Letter openers quickly and effectively open letters in an efficient way. This is ideal for a business where large amounts of letters are opened on a daily basis. This could be the mailroom. Electric letter openers are ideal for opening mail without tearing the envelope or damaging the contents inside. There are a few questions you will want to ask yourself before purchasing an automatic letter opener.
How much mail do you open per day, week or month?
This is the biggest factor in determining the right letter opener for your business. Look at how many letters you open on a daily basis, a weekly basis or a monthly basis. Purchase a letter opener that will accommodate that volume. Also take into consideration how many letters you may need to open a few years down the road. It is better to be prepared now for future business growth than buy another machine in only a couple of years.
Be aware that many manufacturers of letter openers state their machine will open a certain number of letters per hour. This can be a little confusing. This number, say 12,000 letters per hour, is the speed at which the motor will run. This does not mean the letter opener can run at full speed for 24 hours a day.
Each machine has its own duty cycle. The duty cycle is the more important number to keep in mind. The duty cycle is the maximum number of letters a machine can open without prematurely wearing down. This information can be requested by calling 1-800-543-5454.
Would you like a chadless letter opener?
Chadless? That’s right! The noun "chad," made famous by the U.S. election of 2000, has now been applied to letter openers. A chadless letter opener does not leave behind any slits of paper. A chadless letter opener has a blade that barely cuts into the top of a letter, slitting it open. It does this without making a mess and without damaging the contents inside.
Some letter openers don’t slit the letter open, but cut a tiny 1/16 to 1/8-inch piece off the top of the letter. This paper is then left behind. Some people find this to be too messy. Most letter openers are now chadless, but some do still cut off the top of the letter.
Do letters need to be kept in order?
Sometimes letters need to be kept in a particular order, whether this is numerical, alphabetical or chronological. Most letter openers have a catch tray for the opened letter, but they aren’t always kept in order. If your letters need to be kept in order, be sure the letter opener you purchase is capable of doing this.
