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Post by streetscrapper on Nov 21, 2017 15:14:51 GMT
I don't do a ton of heat transfer to fabric but I do a bit of it and suddenly I really "want" a heat press. The problem is that the only one I can find locally is too expensive to justify the cost. Do you have a heat press? Do you love it?
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Sept 30, 2024 23:47:07 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2017 16:15:57 GMT
Have you thought about the cricut easy press? It is 129 at Michaels/Joanns. My friend has one and it works great!
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Post by don on Nov 21, 2017 16:28:58 GMT
I just use my laminator I picked up at Value Village a few years ago.
I wonder, just now, if parchment paper and a hot iron wouldn't work. I'll have to try that.
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Post by streetscrapper on Nov 21, 2017 18:19:10 GMT
Have you thought about the cricut easy press? It is 129 at Michaels/Joanns. My friend has one and it works great! I'm off to have a look! I saw one but didn't realize what it was for! It may be exactly what I'm looking for!! |
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Post by gale w on Nov 21, 2017 19:02:32 GMT
I've read that the cricut one is an overpriced version of a regular heat press. Check Amazon for swivel heat presses.
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scrapnnana
Drama Llama
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Post by scrapnnana on Nov 21, 2017 19:16:23 GMT
I guess the question is if you are using the HTV on t-shirts or something similar. I bought a Rincon Heat Press off Amazon. I have loved it. However, it is a real heat press, and it uses a LOT of power, so I cut everything first, get it ready, then heat up the press and do all my projects at once.
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Post by gale w on Nov 21, 2017 19:34:34 GMT
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Post by streetscrapper on Nov 21, 2017 20:33:06 GMT
I've read that the cricut one is an overpriced version of a regular heat press. Check Amazon for swivel heat presses. Yes, I've just read and watched a couple of reviews that have said exactly the same thing! Thanks for the Amazon links gale! I wonder if the prices will drop closer to Black Friday... |
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Post by gale w on Nov 21, 2017 23:32:40 GMT
actually, now that I looked at the cricut, maybe what I heard was it's an overpriced iron. lol. There's no way to put extra pressure like there is a heat press.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Nov 22, 2017 5:24:08 GMT
If you’re going to spend $130 on the Cricut one, you may as well get a real one. The advantage to the real ones is that they apply consistent even pressure over the entire design at once, and many of them have variable heat and pressure settings. I’m thinking of getting one myself because I keep finding reasons why I need to borrow my brother’s and that’s a PITA.
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Post by streetscrapper on Nov 22, 2017 12:49:59 GMT
If you’re going to spend $130 on the Cricut one, you may as well get a real one. The advantage to the real ones is that they apply consistent even pressure over the entire design at once, and many of them have variable heat and pressure settings. I’m thinking of getting one myself because I keep finding reasons why I need to borrow my brother’s and that’s a PITA. In the US they’re so much cheaper than here in Canada! I think the cheapest one I can find here is $300 plus our 13% tax. I’m considering buying one from Amazon, because paying the duty and the exchange is still considerably less, but I’m nervous because it’s such a big item! I’m not sure what the cost of the Cricut heat press is here, but I would think it will be around the $200 mark and at the end of the day I don’t want to be disappointed so why not spend the extra and get what I want. I think I’m just trying to justify the cost because I know I don’t need it and it’s just a really big want item for me right now. I do make and sell onesies, but only as a hobby. I haven’t had anyone complain about the decals I’ve ironed on coming off, but since I’ve been researching heat presses, I’m thinking that’s because they haven’t been washed enough! |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Nov 22, 2017 14:44:24 GMT
streetscrapper Since that’s the case, I would check locally for a secondhand one on eBay, Craigslist or similar to see if you can score a used one for less. That’s how my brother ended up getting one, he found it used on an auction site and got a nice heavy duty one for less than a hundred bucks. It was like brand new. I’ve used it a 3-4 times over the last year and now I really wish I had my own because it’s too big and heavy to keep dragging back and forth (not to mention having to listen to my brother’s endless rant about life for an hour every time I go to get it or bring it back). It’s so much nicer than using an iron. I looked at the Cricut press and it looks like a plastic toy to me. I wouldn’t expect it to work as well or for as long as a commercial press and it’s almost as expensive as a real one!
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jaffa
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Post by jaffa on Nov 22, 2017 17:04:44 GMT
You can use crossborderpickups.ca to ship domestic USA but pick up at 401/Dixie, if you want to take advantage of US sales/shipping promotions. Even though you have to pay duty and HST, it's often still cheaper.
