In The Market for a Tumbler Press?
I was in the market for a new tumbler press. Like most other crafters, I began my tumbler making by using the cooking method and using a convection oven. Tumbler presses weren’t really a “thing” just a few short years ago, so I never purchased one. As the years moved on, I started to see these presses that weren’t specific to mugs (because they had mug presses for years, but I don’t really like making mugs) and my interest piqued.
So I have been looking at the tumbler presses on Amazon for a while, but I was always curious about the reliability of these presses and if they would be worth their price tag. I even had a few of these presses sitting in my Amazon cart ready to make the purchase, but I decided to do something I hadn’t done in a little while…visit the Stainless Depot Company website. I wasn’t going for the press, I was going for the drinkware, but I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived.
The Stainless Depot (aka HOGG) now carries their own brand of heat press! They have single and double tumbler presses and a 9”x12” clam shell craft press. I purchased their HOGG Heat Press - Tumbler Press and it arrived very fast. I purchased on a Tuesday night and the press was at my front door Friday morning!
Weight and Packaging:
This machine was packaged very well. It was surrounded by styrofoam to keep it stable in the box and everything had it’s own place. But let’s back up…picking up the box from the porch was not a hassle like other presses. This press is heavy enough to be heavy duty and quality, but not ridiculously heavy that it’s difficult to move. After I got the press inside, I immediately opened the outer box. Inside was the HOGG branded box that had corner protectors to protect the box and the product. The entire box was wrapped in plastic, so I cut off the plastic and carefully opened the box. The press was securely wrapped in a plastic bag and sitting comfortably within the styrofoam.
Set-up:
The set up was SO EASY! I was able to almost literally plug and play with this one. The power cord came wrapped separately, so I plugged it in and the white heating cable was attached to the heating pad, but needed to be plugged into the machine and secured by screwing it in. After this, I plugged the power cord into an outlet and switched the power toggle to the on position. Now your press is ready for us!
Heating and Use:
To press my tumblers in the convection oven used to take six minutes at about 350 degrees… THOSE DAYS ARE OVER! This press makes this part of my business more efficient by four whole minutes! I can press a tumbler in as little as two minutes and still get very beautiful and vibrant images. I save on tape, wraps, and there’s less margin for mess ups from not having enough and consistent pressure. Guys…I pressed my first tumbler within five minutes of plugging this press in. The time it takes to heat up to full temp (365 degrees for one minute) allowed me to tape my pre-printed image onto my cup and slide it right in to start pressing. It was just that fast!
This press is long enough to handle the larger/longer cups and there’s plenty of space for wider cups too. I don’t have anything bigger than about a 10” circumference to test, but judging by how long the screw used to tight it is, I would venture to say there’s room for width.
My Recommendation:
I am in love with this press and I absolutely recommend it. If you want a good tumbler press from a good company with quality products, I definitely recommend checking them out. I am not affiliated in any way with the Stainless Depot Company by HOGG, I am just a customer that happens to really like their products. I hope my review helps someone else to make a decision on a great press.
