Xyron 9" x 60' Refill Review: Conditional Buy (8/10)
A recurring pattern emerged: people buy this refill expecting a “drop-in and forget it” experience, then either celebrate how fast it gets them laminating again—or get derailed by a finicky roll start, creasing waste, or a cartridge that “is not working right!” Xyron 9" x 60' Two Sided Laminate Refill for ezLaminator lands as a conditional recommendation because the upside is real (speed, no heat, broad compatibility), but a few failure modes show up often enough to matter. Verdict: Conditional buy — 8/10.
Quick Verdict
Yes/No/Conditional: Conditional — a strong pick for cold lamination users who want quick, heat-free lamination, but less ideal if you’re sensitive to waste, startup fiddling, or occasional roll defects.
| What the data shows | Evidence from user feedback (with source) | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Easy swap-in refills | A Staples reviewer said: “the replacement cartridge is easy to install and last quite a long time.” (Staples) | Busy offices, schools |
| No warm-up / no heat convenience | A Staples reviewer described it as “a great accessory in a busy office / school . no waiting for a machine to heat !” (Staples) | Teachers, admins, quick tasks |
| Works with older machines | A Staples reviewer said: “works fine in my old , old e / z laminator… that is now a dinosaur.” (Staples) | Longtime ezLaminator owners |
| Occasional install/start issues | A Staples reviewer noted: “exactly what i wanted ! was hard to get the new roll started in the machine .” (Staples) | First-time refill installers |
| Waste/creasing on some rolls | A Staples reviewer reported: “at least six or seven feet was lost due to creasing.” (Staples) | Cost-conscious users |
| Price sensitivity | A Staples reviewer bluntly titled it “an expensive refill” and said they spent “an hour” fixing stuck film. (Staples) | Budget buyers, frequent laminators |
Claims vs Reality
Xyron 9" x 60' Two Sided Laminate Refill for ezLaminator is marketed around speed and simplicity: quick-change cartridges, cold seal lamination, and compatibility across models. Digging deeper into user reports, the “quick change” idea generally holds up—until the material condition (heat exposure, sticking film, creasing) turns a routine swap into a small troubleshooting session.
Claim: “Quick change cartridges… just open the machine… guide new cartridge in.”
On paper, it’s built for minimal downtime. In practice, Staples buyers repeatedly frame the refill as straightforward. One wrote: “the refill cartridge is very easy to replace,” and another said: “fits perfect and very easy to replace.” (Staples) That kind of language tends to come from people who are already using the ezLaminator regularly—office managers, school staff, and home-office users who just want continuity.
But the same “quick change” experience isn’t universal. A recurring pattern emerged around getting the roll started and seated correctly. One Staples reviewer said the refill was “exactly what i wanted !” but admitted it “was hard to get the new roll started in the machine.” (Staples) For users who only reload occasionally, that little learning curve can feel bigger than the marketing suggests.
Claim: “Cold seal lamination requires no heat… no warm up time.”
This is where feedback aligns strongly with the promise, especially for time-sensitive environments. A Staples reviewer framed the broader system benefit: “no waiting for a machine to heat !” and said it “works wonderfully for small laminating needs.” (Staples) For a school office laminating labels, quick reference sheets, or small signs, the “no warm up” aspect means tasks can happen on-demand instead of batching jobs.
Still, cold lamination doesn’t automatically mean frictionless. One of the clearest gaps between marketing and lived experience shows up when material gets compromised by heat during storage or shipping. A Staples reviewer described a difficult install because “the film had been allowed to get hot,” and the flap was “stuck like glue,” leading them to spend “an hour” separating it carefully. (Staples) That’s the opposite of “drop-in,” and it’s exactly the kind of situation that hits busiest users hardest—when you need it now.
Claim: “Works with current and older models.”
Compatibility appears to be one of the refill’s most consistently validated points. One Staples buyer said: “this cartridge fit my old machine perfectly,” and another echoed that it worked in an “old , old e / z laminator… now a dinosaur.” (Staples) For long-term owners who don’t want to replace a working machine, that’s a meaningful win.
