After my 2012 blog post about the Atoma and the M by Staples’ Arc notebooks [1]…to my surprise it is still by far(!) the most popular blog post at Bleistift, even though it is a few years old. I have been asked more than once whether the Staples ‘desktop punch’ can be used for the Atoma system.
The short answer is that it works well.
Why would you want to use a hole puncher [2]I know they are not holes, but I will stick to this name for now as it is commonly used. not designed for your system? Well, it is much cheaper. The Atoma hole punch currently sells for around £140 (~$205; €185), the Staples one can be bought for around £35 (~$50; €45). [3]I got my Staples desktop punch for my birthday many years ago, so I am not sure, but I think prices were pretty similar at the time.
Not surprisingly holes punched with the Staples desktop punch, when used with Atoma discs, seem a bit worse than the original Atoma holes [4]I assume that Atoma punched paper, used with a Staples discs, would also be slightly worse than Staples punched paper. – but in my opinion Atoma makes the better notebooks, while Staples makes the affordable paper puncher, so I will stick with this combination.
The M by Staples arc desktop punch is sturdy and well made in Taiwan and can officially punch up to 8 sheets in one go.
If you want to read more about Staples’ Atoma clone have a look at the Arc It Blog (not updated anymore).
Price and exchange rates: May 2016
As usual: open in a new tab/window to see the images in high resolution (except the last image).
References
| ↑1 | …to my surprise it is still by far(!) the most popular blog post at Bleistift, even though it is a few years old. |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | I know they are not holes, but I will stick to this name for now as it is commonly used. |
| ↑3 | I got my Staples desktop punch for my birthday many years ago, so I am not sure, but I think prices were pretty similar at the time. |
| ↑4 | I assume that Atoma punched paper, used with a Staples discs, would also be slightly worse than Staples punched paper. |
Thanks!
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I don’t understand why holes with this open shape (which can degrade very easily, making the sheets become loose and lost) can be considered superior to the usual circular and closed holes, which in my opinion provide a better durability.
Thank you for that very detailed post! I already have the Atoma punch but if I needed one I would most likely get the Staples one.
Gianni: First I wasn’t so sure about it either but after using an Atoma notebook for a while I was convinced. You won’t believe how durable these holes are! The A5 Atoma notebook, upgraded with aluminium discs and Texon covers, is now one of my favourite notebooks.
Thank you for your comments.
Being able to take the sheets of paper out without the ring binder mechanism is a huge advantage, depending on how you use the notebook …and even though the paper might look a bit battered on my pictures it holds up well (unless you overfill your Atoma).
Texon covers, I should look into that. The cardboard ones are already fantastic, could the Texon ones be even better?
My cardboard cover was quite battered because I have the A5 Atoma notebook in my shoulder bag all the time. The Texon covers feel much sturdier so I assume that they will last – and look better – longer.
Is it usable with Arc holes on Atoma disks? As in, do you find the pages are catching a lot and really difficult to turn, or is just a noticeable feeling of being not quite right?