Rhin-O-Tuff HD – 8000 Double Loop Wire Closer Review
When binding documents with twin loop wire (also known as wire-o, double look wire or double-o) the final step in the binding process is to close the wire. This is accomplished by using a wire closing device to squeeze the “C” shaped wire spine until it is round. However, if you squeeze the spine too much it will end up overlapping and looking sloppy and if you don’t close it enough the pages will fall out. This is where the HD-8000 comes in. It is designed to help you close your wire spines easily and accurately every time.
Features:
The Rhino HD8000 is one of the only wire closers that I have seen that is designed for use with every available size of wire. It is capable of closing wire spines that are 3/16″ in diameter (the smallest size available on the market) and as large as 1-1/2″ which is the largest available size. Although most users do not use these two sizes of spines it is nice to have the capability if the need should arise.One of the problems that I often see with wire closers is that they close one side of the book completely and the other side is still slightly open. This happens as the gears for the wire closer slip over time. However, the HD-8000 includes two heavy-duty thumb screws that allow you to adjust each side of the wire closer. This can help you to compensate for wire that is slightly deformed or for any slippage that might occur over time with the closing mechanism. This is one of the best designs that I have seen as far as wire closers go.
The HD8000 is designed so that it can be bolted onto your Rhin-O-Tuff modular binding punch. However, it can also be used as a standalone wire closer without any need for a holder or stand. Using the HD 8000 as a stand along device can help to increase speed and productivity. In fact, if you have one person punching and the other person binding your documents you can more than double your productivity using this machine. For this reason, the HD-8000 is very popular with print shops and for high volume applications.
Limitations:
When it comes to wire closing the HD-8000 really does a good job. However, it is important to note that it is designed for use with books up to 12″ in length. If you are going to need to close wires that are longer than this you will need to either choose a longer closing machine or close your documents in two steps (the HD 8000 has an open throat design that makes this possible).
The only other limitation that is worth noting about the HD-8000 is that it uses a horizontal closing method as opposed to a vertical. Interestingly, most other closers available on the market use a vertical process and this is the process that I am more familiar with. I am not sure that either style is better than the other. However, if you have a vertical closer now it might be a little bit awkward to switch.
Construction:
The HD8000 is built extremely well with high quality heavy duty metal components. There is really very little risk that you will break or wear out this machine even if you do a lot of binding. However, the strips of sandpaper like material will most likely need to be replaced over time as the rough material wears off. These components are inexpensive and easy to replace.
Recommendation:
In my opinion the HD-8000 is one of the best wire closers that I have seen. It’s heavy duty construction and ability to bind all of the different sizes of wire make it a definite winner. For companies who bind a lot of legal sized documents or large calendars I would probably suggest moving up to the HD-8024 which has the same great features as the 8000 but is 24 inches long.
