DSF

We're in the market for a mug press, ideally one that can do more than 1 at a time AND, maybe do other things too.

What would you buy?

John

Funnily enough I was just thinking about mug presses today. I'm now using a DF10 from BMS. For what it cost it seems to be doing a first class job. I used to use a dual head press from Listawood which was quick but I struggled to get a decent full wrap image. Very expensive bit of kit. Personally I think you're better off having 2 seperate presses, still way cheaper.

I had a George Knight DK3 for a while. The rolls royce of mug presses they say! Uhm. Mine was a refurb from SN, still very expensive. I never got on with it that well to be honest and I don't (personally speaking) care for George Knight presses anyway.

The other alternative would be the halogen oven. I've used these a lot. First one I paid through the nose for at SubliNation, then bought a JML £50 oven. Both worked identically. You have to factor in decent wraps at around £25 each and you need 8 pre oven so it gets quite expensive.
I found it took 20 minutes to 'cook' 4 mugs properley. You don't save a huge amount on time but you can have 4 more mugs always ready to go in.
Heat proof gloves essential, the mugs get incredibly hot and it takes a bit of getting used to taking the wraps off whilst hot!

My advice, all depends on how many mugs you need to do. 2 seperate presses, maybe try a cheaper one first as I have. If it's a particularly big job it's worth getting it outsourced, no labour for you and a very healthy mark-up.

Justin

Seems you've used a few Justin!

Very interesting to hear your comments on the glass ovens. We have one but the element's gone - it's not a halogen one!



When they were first advertised on Subli-nation I was staggered at the price!

Anyway, how well fo they work?
How consistant are the results?
Where did you buy the clamps from and what type did you buy?

Seriously interested in one of those.

We presently have The Mug Machine



John

Are you sure that wasn't a halogen oven? Looks identical. I caught 10 seconds of the Shopping channel the other day whilst channel surfing and JML are still marketing them on there. Seems you can cook pies in them as well, lol.

I think we got the wraps from SN if I remember correctly.

These were the first ones I tried which were ok but not brilliant.The second ones were heavier duty with a full height handle

These were the ones I got on much better with, much better quality and heavier duty. These are also much easier to remove with your heat gloves on.

Overall I got on ok with the wraps. I would say the finished image appears very slightly blurred compared to a normal press. This may have been down to me overcooking them slightly but I think having the image cooking for such a length of time exposed to that heat you're not going to get 100% crisp image. That said, I wouldn't think many customers would tell the difference. Results were consistent, full wrap can be achieved but they have to be very tight. Also, I had to use a paper insert inbetween the transfer and the wrap as the image blows through (Xpres paper) which adds to the overall time. Bit fiddly to get the hang of using wraps. At least you could buy a couple and an oven for about £100 and give it a go. You'd have no problem selling them on if you didn't get on well with it (On this forum of course!)

Justin

No, it's not a halogen oven. I removed the element



I might be able to find a replacement. I think it was called a whirlwind oven but I don't know the brand.

There is a mug press on eBay that does 5 mugs at a time BUT @ £1000 + they must be dreaming.

John

I've seen those 5 mug presses, very expensive. I looked at importing a similar one which was way cheaper, I'll dig out the details.

Justin

This is the multiple press I was talking about.



Not sure if it would be any good but price wise it's about £110. Obviously you need to factor in shipping, import tax and vat but it would still be significantly cheaper. It looks to be a cheaper version of the eBay one in terms of build quality but then that's some price difference! The eBay one claims to offer printing onto handles and also mug bases, I'd like to see that in action.

Certainly looks interesting.

Justin

I have been watching a video for a machine similar to the eBay one. As it's a horizontal press you seem to have to slide the mugs in from one end. Maybe not a big deal but may make it trickier when it comes to removing them?
This press (above post) is a vertical press so should be easier to load/unload.

Justin

Do you have a link for that multiple press Justin?

The one on eBay is over £1000! Assuming you clear £2 a mug in profit, you'd have to make 500 mugs before you start smiling!

I much prefer the top loading mug presses - I think you could get away without taping the paper to the bug!

You have PM!