The Rhino Industrial 5200 Hard Case Kit is Dymo’s most promising label maker for heavy duty use. The rubberized industrial look, hard case, and quick-charging lithium-ion batteries suggest a hardy performance in the most demanding asset management task. Is it truly worthy to be the handy man’s best friend in the warehouse, work site and data center? You’re about to find out.
Top Features
Rhino 5200 is especially designed to make massive labeling tasks done faster and easier. It’s crowning glory is the one-touch “hot keys” feature that you can use to instantly format label size, text, spacing, and orientation on site. It also lets you serialize your Code 39s and Code 128s so you don’t need a different software to handle the codes on large volume inventories. Those features are a lifesaver when you have a whole cargo to tag or a whole panel of cables for careful sorting.
Ease of Use
5200 prints on 1/4″, 1/2″, 3/4″ and 3/8” heat-UV-and-chemical-resistant industrial stickers, non-adhesive labels, and even heat-shrink tubes. That pretty much covers the most common labeling ammo. The 1.98 lbs label maker also comes with a snug hand grip and a dedicated hard case. You could take all your spare batteries and plenty of cartridges in the kit, squeeze through tight corners and crawl through cluttered spaces, and not worry about snagged wires and missing labeling supplies.
Performance and Durability
The solid metal and TPU build is reliable enough to consistently print ANSI and TIA/EIA 606-A passed labels. However, you do need to keep extra batteries on hand as it uses just the standard lithium-ion battery pack. You’ll need roughly 6 extra back-ups to be safe on a nonstop shift. However, there is an option to upgrade to quick charging Lithium-ion batts when you purchase the kit brand new in accredited carrier stores like US Electrical Services, Inc (USESI). The quick-charges gives you extra peace of mind when work interruptions are critical.
What Works Best
Rhino 5200 is a top contender on jobs that require quick action with plenty of docking and maneuvering. The hard case saves you a lot of time getting your essentials in place. It also makes for very efficient work when you are dealing with standard labels. These come preformatted in 5200 and quite pain free to apply even with both your hands full.
What Could Be Better
The kit does have some limitations. There is its unremarkable battery life, although the quick-charging option makes up for that nicely. For another, it wouldn’t have hurt the design if the device had a sling on it. Since it doesn’t, you’ll have to find a stable surface to lay the device when sticking labels need to be a two-hand job.
The Verdict
Overall, the Rhino Industrial 5200 Hard Case Kit lives up to its name. It’s got more custom and preset label choices than what printers thrice its size could offer. Plus, you get to keep your act together in the job site with that handy hard case. As long as you manage your power supply well, you’ll be happy with this darling for a long time.