• The Rhino Tuff OD4012 is a interchangeable die modular binding punch that is designed for organizations that are looking for a heavy duty machine at a great value.
• It offers the same great punching capacities and motor as the larger HD6500 and HD7000 but Rhin-O-Tuff was able to cut the cost of this machine by reducing the punching throat from fourteen to twelve inches. This is great for organizations that primarily punch letter sized and smaller documents.
• This system offers the ability to switch punching dies using the Rhin-O-Tuff Ez change die system. In fact, users can choose from twelve different standard punching dies that are available for this system.
• Plus, the OD4012 has the same great Rhino Tuff construction that has made this line of modular punching equipment famous.

Strengths / Features:

• The OD4012 has the same punching motor as is used in the HD series 6500 and 7000 rhino punches. This heavy duty motor allows the OD4012 to punch as many as 25 sheets of twenty pound paper at a time depending on the punching pattern. Although this is not nearly as many sheets as the larger HD punches can handle the punching quality produced by this machine is fairly good even at the maximum punching capacity. That is something that is not true for the HD series of punches.
• The construction of the OD4012 is excellent. Like all of the modular binding punches from Rhin-O-Tuff the body of the machine is made of metal. In fact, the whole machine is made of metal components. The heavy duty construction of this machine is designed so that it can remain in service for years without the need for maintenance. Rhino even offers a full one year warranty on both the machine and the dies for this machine.
• The OD4012 is offered at an excellent price point. It has a retail price of about $2500 and can usually be found for around $2000 if you call and ask for a price quote. This makes the OD4012 very competitively priced in its space. In fact, it is one of the cheapest twelve inch modular binding punches that you will find.
• Including both standard and custom dies there are more than twenty different punching patterns available for the OD4012. This means that this punch can produce virtually any hole pattern that you will need to bind your documents. This machine uses the same EZ change die system that is used on the HD6500. In order to change the die out you simply lift the lid on the compartment at the front of the machine, loosen the two bolts and slide the die out of the machine. In all it takes about two minutes to change punching patterns.
• The OD4012 is designed to allow users to bolt their modular finishing equipment to the top of the machine. This means that you can conveniently place your wire closer, comb opener or coil inserter on the top of the machine. You can even bolt multiple units to the top of your machine to help save space. Or if you prefer you can simply set your finishing device on the top of the machine so that it can be moved to the side when you need it.
• The fact that the OD-4012 has a shorter punching throat and is smaller also makes the punching dies for this machine less expensive. With this punch each die costs less making it more reasonable to try a new punching pattern or offer a new binding style to your customers.

Weaknesses / Limitations:

• It is probably obvious by now but if you haven't already figured it out, this punch has an eleven inch punching throat. Actually the throat is slightly wider than eleven inches so that it can accommodate A4 sized paper. However, it will not punch a legal sized sheet of paper in a single step. It does have an open throat for punching longer documents. However, trying to punch legal paper in two steps with a machine like this can be pretty tough.
• The dies on this machine can take a couple of minutes to change. This usually isn't a big issue for organizations that primarily use one punching pattern. However, printers and binderies that need to switch punching patterns a number of times per day will find that the process is a little bit tedious.
• When I tested this punch I noticed that there was a little bit of movement in the die set during the punching process. I was able to reduce the amount of movement by tightening the two bolts that hold the die in place. However, even that did not completely remove the extraneous movement. This movement in the punching mechanism causes me to be somewhat concerned that this machine may not be completely accurate over time.
• The die retainer clip that holds the punching pins in place is fairly tedious to use. This makes it difficult to remove a pin in order to set up the punch. In fact, the process of inserting and removing the die on this machine actually makes setting up this machine fairly difficult. If you pull the wrong punching pin for the size of paper that you are using, you will have to completely remove the die set pull the correct pin and then reinstall it. This can take quite some time and is far more difficult than the system used with the GBC binding punches.

Recommendation:

• The OD4012 is ideal for users that need a more powerful punch than the OD4000 but don't want to spend the money for a legal sized punch such as the HD-6500.
• This letter sized eleven inch punch is great for organizations that primarily punch letter sized or smaller documents and don't need to change punching patterns on a really regular basis.
• This machine offers a strong and durable construction, the ability to punch a wide variety of punching patterns and a great price point.
• However, it is not as easy to use or as versatile as some of the other binding punches on the market.