You love beautiful crafts, that’s why you’re reading this article. Getting those beautiful designs on t-shirts is a great fete. Before the advent of modern heat presses, designers used to toil in their studios for hours, even days, just to render a design on a surface.
Now, all one needs to do is buy a heat press machine. And considering that their prices have dropped drastically over the last couple of years, having one isn’t an uphill task. Now, becoming favorites are the swing away heat presses.
Swing away heat presses have proven to be safer than the clamshell designed ones. By grabbing hold of the arm, raising and swinging aside the heating board, you keep the heating element facing downwards ad away from any part of your body. And the quality of their outcome is excellent and consistent.
Editor’s Choice Best Swing away Heat Press
So which is the top swing away heat press in the market? We’ve compiled a review of not one but five great heat press machines. They have great features that will ensure that your design is beautifully transferred onto the material. Which are these presses? Read on to find out.
Zeny Heat Press Pro 5 in 1 12″ x 15″ Swing Away Multifunctional Digital Transfer Sublimation
We kick off our reviews of the best swing away heat press with the ZENY Pro. What’s spectacular about it is that it’s a five in one. This means that on this very machine you can print beautiful graphics on ceramics, glasses and textiles.
If you want a heat press machine for business then you’ll enjoy owning the ZENY pro. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t use it for pleasure as well. If you love craft projects and want one for home use, the ZENY will still be of great service to you.
Be certain that this machine will serve you for a long time. Despite its strength, the ZENY is very light and compact. Moving it around won’t pose a problem.
And with a swing away design that rotates at an angle of 360 degrees, the heating element is kept facing downwards at all times, eliminating the risk of the user getting burnt. This heating element is coated with teflon. With such a coating, scorching of the garment during transfer is prevented.
The temperature and time controls are fully digital and extremely easy to set. With both a Fahrenheit and Celsius scale getting the right temperature should be a breeze. Also, the pressure adjustment knob, placed conveniently in front of the handle, is easy to operate.
With this, you can vary the pressure based on the different materials you’ll be transferred onto. Because of his, the machine is allowed a good level of versatility.
PROS
- The ZENY Pro is a 5 in 1 heat press machine. It comes with heating elements for mugs, plates, and t-shirts as well.
- The machine is compact meaning its portability is enhanced.
- Using the pressure adjustment knob, one can easily vary the pressure depending on the material being transferred on to. This allows for the use of materials of varied thicknesses.
- The time and temperature control is fully digital.
- With the swing away design, the heating element always faces downwards, eliminating chances of accidental burns.
- Its heating element is teflon coated which prevents scorching of transfer materials.
CONS
- The ZENY is too small to fit a 10 by 10 design on the press.
Fancierstudio Power Heat Press Heat Press Swing Away Heat Press 9″x12″
With a fancy name, this heat press lives up to all the hype of the heat transfer machines. It’s well built. From first glance, you can see this. The handle is sturdy. Holding it gives you reassurance that it’ll remain intact. And it’s comfortable in hand. The pressure adjustment knob is right behind this handle. It’s very conveniently placed to ensure easy operation.
Then the time and temperature timers are easy to read. Made of Rhinestone this Fancier Studio press is built to last. Flick the bright red switch to the size of the display unit and the machine jumps to life.
The heating element begins to gain in temperature which you can monitor on the temperature display. The temperature range is from 0 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. The time range, on the other hand, is from 0 to 999 seconds.
The heat platen is coated in teflon. And as we know about this coating, it creates a nonstick surface, keeping the transfer material from getting scorched. The base board is lined with silicon gel which acts as a soft surface to place the material onto. With an easily adjustable pressure, one can use materials of varied thicknesses and still get even results.
This Fancier Studio machine is lightweight compared to other heat press machines. It is also quite compact. However, it’s still built to industrial strength, giving it total durability. It can handle the heavy tasks as well as the lighter ones. So whether you want to use it on t-shirts, bags, mouse pads or even ceramic tiles, this machine is up to the task.
PROS
- The Fancier Studio heat press has a temperature range of 0 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
- It has an easily adjustable pressure to allow for the use of materials of varied thicknesses.
- This heat press machine is lightweight and compact.
- It’s built with industrial strength making it very durable.
- The heat platen is teflon coated to prevent scorching.
- The base board is lined with silicon gel to give the material a soft base to be placed on.
CONS
- The instructions aren’t very elaborate.
ePhotoInc Swing Away 9 x 12 T SHIRT HEAT PRESS MACHINE
To bring our swing away heat press product reviews to a close, we have the 9 x 12 press machine. Justice its counterparts, it bears the swing away design that ensures the heating element faces downwards throughout.
With dimensions of 16 inches by 13 inches by 14 inches, it bears a compact build that’s great for home use. If you want one for a simple home craft project, this will do. However, it will also deliver when it comes to the larger projects, perhaps for business purposes.
The heat platen measures a decent 10 inches by 12 inches. This is able to accommodate the larger sized designs to be transferred onto a t-shirt. This heating board is also coated in teflon. This gives a nonstick surface which prevents scorching of the transfer.
It also prevents the need for the use of a separate teflon sheet. Also, the pressure adjustment process is very simple. By varying the pressure, you are able to use materials of different thicknesses. And the machine is also versatile because it can transfer on flat surfaces like fabric, metal, wood, ceramic and glass.
The temperature range up to 500°F and the timer control ranges from 0 to 999 seconds.
PROS
- The swing away design keeps the heating element facing downwards throughout, preventing any accidents.
