# EBAY HEAT PRESS REVIEW- PICS -not good



## kpargoiip4 (Dec 14, 2007)

I too refused to listen to experienced members on this forum and once believed in the powers of a cheap, generic press, and the power to save lots of money on ebay and laaaaughed at the people who I believed "senselessly" payed more for American made presses bwua hahaha (evil laugh)... What a genious I was for finding the same, "hot metal machine" lol for a fraction of the price on eBay!!! yesss!!!! 

Unfortunately as fate has it, I was slapped in the face. All presses are not just simple "hot metal peices that clamp together" as us newbies always seem to try and skimp on. 


*A*) When it first arrived, I plugged it in, and after a few minutes it popped and a small flame came from the control unit!! My dads an electrician so we took it apart and sure enough the "heating control" had cracked off and was just floating in there by the wires and the ground was dangling across the two high voltage terminals! luckily we replaced the entire fuse setup and got it running.

*B*) Tested the heating platen with a temp gun. TEMPS ALL OVER THE PLACE on different areas of the platen. If temp was set to 350, there were areas not directly in the center that were as low as 250!

*C*) Huge clam shell effect, back of platen taking all of stress and front not even touching.

*D*) On highest pressure I could slide the teflon sheet out from all sides beside like the back corner.



Now all these factors may be do-able for some applications, but after burning only areas of shirts and parts of transfers not peeling correctly, I had enough. I now have a hotronix press. And am trying to stop other newbies from having to learn the hard way.  


I NOW PAID FOR HOTRONIX PRESS, INDESCRIBABLE THE QUALITY OVER EBAY PRESS AND HOW WELL IT WORKS


IN MY OPINION, WASTED OVER $400 BUCKS ON EBAY PRESS.




This is press I bought on eBay.. 16x24


----------



## theflowerboxx (Mar 26, 2007)

Kyle hate to hear that for you, but I have the exact same press it is 15x15 and I have never had a problem with it. I have had it for over a yr and the first shirt I ever pressed still has the vinyl on it like the day I pressed it.


----------



## pwapparel (Feb 16, 2007)

You got thanked.... it's good that you're reporting your findings so that others don't make the same mistakes as you.

Sorry you got screwed... best of luck with your Hotronix!


----------



## kpargoiip4 (Dec 14, 2007)

pwapparel said:


> You got thanked.... it's good that you're reporting your findings so that others don't make the same mistakes as you.
> Sorry you got screwed... best of luck with your Hotronix!


appreciate it, that exactly right




theflowerboxx said:


> Kyle hate to hear that for you, but I have the exact same press it is 15x15 and I have never had a problem with it. I have had it for over a yr and the first shirt I ever pressed still has the vinyl on it like the day I pressed it.


Yea when I posted this I was fully aware that there would be customers completely happy with these presses. Depends on application Im willing to agree, but I wanted to post the facts of uneven pressure and uneven heat across the entire platen on this press, not just the center.

On more "sensitive" applications like hot split transfers, cold spots and uneven pressure are killer. Im happy yours works great, trust me I wish I had good results too, saves a hell of alot of money, but for the sake of readers of this thread, Id be curious to have you temp gun your platen and see if there is in fact uneven heat and the "less sensitive" vinyl transfers simply just arent affected by it. Which is awesome that you can get away with it, but then somone reads that you are happy with it, gets one home and his/her ink transfers arent peeling correctly. Then I just wasted my time posting this. Maybe not, maybe your smaller platen heats up more evenly than the larger one.


----------



## daveM (Mar 29, 2008)

who did you buy it from on ebay? there are several companies selling them. Im not sure if they are all the same generic brand/manufacturer or if they are all different......

FWIW, I had a 16x24 sunie press delivered earlier in the week that was just battered by FedEx folks. 

Box had broken open corners, and holes punched in the top, and packing tape scuffed completely off it in places. Looked like they tied it behind a vehicle and 'skitched' it around the parking lot before tossing it on the truck. Inside, a couple pieces of the packing foam was like confettie in small bits. The pressure knob was split in half and broken off. 

The box/press was pretty roughed up even by "package delivery guy" standards. (had a neighbor who worked for FedEx who told endless stories of abusing boxes marked fragile till they rattled. How they delivered dropped and crushed packages with a straight face knowing a claim needed to be filed. Total azzwipe, truly -- but hey that IS the attitude of some of the delivery guys.) 

I didnt even take the press outta the box but filed a claim with the driver immediately and had him put it back on the truck.

I would imagine if your press got 1/4 the beating mine took en route, your press could easily be jacked up from the delivery and the plattens jimmied quite a bit.

