[paul]

Hello, I'm new to the site. I'm looking into getting a small heat press to press my own t-shirts. I was looking at the Hix Presto 15 and the SwingMan 15. They both look to be about the same price, but I was wondering about the differences in the pressure settings. The pressure adjustment on the Presto 15 has a memory that can store several pressure settings for ease of repeatability. I'd imagine this could be very useful, but I'm not sure how easy it is to repeat pressure settings on the SwingMan. Also, the Presto says it can handle garments up to 1/8", while the SwingMan can do up to 1 1/2" I believe. How much is really required? I would like to eventually press hoodies...is 1/8" thick enough for that?

Thanks,
Paul

 

[Twinge]

Hix is a good brand to go with.

You really shouldn't need several pressure settings stored in memory; once you find the price pressure to use you're pretty well good to go. It should be easy enough to repeat settings on the Swingman if you need to though; probably has numbers or something to work off of.

The higher thickness setting is mainly for doing non-clothing items, such as tiles and mousepads. The clamshell (Presto) should be able to do hoodies fine.

Most people prefer the swinging type press (SwingMan), as they are easier to work with and are said to apply pressure/heat more evenly across. Clamshells, on the other hand, are usually a little bit cheaper and take up less working space. You should really be fine with either choice, but I'd recommend the SwingMan.