The Rhin-O-Tuff HD7000 is a heavy duty interchangeable die binding punch that is designed for print shops, binderies, copy shops, in-plant printers and professional organizations.
This machine is designed to allow users to quickly and easily change punching patterns for creating documents with different binding styles. In fact there are more than twenty different hole-patterns to choose from.
The HD-7000 is known throughout the graphic arts industry for its heavy duty construction, excellent productivity and versatile set of features.
Strengths / Features:
The HD7000 offers the ability to punch an average of 41 sheets per lift between all of the most common hole-patterns. It can punch as many as 55 sheets of paper per lift using 3-hole and Velobind hole-patterns and as few as 30 sheets for spiral coil binding. These punching capacities are excellent and are some of the best in the industry. In fact, the only machine that can punch more sheets at one time is the HD7700 which is a heavier duty version of this machine.
This machine has a legal sized punching throat. All of the dies for the HD-7000 are capable of punching a fourteen inch legal sized sheet of paper. This provides great flexibility for organizations that occasionally need to punch legal sized paper. However, all of the dies used by this machine also have fully disengageable punching pins and open throats. This means that this machine can be used to punch virtually any length of document up to twenty eight inches in length (sheets longer than 14" will require a two step punching process).
The thing that sets the HD7000 apart from the HD6500 is the Rhino Tuff quick change die system. This system allows users to switch punching patterns in less than thirty seconds by simply releasing the locking levers and sliding the die out of the system. You don't have to loosen screws or other fasteners to change the dies.
This machine is designed to allow users to bolt their pieces of finishing equipment to the top of the machine. Using special kits it is possible to attach a comb opener, coil inserter or wire closer to the top of this punch. You can even attach a special die holder that will store your extra punching dies when you aren't using them.
Like all of the machines built by Rhino Tuff this machine is built out of heavy duty metal components. The HD-7000 is constructed for commercial use in high volume punching applications. It comes with a one year warranty on both the dieset and the machine and is built to last for years without the need for maintenance.
The HD7000 uses a vertical punching throat. The vertical throat allows operators to use the throat of the machine to help align their documents for punching. Some users prefer this type of design to a horizontal punch.
Weaknesses / Limitations:
The HD7000 has many of the same features as the HD7700. However, in order to save the consumer money Rhino Tuff replaced the motor with a smaller and made the die sets smaller. For the small difference in price between the two machines many users will find that the upgrade to the HD-7700 Ultima is worthwhile. It offers a larger punching capacity, heavier duty diesets and a larger more durable punching motor.
The HD-7000 punch is designed for industrial punching applications inside binderies, copy shops and printing facilities. With that in mind, Rhino Tuff has given this machine an industrial look and feel. For dedicated operators this shouldn't be a problem. However, inside an office environment this machine is more difficult to use and set up than similar punching machines from GBC.
Although the HD7000 is technically capable of punching more sheets than many other punches on the market the quality of the paper punching is sacrificed in the process. Unfortunately this is the case for most of the Rhino Tuff binding punches. In testing this machine I found that punching more than twenty to twenty five sheets at a time resulted in jagged holes and pages that were fused together. This affected the finished look and functionality of the documents that I was binding.
The quick change die system that is used on this machine is certainly a lot easier to use than the system included on the HD6500. However, in comparing the process for changing dies on this machine and the process used by the GBC modular binding punches, the die sets were much easier to change on the GBC machines. I also do not like the retaining clip system used by these machines to keep the punching pins locked into the die. It makes pulling pins for punching custom sized sheets difficult.
Recommendation:
The HD-7000 is an excellent machine for users that need a heavy duty modular binding punch and don't have the money in their budget for either the GBC Magnapunch or the Rhino Tuff HD7700.
The legal sized punching throat, excellent punching capacity, heavy duty construction and quick die change system make this machine an excellent choice for printers, binderies, copy shops and large organizations.
However, this machine has a smaller motor than the HD7700 and is not as easy to use as the GBC Magnapunch. Still, it is a solid machine with a great set of features offered at an excellent price point.
Overview:
The Rhino Tuff HD-6500 is a heavy duty interchangeable die modular binding punch that is designed for use in print shops, binderies, copy shops and large organizations.
