Which Binding Machine
 

Okay, I have the blue BIA which has never been over user-friendly, but the new machines look so tempting. The Cinch (whenever it is available) is a possibility; the pink BIA, well, if I'm going to get a new machine, do I really want just an improved version of what I already own? And YourStory, what's the latest on it? It is so cheap now ($25 @ ohmycrafts).

I'd be curious to hear deets from YourStory owners. Do you love it? Are supplies for it easy to find, or are they getting harder? Is it as cheap to use as to purchase?

Which machine does everyone love at the moment?

I love my Rollibind!

I was really impressed with the CINCH. We have a video coming soon!

I'm also thinking about purchasing a binding machine, and I have a friend who has the pink BIA, and she also says it's not very user friendly. I did see the video for the Cinch, which is posted on another thread, and I'm thinking I'll put my money on it. I think the Cinch will be available sometime in February, if I heard right.

We were very impressed with the Cinch at CHA. It has a 6" punching area -- twice the width of the BIA, and the paper goes in parallel to your table, which I like better than a vertical orientation. I love the disengageable dies feature, where you can choose exactly which holes to punch. I can see a lot of creative uses for that feature -- it makes the machine very versatile. We placed a large order. Can't wait to get mine!

I really like what I've seen with the Cinch. I have a Bind it All, and it really is a pain to use. Granted, I have the older blue/green version.... but I rarely use it anymore just because it is such a pain. I'm excited to try out the Cinch, and I hope it won't be too expensive.

At CHA, they told us the suggested retail price is $99.99.

The Cinch is definitely looking promising. Anyone happen to know the pitch of the holes? I decided I didn't want the BIA because I wanted books that had removable wires (e.g. to make cardstock swatch books - it would be nice to be able to add new colours). It looks like you can just purchase coil rings to fit the Cinch holes, if you don't want the o-wire type?

nina

The holes are 2:1 pitch, just like the BIA holes, only the Cinch holes are circular.

You could definitely use binding rings with the Cinch holes -- and you can punch any number of holes you want, with plenty space in between each hole.

Do you own a store? Is it like your name, lots of tools? (I'm addicted to Scrapbooking tools. I'd get help, but I really love my addiction.)

Is it easy to line up your paper so each stack the holes are all in the same spot? That's why I didn't buy the BIA, I didn't think I'd be able to get a big stack all lined up exactly right. But with a 6" punching area, maybe it'd be easier.

Very easy! There is a firm guide to put your paper against, just like with the Rubicoil machine.

Me too! My name is Bonnie, and I'm a tool addict. LOL!

Thank you so much for this info - very helpful! Unfortunately standard coil binding is 4:1 so not sure how easy it would be to find 2:1. Maybe there is a different type of coil binding that comes in the larger pitch. Time for some internet research! I would just love to have the option of creating books that can be added to - I've heard that the o-wire type binding are not super easy to open & close (as that is not what they are designed for).

As you say, the binding rings would work in a pinch!

I'm liking the Cinch more & more...

nina

Why metal binding??
 

I have always been interested in the Rubicoil (spiral plastic coils) but didn't like the size and the cost. I never understood metal binding. I find it unattractive and easily bent. I also like the idea of adding pages which is easily done with spiral plastic coils. Saw something about The Cinch so did a little research. It looked great but was disappointed that it used metal binding. I wondered if I could find plastic coils to fit. (Had never heard of "pitch" so had no idea what the different sizes meant!) No success with finding 2:1 plastic coils (may be some engineering reason why plastic would not be good in that size) but did find a site with this info, http://www.mybinding.com/.sc/ms/ch/A...-Supplies.html, which discusses the various sizes. I now understand that 2:1 means 2 holes per inch (duh!). According to the above site 2:1 is for documents 9/16" to 1 1/8"! I would think crafters would be binding smaller documents which means more holes per inch. Why does the BIA and now The Cinch use this size? Am I missing something? What is the attraction to metal binding? Why hasn't someone developed a spiral coil punch for the crafter???

WOW! i was thinking about getting a bind it all.....but after watching the video, i may wait it out for the cinch!

Ok...this is the first I've ever heard of the Cinch....who makes it? (my search so far has come up with lots of snowboard binding information, but non on the CINCH):rolleyes:

We R Memory Keepers is the manufacturer, but he Cinch is not on their web site yet unless I totally missed it. Here's a video demo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jkVpJjS75U

Bonnie

Thank you!!! I do have a BIA...wondering how many binding tools a girl can justify?!!

Bind It All video tutorial
 

Here is the URL for a BIA tutorial that shows how to make a template to get perfect placement every time. For the FIRST time I can actually use this machine for something larger than the width of the machine. I hope this will help someone else. The new CINCH does look very promising, but with a limited budget, I will have to stick with what I have for right now. http://dan99.blogspot.com/2008/10/vi...nd-it-all.html

Sounds like Cinch is in the lead for best potential. So we can use our Zutter rings with it? We'll be able to add pages to a project once it's bound? That's a plus!

No one has opinions on YourStory? Is it that unloved? If you're going to have a machine that doesn't let you alter the size of a project once bound, I still like the idea of a glued binding for a neater look than metal or plastic rings.

It is not easy to add pages to a wire-bound book; it's easy to REMOVE the wire, but not easy to re-form the wire without it looking bent or messy. That's the main drawback to wire binding, IMHO.

But you can always remove the wire binding and replace it with a new wire when you want to add pages. (And if you buy boxed wires -- instead of packages of two or six -- it's inexpensive enough to do that.)

I love my YourStory - I think it is great for making photo albums, digi books, regular scrapbooks - but for journals, planners, notebooks, etc, I really prefer wire bound O ring or coil bound. It's hard with the YourStory to get books to open flat and such. I want a binding machine for the journals, planners, notebooks, things like that, and then keep using to YourStory for photo albums/scrapbooks and things like that.

I'd *really* like a coil binder.

KateFerg,
Thanks for the coil link - great info. I agree - why can't someone make a lightweight coil binding system for us crafters? The only spiral coil machines I've seen so far are pretty big (i.e. expensive). I guess the RubiCoil is the closest. I was hoping the Cinch was going to be a 4:1 pitch. Hmm... wonder if there's a way to modify their guide so that after punching normally with the Cinch, you could then shift it to punch exactly in between the 2 existing holes, thus altering the original 2:1 holes into 4:1 holes... huh, I think that would work!

... except of course the Cinch would be marked up to something like $180 in Canada:mad:

nina

Yes, our binding wires work with the Cinch and the Bind-it-all.

And you can use 1/2inch wires with the Cinch -- you'll just need to use a shim to raise the book before you close the wires, I cut a narrow piece of book board for that purpose, but anything firm would work. Foamcore
is not firm enough, for example.

You would put the strip of book board flat underneath the 1/2" wire -- that will raise the wire higher on the closing platform so that when the closing apparatus pushes down to close the wire, it can close the 1/2" wire using the 3/4" setting.

Much easier to DO than to explain!

I'm sorry I'm not explaining it well! The Bind-it-All presses wires from the side, so if you need a shim in the BIA, you'd stand the shim against the back of the machine -- but the Cinch presses wires downward from ABOVE, so that's why you'd put your shim UNDER the wire to raise it up. Hope this is clearer --

Okay, so last year, b/c of advice on this thread, I added the YourStory. Talk about a professional look! # of pages is what I find to be the major downside on that machine.

I still haven't ruled out the Cinch completely.

I have a couple of hesitations there, though. Rough edges is one problem I'm reading about. Is that a wide-spread problem, or is it isolated to a few machines?