, the HQ-230 has a reverse lever (to aid in clearing jams) and feeds back-to-front. It has two rollers and comes with a one-year warranty.
The HQ-230 laminator utilizes heating plates (as opposed to the heated silicone rollers that are used in more advanced laminators), which is why we recommend using a carrier sheet to help protect your rollers from adhesive build-up. It has a six-minute warm-up time, but because of its plastic outer casing and less powerful motor (as compared to office and professional-level machines), we advise turning off the machine and allowing it to cool completely after each hour of use.
In terms of laminating speed, the HQ-230 is capable of laminating up to 9.85″ per minute, which means that it will take more than a minute to laminate a letter-sized pouch. While most home users will find this speed adequate for occasional laminating projects, office and production environments will save a great deal of time by investing in a faster laminator.
In Review
At less than $60, the SircleLam HQ-230 is one of the most affordable pouch laminators on the market. It has a number of great features, such as a reverse lever, the capability to laminate photos, and a quick, six-minute warm-up time, despite its very reasonable price point. It has been designed with the home/hobby user in mind, which is why it has a slow laminating speed and is limited to only laminating 3 mil and 5 mil pouches. Though it is not a fit for office use or high-volume production, the HQ-230 is a good choice for people who want to laminate occasionally and are looking to keep their costs low.