*Although the machine looks a lot different from the vertical 7700 this machine includes all of the great features including the large punching capacity, chip tray, easy die change and heavy duty construction.
*In fact, many users find that the HD7700-H is actually a little bit easier to use than the standard HD7700 vertical punch. Especially for operators that are used to using a horizontal feed punch such as the GBC Magnapunch or 111PM.
*The HD7700 is not only easy to use but also has a huge number of features that are simply not included on other heavy duty binding punches. These help to set the HD7700 apart from its competition.
Strengths / Features:
*One of the most impressive things about the HD7700H is its punching capacity. Depending on the hole-pattern that you are punching this machine can punch as many as 55 sheets of paper at one time. As a rule, the more holes that you are trying to punch at once the less sheets you can punch. Thus, this machine can punch 55 sheets of paper when punching a three-hole or Velobind hole pattern and only 40 sheets of paper when punching a 4:1 pitch spiral coil pattern. No other modular binding punch comes even close to these numbers.
*The HD7700 Horizontal uses the Rhino Tuff patented quick die change technology. All you need to do in order to switch punching patterns is to release the die locks and slide the old die out of the machine, you can then slide a new die set into the slot and lock it in place. There are twelve standard dies and fourteen custom dies for the HD7700H giving you a huge selection of punching options with this machine.
*Although other modular binding punches on the market offer fourteen inch punching throats, not all of their dies are fourteen inches wide. However, with the 7700H all of the dies are fourteen inches wide. This means that you can punch legal sized sheets of paper in one step. Plus, the open throat on this machine allows you to punch longer sheets using a two step punching process.
*The horizontal design of the HD7700-H makes this punch simple to use and easy to load. For years many of the largest and highest quality binding punches have been horizontal and many experienced operators have come to prefer this orientation. This machine comes standard with a foot pedal to operate the punch. However, users can order a versa switch for paper activated punching or a palm switch for push button punching.
*When it comes to construction, the HD7700H sets the standard for heavy duty punches. The case, internal components, die set and even the chip tray are made of heavy duty steel and other metal alloys. This machine is designed to be used every day in a high volume print shop or bindery without having any problems. The HD-7700H comes with a one year warranty on both the die set and the machine which shows just how confident that Rhino is in their equipment.
*On top of all of these features I have already listed there are a number of other great things that help to set this machine apart from its completion. It has an extra large chip tray and a manual reverse feature to help clear paper jams. It even has an LED display to tell you if your die isn't loaded correctly.
Weaknesses / Limitations:
*One of the weaknesses of this machine is simply its size. In order to convert the HD7700 into a horizontal punch without completely redesigning it Rhino simply flipped the existing machine on its end and attached it to a heavy duty base. The resulting machine is massive. It weighs over one hundred pounds and measures 21" x 21" x 19". This is a big machine.
*The big claim to fame of the HD7700H is that it can punch more paper than any other punch on the market. However in my tests, the punching quality was extremely poor when I tried to punch the maximum capacity of this machine. The holes were ragged and the sheets of paper became welded together from the extreme force that was exerted to punch the holes. In some cases the paper even buckled between the holes. In order to achieve a good punch quality I had to punch half or less of the maximum. This was disappointing especially for a machine that is often used to create jobs that customers pay a great deal of money for.
*The HD7700H is an industrial punching solution and as such it has a look that is industrial. This is fine for a print shop, bindery or production floor. However, this machine will have a tendency to stick out like a sore thumb in an office environment. If you are concerned with asthetics and noise you will want to find a place in your office that is out of the public eye to place this machine.
*When Rhin-O-Tuff turned the HD7700 on its end and made it into a horizontal punch they ruined several of the features of the machine. The vertical model can be combined with an auto feed system to become a semi-automatic punch, the horizontal cannot. Likewise, the vertical model is designed to have pieces of finishing equipment or a die rack attached to the top of the machine. The horizontal isn't designed for this. Your finishing equipment will have to have its own place on your countertop or work area.
*In comparing this machine to the GBC Magnapunch (its major competitor) there is no question that this machine has more features. However, the Magnapunch has a faster punching cycle, a sleeker design and most of my customers prefer using it to this machine. They find it easier to use, easier to change the dies and less complicated than this machine.
Recommendation:
*The HD7700-Horizontal binding punch is a great fit for high volume printers, binderies, copy shops and other organizations that are looking for a feature rich binding machine that can punch a lot of paper at one time.
*It has a legal sized punching throat, a huge assortment of dies and is one of the best built binding punches that is available on the market.
The HD7700H is built for high volume users who prefer a horizontal punch and want an extremely durable punching machine.
