The Good: Inexpensive, Versatile, Durable, Easy to use, Easy to clean
The Bad: None that I have found!
The Basics: What may well be the perfect 3-hole punch, I’ve been using my ACCO 3-Hole Punch for almost a decade with consistently great results!
There are so many essential tools I frequently use in my life – especially as a reviewer – that it baffles me when I discover I have not reviewed a specific one. Last weekend, I finished a big scriptwriting project and when I had to punch holes in the three copies of the 260 page script, I grabbed my ACCO 3-Hole Punch without thinking. I have been using my ACCO 3-Hole Punch for almost a decade now and it is pretty surprising to me that I have never reviewed it before now. The ACCO 3-Hole Punch has been an essential tool for me, as a writer, and the fact that it has held up for almost ten years of use that has probably averaged out to about three hundred pages a month, leaves me pretty impressed.
The ACCO 3-Hole Punch is a standard three hole punch in its initial configuration. The ACCO 3-Hole Punch is 11 7/8” wide by 2 1/2” deep and tall. It is made primarily of steel, though the base is plastic. The 3-hole punch features a plastic base that easily disconnects from the steel top of the unit. When it is assembled properly with the base on, the ACCO 3-Hole Punch captures all of the paper pieces one cuts out of their stack when they utilize the hole punch. The plastic base holds the paper punches from at least 2300 holes punched!
The ACCO 3-Hole Punch is very easy to use. For standard binder hole placement, the ACCO 3-Hole Punch is ready-to-use the moment you purchase it. Simply line up your paper(s) and slip them into the front slot. You will feel your paper hit the back guard on each of the three hole punches when you push your paper in. I recommend aligning the bottom or top of the pages with one of the sides of the hole punch as the “mouth” of the device is wider than a piece of paper. This way, if you have to fasted together multiple pages, the holes all line up. The ACCO 3-Hole Punch can accommodate up to eight pages in a single punch. Once the pages are in position, simply depress the center, back of the bar atop the punch and it punches the holes into your paper!
It’s that easy! When you have your batch done, release the bar and gently pull your page(s) out of the mouth of the tool and your holes are all punched. I’ve found eight is the magic number with the ACCO 3-Hole Punch. More pages than that and they have trouble fitting in the slot at the front of the mouth of the tool and it also increases the likelihood of the device jamming. My ACCO 3-Hole Punch has never jammed with eight or less pages.
One of the neat features of the ACCO 3-Hole Punch is that it provides mounting positions for alternate hole spacings. For those who need holes at the 2 3/4” and/or 4 1/4" positions, the ACCO 3-Hole Punch can deliver. Each of the punches features a screw on the back of the mount. Unscrewing the screw – which one may do easily with their fingers thanks to the knob on each screw – allows one to detach the punch from the mount and move the punch to any of the other mount positions. In under two minutes, one may reconfigure the ACCO 3-Hole Punch for alternate hole needs.
The ACCO 3-Hole Punch is solidly constructed. Having used mine for years, the steel construction has shown no signs of buckling and the base has not denatured in any way to make that problematic to use. As well, the springs have remained tight and powerful, ensuring that each time I press the bar, I get clean, precise punches.
The front of the ACCO 3-Hole Punch features an 11” ruler on the base. This can be handy for centering for those who might not want to use the sides of the punch. Because it is made of powder-coated steel with a minor texture to it, the metal components of the ACCO 3-Hole Punch attract dust very easily. Fortunately, it is exceptionally easy to clean; a damp cloth keeps this clean exceptionally easily.
In the end, the ACCO 3-Hole Punch is a great office tool and essential for meeting the high demands of an office environment or the similar demands placed upon it by an obsessive writer!
For other tools, be sure to check out my reviews of:
MasterMechanic #50 drill bit
Gator Grips Universal Socket
Stanley 6 5/8 60-003 Screwdriver
10/10
For other home, office, and garden product reviews, be sure to check out my Index Page on the subject!
© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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