Laminating isn't a common house hold sort of job. Some people laminate quite frequently, usually for work related reasons, whilst others require sheets to me laminated only a couple of times a year. We use our Texet LMA4-V to laminate important documents we need to keep for a long time, and for the kids, we laminate drawings and games they have made. What's great about this sort of 'personal laminator' is its simplicity and its ease of use that comes as a result.

The LMA4 laminates up to size A4 - so that includes A5 and all other paper sizes before it (down to credit card size). The width of the machine at its in-end is slightly greater than A4 (about 236 mm) so that the device can laminate around the edges of the page (by about 2-10 mm - dependant on the size of the plastic sheeting you buy). You must buy the plastic sheeting separately, this is where the main expense is absorbed. The stuff can be expensive and should be bought on bulk! There are many producers, and can buy the stuff in all the standard sizes so as not to waste material.

A limiting factor is the lack of any tray to hold pages before entry, or to catch them on exit. The machine offers a hand-on approach in which the user must guide pages through manually, with use of the machines slow moving rotor which grips and tugs the pages through. Only one page can be laminated at a time, and the laminating speed is roughly 25 cm per minute - a snails pace if you're wanting to do a heap of pages in one afternoons session.

The quality of the end result is very good for such a small, simple device. The heated element within the housing of the laminator puts out just the right amount of heat energy to successfully glue the plastic to the page. This means you can cut into the page (around drawings, shapes, etc) and the plastic will remain secured on either side. There is a warm up period of around 2-4 minutes which must be respected for the end result to be as impressive as can be.

I have had no reliability issues with the device, and although made from a cheap feeling plastic, it seems to be very well built, sturdy and durable on contact. With the switch of a switch the thing will turn on and begin heating up - it really is as simple as that to use. I am very pleased with the device and would recommend it to anyone with a bit of laminating to do - NOT SUITABLE FOR AN OFFICE ENVIRONMENT.

RATING: 4.5/5
PRICE: £14.69
AVAILABILITY: amazon.co.uk (best price - above). FREE DELIVERY.