Scotch 9" Thermal Laminator TL902

I received the 3M Scotch Thermal Laminator 9" and a package of Scotch Thermal Laminating Pouches for free from 3M in exchange for a review. That being said, I am an elementary teacher and the mother of a toddler, and I am able to use these products at both work and home. Since I laminate things I need to reuse over and over for work, I'm VERY picky about my laminating. It HAS to be able to withstand the numerous pairs of questionably clean hands of kindergartners, first graders, and second graders that touch the laminated product. Not only do I like how the laminator works, but I also love how well the pouches work after lamination to protect my papers. In fact, I like it better than my school building's commercial-grade laminator. Also, I laminate sheets of paper that I later cut into cards, so it's very important that the laminating film does not peel. I am VERY pleased with how well this little laminator takes care of making sure my laminating film is heated up enough to form an excellent non-peeling seal, even when it is cut apart. I really have not found one thing I do not like about this little powerhouse of a laminator. Here is a list of the things I found I DO like: - Quiet warm-up and operation -- It was never a distraction to me or my students. - Only takes 4-5 minutes to warm up at the 3-mil thickness setting. I turn it on and move on to my next task until it's ready to go. - Outside of laminator unit gets warm, but not hot. I use this as an indicator that the heating element is working. - It's easy to tell when the unit is ready to laminate. There is a large blue dot that is illuminated when it's ready to go! - While there is sometimes a slight odor when the unit is warming up, I did not find it overwhelming or annoying. - The paper/pouch feed is very smooth and slow enough so as not to wrinkle, yet is fairly quick for the great job it does. - The laminator seals the pouches well with one pass through (regular thickness copy/printer paper). - The laminating pouches do not peel when I cut them apart to make game cards. - The laminating holds up well to student use and abuse of pages and game cards. - The unit cools down fairly quickly. - The electric cord wraps up in the bottom of the unit for easy storage. Overall, I love this little laminator and might even purchase another to keep at home, as I seem to use the free one I got from 3M nearly every day at work. I like that I can have something laminated quickly and be using it in a fraction of the time it takes to have things laminated when I send them off to be laminated in my school building. In short, I would purchase this Scotch Thermal Laminator in a heartbeat for myself or someone I know who has a need for such a product.