Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have made a couple of photo books and several calendars with my Cinch. When it's good, it's very good; but when it's bad...The biggest problem I have had is with misalignment and misplacement. I couldn't figure out why I was getting misaligned holes on the long side of 8-1/2 by 11 inch paper. Then I realized that the slide that is not pulled out when you start punching that length was not pushing all the way in. It turns out that some of the punched bits of paper were stuck at the end and were causing a slight misalignment. Similarly I was having trouble pushing the paper all the way in and discovered that bits of paper were stuck at the back edge and were keeping paper from going as far into the punching mechanism as they should. This occurred even when the bin that holds the punched bits was not overly full. For this reason, I recommend keeping a good stack of scrap paper nearby and testing frequently as I used up a lot of expensive paper because of this problem. A straightened paper clip is useful for "unsticking" the Cinch. Tips I have learned in the short time I have been using the Cinch: 1. Trust the guide on the left side and be sure your paper is lined up flush and parallel with it. 2. Make sure that the paper is pushed all the way to the back of the punching mechanism and check visually if you have any doubts. 3. Getting the wires closed takes practice. I have found it helpful to have some kind of support under the pages when closing the wires. A book of the correct depth will work. I read someone else's tip to first close the wires with the recommended diameter and then push again with a slightly smaller diameter setting. Even so, I have sometimes resorted to closing the wires further with my fingers, and I still do not always get perfectly rounded wires. 4. To avoid wasting ink as well as paper, punch your pages in advance of printing when possible. 5. Don't punch too many sheets at once, and be particularly careful with thicker paper. 6. Pay close attention to the instructions that come with your Cinch, and watch online videos if necessary. In spite of these problems I am not sorry that I bought the Cinch, and I think that with practice and with what I have learned so far it will get easier to use.