Circa/Rolla Paper Punch

[strunkl]

The Rollabind (back in stock at my local Staples!) ring system and its twin, the Levenger Circa, work well for me, but I'm interested in "taking it to the next level" by making a large number of notebooks of varying sizes for personal and professional organization. Of course I'll be substituting my own FPN-approved paper (likely HP #32 laser) for the acceptable but overpriced stuff that Levenger sells.

 

Given the number and thickness of notebooks I'd like to make, the desktop punch isn't really the best solution for me. I remember that Levenger used to sell three different punches--the portable and desktop versions they have now, plus a behemoth designed to punch a lot more pages at once, and with the fortitude to punch heavy stock for covers, too.

 

My problem is that I don't remember what it was called or what it cost. Since I don't know what it was called, my FPN, eBay, and web searches have been fruitless. Since I don't know what it cost, I'm not even sure if a used one will be in my price range (though my faint memory is that it cost a TON new from Levenger). Finally, some have complained that both the desk model and the behemoth don't create "smurfs" that are as large or as deep as Levenger factory paper, making page-turning more difficult.

 

Can anyone with experience with this beast help me out? Any info on naming, price, availability, and function will be greatly appreciated.

 

Dan

[rroossinck]

My guess is that you'll need to talk to the folks at Rollabind about this one, as it's heavy-duty.

 

I will say that in my experience, the Levenger desk model does have the capacity to punch 15 mil plastic covers for the notebooks I made.

[skipwilliams]

I have the Big Punch, ordered from Rollabind over the web. It's very well made, ~$60.00

 

Regarding the size of the punch-outs: Yes, the punch is slightly smaller than what Levenger uses, but I have noticed little practical difference in everyday use.

 

The punch is a little shallower (.5mm) than Levenger's, and the trackway is a little smaller. Here's a diagram

 

http://www.skipwilliams.adahost.com/data/punches.gif

[strunkl]

Well, the good news is I found it. Though I've checked Rolla's site many times, I never looked under the "crafter" section, assuming this hulk would be in the "corporate" section. skipwilliams, your note prompted me to look one more time. Low and behold, look what I found in the "crafters" section:

http://www.machinerunner.com/mr/images/items/b_RollabindRollabindBindingSystems-RollabindPBS2000BindingSystem.jpg

As I said, it's a beast, and can both punch and bind your Circa/Rolla notebooks.

 

The bad news is the price. New from Rolla, it's $849.00. I saw it elsewhere for $649.00 (albeit from a company I've never done business with). That's still about double what I could justify paying.

 

I can understand why punching so many holes takes a lot more force, requiring a stout (and expensive) machine. But just because I can understand it doesn't mean I can afford it.

 

Now, if someone wanted to arrange for Rolla-style FPN LE notebooks to go with your Bexley, I'd be happy to use this thing to assemble them, charging a reasonable mark-up.

 

*sigh*

[skipwilliams]

The $60 version is much more manageable. Unless you've got hundreds of pages to do, it works quite well, at least for me. And it's strong enough to stamp plastic stock for covers too.

 

$650 is crazy for a personal project.

 

Skip

 

[Tricia]

I remember when Levenger carried that monster. IIRC, their price was closer to $900, but I don't remember exactly.

 

I've made do with the desk one and like it a lot. Which is not to say that if I had scads of money I wouldn't at least consider that behemoth. (I'm profligate in odd ways.)

[BillTheEditor]

You can buy a pack of 25 covers in a number of colors direct from Rollabind for $19.99. How many notebooks would you have to make in order to justify buying the "behemoth" version of the punch?

 

I can't see any reason why you'd need more than the $60 desktop punch, unless you own a small print shop and want to offer Rollabind as a service for your customers. Assuming you are just looking to make binders for your own use, you have to buy rings anyway, might as well buy the covers. A pack of 25 ought to last you for a while.

[BillTheEditor]

sorry for the repetition. Connectivity problems today.

 

Admins please remove this post.

Edited August 1, 2007 by BillTheEditor

[BillTheEditor]

Admins please remove this post. Sorry about the duplicates. Connection has really been bad today.

Edited August 1, 2007 by BillTheEditor

[aprilquilts]

I can't speak about the rollabind punch, but I have the Levenger Circa punch, and it is terrific. It is very hearty, and seems as though it will be quite efficient. I did make a journal using nice FP friendly paper for my uncle. One thing I did learn recently was that the Circa punch has 11 punches, and the Rollabind has 12. I think this is to enable scrapbookers to use 12" paper. I just thought I would mention that.

 

Also, I have ordered rollabind discs from MC2office.com. At the time they had all of their Rollabind equipment and supplies for 50% off. This was not noted on the website, but they did confirm that fact via email. I was a little concerned because even after I ordered, I didn't see anything about the 50% price, but when the order shipped, I was only charged half price.

 

https://mc2office.com/Catalogue_FR/mnbc_Eta...p?idCategory=32

 

It might be worth looking into. I ordered about a month ago.

 

Good Luck,

April

[jrk6069]

[

The bad news is the price. New from Rolla, it's $849.00. I saw it elsewhere for $649.00 (albeit from a company I've never done business with). That's still about double what I could justify paying.

 

 

 

Hmmmm. Everything is to be found on Ebay, if you keep looking!

 

[strunkl]

aprilquilts, you were right about MC2office.com. I called and they confirmed that they are selling off their remaining stock of Rollabind products @ 50% off. That means the portable punch is about $15, the desktop punch is about $30, and a different model that is like the desktop punch but includes a binding feature for less than $100.

 

That's a nice change from the Levenger prices. A word to the wise, though: the person I talked to indicated that there is not a lot of stock left, so if you've been resisting the Circa/Rollabind impulse because of the cost of the punch, act quickly.

 

[Of course, no affil. In fact, I haven't done business with them]

 

As always, thanks to everyone for the advice.

[aprilquilts]

I'm glad that is still the case. I had good luck with them. I thought their shipping was high ($10) but I was saving so much I didn't mind. I hope you find what you're looking for.

 

April