Advice on heat press

[Perfectlypersonaliseduk]

Hi, I am looking to upgrade my cheap heat press in order to begin sublimation. I can spend up to £800 and have seen this one which has the features I'm looking for, however it doesn't say who it's made by.

https://www.isub-supplies.co.uk/auto-op ... cm-a3.html

Would anyone know the origin of this press and whether it's any good?

Many Thanks

[mrs maggot]

Have a chat with them, they are a nice company to deal with, it looks like a generic chinese machine, have you used one with a slide out tray ? You are near enough to visit TMT in Luton, who have a large range, might be worth physically seeing something before you buy. Personally I would go with a named machine with less features over a cheaper machine with whistles and bells.

[pw66]

Your budget sits in the middle. £800 isn't quite enough to get a quality press. There are plenty of rebadged Chinese presses with a western brand name on from £500 - £800, but a real 'quality' press starts at about £900 + vat.
Not necessarily anything wrong with Chinese, but warrenty tends to be short and spares not always available.

[Perfectlypersonaliseduk]

Mrs Maggot thanks for your reply, I will have a look at TMT. I haven't used one with a drawer before but assume it would be easier to position clothing, particularly hoodies, which I've struggled with in the past. Do you have experience with a slide out tray?

[Perfectlypersonaliseduk]

Your budget sits in the middle. £800 isn't quite enough to get a quality press. There are plenty of rebadged Chinese presses with a western brand name on from £500 - £800, but a real 'quality' press starts at about £900 + vat.
Not necessarily anything wrong with Chinese, but warrenty tends to be short and spares not always available.

Yeah I thought as much. I'm reluctant to go all out before I know if I can make any money with it, It's a bit of a leap as I've only worked with vinyl up till now. I've also been looking at this one made by Adkins, which I believe is a reputable brand. Would you say it's a better better bet than the previous one I linked to?

https://www.xpres.co.uk/p-8248-studio-a ... xpres.aspx

[pisquee]

PressMech currently on Ebay ... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/233295316868?ul_noapp=true
Looks in good condition, and at a bargain price

[mrs maggot]

I agree with Pisquee, make them an offer to cover your fuel, and go for it, make a day of collecting it, and perhaps see some suppliers at the same time.

[pw66]

The Pressmech is about as good as it gets, if you have room for a swing away. Any spares needed and the guy who made it is at the end of the phone.
If business doesn't work out then you will get most of your money back if you sell the Pressmech.

Adkins are a good brand, but that is a rebadged Chinese press - very good quality but I would prefer the used Pressmech any day of the week.

[Perfectlypersonaliseduk]

Thank you all for sharing your wisdom, I have much to learn! I will have a think about the Pressmech and discuss with the other half whether he fancies a trip to Staffordshire, think he might just to stop me talking about equipment. :biggrin:

[pisquee]

PressMech are very easy to secure to a pallet if you want it shipping - easy to just cable tie the base, or there are screw holes in the base that you can use too - we've done it both ways, and not had problems.
Dickie, at PressMech, as mentioned, is always at the end of the phone, and very friendly and knowledgeable about his machines - has talked me through various repairs over the years (from buying broken/damaged ones cheap!) but is also very reasonably prices on repairing them himself too (we've shipped bust ones to him and he's gone over and above in repairing them)