What to get and application...

[chandrinator]

Hello all! I was reading the thread by Petros about which laminator to get, which is extremely helpful as I was trying to choose RSC vs Seal EL vs USTech. Everyone seems to love USTech, but I am wary... The price for a laminator USTech (vs RSC) is a good deal lower, and I have spoken to my sales rep about this. I'm pretty sold on RSC over Seal, but RSC vs USTech - what applications are you people using these for? My focus is only vehicle decals/wraps. No signs, no banners, no photos, etc. Long runs... Would like your opinions, please!

 

[Gino]

Did you notice in that thread, they always said, the best deal for the money. That usually relates to what someone can afford and makes the best of it.

If you want the best bang for your buck, go with a Big Squeegee.



Most people here are either going to give you personal preferences, cause that's what they did..... or tell you what they've heard. There are so many scenarios that you have to ultimately make your own decision.

We have a nice Seal. Non heated, not even assisted. It has served us well and while it might be a little on the slow side, it never fails us. As with most of these machines, you learn their quirks and work around them. We laminate just about everything with it, except encapsulation.

 

[jmcnicoll]

Most important question.... What will you be using it for? What will you be laminating, how much of it, full rolls at a time?

Knowing what I know now you really need to spend $12,000 or up on a good laminator. Larger, flat (straight) rolls are way better than the small crowned rolls found on most machines under $10,000. Big AGL fan, but others make some nice machines too.

 

[AF]

Start with the Big Squeegee. Since you should have a few those anyways, you may find it does everything you need. Once you need to laminate longer and wider prints, especially full rolls, you will have a better handle on what you want from the laminator. If you just want 2 rollers that pinch together, there are some incredibly cheap options out there both new and used. If you plan to be in business a long time and process tremendous amounts of material, then set the bar higher and get something of quality.