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Post by streetscrapper on Nov 22, 2017 19:36:19 GMT
Just saw this at Michael's today. $200 plus 13% (tax). Not going there!!
I have an account! Go figure! Never used it!
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Post by htstepper on Nov 22, 2017 20:12:55 GMT
I have a Gecko brand from Amazon. The price was going up and down and up and down and then I purchased, but I don't see them on there anymore. This one seems to get decent reviews: amzn.to/2zthRtG |
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Post by streetscrapper on Nov 22, 2017 21:15:04 GMT
I have a Gecko brand from Amazon. The price was going up and down and up and down and then I purchased, but I don't see them on there anymore. This one seems to get decent reviews: amzn.to/2zthRtGhtstepper, do you like your heat press? Are you happy you have it? Use it often? |
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Post by streetscrapper on Nov 23, 2017 12:49:13 GMT
So after spending a ton of time searching, I’ve managed to find a couple of Canadian companies that sell heat presses at a “ reasonable” price, and even close enough to pick up on the weekend so I can avoid shipping costs! I was sure I was going to buy a 15x15 clamshell model when I came across a review where this person said she actually prefers a smaller 9x12 swing away because she rarely does larger items. At the same time, I’ve seen reviews where people have the smaller platform and they say they will upgrade to a larger one in time... ideally a 15x15 swing away would be my first choice but given my budget, these are my choices: 15x15 clamshell or 9x12 swing away. What would you choose?
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scrapnnana
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Post by scrapnnana on Nov 23, 2017 15:09:28 GMT
I have a 15x15 clamshell. It works well for everything I have tried so far (t-shirts, aprons, and bags). I can see that a swing away would be nice.
I chose mine based on reviews as to the quality of the machine. That was more important to me than the swing away ability. I also wanted the larger size, so I could do larger t-shirts. One of my sons is a bigger build.
I have used a swing away, too. It's helpful, but I didn't feel that it was a deal breaker for me. I wanted the 15x15, and the clamshell of that size was within my budget. All of the reviews on the machine I chose were 5 star (out of 5). There were only 15 reviews, but the fact that they all were 5 star was unusual compared to reviews of other heat presses.
I would definitely check customer reviews before making your decision.
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Post by htstepper on Nov 23, 2017 16:58:36 GMT
I have a Gecko brand from Amazon. The price was going up and down and up and down and then I purchased, but I don't see them on there anymore. This one seems to get decent reviews: amzn.to/2zthRtGhtstepper, do you like your heat press? Are you happy you have it? Use it often? I don't use it very often, but I really like it. It is easy to use and makes pressing easy. I used to do a lot of things with the iron and it was hit or miss. I always use it a lot at Halloween for my 3 kids. Last year my needed an M&M shirt and this year my son needed something pressed onto a cape. Mine is a 15x15 regular and it is a perfect size. |
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scrapnnana
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Post by scrapnnana on Nov 23, 2017 22:51:40 GMT
I have a Gecko brand from Amazon. The price was going up and down and up and down and then I purchased, but I don't see them on there anymore. This one seems to get decent reviews: amzn.to/2zthRtG10% of the reviews are 1 star, the lowest rating. At least a couple of them had a major complaint (plug caught on fire or melted). I did not read all of them, but I would be very hesitant to buy that machine. |
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scrapnnana
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Post by scrapnnana on Nov 23, 2017 23:01:26 GMT
This is the machine I bought. I never reviewed it, but so far it has worked well for me. I bought mine around May of this year. Rincon 15x15 heat press
It only has 24 reviews, but all of them are 5 stars, nothing lower. I never reviewed it, since I wanted to wait and give it a good test. I could and should add my review. I will also be giving it a 5 star. So consider that 25 of 25 people gave it the highest possible rating. I got free shipping. It shipped faster than it said it would. It's a good machine, and I am very happy with it. I do recommend getting the teflon pillows, too. They really help when doing shirts with designs on both front and back. |
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Post by streetscrapper on Nov 24, 2017 15:46:10 GMT
Scrapnnana, I agree with you 100% that reviews are key. The problem I'm having is that heat presses appear to be at least double the cost in Canada. I can't even try to purchase the one you have because it doesn't ship to Canada, and when I find one with good reviews that does, the cost of shipping, duty and the exchange puts me close to the cost of what I would spend locally! Go figure! I have found two locally but here is my dilemma. Both are brand new (can't find anything used). One is a 9x12 swing away and costs $200 more than a 15x15 clamshell. As much as I want a swing away, right out of the gate the difference in size and the extra $$ is making me lean towards the clamshell. Sounds like a no-brainer, right? Here's the catch. The company that is selling the smaller one is one that I have purchased from before (Cameo 3 and a lot of heat transfer material), has a great reputation and the model is one that I can easily find information for on the internet. The company selling the clamshell is a company that I have never heard of (but then again I've never been interested in purchasing a heat press until now) and is selling their own brand. After doing a LOT of digging, I finally found a review for it, which is very favourable. I've also managed to find reviews for the company, (only 11) and all but one are favourable (and the unfavourable review was because someone was rude on the phone so not product related). I'm still leaning toward the larger press but I completely get what you're saying scrapnnana. Reviews mean a lot and I'm seriously hoping I'm making the right choice.
