Mailcoms Mailbase Lite Review
The Mailbase Lite franking machine is supplied by family-owned firm Mailcoms, and it is the smallest machine in their range, catering for the low-volume end of the market. Mailcoms is a relative newcomer to the franking machine sector, having been established in 2005, but it has grown into a reputable supplier – one of the few that is recognised and licensed by Royal Mail. According to the company itself, what sets Mailcoms apart from its competitors is that its sales staff are not paid on a commission basis, which means that they don’t use aggressive sales tactics, and will only ever give the advice you genuinely need. As well as providing a range of machines from low to high-volume requirements, they stock franking machine accessories and supplies, and they offer a range of service agreements and packages.
The Mailbase Lite machine itself has a reasonably attractive appearance and takes up a minimal amount of desktop space. It comes with an integrated scale that can hold up to 2.5kg, although a 5kg scale upgade is also possible. The machine has a ‘pass through’ feeder and can process up to 30 items a minute. Although it is ideally suited for low volumes of mail, it has a maximum of 50 items per day – usually plenty for most small to medium businesses.
Other features that are integral to the Mailbase Lite from Mailcoms are an automatic date change, high-value blocking and a twice-yearly Royal Mail rate change update that comes free with a service agreement. The machine provides free full VAT reporting and also allows users to add their own logo and return address to the franking print, so that even the smallest of firms can enjoy the benefits of sending mail with an impressive corporate identity.
Furthermore, there are some extra adaptations that can be added to the Mailbase Lite if required. As well as the upgrade to a 5kg scales, PIN number access and the ability to add to the standard 25 different accounts are functions that can be added to the machine with ease, and the number of possible accounts can go up to 100 with an upgrade.
Who should use a Mailcoms Mailbase Lite?
This machine is clearly intended for small to medium businesses with a comparatively low volume of outgoing mail. Any company that is new to using franked mail could get a lot of benefit from a machine like this one, particularly because of Mailcom’s ongoing service agreement packages and commitment to a ‘no gimmicks or pressure’ sales approach.
How much does a Mailcoms Mailbase Lite cost?
To get an accurate price on a Mailcoms product it is necessary to get a quote from the company, although prices for a machine of this type are likely to be between £1000 and £2000. An annual maintenance contract for the Mailbase Lite is currently £179. One specific area in which this particular machine performs strongly is in regards to the cost of its ongoing usage. Cartridges for the Mailbase Lite cost £59.95 for 5000 prints. That’s a cost of 1.2p per print, a price that compares favourably with the Mailbase Lite’s direct competitors, which tend to cost between 3p and 5p per print.
