Jeff McRitchie

Rhin-O-Tuff OD4012 Modular Binding Punch Review

Rhino's OD4012 is positioned as a heavy duty, durable, interchangeable die binding punch at a great price. In this article, we took a look at this machine, and here are what we consider to be some if its strengths and weaknesses.

Strengths:

1. Using the same heavy-duty punching motor as Rhino's HD series 6500 and 7000, the OD4012 can punch as much as twenty five sheets at a time depending on the punching pattern that you are producing. Although that may not be as high as the punching capacity offered by the larger HD punches, we found that the quality of the punches at full capacity was fairly high.
2. The OD4012 features top of the line all metal construction. This is definitely something we've come to expect from Rhino, and this machine is no different. There is no reason that the OD4012 shouldn't give you years of service without needing much, if any maintenance at all. Rhino seems to have a lot of faith in the machine as well, offering purchasers a one year full warranty on the OD4012.
3. The price point of the OD4012 is without a doubt one of its great features. It is extremely competitive, and in fact one of the least expensive twelve inch modular binding punches that are available on the market.
4. One of the great advantages of this machine is its versatility. It is possible, using the standard and custom dies that are available, to punch more than twenty different patterns with the OD4012. The machine utilizes the same EZ punch die system that some of the other Rhino machines use. In all it should take a typical user about two minutes to change punching patterns.
5. The OD4012 features a great design that allows you to connect finishing equipment on to the top. In other words, your comb opener, coil inserter, or wire closer can be bolted on the machine, saving you space and making the process just that much more efficient. You may even connect multiple finishing units, saving even more space.
6. The OD4012's slightly smaller size and shorter punching throat means that the punching dies for this machine are much less expensive than some other ones on the market. This makes it less of a risk for print shops and corporate customers to invest in multiple punching dies.

Weaknesses:

1. The eleven inch throat allows for easy punching of letter size pages. However, you will need to use a two-step punching process to punch longer documents such as legal. The open throat design does allow for that, however.
2. The two-minute die change is pretty quick, but even that can get a little tedious of you are constantly changing dies. If you change punching patterns more than a couple times per day you should really consider a machine with a quick change die system.
3. We found that there was a little bit of play in the die set while we were punching. We could mitigate that a little bit by tightening a couple of bolts. For safety and punching accuracy it is important that the die-set be completely tightened before you use the machine.
4. The setup of this machine is a little bit difficult, and the die retainer clip is not the easiest to use if you need to remove a punching pin. These things shouldn't be an issue for most users. However, we thought that they were worth mentioning.

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