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scrapnnana
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Post by scrapnnana on Nov 24, 2017 23:34:19 GMT
Streetscrapper, since you are having trouble finding reviews, can you see if Amazon sells the same clamshell? Even if it's too expensive to ship to Canada, maybe you can at least find more reviews on the clamshell heat press that you are considering, just to help you decide which company/heat press to choose of the two you are currently considering.
I hope that made sense. I have sometimes checked Amazon reviews for something I was considering buying locally, just to see if the product was a decent product, or if it had a lot of complaints.
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Post by streetscrapper on Nov 25, 2017 15:01:32 GMT
Thanks for the advice scrapnnana! I did find a couple of reviews on Amazon. Again, not very many but the ones that I did see were positive. I'm wondering though, do you use your heat press for personal use only, or are you selling things? I'm asking because I sell the odd thing - it's word of mouth only and so far it's been baby onesies to co-workers. I'd love to do more selling but I haven't really put the items out there for people to see. After reading things about heat transfer peeling after numerous washes if applied with an iron, that's when I decided I want a heat press. My kids are older, I don't have grandchildren (yet), but I have also made the odd t-shirt for friends and family. Can you tell I'm trying to justify buying it? LOL At the end of the day, I know I would use it, and if it turns out that I don't, I suppose I can sell it locally... but I guess I'm wondering how many people have them for personal use...
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scrapnnana
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Post by scrapnnana on Nov 25, 2017 17:51:15 GMT
I use mine solely for personal use. I really wondered if I would use it enough to justify the cost and space it would take up in my craft room, but I love having it. It's easy to make quick and inexpensive gifts for family and friends.
If I were making shirts and other HTV products to sell, there is no way I would want to do it with an ordinary iron. The heat press applies the heat evenly, and it is so much faster than doing it with an iron.
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Post by streetscrapper on Nov 25, 2017 20:28:29 GMT
Scrapnnana, you convinced me! I am the proud owner of a new heat press machine!  |
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scrapnnana
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Post by scrapnnana on Nov 26, 2017 1:23:54 GMT
Woohoo! Congrats!
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Post by bluecrafterperson on Nov 29, 2017 17:38:30 GMT
I saw this blog post and had to google to see what an Easy Press is. The little gum drop sack she created is so cute. Now I may have to check into some sort of heat press. If I were only going to do little craft stuff like her gum drop sack, is the Easy Press good enough for that? I don't have any need to do shirts or clothing items. It would probably only be for small crafting items. |
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Post by streetscrapper on Nov 29, 2017 18:57:38 GMT
I saw this blog post and had to google to see what an Easy Press is. The little gum drop sack she created is so cute. Now I may have to check into some sort of heat press. If I were only going to do little craft stuff like her gum drop sack, is the Easy Press good enough for that? I don't have any need to do shirts or clothing items. It would probably only be for small crafting items. If you're only doing small crafting items for yourself or to give as gifts, honestly, you can use your iron. Although I do love the size of the Easy Press, I chose a 15x15 heat press because I sell things that I use heat transfer for (currently mostly baby onesies but now that I've got a heat press, it has really opened my eyes to the possibilities). I've never had an issue with the heat transfer peeling (touch wood), but a heat press applies more heat and better pressure evenly so the chance of the vinyl lifting is minimal. When I looked at the cost of the Easy Press, it didn't make sense, and if you're in the US, a heat press is much less expensive than what I paid in Canada! |
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