Cheap heat press = bad quality?

Some of the key characteristics for 'good' heat presses include even temperature distribution, accurate temperature, even pressure and speed of temperature recovery. There are also secondary considerations such as ease of use, clearances, actuation forces, etc. The 'better' heat presses such as GeoKnight and Stahls do all these things very well. The less expensive heat presses will have more thermal gradients, will be slower to recover and won't have the temperature as accurate.

I initially tried going the "cheap" route and bought a heat press off of ebay. What arrived was something that looked like it was made from perhaps an old BBQ grill. Every time I turned it on I prayed it didn't explode or catch on fire. After about a week, I bit the bullet and bought a Geo Knight.
Conclusion: The Chinese are very good at Ping Pong but not making heat presses.

We prefer Hotronix, but have used a couple least expensive brands with good to great results.

I have Geo Knight & Hix presses.....Would never go back to a Chinese made press.....But I do understand that sometime cost is an object.....Stahls who make Hotronix presses make a "clone"...Probably still more than you want to spend but worth considering....Stahls Clam Basic Heat Press | Target Transfers

Thank you for all your answers! So the eBay presses are a no-go it seems. But what about the Rheinstern press I listed as alternative 1?

Rheinstern Heat Press HP-3804

There are some quality imported machines. Just make sure you are dealing with a quality company that provides a warranty and customer service.

Has anyone heard of or tried the UKPRESS line? The description sounds promising and it looks like they provide a good warranty and followup.

Ukpress Swing Away Heat Press for T Shirts etc Strudy Press in Fire Red | eBay

Best to search the forum for comments about a particular brand......However, IMO the lack of comments speaks volume.....

If you don't want to spend a lot of money why not just buy a used name brand press. I got my Hix on ebay for around $150 including shipping and I've used it every day for over two years, and it's probably a 20+ year old model. It definitely pays to buy a name brand when it comes to heat presses. A guy I used to work for would only buy the cheap ones off e-bay and those things would last 3 to 6 months max!

If you are in the UK, check out the Secabo presses.

jbel said:

Thank you for all your answers! So the eBay presses are a no-go it seems. But what about the Rheinstern press I listed as alternative 1?

Rheinstern Heat Press HP-3804

Click to expand...

Never heard of them, but my first impression is, it is a GERMAN press, their website has quite a few typos and an international telephone number for support! Are you sure you want to go that route? If your situation dictates you purchase a more "economical" press, at least consider one sold with USA support. Proworld, Heat Press Nation are a couple and they frequent the forums. If you need to rely on it to make money day after day, DON'T BUY CHEAP.

CalhTech>

I purchased a gecko swing away off ebay worked great for vinyl shirts and still does a year later. Was only 250$ only thing that went out was the reset switch breaker $5 part. I did upgrade to hottronix and love it.


Heat Press Machine Swing Press Transfer Sublimation Digital 15x15 GK801 | eBay

The OP is in Scandinavia......

Thank you for your answers. As royster points out, I do indeed live in Scandinavia thus purchasing from USA is out of the question due to shipping costs.

As far as Rheinstern goes, I do not see how them being German is a negative. Germany is - at least in Europe - know for producing reliable products of good quality.

I am not opposed to purchasing a used heat press, but I can't purchase from the US. The problem is that the market for used heat presses seems to be rather small in Europe.

jbel said:

Thank you for your answers. As royster points out, I do indeed live in Scandinavia thus purchasing from USA is out of the question due to shipping costs.

As far as Rheinstern goes, I do not see how them being German is a negative. Germany is - at least in Europe - know for producing reliable products of good quality.

I am not opposed to purchasing a used heat press, but I can't purchase from the US. The problem is that the market for used heat presses seems to be rather small in Europe.

Click to expand...

To qualify my statement, I didn't mean to imply GERMAN means bad. That is farther from the truth. I also didn't catch you location was Scandinavia. As for my comments, I saw several typos on the Rheinstern site that made me question their professionalism. Also, I was just relaying my personal issues with buying a CHEAP press. I found out quickly what the differences in a quality and cheap press. In less than 3 weeks, I had to buy another press because of these problems. It's not like buying a cheap "screwdriver" and making it work for you till you get a better one. Cheap presses do not produce sufficient and or consistent heat. That said, in most cases you can't MAKE IT WORK till you get a better one. Good luck in your searching.

CalhTech>

Does anyone think it would be a good idea to get a press off of ebay?

You can find good quality equipment on ebay.