Kroy 5100 Labeler - Review

Let’s now go from the large Brady PowerMark, to the small Kroy 5100. This handheld labeler is designed with electrical installations in mind, although it can take on standard labels with it up to one inch polyester tapes.

This appears to be a hot machine right now. Although Kroy gives a list price of $399 on their web site, the lowest price I could find on the web was $430, and it was sold out everywhere I looked.

The Kroy k5100 is a Direct Thermal (DT) / Thermal Transfer printer that has a print resolution of 300 dpi. This provides fine detailed printing that is excellent even for small bar codes.

Supplies for the 5100 come in 1/2”, 0.8” and 1 inch tape widths. Supplies include:

Self-Laminating Wire Wraps – wires and cable

Polyolefin Shrink Tubing – wire labels

Polyester Industrial Labels – general labeling

Laminated Labels – provides greater durability

Tamper Evident Labels – label breaks up leaving a residue if someone attempts to remove it

Cast Vinyl – general labeling that conforms well to corners and bends

Die Cut Labels – for terminal blocks and components

The K5100 is a continuation of the K2000 series and it uses the same supplies as the K2000, K2500, K3000 and K4100. Although in the past Kroy has had problems maintaining an adequate inventory of supplies, with the increased number of printers in user’s hands, hopefully they’ll ramp up manufacturing to better meet demand. However, when purchasing the Kroy 5100 it’s a good idea to be purchasing from a dealer who stocks a significant inventory of Kroy supplies instead of relying on Kroy to have supplies available.

Some of the improvements over previous models include auto sizing, increased print speeds, internal battery charger, downloadable fonts and increased on-board memory.

While larger than some of the handhelds from Brady, the K4100 easily fits in your hand. It’s ABC keyboard is well-spaced and easy to use. Tape cartridges fit into the top of the machine and can quickly be changed with one hand. Overall the Kroy K5100 is an excellent value.

It would be handy to have a belt mounted or shoulder carrying case for the K5100. While not available from Kroy, Graphic Products offers a free K5100 carrying case/holster when you purchase a minimum amount of supplies with a K5100. This is a deal worth considering.