Rena T-350 / UT-361 / Astro ATS-9800 Tabber — Read This Before You Buy
Description
Straight talk before you buy: we advise against purchasing a Rena T-350, the German-made Rena UT-361 it replaced, or the Astro ATS-9800 version of this platform. Here’s why, from a dealer who would rather tell you the truth than make a sale.
Why We Don’t Recommend the T-350 / UT-361 / ATS-9800
These machines are pinfeed tabbers — they run tab media with tractor pinholes down the center, like old dot-matrix printer paper. That pinfeed tab stock is no longer obtainable. A machine you can’t feed is a machine you can’t use, no matter how mechanically sound it is. If you see one for sale cheap online, that’s why.
One important distinction: don’t confuse the T-350 tabber with the Rena L-350 — they’re completely different machines. The L-350 is a labeler from a different Rena platform entirely, and this warning does not apply to it. Also note the format matters: the T-350/UT-361 ran tabs with a single line of holes down the middle — that’s the format that’s gone. Machines that use two-sided pinfeed tabs (like the Accufast QT and Secap 2020) are a different story: we still stock those tabs.
Straight talk: we don’t recommend buying a Rena T-350 / UT-361 / Astro ATS-9800 today. It’s out of production, it’s on no current price list, and the parts that remain in the channel are limited and getting harder to find. Purchase at your own risk, even at an attractive price — a tabber is only as good as the parts and service behind it.
Protect what you have. These machines were built to last, and the mechanics will outlive the electronics every time. If you’re running one, put it on a quality surge protector, and add static protection — especially in dry winter air or on high-speed paper handling. Power spikes and static are what kill boards, and on these machines a board may not be replaceable at any price. It’s the cheapest insurance there is for equipment you can’t simply reorder.
Already own one? Run it as long as it runs, and check SuppliesForMailers.com for the consumables we still stock. Call us at 866-430-2874 before committing to an expensive repair — we’ll tell you honestly whether it’s worth it.
Shopping for a tabber? Put your money on a supported platform — RENA T-250, T-650, T-750, T-950 and the RENA XPS ProTab 4.0. Tell us your volume and piece sizes and we’ll point you to the right machine, with parts, service and our lifetime phone support behind it.
Already Own a T-350 or UT-361?
Call us at 866-430-2874 before you spend anything on it. We’ll give you an honest read on your options and map the smartest path to a machine you can actually keep running — usually a modern tabber in the T-250 / ATS-12 family, which runs standard tabs and wafer seals you can buy anywhere, including from our sister company SuppliesForMailers.com.
What to Buy Instead
Browse our current tabbers & wafer sealers — new and refurbished, every one running readily available media, refurbished units backed by our standard warranty and Supported for Life philosophy. Tell us your volume and mailpiece, and we’ll match you honestly.
Why does a dealer publish a “don’t buy this” page? Because you’ll remember who told you the truth when you’re ready to buy the right machine.
Rena T-350 / UT-361 / ATS-9800 Specifications
| Machine type | Pinfeed tabber |
|---|---|
| Also sold as | Rena UT-361 (German-built predecessor), Astro ATS-9800 |
| Tab media format | Single line of tractor pinholes down the centre of the tab web |
| Tab media availability | That single-line pinfeed tab stock is no longer obtainable |
| Not the same as | The Rena L-350, which is a labeler on an entirely different platform |
| Different from | Two-sided pinfeed machines such as the Accufast QT and Secap 2020, whose tabs are still stocked |
Downloads
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does All For Mailers advise against the T-350, UT-361 and ATS-9800?
They are pinfeed tabbers that run tab media with tractor pinholes down the centre, and that tab stock is no longer obtainable. A machine you cannot feed cannot run, however sound it is mechanically.
Is the T-350 tabber the same as the Rena L-350?
No. The L-350 is a labeler from an entirely different Rena platform and this tab-supply warning does not apply to it.
Do all pinfeed tabbers have this tab supply problem?
No. The problem is the single-line centre pinfeed format. Machines that use two-sided pinfeed tabs, such as the Accufast QT and the Secap 2020, still have tab stock available.
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