- It’s heating board is coated with teflon, making the surface nonstick and preventing scorching of the transfer.
- The 9 x 12 press is compact, perfect for home use.
- It can be used on many different flat surfaces like fabric, metal, wood, ceramics and glass.
- With the teflon coating, the machine doesn’t require the use of a separate silicone or teflon sheet.
CONS
- The size is rather small for large format transfers.
Happybuy 6 in 1 15″ X 15″ Heat Press 360 Degree Swing-away Heat Press Machine
What this means is that using this one press, you’ll have the capacity to create beautifully designed mugs, caps, plates and t-shirts. It comes with a plate press, hat press, mug press and the usual platen press. All these have nonstick surfaces that help prevent scorching of the transfers. Interchanging the different plates is very easy.
The swing away design of this press rotates the heating board at a full 360 degrees. This not only prevents accidental burns but it also maintains an even downward pressure on the material used. As a result the transfer quality is consistent throughout.
The display unit is easy to read, showing both time and temperature readings. Happy Buy has a temperature range from 32 to 480 degrees Fahrenheit.
Using the pressure adjustment knob, one can easily vary the pressure of the heating board on the transfer surface. Depending on the heaviness of the material, you can either increase or reduce the pressure easily. Because of this feature, using of materials with different thicknesses is made possible. And the transfer quality is maintained.
PROS
- Happy Buy heat press is a 6 in 1 press. It comes with a mug press, hat press, plate press and platen press.
- The different presses are easily interchangeable.
- Bearing a swing away design, the heating board always faces downwards, maintaining an even downward pressure on the transfer surface.
- The rotation of the heating board is a full 360 degrees.
- This press has a temperature range of 32 to 480 degrees Fahrenheit.
CONS
- This swing away heat press machine takes up a lot of space when open.
OrangeA Heat Press 8 in 1 Swing Away Heat Press Machine 1400W
Arguing its case to become the top swing away heat press is the Orange A. And it makes such a compelling argument. It’s first of all an 8 in 1 press. That’s right! With this one purchase, you get a 12 by 15-inch platen press, a 6 by 3 hat press, four mug presses and two plate presses. All these are easily interchangeable.
The lower platform detaches without a hitch, allowing for the attachment of your preferred press. Because of this versatility, you’ll be able to make beautifully labeled t-shirts, mugs, coasters, mouse pads, and ceramics.
Also, thanks to the full angle pressure adjustment knob, using materials of varied thicknesses is made possible.
The temperature can be viewed in either Fahrenheit or Celsius. The temperature range of the Orange A is from 32 to 430 degrees Fahrenheit.
The durability of the machine is also assured. It has a metallic and plastic build with the cradle made of aluminum. Such a combination ensures that the Orange A handles heavy work as well as it would the light work.
The swing away design also makes it easy to operate this press without worrying about accidental injury from the hot element. And the downward pressure is evenly maintained, ensuring your transfer quality is consistent.
PROS
- The Orange A is an 8 in 1 heat press. It comes with a platen press, a hat press, four mug presses and two plate presses.
- The swing away design enables one to rotate the heating board at a full 360 degrees.
- This press has temperature readings in Fahrenheit and Celsius.
- The lower platform is easily detachable to attach the press of your choice.
- Made of metal and plastic combination, this press is built to be durable.
- Its full range pressure adjustment knob makes it easy to use materials of varying thicknesses.
CONS
- The swing away design takes up a lot of space when open.
Choosing the Best Swing Away Heat Press
They are many presses, right? The heat press machines are much more today than they’ve ever been. That means that chances of you selecting one that is substandard are higher. But also, among the really good manufacturers, there are some factors to consider before making a purchase. Here’s our guide.
Purpose
What do you want a heat press for? Are you going to be working on small projects or do you want one for business? Will you only concentrate on t-shirts or will you also be transferring on other merchandise?
These are pertinent questions that need answers before a choice is made. It would be of no use buying a really expensive, heavy duty heat press only to work on a few home projects. Similarly, jumping onto a low cost heat press for commercial use wouldn’t be a good idea either. Know what your purpose is.
Size
Once you’re sure of your purpose, you’ll be able to identify the heat press that fits your specific needs. There are smaller presses which can’t handle large format transfers. If at some point you’ll make these large format transfers then ensure you get a large sized heat press.
Versatility
Some heat presses come with different presses to transfer on different surfaces. There are 5 in one machines, 6 in one machines and even 8 in 1 presses. The difference is the number of plates you get with it. So if you’ll also be transferring on mugs, caps, plates and also t-shirts find one of these. If a t-shirt is all you’re interested in transferring to then perhaps you’ll be better off with the presses with just a heat platen.
Temperature range
This is often overlooked but is equally as important as the other factors. Different heat presses have different temperature ranges. Again, if you only want a simple home press, then one with lower a low temperature range will do. However, those intending to get into business need a press with a higher temperature range.
More things
And of course, the warranty. This is what will help you sift out the substandard from the quality product. If a manufacturer offers a short warranty period, that’s a sign that even they aren’t certain about their product.
A good warranty should be at least a year. Anything less should be cause for alarm. On top of that, there has to be good customer service. Read through other customer reviews. The manufacturer should be happy to replace any parts that develop faults even after expiration of the warranty period.
Finally
There’s no need to stumble and make a wrong decision. With this guide in how to choose the best swing away heat press, you can’t go wrong. And if you find the options to many, just narrow it down to the five we’ve featured here. Each one has a quality that is sure to benefit you.
Whether it’s for business or home use, using the right heat press will determine the quality of the outcome.
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