Levenger Circa High Capacity Punch

Levenger Circa High Capacity Punch

The other day I received a few items that were compliments of our friends from Levenger, and one of those items was the new Levenger Circa High Capacity Punch pictured above.  In the past there have been some situations where I wished I had a punch for my Circa stuff that could handle more paper, so the introduction of this new punch was a nice surprise.  Lets take a look at how it compares to the standard lower capacity, original version.

Levenger Circa Punch Comparison

In comparison to the standard Levenger Circa Punch, the new high capacity version is slightly taller, however it has about the same footprint.  When it comes to the performance or output of this version, it is able to handle up to 15 sheets of standard copy paper while the standard version only does about 6 sheets at a time.  If you are using a heavier (90g or so) paper, you can pretty much expect to be able to do about 12-13 sheets at a time.  I’ll tell you more about the actual punching experience in a minute, after we take a look at the features and functionality.

Levenger Circa High Capacity Punch with Arm Unlocked and Raised

In order to operate the high capacity Circa punch, you simply press on the red latch that you see on the side while you rest your hand on top of the whole unit, and the handle releases into an extended and ready to use position.  In this position you can see the seriously heavy duty mechanics of the inside of the device, which as usual gives a good indication as to the quality of product that you can expect from Levenger.

Levenger Circa High Capacity Size Guide

Like the standard version, there is a guide that allows you to select the size (Letter, Junior, PDA, etc.) paper you want to use with it.  The guide is simple to operate, but does take two hands to do it accurately.  If you click on the photo above for a closer view, you can see a rectangular piece with a window inside it that acts as a selection method for the size paper you are using.

Levenger Circa High Capacity Punch Door Release

Once you have done your fair share of punching, you will find yourself wanting to empty the storage bin where all of the excess bits of paper are stored in the base of the device.    On the top side of the base, there is a small button to press that opens a door on the bottom of the base:

Emptying the Bin on the Levenger Circa High Capacity Punch

Once that door slides open, you can shake out all of the residual bits of paper through the little window that is exposed.  It does take a little bit of shaking and maneuvering to get all of the paper out compared to the standard version where the entire bottom of the base is removable.

The performance of the high capacity punch was definitely impressive.  I was able to cut clean through anywhere from 12-15 sheets of paper depending on the overall weight of each sheet.  Pressing down on the lever at maximum capacity is not effortless, but it is surprisingly easier than I had expected.  The holes that the high capacity punch puts in the paper are slightly larger than the holes from the standard punch, but they do still fit nicely on the rings and it does not create any issues that I noticed.  Besides the clear functional benefits of this new version, the Levenger Circa High Capacity Punch has a more modern looking design and the black color will blend in easily with almost any desk or office design.   Thanks again to the folks at Levenger for sending this review sample over, and for continually improving and expanding their great line of products.