Reviewed by: N/A on 13-May-07 Rating:

Strengths:Only handheld that can do heat-shrinkable tubing labels

Weaknesses:Tapes expensive, formatting options limited and difficult to work with.

Summary:When I bought this I thought it sounded like a great item, the ad copy sounds good after all. When I started using it I realized it didn\'t work very well. The tape would hang on the lip of the body exit, causing the tape inside to get pulled into the cassette. The formatting options are useless. There is a patch panel mode but it\'s really only good if all the designations are the same and one item varies. The text looks good at full size but if you need small text it won\'t work well. Another problem is that the text looks monospaced on the display but doesn\'t print that way. It\'s almost impossible to have additional lines of text that lineup properly. Finally, the case is overly large and the rubber outer protection is hard to remove when you need to change tapes.

In the end I gave it away to a friend with less demanding needs. I\'ve since bought a Brother PT-1650, and I\'d recommend that over the RhinoPro 5000 any day. The unit is less expensive, more versatile, works with a PC to create templates, the tapes are cheaper and are available in more sizes and options that the Dymo labels. The only thing that the Dymo has that the Brother doesn\'t is heat-shrinkable tubing labels. That\'s great for really nice looking custom cable assemblies.

Reviewed by: hairlessJoe on 09-May-07 Rating:

Strengths:Does print good wire markers.

Weaknesses:Poor keyboard, weak software.

Summary:This thing works, wire markers look good and feel like they will stay. ( Check back in a year. )
The keypad had several \"picky\" buttons when I got it. Seems to have been contact corrosion, works well now after use, but doesn\'t inspire confidence.
The software limits it badly. There\'s a lot the printer can do, but you can\'t make it. Patch Panel - Terminal Block labels can only be simple sequences. Only selected rotations are allowed.
It works for my main use, but I can\'t do the secondary labeling.

Reviewed by: N/A on 09-Feb-07 Rating:

Strengths:It\'s cheap. It\'s got a lot of basic features.

Weaknesses:Its basic features are just that - basic. Brother products cost less but loaded with more features.

Summary:This is a junk product. No text, formatting, bordering, or cutting features other than the most rudimentary. I spent an hour on the phone with Dymo techs and they could not tell me how to make the unit print non-serialized patch panel port labels, even though it is supposed to be able to. Want borders? Forget it. Want to control margins and cut points to minimize tape waste? Forget it. Brother units totally have these guys beat, they give you more tape in a cartridge, and they cost less.

Reviewed by: CareyBe on 27-Aug-06 Rating:

Strengths:Protective Rubber Bumper, Simple Interface, Shortcut Keys, Durable Nylon & Poly Labels

Weaknesses:Non-QWERTY keypad, Manual Cutter, Only One Font Choice (Helvetica), Wide Label Margins

Summary:This is a great industrial strength label maker for the data center or in the field. The unit is very tough and includes a thick protective rubber bumper. It\'s small and runs from 6 AA batteries or the included AC adapter. The interface is very easy to use and includes shortcut keys for cable wraps, patch panels and vertical labels. The unit is much faster to use and much faster to print than the Casio label maker I previously owned and costs less. In addition, the nylon and poly labels are very durable and hold well. Dymo even has heat-shrink cable wraps available. My only real complaints are the lack of a QWERTY keypad and label margins that are too wide. The wide margins waste tape. Margins can be increased from the minimum 5/16\" though.

This RhinoPRO 5000 would work great at home, but be aware that many consumer level features are missing including multiple fonts (only Helvetica is available), an auto tape cutter and other \"fancy\" features. This unit was designed for ease of use, durability and efficiency in the field, and as such comes highly recommended.