At the same time, compatibility doesn’t erase quality variability. One Staples reviewer simply reported: “the roll is not working right !” (Staples) Without details, it’s hard to diagnose, but it does reinforce that “fits” doesn’t always mean “functions perfectly” for every unit.
Cross-Platform Consensus
Universally Praised
The strongest praise clusters around convenience: cold lamination that’s ready immediately, and refills that—when everything goes smoothly—slot in quickly and run for a long time. For office administrators and teachers, that means the laminator can stay part of everyday workflow instead of becoming a “schedule it for later” machine. A Staples reviewer called the cartridge “a handy little tool” and emphasized it’s “easy to install and last quite a long time.” (Staples) That “lasts” component is key for anyone laminating recurring materials like classroom games or office reference sheets.
Another thread is dependability over years of ownership. One Staples reviewer described a long arc: they “tried many laminators, wasting a lot of money,” bought the Xyron expecting little, and said it’s “been 10 years and going strong,” adding, “these refills are easy to pop in and out.” (Staples) That’s not just a refill review—it’s a story about a system that became part of daily operations. For a small office that needs “soft laminating” for quick protection rather than rigid, heat-sealed plastic, that kind of longevity story reduces perceived risk of buying into proprietary cartridges.
The third consistently praised angle is “works with older gear,” which matters to people keeping legacy machines alive. One Staples buyer said the refill “fit my old machine perfectly” and arrived “undamaged,” then added: “i will be ordering another one soon so i have a spare.” (Staples) That “spare” behavior signals trust—users who have been burned by discontinued supplies often stock up when they find something that still fits.
After those narratives, the common praise can be summarized like this:
- Smooth installs and long runtime for many users (Staples)
- No-heat convenience for quick office/school jobs (Staples)
- Compatibility with “old” ezLaminator machines (Staples)
Common Complaints
The sharpest complaints cluster around two moments: installation and the first few feet of output. A recurring pattern emerged of users who like the product concept but hit friction during setup. One Staples reviewer said it was “hard to get the new roll started in the machine.” (Staples) That’s a specific pain point that can turn a 2-minute refill swap into a “why isn’t it feeding?” session—especially for staff who didn’t install the previous cartridge and don’t know the quirks.
More concerning are reports of physical issues with the film itself: sticking and creasing. The most detailed account comes from a Staples buyer who blamed heat exposure: the film “had been allowed to get hot,” and the flap was “stuck like glue,” costing “an hour” to fix. (Staples) For users in warmer climates, or anyone receiving shipments left in hot delivery trucks, that story reads like a warning: the refill may be sensitive to storage and transit conditions.
Waste is another recurring theme. One Staples reviewer said, “there was a lot more waste to this roll than any that i have purchased over the years,” estimating “at least six or seven feet was lost due to creasing, before it smoothed out.” (Staples) For a 60-foot roll, losing 6–7 feet is a noticeable percentage—especially for frequent laminators counting cost per foot.
Summarizing the common complaints after the stories:
- Roll-start and threading can be finicky (Staples)
- Some cartridges arrive with film stuck or compromised (Staples)
- Creasing and early-roll waste shows up in user reports (Staples)
Divisive Features
Price is where opinions split the most, and the divide seems tied to urgency and supply availability. One Staples buyer called it “an expensive refill,” clearly frustrated by the time spent fixing stuck film. (Staples) Another described the refill as what they needed, but said “the price is high,” while also explaining they “did not want to wait a week for an online delivery.” (Staples) For that user type—someone who needs the laminator operational immediately—the premium reads like a convenience fee.
Availability also shapes perception. One Staples reviewer said their spouse likes the product but complained it’s “very hard to find it through staples.” (Staples) For long-term owners, inconsistent stocking can make the refill feel like a hassle even if performance is good.
Trust & Reliability
Looking at verified retail feedback patterns (Staples customer reviews), reliability is framed less as “does it laminate?” and more as “does it behave like a cartridge should?” Many reviewers describe repeat purchases and long-term usage of the broader system. One wrote, “have used for 15 years !” (Staples) and another emphasized the machine’s decade-long run with refills that are “easy to pop in and out.” (Staples) Those are durability-adjacent stories: they suggest the refill ecosystem has supported extended ownership.
