[Solmu]

(this is speculation since I've hardly used either press, but... something to consider...)

It's possible that a swing-away would actually be better than a clam in a cramped work environment. Why? Because with a swing-away you need more space for the press to sit in, but you need less space to actually safely operate it. With a clam you'd want space around it to get some distance on it, so you are less likely to burn yourself on the element. A swing away, the element is swung away - so long as you have space to stand and space to move the element to, you're safe.

Just an idea to make that decision all the harder, but maybe I'm stretching

 

[Solmu]

It's definitely not a stupid question: it's the kind of question everyone should ask before buying a piece of electrical equipment designed to heat up to 400 or so degrees and putting it in their living room, but few do.

From what I've read I believe them to be quite safe/reasonable, etc. but I am very much not experienced in this area and we'll need to see what others say on the matter though.

I just wanted to say though that personally I don't subscribe to the "the only stupid question is one that doesn't get asked" school of thought, and I don't think it's a stupid question.