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Question Kala Mistral 1600HR: any good?
- Thread starter Rayd8
- Start date
MarkSnelling
Mark Snelling - Hasco Graphics
I'm a bit of a laminator snob....I worked for Seal for 20 years and sold thousands of laminators. I never thought I'd sell any other brand of laminators other than Seal and then I met the Kala guys. The machines have the only real innovation in laminators in at least a decade. They are easy to operate, run perfectly straight, and have a self-leveling nip which nobody else in the industry has. They are fantastic laminators and if treated well, will run for 10 years or more.
I sell the Kala laminators now and have had nothing but happy customers.
I sell the Kala laminators now and have had nothing but happy customers.
Very informative thx Mark. Does the tracking and levelingnip also are present on the 1600? Aside from the trimmers are there a lot off differences between the 1600hr and 1650? Thanks, Thierry
Last edited:
KEYSER SOZE
New Member
500 bucks !?
Geez mate, go and collect it now before they change their mind.
It's as good as Mr. Snelling says.
I've had/got a couple of very good operators out the back on our laminators, both of them struggled to laminate beyond 5-10 metres without significant drift on the expensive high end laminator we had.
They got good at "steering" it, but it was still a PITA.
6 years ago I stumbled across the Kala Mistral at a trade show, after 10 minutes using it we bought it.
Since then we now laminate 50 metres rolls with a maximum of 1-2mm of drift on the whole roll, it's awsome.
Don't worry about the manual, I'd be happy to post a video of the best loading procedure with almost zero waste.
Also, forget the trimmers, they are okay for slitting down the middle of prints, but useless for trimming the edges off, we removed ours.
Geez mate, go and collect it now before they change their mind.
It's as good as Mr. Snelling says.
I've had/got a couple of very good operators out the back on our laminators, both of them struggled to laminate beyond 5-10 metres without significant drift on the expensive high end laminator we had.
They got good at "steering" it, but it was still a PITA.
6 years ago I stumbled across the Kala Mistral at a trade show, after 10 minutes using it we bought it.
Since then we now laminate 50 metres rolls with a maximum of 1-2mm of drift on the whole roll, it's awsome.
Don't worry about the manual, I'd be happy to post a video of the best loading procedure with almost zero waste.
Also, forget the trimmers, they are okay for slitting down the middle of prints, but useless for trimming the edges off, we removed ours.
Norman Clifton
New Member
Ours works great - we use the heat assist with UV print and don't get any silvering.
oh nice, thanks all, are you guys talking of the 1600 or the 1650? I don't find a lot of usefull info regarding the type that i'm getting, which is the older 1600HR, but you guys are starting to get me dreaming of laminating instead of my laminating nightmares.
Thanks all, super members here, very helpfull and soooo much experience where such newbies as i can learn from.
You guys have a jolly weekend
Thanks all, super members here, very helpfull and soooo much experience where such newbies as i can learn from.
You guys have a jolly weekend
MarkSnelling
Mark Snelling - Hasco Graphics
Honestly I don't know what the 1600 HR is....all of the models we sell in the US are the Mistral, Arkane, or Atlantic 1650 with an occasional 2100. I don't see a 1600 on their website.
It's full name is Kala Mistral 1600HR, this one: http://www.ednord.dk/Brochurer/Kala/KALA_MISTRAL_1600HR.pdf
I think it's in fance the predesessor of the current Mistral 1650.
Thanks for the help & info guys,
Thierry
brdesign
New Member
A company I used to work for got a Kala Mistral 1650, best laminator I have used in 20 years in the sign business. After getting the Kala we realized that our old laminator was wasteing about 30% of material that we attempted to run though it. I just wish I could afford one for myself. I'm not familier with the 1600HR, but I would take a chance for $500.
Thx, all these posts give me great confidence that this puppy is a steal
I’m only waiting for a 1600hr owner to speak up and then we’ll know And if not i’ll be the first to confirm my findings once she’s in her new working space
MarkSnelling
Mark Snelling - Hasco Graphics
Okay...so i've seen that unit once. It is a very different unit than the 1650 models. What people love about the 1650 is the ability to reset the nip so the machine runs perfectly straight whenever you need to (not very often and it only takes a minute). I'd make sure this entry-level unit does the same. I never really gave the entry-level units much interest or love because if you buy the right laminator (Kala Mistral/Arkane/Atlantic or Seal Pro series) you'll have them for 15+ years. The entry level table-top laminators, in my experience, don't last very long....you might get 5 years.....less if you drive them hard.
With that said, $500 is a small gamble and I'm sure it will work well enough for you to make a good buck with it. I'd plan on saving up for a Mistral in a few years
Hi Mark, Thanks for your info. Well, it's the Mistral version and a Kala so i guess that should count for something. I'll have more info next week when she's in. Will keep you all posted. Thx for all the info and feedback, really helpfull as there's not much info about the Mistral 1600HR online to find (at least not as far as reviews or realworld usage goes).