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*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. High">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.