Although this machine looks almost identical to the HD7000 there is one primary difference. This machine uses the Rhin-O-Tuff Ez Change die system which makes changing hole patterns slightly more cumbersome than the "quick change" die system offered on the HD-7000 and HD-7700 models.
However, for organizations that primarily use one type of binding or who don't mind spending a few minutes changing the die set on their machine this punch can save users a few hundred dollars.
Apart from the difference in the die change technology, the HD-6500 is nearly identical to the HD-7000 and is a high quality heavy duty binding punch.
Strengths / Features:
The HD6500 offers the ability to punch between thirty and fifty five sheets of paper at a time depending on the hole-pattern that you are using. If you are using a three hole or Velobind die you can punch over fifty sheets. It can handle about thirty sheets of paper using a spiral coil binding die. The only punch that can handle more sheets of paper at a time is the Rhino Tuff Ultima HD-7700.
Like the HD7000 and HD7700 this punch has a full fourteen inch wide punching throat. All of the dies for this machine are fourteen inches wide and are capable of punching a legal sized sheet of paper. The HD-6500 also has an open punching throat that makes it possible to punch longer sheet sizes using a two step process. Plus, every die offers the ability to pull any of the punching pins in order to produce a custom hole-pattern.
The Rhin-O-Tuff HD6500 is a heavy duty all metal binding punch that is designed for use in high volume production environments. The case, die mechanisms, internal components and even the chip tray are all made of high quality steel and are designed for strength and durability. This machine is built to be used every day for years without the need for any maintenance. It even comes with a one year warranty on both the die and the machine.
The HD6500 allows you to bolt a plastic comb opener, wire closer or coil inserter to the top of the punch. This can help you conserve space and makes sure that your finishing equipment is always in reach when you need it. However, you also just set your finishing device on the top of the machine and then use it separately from the punch. This allows you to increase productivity by forming an assembly line with one operator punching documents while another finishes them.
The Rhino HD 6500 has a vertical punching throat that allows gravity to help ensure that your documents are aligned and flush for punching. The process of dropping your pages into the punch can help to make sure that all of your sheets are lined up and ready for punching. This can help to reduce costly punching errors, especially if the punch is being used by an inexperienced operator.
Weaknesses / Limitations:
The primary difference between this machine and the HD 7000 is the die change system. This machine is priced a few hundred dollars less because the die change system is more difficult to use. In order to change the die set on this machine you need to flip up the metal lid on the front of the machine, loosen two bolts and then slide the die out of the machine. Overall the die change process will take most users about two minutes which really isn't too bad. However, if you do not adequately tighten the two bolts when you insert the new dieset into the machine it can cause problems. If those two bolts are not completely tight there will be movement in the dieset during the punching process which can affect the accuracy and longevity of the punch.
The HD-6500 includes many of the same features as the larger HD-7700 Ultima punch. However, in order to cut the price Rhino Tuff reduced the size of the punching motor and made the dies smaller and less durable. High volume users may want to consider paying the extra money to upgrade to the HD7700 or the GBC Magnapunch.
Like all of the Rhin-O-Tuff punches that I have tested, the HD6500 has the ability to punch a large number of sheets at one time. However, punching the maximum capacity of this machine results in a really poor punch quality. The holes in the sheets end up looking jagged and the sheets of paper become welded together. In order to avoid these punching quality problems it is necessary to reduce the number of sheets that you punch at a time to around twenty. This eliminates much of the advantage that this machine has over other modular binding punches.
The HD-6500 is an excellent binding punch for industrial applications and fits well in a print shop or production environment. However, it has an industrial look that many professional office environments do not prefer. The GBC modular binding punches have more of a professional appearance and are better suited for office environments where the punch may be placed in a public area.
Recommendation:
The HD-6500 is a high quality heavy duty modular binding punch that is a great choice for organizations that primarily use one hole pattern and only occasionally need to switch dies.
It offers a savings of a few hundred dollars over the HD-7000 which offers the same set of features but has an easier die change mechanism.
The HD6500 has a great punching capacity, heavy duty construction, a fourteen inch punching throat and comes with an awesome one year warranty.
However, this machine is not as easy to use as some of the other modular binding punches that are available on the market and does not offer the professional look that is offered by GBC.
Still, this is a great machine for an organization that is on a budget and needs a reliable heavy duty modular binding punch.