*However, users who are concerned about punching quality, space issues and appearance may want to consider the GBC Magnapunch as an alternative to this machine. The Magnapunch is faster, easier to use and has long been the standard for heavy duty modular binding punches.
Overview:
The Rhino Tuff HD7500 is the only heavy duty 24" interchangeable die modular binding punch on the market. In fact, it is the only modular binding punch on the market that is longer than 14".
It is designed specifically for offices, printers and organizations that need to bind large format documents with binding edges longer than fourteen inches.
This punch is commonly used to punch map books, calendars, musical scores, blueprints, architectural designs and 11" x 17" paper along the seventeen inch side of the sheet.
However, the HD7500 can also be used for any size of paper less than twenty four inches long. This makes this machine a great choice for organizations that need to bind a few large format jobs per year and punch standard sized documents the rest of the year.
This punch is built with the same quality and many of the same great features that have made the Rhin-O-Tuff line of binding punches famous.
Strengths / Features:
The most impressive thing about this punch is the twenty four inch punching throat. This is one of the only options for organizations that need to punch documents that are longer than fourteen inches in width. Each of the die sets for this machine includes a full 24" of teeth. However any one of the punching pins can be removed to punch custom lengths of paper. Plus, in the rare case where users need to punch documents that are longer than 24", the throat of this machine is open. This means that the HD7500 can be used to punch documents up to 48" wide using a two step punching process.
The most common application for this machine is for use in creating large format calendars with twin loop wire binding. However, there are more than twenty different punching dies available for the HD7500.
This means that it is possible to use this machine for punching all of the different binding styles that your organization needs to use. Using the Rhino Tuff quick die change technology it is possible to switch punching patterns on this machine in less than thirty seconds. This gives your organization a huge amount of flexibility in binding your documents.
Like other heavy duty modular binding punches from Rhin-O-Tuff this machine includes a great punching capacity. The fact that the HD-7500 is so wide means that it actually uses two motors to power the punching mechanism. These two motors make it possible to punch up to forty sheets of twenty pound paper at one time. Of course the punching capacity will vary depending on the hole pattern that you are using and the thickness of the paper that you are punching. However, this is a pretty impressive capacity and makes this machine a good candidate for high volume production environments.
When you look at this machine you can tell that it built tough. It is built with high quality heavy duty steel components that are designed for production environments. In fact, the whole body of the HD-7500 is made of metal. This machine is designed not to break even when used to punch hundreds of thousands of sheets of paper. With that in mind, Rhin-O-Tuff and their parent company Performance Design Inc. back this machine with a one year warranty on the parts of this machine.
The chip tray on this machine is huge. This means that it doesn't need to be emptied as often and there is less chance that the chips will back up into the punch and cause performance problems.
Although the document table on this machine is not necessarily that deep, there is a slide out table extension on the front of this machine. This isn't important when punching standard sized documents but will be incredibly useful when punching large format sheets and blueprints using this machine.
Weaknesses / Limitations:
The HD7500 used to be available in a vertical model. However, a few years ago Rhino Tuff discontinued the Vertical punch and converted all of the HD7500's into horizontal punching machines. In many ways, the horizontal punching mechanism is easier to use for large format documents. However, the new design means that you cannot stack your finishing equipment onto the top of the machine. It also increased the size and weight of the machine. The HD-7500 now weighs in at a whopping 148lbs and measures 17" x 32" x 20". This is a big machine and you will want to make sure you have a place to put it when it arrives.
Although this machine offers 24" punching, not all binding styles can be used to bind documents that are this long. Rhino-Tuff makes the HD8024 which is a twenty four inch wire closer that is designed to be paired with this machine for wire binding. They also make a couple of different machines for inserting spiral coil onto large format documents. However, there is currently no comb opener for binding documents longer than 16" with plastic combs. Plus most of the binding supplies used for binding documents that are longer than fourteen inches will have to be special ordered. These are things to keep in mind.
The HD7500 claims a punching capacity of up to forty sheets of paper. However, in testing this machine I found that the punching quality was very poor when punching the maximum number of sheets at a time. The holes were ragged and the sheets became welded together. For most hole patterns the punching quality wasn't very good unless you were punching twenty five or less sheets of paper at a time.
Recommendation:
If your organization needs to bind large format documents such as calendars, blueprints, sheet music, scores or plans then this machine is an excellent choice.
The twenty four inch punching throat and heavy duty design of this machine make it ideal for a high volume production environment that needs to produce hundreds of documents per day.
However, the size and cost of this machine may price some individuals out of the market. If you don't need the 24" punching throat, you can probably save yourself some space and money by purchasing either the GBC Magnapunch or the Rhin-O-Tuff HD7700.
Both Jeff Mcritchie & Jeff McRitchie are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.