julie5
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,621 
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Post by julie5 on Feb 28, 2020 0:10:29 GMT
3-7-20
Well I got it and got it out today and the instruction guide is useless if you cant see the pictures and I can’t even with bifocals. So I have to hunt down my magnifying glass I guess. I’ve already slammed my finger in the rear bar thingy and it hurt pretty bad. I can get the holes punched, but not in a continuous row on a longer piece of paper. So I guess I have to figure out how you do that. Then the little bar that is supposed to lock when the lever is in LOCK mode, does not lock. Haven’t moved on to the coils until I get better at this punching thing so I don’t waste the coils. I have to work for hubby today so I put it away before I hurt anymore appendages. All in all, I’m glad I only spent $40 on this little finger eater. Lol I do think I’ll get tons of use out of it once I master it. I’m tired of trying to find albums and page protectors for different projects. I want to be able to make my own albums. This will accomplish that.
Later the same day...my finger is black now but it dawned on me to watch videos on YouTube and I feel much better about the tool. Seeing someone else show how to use it made it click for me.
I just made an impulse buy on it thinking it would be useful to just bind all my travelers notebooks that get quite full. I hate trying to find inserts or photo flips or page protectors to fit my changing style. I’m just hoping it’s worth the $75. Bonus: it’s the Heidi swapp versionnso surely it’ll be cute. I also bought a variety of the coils because I don’t think it comes with any and I want to test this baby out right away!
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cbscrapper
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,480
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Post by cbscrapper on Feb 28, 2020 0:17:21 GMT
I don’t have the cinch, but I do have the Zutter Bind-it-all. I like using it to make desk calendars I give for Christmas.
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Post by andreasmom on Feb 28, 2020 0:19:21 GMT
I had the same impulse. Couldn’t justify 75 so i got the zutter. A week ago. Haven’t played with it because i had to find coils and i refuse to buy 75 from office max.
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Post by samncam on Feb 28, 2020 4:38:03 GMT
I have it. It works very well and seems well made. I’ve only used it a handful of times over the past few years, so I can’t make any claims about durability. I do like how well it punches through several sheets at a time and having the option to make a custom book/album is very nice. Hope you enjoy and get more use out of it than I did. I think my problem is that I do Project Life and have a huge stockpile of albums for that. So not much creative energy for anything else. I’d still repurchase it for the flexibility it gives.
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Post by Citygirl on Feb 28, 2020 14:57:16 GMT
I have one. I have only used it a couple times to make a mini album and some small notebooks. It worked well and I think it’s a quality tool. It’s a great way to use up/recycle cardboard packaging and that patterned paper you own but no longer like. Like my Cameo I just need to use it more. Hope you enjoy it.
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Post by hop2 on Feb 29, 2020 12:55:14 GMT
I don’t have the cinch but I’ve used it in 2 classes. It works great as long as a spiral binding is what you want, it works great and does what it is supposed to do. I’m not sure how readily the materials are available anymore they aren’t available in any stores by me any longer just online.
The books I’ve made from it had stayed well and are sturdy ( but that’s also a function of the materials used )
I hope you have fun with your new tool!
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Post by elegantsufficiency on Feb 29, 2020 15:01:52 GMT
I have one and use it all the time - for travel journals, December journal, for binding bundles of papers and all kinds of other bits. I am envious of your Heidi Swapp version (?Square holes?!) but what I'd really like is larger, more spacious binding wires, because sometimes I just try to cram too much in (and thereby comes disaster!) I love it and hope you will too julie5 ! |
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breetheflea
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,570
Location: PNW
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Post by breetheflea on Feb 29, 2020 15:42:45 GMT
I have one. I used it to make December Daily 2011 and that was the last time I used it. Oops.
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julie5
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,621
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Post by julie5 on Feb 29, 2020 19:42:31 GMT
Well poop. My order was cancelled because it’s not in stock. So thanks to andreasmom I’m off to look at the zutter! ETA thanks for saving me $50! |
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Post by artisticscrapper on Feb 29, 2020 20:36:13 GMT
I got the Zutter one when it first came out. I did use it for a while but I stopped making mini albums do to their taking up too much space. I ended up giving it away.
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Post by AngieandSnoopy on Mar 1, 2020 0:51:57 GMT
I don’t have the cinch but I’ve used it in 2 classes. It works great as long as a spiral binding is what you want, it works great and does what it is supposed to do. I’m not sure how readily the materials are available anymore they aren’t available in any stores by me any longer just online. The books I’ve made from it had stayed well and are sturdy ( but that’s also a function of the materials used ) I hope you have fun with your new tool! You can get spiral coils for it but it is NOT a spiral binding tool, it is meant for 2:1 double wire binding which is much better for books and albums.
Wires cost a fortune if you get them at craft stores or the WRMK or Zutter Bind-it-All wires. I have several places I have bought from and just got boxes of 50 to 100 wires in my most used sizes. 1/2, 3/4 and 1 inch. I do have some 1-1/2 inch. I usually stick with white or black unless there is a give away sale on a color or size I can use. I can splat alcohol ink on the white wires to change the color some.
Lamination Depot (.com), used to be Binding Depot was my best store. I opened an account and if you wait around, you might get an email with free shipping with a $50 order. You can get a TON of wires in different sizes at $50 but $50 at a craft store and you get just a hand full of wires. These are 11 inches rather than 12 inches but I'd rather lose an inch than pay a fortune!
