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GBC Catena 105 Laminator

$ 1452

Availability: 100 in stock

Description

Apart from the time spent disassembling a similar heat laminator(different brand) to repair the heating element that belonged to a friend, I am by no means an expert on laminators. I purchased this one along the way with intent on putting it to use, but as life happens, so far it has just taken up space in my neighbor's basement and my garage; so hoping someone else has more time and space to put it to use and make some money with it, so probably my loss is your gain. Not sure how long this model has been in production, but still seems to be currently in production so parts should be easy to get should something go wrong.. This unit was manufactured in 2003 according to GBC after giving them the serial number. What I know of the history is as follows: the way I understood it, it was stored in climate controlled storage for at least a  year, possibly even several years before I acquired it straight from the storage facility, then it got tucked into my neighbor's basement for at least a year before he passed away but probably longer(time escapes me), then a while after he passed away and his daughter cleared out his house to move in, it found it's way into my garage where it has been since about the middle of last spring, so spent roughly two summers and a mild winter in my unheated garage. (He has been gone since spring of 2014 so guessing I have had it between 3 and 4 years in my possession plus whatever previous storage that it has sat unused).
Although I have not attempted to laminate anything with it as of yet, I did plug it in, both rollers heat up and all features seem to work properly.  It is shown in the pictures pretty much the way I got it from storage apart from cleaning a little adhesive gum or whatever it was off of one of the heat rollers and off the edge of the feeding surface.  All in all this is a clean looking unit that appears to be in very good working condition with only light to  moderate use in it's active life; as there is no crusty crackle looking shiny glaze on the rollers such as one may find on a heavily used unit that spent much of it's life at the upper end of the heat range.
It appears as though someone tried lifting this machine by the plastic end cover and as result the cover suffered some collateral damage. It is still intact cosmetically with a couple cracks and breaks in the back and bottom where you really don't see it with 3 of the mounting posts broken; I see no reason some velcro tape and some metal tabs fixed to the endplate with VHB tape wouldn't cure that issue. Top heat roller has a few very small divits of which I highlighted the worst of them in the pictures but does not necessarily account for them all as they are very superficial and I really doubt it would affect the final product; along with a  couple very shallow cuts that appear to be from someone being a little sloppy and grazing it with a razor blade when cutting top film off the roll(although no practical way to measure the depth they appear to be  between 1/64th and 1/32nd of an inch or less(probably the thickness of a fingernail or less).  And although there are no guarantees on the accuracy of this statement; based on relative darkness of the longer cut as compared to the roller, it appears to have been present and operated like that for quite a while when it was in use so not thinking it adversely affects anything but in the interest of full disclosure I'm pointing it out; and would also point out that although a little hard to get a complete look because it is under everything else and chain driven so I cant just easily spin it by hand like I can on the upper roller, the lower heat roller looks to be in pristine condition and since they are the same part number would be interchangeable with upper roller if quality ever became a problem ).  Buttons on keypad all seem to function as they should when I plugged it in, however a couple of the keys on the keypad have settled a little.  The clear acrylic shield is undamaged and cracked side cover that is not shown, is here and included.
In one picture I used an old infrared thermometer to demonstrate that the heating element is heating up the rollers. It doesn't match the machine readout so not 100% sure if the thermometer is off, the machine is off or if I was getting a bad reading because it was very hot and humid out the day that I took the picture and that possibly affected either or both devices. But the digital readout may also just be more of a base reference for the user rather than an exact temperature. I will bring it to temperature several times in the coming days/week and check it for consistency which is much more relevant than a number on a screen anyway.
I can't afford to give it away but if you are serious, don't be bashful or hesitate to make me an offer even if you think it sounds insulting and we can further negotiate from there(I need to sell for the garage space so the automatic offer decline feature is set below 50). That said, given the general nature of this machine I highly recommend that you come and see it in person before buying/making an offer and if you know how to set it up I'll be happy to run some laminant through it.  Also, because of the weight and given that the heating elements are glass tubes and vulnerable to rough handling(my neighbor bought a used laminator of different brand here on ebay, it showed up with a broken heating element and everyone pointed fingers at someone else including at him to find fault and he never even touched it apart from removing the straps and cutting the box away).  It's not super delicate, but the heating element is a ni-chrome filament in a glass tube, so care does need to be taken to prevent damage. We are not talking about a item that all parties can afford to absorb if UPS drops it off a dock and refuses to cover damage; so to avoid the issue my neighbor experienced, this is being sold for local pick up only and as is with no returns(I'm not an unreasonable guy and will make some exceptions if it comes back in the exact same functional condition that it left, subject to my discretion) , I will not crate it or ship it. I will be happy to help remove covers so you can inspect as much as you desire and provide a power source for you to plug it in and see it heat up and run for as long as you desire. Once you or your representative witnesses it in operation to your satisfaction and payment is exchanged/clears accounts etc., my responsibility for the safety of the machine ends. And it will be your/their responsibility to load and pack it for safe travel into whatever vehicle you bring to haul it(the unit comes off the stand and the stand comes apart so it would probably even comfortably fit a small suv and for sure a minivan, and it's actually not that heavy and two of us carried it up a flight of steps, I just don't want to be responsible for your disappointment if something happens during loading or travel). I would also consider a local delivery if I get my price or at least close to it.
As far as payment goes, since this is more than just a pair of sneakers, ebay's fees are already high enough so; with many thanks to all the dishonest fraudsters out there and Paypal's policies I can't accept paypal(besides, I would prefer to have the flexibility to give you a little better price than pay out more in fees), nor any other paper form of payment with exception of cash at pickup(also happy to meet or go with you to your bank prior to loading if you are not comfortable carrying significant cash).  I will also accept any form of wire transfer or other secure form of payment that can be immediately exchanged for cash at any bank prior to loading. Really sorry in advance for any inconvenience this may cause but extra trouble and the drive should be worth it if you are a straight shooter and need a pretty nice machine for a good price.
Please don't hesitate to ask questions and I will do my best to answer them, and personal inspection is available by appointment.