Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Hopefully this review gives you some confidence in making a decision in your purchase of a heat press. I researched a ton on blogs and web sites. I had a lot of questions about clamshell vs. swing away and also the size of the plate/press. My research seemed to indicate that in terms of functionality, the machines are more or less similar, so it comes down to the size of the press, the attachments you might use, and the clamshell vs. swing-away factor. I had initially wanted a 16x20 inch plate press, but when I drew out a 12x15 inch area, I realized that the vast majority of things I make fit within this area, and that this machine was a good model to purchase because it can handle all of what I do now and also give me some room to grow with the attachments. So far, I am happy with my purchase. Below, I've listed some pros, cons, and unknowns about my experience with this machine. Happy reading. Pros: --This machine is sturdy and made of mostly metal parts. --For the money, the plate/press size of 12x15 is a good value. --The machine heats up quickly and seems to work well. --The machine was well-packaged and arrived very quickly. Cons: --The manual is poorly translated from Chinese, so there are a lot of mistranslations and/or sentences that make little or no sense. It can be difficult to discern the gist/overall message. We're hoping we can just keep our fingers crossed that we're not missing any crucial info and that the machine will continue to operate without problems. --The timer function was tricky to figure out (for me, at least). The manual was of little help, but it just took some playing around and guesswork and we got it sorted out. --It doesn't smell great when in operation, but from what I've read, that dissipates over time. Unknowns: --I have only used this on cotton or cotton-blend apparel so far; I'm not sure how it works on extra thick fabrics (sweats, etc.) or performance fabrics (such as nylon/poly, etc.), nor do I have any idea of the performance with the mug and plate attachments. I will try to update this review with any notable results if and when we experiment with new materials and attachments. --I have not tried to use this with sublimation inks, only with vinyls, in case that factors into your purchasing decision.