The weird thing is, some colors can cost 3 times more than another color and it varies WIDELY between the sizes. In one size, white might be the cheapest, in another size, black might be the cheapest. Or even red or silver the cheapest. If you shop carefully, you will pay 10 cents to 30 cents per wire. Just make sure you order 2:1 wires, NOT 3:1 which is for something else.
I just got a bunch of boxes of wires for the free shipping, some are 50 per box, some 100 per box and the largest 25 per box. Stack the boxes on the top shelf and ready when I need one. I really need to get back to wire bind more of my music and cook books, someone paid me to wire bind her music book a few months ago. The hard part is cutting the pages apart, wish I could afford the proper book binding cutter but the wire binding part is easy!
I have both the turquoise round wire Cinch and the pink Zutter BIA. I was SO mad that the square wire Cinch came out just about a month after I got it. But I don't like the square wire Cinch because they are bigger holes than the more rectangle Bind it All holes. There is a little bar you can buy that will allow you to cut the BIA holes closer to the edge of the paper. That is important when you are wire binding a regular bound music book or cookbook, etc. You want to go closer to the edge so you don't cut words or music off.
I've called WRMK several times to bug them about making a tool and tried to make one for my self but most things that would work are too thick or too wide.
I've used them to make top wire bound desk calendars and cookbooks that I slip a recipe card in.
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Post by mrssch on Mar 1, 2020 16:09:13 GMT
I have the original BIND IT ALL and tons of coils that I’ve never used.
I bought a CINCH and really love it!
Is there a difference between the two? Or should I get rid of the BIA?
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Post by AngieandSnoopy on Mar 1, 2020 17:18:58 GMT
I have the original BIND IT ALL and tons of coils that I’ve never used. I bought a CINCH and really love it! Is there a difference between the two? Or should I get rid of the BIA? I have the second generation and improved pink BIA, and as I said, the round hole Cinch. They both have their pluses. I actually like to close the wires with the BIA even if I cut the holes with the Cinch! More accurate "wire squeezing" especially if you use the clear templates to adjust the BIA.
I don't know if you have a round hole or square hole Cinch. I like that the BIA has rectangle holes rather than SQUARE. Same WIDTH but definitely cut deeper. On some projects, it is VERY important if you like to convert regular bound books to wire bound and don't want to cut parts of words off when you punch the holes. I also have the Space Bar that allows you to cut the holes closer to the edge so you don't cut out words or something important when you are rebinding a book. I think it might only be for Version 2, not the original blue because the Space Bar packaging said V2.
Honestly, the BIA is so small, I'd keep it and get busy using both of them! You can actually NEST the BIA inside the Cinch, unless you are storing the Cinch on its side. All this talk is making me want to go cut apart more books and bind them and make a small baby album for someone!
That is why I have the stash of wires, I could spend the same amount of money to buy tons of wires or a small amount to buy a few. But then I was afraid to use wires since I'd run out and they are harder to find in stores now.
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Post by mrssch on Mar 3, 2020 15:39:29 GMT
I have the original BIND IT ALL and tons of coils that I’ve never used. I bought a CINCH and really love it! Is there a difference between the two? Or should I get rid of the BIA? I have the second generation and improved pink BIA, and as I said, the round hole Cinch. They both have their pluses. I actually like to close the wires with the BIA even if I cut the holes with the Cinch! More accurate "wire squeezing" especially if you use the clear templates to adjust the BIA.
I don't know if you have a round hole or square hole Cinch. I like that the BIA has rectangle holes rather than SQUARE. Same WIDTH but definitely cut deeper. On some projects, it is VERY important if you like to convert regular bound books to wire bound and don't want to cut parts of words off when you punch the holes. I also have the Space Bar that allows you to cut the holes closer to the edge so you don't cut out words or something important when you are rebinding a book. I think it might only be for Version 2, not the original blue because the Space Bar packaging said V2.
Honestly, the BIA is so small, I'd keep it and get busy using both of them! You can actually NEST the BIA inside the Cinch, unless you are storing the Cinch on its side. All this talk is making me want to go cut apart more books and bind them and make a small baby album for someone!
That is why I have the stash of wires, I could spend the same amount of money to buy tons of wires or a small amount to buy a few. But then I was afraid to use wires since I'd run out and they are harder to find in stores now.
Thanks so much! I’m going to break out my BIA and see what happens. |
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julie5
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,621
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Post by julie5 on Mar 7, 2020 14:54:46 GMT
Bump for update
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azcraftygal
New Member
Posts: 4
Mar 8, 2020 18:20:16 GMT
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Post by azcraftygal on Mar 8, 2020 18:35:37 GMT
I have the Cinch and Bind It All. I like the Cinch better, because of the guide markings on the machine. There is a video on You Tube that is very good to show how to use it. The coils can work in either machine.
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Post by andreasmom on Mar 10, 2020 17:08:56 GMT
Yep, i gave up on the manual and searched for videos. Still need to try it out. Coils should be here this weekend. |
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Post by mikklynn on Mar 11, 2020 12:23:12 GMT
Going to YouTube was a great idea! That's how I learned to use my Cricut.
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