Reviewing the Akiles Roll-A-Coil Electric Spiral Coil Inserter

Seeking to offer the marketplace a lot of features for a low price, the Akiles Roll @ Coil is uniquely positioned in the world of electric coil inserters. Here is a short report in which we take a look at the Roll @ Coil's strengths and weaknesses.

Strengths:

If you have been shopping around for a coil inserting machine, you have likely found that there are a wide variety of options at a wide variety of prices. If your organization is on a budget, and you have already made a purchase of a machine such as a modular binding punch, you may well be looking to save some money on your coil inserting system. That's where we think that the Roll @ Coil really shines, coming in at a cost of a little less than two hundred fifty dollars. As we will discuss further, the Roll @ Coil may not have all the features that some of the other inserters do, but its price makes it fit within even the tightest budget. It pairs nicely with coil binding machines to make a great little production line.



This is one case in which low price does not equate to low quality. In our opinion, the Roll @ Coil is a very ruggedly built piece of equipment. The case is heavy duty, the components appear to be high quality, and we see no reason why this machine wouldn't stand up to years of use. In fact this machine is commonly found in professional binderies and in-plant print production facilities.



The Roll @ Coil also has a few nice features that you don't normally find on a lot of coil binding machines. For instance, there is an alignment channel that helps the user form the spine of the document when inserting coils of a larger diameter. There is also a pitch identifying device, and a sizing guide that can help you find the correct size coil for your book.


Weaknesses:


One slight limitation that we found with the Roll @ Coil is that its two rollers are fixed. Most of the pricier coil binding systems on the market let you adjust distances between rollers, which is handy for spines of a larger diameter. To be fair even the most expensive coil inserters on the market have some degree of difficulty with larger diameters, but it should be said that the Roll @ Coil is probably best suited for diameters up to around twenty two millimeters. Anything above that, and the degree if difficulty becomes fairly high.



It also must be pointed out that the Roll @ Coil's rollers are smallish compared so some of the other machines on the market. This is part of what makes this machine not the best choice for larger diameter wire, but is not an issue at all for smaller sizes.



The only chink in the Roll @ Coil's rugged armor is the plastic/rubber belt that drives the rollers. It is of high enough quality, but will probably wear out over time. It is an inexpensive and easy to replace part, however. Have an extra on hand just in case, because the machine won't run without it.