I know these 16x24 presses probably arent properly packed for their 100ish lb weights. 

d


----------



## Ramsee1 (Mar 24, 2008)

I completely respect your opinion on this subject. I personally cannot get over the price of the presses on the supplier sites and went with a cheaper one as well. And to be honest, had some of the same issues when trying to press. The bottom line for me however was with a little experimenting with slightly higher temps, padding the bottom platten, and adding a couple of clamps I am now good to go. Not to mention the $1,500 I saved. 
There are a lot of inherent problems with presses at any price as you can see by searching these forums. It really depends on your needs and what you can make do with.


----------



## kpargoiip4 (Dec 14, 2007)

daveM said:


> who did you buy it from on ebay? there are several companies selling them. Im not sure if they are all the same generic brand/manufacturer or if they are all different......
> d



I know, its hard to tell, kind of frustrating to be honest
here ya go
As for the shipping, well, exactly. My box was beat up too, styrofoam crack as well. Although press hadnt immediately appeared to have any damage. Sure enough the control inside was cracked off and dangling which like I said allowed a huge short!(produced pop n small flame!!) Sure that happened in shipping.

No doubt it was made sh*tty b/c the control unit with high wattage like that is supposed to be mounted on a track. You could see the _empty slots_ for the track and how they just attached it with a small screw in corner, so it cracked in shipping. Also dangerous chincy fuse that we couldnt find replacement so we re-wired the fuse setup.

My dads an electrician, and after seeing that mess he finally agreed to help me get an American made press. 


_Just trying to elaborate that we really didnt have the money to spend on a good press either, but we REALLY didnt have the money to waste on bad press AND THEN buy a good press. Think about it, all Im saying. 
_











see I guess mine was a tad different, heres actual pic, Ill update first pic too


----------



## kpargoiip4 (Dec 14, 2007)

Ramsee1 said:


> .... And to be honest, had some of the same issues when trying to press. The bottom line for me however was with a little experimenting with slightly higher temps, padding the bottom platten, and adding a couple of clamps I am now good to go. Not to mention the $1,500 I saved.
> There are a lot of inherent problems with presses at any price as you can see by searching these forums. It really depends on your needs and what you can make do with.


Exactly. Couldnt have said it any better. And yup- more padding started to help, thought about using clamps. etc. Unfortunately the foil peel I need the press for still just wasnt peeling exactly perfect so I gave up. I commend you for being able to make do.


----------



## Ramsee1 (Mar 24, 2008)

Cool. Best of luck with your venture!


----------



## kpk703 (Mar 17, 2008)

As with most any bargain equipment you will find some folks that have good luck and many that do not. It's a bit of a crap shoot. And, if you're handy, you may be able to make a less than ideal piece of equipment work for you. If you're like me, you lose patience fast, toss the POS bargain you thought you were getting and spend a little more. I bought a very good digital mighty press for a little more than $600.00 and it was 10 times the press my "bargain" press was. Some of us just need to learn expensive lessons...hopefully I get fewer of them as the years pass by. One of the reasons this forum is worth thousands of dollars in insight.


----------



## Ramsee1 (Mar 24, 2008)

Point well taken about consistency of the product. And $600.00 is not a bad price if it helps to get your business going. I would have done the same as you. Unfortunately when we're talking about large presses such as the one pictured above, you're talking about $2-3,000 for the big names. And for the goods that I produce, I could actually make great use of the next size up... A 300lb floor model that runs anywhere from $6-12,000. ouch. The manufacturers and middlemen are getting a little greedy for my taste.


----------



## kpk703 (Mar 17, 2008)

Jeez, what are you pressing? My 15 x 15 mighty press does everything I need for T-Shirts. The mighty press is made by Hotronix, so it's a top-of-the-line unit. But if you need to press something larger, you will, of course, pay more.


----------



## Ramsee1 (Mar 24, 2008)

lol. Just a lot of large format work comes my way is all. I have a 16x24 that just barely does the trick.


----------



## kpk703 (Mar 17, 2008)

Sounds like a steamroller may be your solution...I hear a lot of paving companies are going out of business these days.


----------



## sunnydayz (Jun 22, 2007)

Ramsee1 said:


> Unfortunately when we're talking about large presses such as the one pictured above, you're talking about $2-3,000 for the big names.


I dont know where you are looking but I bought my hotronix auto open 16 x 20 for $1275 way below $2-3000. I think if you look hard enough you can probably even find a better deal. also the ones that dont have the auto open feature are a bit cheaper.