But the same dataset shows outliers that can undermine trust, particularly when a cartridge arrives behaving abnormally. The blunt complaint “the roll is not working right !” (Staples) is short, but it’s the kind of report that makes cautious buyers wonder about batch consistency. The install nightmare story—film “stuck like glue”—also raises a reliability question that feels logistics-related rather than design-related. (Staples)
For risk-averse buyers, the trust takeaway is this: many users treat the refill as routine and reorder confidently, but a minority report defects or handling damage that can consume real time.
Alternatives
The available data references Xyron’s own adjacent ecosystem more than direct competitor brands. One nearby option in the dataset is the Xyron Creative Station two-sided laminate refill (a different product line with a 9" wide, 40-foot cartridge). That matters for crafters and classrooms deciding between systems: the Creative Station refill emphasizes “drop-in” swapping and trimming “close to edges,” while the ezLaminator refill is positioned as 60 feet for the ezLaminator format.
Because the user feedback provided is concentrated on the ezLaminator refill at Staples, the cleanest comparison is practical rather than performance-rated: if your machine is an ezLaminator, the refill that “fit my old machine perfectly” is doing the job it’s meant to do. (Staples) Switching ecosystems (to Creative Station) only makes sense if you’re also switching machines, not just cartridges.
Price & Value
Pricing signals in the data vary widely by marketplace and pack size, which shapes how users talk about value. On Amazon, the product family shows both single-roll listings and a 4-pack with a high total price. That spread makes it easy for buyers to feel like the refill is expensive—especially if they’re forced into a pack size they don’t want.
The value conversation in user feedback is blunt. One Staples reviewer titled their experience “an expensive refill,” then described spending “an hour” fixing stuck film. (Staples) Time lost plus premium pricing is a bad combo for budget-conscious users. On the other hand, another Staples buyer framed the high price as the cost of immediacy: “the price is high, i did not want to wait a week for an online delivery.” (Staples) That’s a different value equation—availability and speed matter more than per-foot cost.
Resale and secondary-market signals (eBay listings in the data) suggest cartridges do circulate widely, with many “new sealed” style listings and varied pricing. For deal-hunters, that implies a practical buying tip: compare per-foot cost across marketplaces and watch for sealed cartridges—especially if local retail availability is inconsistent.
FAQ
Q: Does the Xyron 9" x 60' refill work with older ezLaminator machines?
A: Yes—multiple Staples reviewers describe it fitting older units. One said: “this cartridge fit my old machine perfectly,” and another reported it “works fine in my old, old e/z laminator… that is now a dinosaur.” (Staples)
Q: Is installation truly “quick change,” or is it tricky?
A: Often quick, sometimes fiddly. Several Staples reviewers call it “easy to install,” but others describe problems getting it started. One wrote: “exactly what i wanted! was hard to get the new roll started in the machine.” (Staples)
Q: What are the most common problems people run into?
A: Threading/startup issues, film sticking, and creasing waste show up in reviews. A Staples buyer said the film “had been allowed to get hot” and was “stuck like glue,” while another reported “six or seven feet” lost to creasing before it smoothed out. (Staples)
Q: Is cold lamination actually convenient for schools and offices?
A: Yes, especially for quick, small jobs. A Staples reviewer called it “a great accessory in a busy office / school” because there’s “no waiting for a machine to heat,” and said it “works wonderfully for small laminating needs.” (Staples)
Q: Is it overpriced?
A: It depends on urgency and waste. Some Staples reviewers call it “an expensive refill,” and another said “the price is high,” but accepted it to avoid waiting for delivery. If you lose feet to creasing, the effective cost rises. (Staples)
Final Verdict
Buy Xyron 9" x 60' Two Sided Laminate Refill for ezLaminator if you’re a school, office, or home-office user who values no-heat convenience and wants a refill that many owners say “fits perfect” and is “easy to replace.” (Staples) Avoid it if you’re highly price-sensitive or can’t tolerate occasional startup hassle or waste—one user reported “six or seven feet” lost to creasing, and another spent “an hour” separating film that was “stuck like glue.” (Staples) Pro tip from the community: keep a spare—one Staples reviewer planned to reorder “soon so i have a spare” after a smooth fit on an older machine. (Staples)
