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The 2:1 wire binder I'd put in a classroom, a teacher workroom or a school front office.
Formax ReadyWire2B
The Formax ReadyWire2B is a manual, all-in-one double-loop wire binding machine that punches 20 sheets per pass, binds books up to 280 sheets on 2:1 wire up to 1½" diameter, and takes paper up to 11" wide. Both the punch and the close run off hand levers. No cord, no outlet.
It's the entry model in Formax's Basic Office line, and Formax rates it for 10 to 50 books a day.
It's not a legal-size machine. The 11" max paper width covers letter-size bound on the long edge. If your district binds legal-size on the 14" side, you want a Premium model like the ReadyWire2M.
The ReadyWire2B punches up to 20 sheets at a time, closes 2:1 wire books up to 280 sheets, and is rated at up to 200 booklets an hour. Paper tops out at 11" wide, and the machine is 18" wide, 13" deep and 18" tall with the handle up. All figures below come from Formax's own product material.
Most schools should buy 2:1. The ReadyWire2B's 2:1 wire goes up to 1½" and 280 sheets, while its 3:1 sibling, the ReadyWire3B, stops at 5/8" and 135 sheets. Formax's own graphic for the 3:1 model says it: "Not sure where to start? 2:1 offers the most binding flexibility!"
I agree with them. 3:1 puts 3 holes per inch on the spine, which some people like on thin reports. If nothing you bind will ever pass 135 sheets, 3:1 is a fair pick. Otherwise, buy the 2:1 and stop thinking about it.
The ReadyWire2B is a three-step machine: punch the sheets with the front lever, hang them on the wire, then close the wire with the second lever. Formax calls it "Punch & Bind All in One!" and the parts that make it quick are small:
Toolless adjustments throughout. Nothing for a sub to troubleshoot.
Loose-packed binding wire tangles in the box, and once you pull a tangled piece free it's usually bent and wasted. Formax's own graphic puts it plainly: "When wire arrives without Formax ReadyWire packaging, it's not just tangled, as soon as you pull on it, it's wasted."
Formax ships its ReadyWire in patented packaging that keeps each piece separate. Formax also says the wire runs "10% thicker than industry standard" so it "won't collapse or deform when snagged," and it comes in a variety of colors. Wire is the recurring cost on this machine, so I quote it alongside the binder every time.
The ReadyWire2B is the Basic Office 2:1 model. The ReadyWire2M is the Premium 2:1 model with a 25-sheet punch, 340-sheet books and 14" paper width. The ReadyWire3B is the Basic Office 3:1 model, capped at 135 sheets. All three are manual and rated around 200 books an hour.
Buy the ReadyWire2B for a single school: a teacher workroom, a media center, a front office doing welcome booklets, school calendars and reports. Formax lists classrooms, churches, small offices and non-profits as the best fit, and that matches what this machine is sized for. We quote K-12 districts on multi-building orders too.
Skip it if you run a district print shop. Past 50 books a day, or on legal-size stock, the ReadyWire2M or the electric ReadyWire2E is the right tool. And if your documents get pages added during the year, look at comb binding on the ReadyCombM+ instead, because wire doesn't reopen.
For the full lineup side by side, see our guide to Formax binding machines for schools, or browse Formax equipment in our store.
How many sheets can the Formax ReadyWire2B punch at once?
Up to 20 sheets per pass. For a thicker book you punch in stacks of 20 and load them onto the same wire, up to a finished book of 280 sheets on 2:1 wire up to 1½" diameter. The Premium ReadyWire2M punches 25 sheets per pass if your runs are longer.
Can the ReadyWire2B bind legal-size paper?
Not on the 14" edge. The ReadyWire2B's maximum paper width is 11", so letter-size bound on its long side works fine. Legal-size bound along the 14" side needs a 14" machine like the ReadyWire2M or ReadyWire2E. Landscape calendars bound on the 8.5" side are fine on either.
Is the ReadyWire2B electric?
No. Both the punch and the wire close run off hand levers, so it needs no outlet and can sit on any sturdy table. If you want a foot-pedal electric punch, Formax makes the ReadyWire2E, which still closes by hand but is rated at 250 booklets an hour instead of 200.
What wire does the ReadyWire2B use?
2:1 pitch double-loop wire, any diameter up to 1½". Formax sells its own ReadyWire in patented packaging that keeps the wire from tangling, and says it runs 10% thicker than industry standard. I'd quote a starter supply of wire with the machine, since wire is the ongoing cost.
How much space does the ReadyWire2B need?
18" wide, 13" deep and 18" tall with the handle up, per Formax. Leave room above it for the lever swing. The weight isn't in the material Formax sent us, so I'm getting that from our rep before anyone plans a cart or shelf around it.
What support comes with a Formax binding machine?
Formax supports its equipment through Formax Connect, its own factory support team, which advertises "Year Round, Same or Next Business Day Response." The warranty term isn't in the material we have yet. I'm confirming it with our Formax rep and will add it here.
Contact sales@9to5computer.com for a quote today!
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