----------



## MotoskinGraphix (Apr 28, 2006)

kpargoiip4 said:


> I too refused to listen to experienced members on this forum and once believed in the powers of a cheap, generic press, and the power to save lots of money on ebay and laaaaughed at the people who I believed "senselessly" payed more for American made presses bwua hahaha (evil laugh)... What a genious I was for finding the same, "hot metal machine" lol for a fraction of the price on eBay!!! yesss!!!!
> 
> Unfortunately as fate has it, I was slapped in the face. All presses are not just simple "hot metal peices that clamp together" as us newbies always seem to try and skimp on.
> 
> ...


From the picture it looks like non floating upper platen. Probably why you are getting the clamshell pinch. It also sounds like the platens arent lined up correctly.


----------



## Ramsee1 (Mar 24, 2008)

I'm sure you are right! This thread sparked my search and I found a 20x25 for $2,400.00 which is still pretty high to me but not as bad as some sites. I did a google search without the search parameter "knight" and the prices came down a few hundred dollars.  

And funny enough, I found one that looks like a steam roller on a stand... 60" width for $2,000.


----------



## Ramsee1 (Mar 24, 2008)

I agree, the clamshell effect definitely comes into play on that press. How does a floating upper platen work? I would think some sort of arm the platen can pivot upon so it can sit flat?
One topic that was never touched upon in this thread too... Pressure. Those settings can make or break the job.


----------



## SHELLY53 (Mar 12, 2008)

I've Been Reading The Inputs On The Forum About Heat Presses. I Didn't Have Enuff Money To Buy What I Wanted . So I Purchased An Ebay Heat Press Mistake I Made I Sent It Back. Thank Go D I Was Able To Get A Refund Minus Shipping Charge Which Is Too Much. I Most Definetly Am Going To Buy The Mighty Press Without A Doubt. I Bought Some Shirts That Were Done With The Mighty Press Boy They Feel Just Like The Shirt. I Was Very Impressed. It Is Well Worth The Investment! Just Thought I'd Share My Ebay Experience.


----------



## kpargoiip4 (Dec 14, 2007)

SHELLY53 said:


> I've Been Reading The Inputs On The Forum About Heat Presses. I Didn't Have Enuff Money To Buy What I Wanted . So I Purchased An Ebay Heat Press Mistake I Made I Sent It Back. Thank Go D I Was Able To Get A Refund Minus Shipping Charge Which Is Too Much. I Most Definetly Am Going To Buy The Mighty Press Without A Doubt. I Bought Some Shirts That Were Done With The Mighty Press Boy They Feel Just Like The Shirt. I Was Very Impressed. It Is Well Worth The Investment! Just Thought I'd Share My Ebay Experience.


Yep. And if you think a good press is expensive, see how expensive it is when you waste money on a bad press/return shipping AND THEN buying a good press. Let me tell you, 1000+ is much more expensive when you ad the hundred(s) you wasted on eBay.


----------



## jjterryah (Nov 24, 2009)

After just buying a 16 x 20 press, I noticed that my transfeers were not adhering on the top left and top center. and 
after ruining a few shirts I used some rejects to play with it. I then bought a laser thermometer and proceeded to section off the heat plate into 10 edge areas. These were two inches all around the edge. I then sectioned off 6 areas of the center area that was left. Then I did two tests. One after reaching my required temp of 375f. I left that clamshell open. the other test was after I had reached the 375f temp and then closed the shell for 20 seconds. I found the open shell to be off as much as 37 degrees hotter in spots. I found the open clam shell was not s hot as the second test that preheated the bottom platen. I found that the top left corner was below required temps on all tests. The edges on the open clam shell were no acceptable either. I did find the suplier had said the center of the top does not have heating coils as the space is taken up with the hinge and power supply wiring. He also told me of a method of calibrating the power so Ican bring the temps to 375f after testing. I will try that this afternoon. Not fun having 397f heat on a 375f setting. I believe the wide range of temps will keep me from recalibrating this monster to a normal heat press. Basically, I can only use the bottom edges (5 0f them) for pressing. The center and the entire top will be too low temp wise to use after calibrating the center to 375f. The center of the shell, 6 areas, can be used. A 16 x 20 press has 320 sq inches of flat space. The area not able to be used is 88 sq inches. I am left with 232 sq uinches touse. A 15 x 15 press has 225 sq inches of surface. So whay did I buy a larger press to only gain 7 square inches. I won't let this name out of the bag until all my testing and calibrating are done. Very interesting study! I suggest you all purchase a laser thermometer and check out the heat each time you set up. Harbor frieight for $35.


----------

