The Fellowes Quasar 500 is HF Blister Packaging Machine Manufacturers 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.