Hotronix® & Mighty Press® Heat Presses Machines

This page is our review of Hotronix® and Mighty Press® heat presses. The reviews are based on hands-on testing and over 25 years of actually using many different types of heat press machines.

Different heat press features offer different benefits and are only useful if they help do your work. We not only offer comment on specific machine features but also provide ideas about similar heat transfer machines, with different features, when appropriate.

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Hotronix® Swinger 16x20 Heat Press

• The extraordinarily easy to open and close CAM mechanism is a blessing for those without great arm strength and an energy saver for those who have to press a lot in one day. Literally, a child can open and close the press.

• We are really impressed with the built-in pressure sensor. The pressure numbers on the LCD screen approximate PSI settings (used by an air compressor). While not exact, it’s very close. No other manual press (except the below Hotronix® Draw) has this feature. It makes pressing easier and more accurate.

• The bottom platen is slightly elevated, by the metal support post under it. This makes it very easy to pull a garment onto the table (you will need a Teflon pad protector on the bottom), press one side, pull it off, reverse and then pull it back on, to imprint the other side. In the past, we have done a lot of front and back printing, on presses that didn’t have this ability. The work was slow, tedious and aggravating to the point that most of the time we were grinding our teeth before we finished!

• The additional (optional) 6x10 and 8x10 lower tables can also be helpful. By unscrewing two big knob screws, the table can be easily removed and the other tables installed. This is a real benefit when you run into jobs where a 16x20 table is just too big. Even the 7” round table is great when you have to deal with the seams on a round gym bag.

• This is also an excellent press if you want to print both sides of adult shirts. There is enough room under the lower platen so that you can pull a shirt on to do one side and then reverse it to do the other side.

• The separate open and close handle on the press doesn’t look like a big deal; unless you have operated a big swinger that doesn’t have one!

• Heavy-duty bearings in the press make swinging it like gliding on ice and overall the press is built to last a very long time. Adding to appeal is the fact that it is Underwriter Laboratory (UL) approved.

If there were such a thing as a 5-Star rating for heat presses, we think this 16x20 swinger would have it!

FREE freight on this press, within the continental USA

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Hotronix® Draw 16x20 Heat Press

Professionally speaking, this press fascinates us. We generally prefer swingers for utility and clamshells for speed. The Hotronix® Draw combines most of these two benefits in one press.

• Here is what we mean. The press opens and closes straight up and down. This provides even front-to-back pressure on really thick items (like a swinger) but uses less table space (like a clamshell). The tray is very easy to pull out and push in and is almost as fast to operate as a manual clamshell. Add the fact that heat is never in front of your face (and you can look straight down, for easy alignment) and you have a very comfortable, easy to operate press.

• Like the above Hotronix® Swinger, the same extraordinarily easy to open and close CAM mechanism (that opens and closes the press) is a blessing for those without great arm strength and an energy saver for those who have to press a lot in one day.

• Also, like the Hotronix® Swinger, the “Draw” has the same impressive built-in pressure sensor. The pressure numbers on the LCD screen approximate PSI settings (used by air compressors). While not exact, it’s very close. No other manual press (except the above Hotronix® Swinger) has this feature. It makes pressing easier and more accurate.

• And, also like the Hotronix® Swinger, additional (optional) 6x10 and 8x10 are available. By unscrewing two big knob screws, the table can be removed and the other tables installed. This is a real benefit when you run into jobs where a 16x20 table is just too big. Even the 7” round table is great when you have to deal with the seams on a round gym bag.

• Heavy-duty bearings in the press table make opening and closing “baby-bottom” smooth and overall the press is built to last a very long time. Adding to appeal is the fact that it is Underwriter Laboratory (UL) approved, for electrical safety.

• This is also an excellent press if you want to print both sides of adult shirts. There is enough room under the lower platen so that you can pull a shirt on to do one side and then reverse it to do the other side.

The only potential caveat that we could discern is the fact that you need to keep the table under your press clean and smooth. The edges of large garments will be off the bottom platen and touching the table, as you slide the tray in and out.

Frankly, we don’t know whether to give this press 4.9 stars, because of the above, or 5.1 stars because it doesn’t matter.

FREE freight on this press, within the continental USA

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Hotronix® Auto Opening Clamshell Heat Presses 16x20, 16x16, 11x15

Comments about specifics, including size start off in red

Note - All 3 sizes are listed together because the specs are the same.

These auto opening presses are really well-built and were a pleasure to operate, when we tested them.

However, because the auto opening feature is several hundred dollars more than a regular digital press (like the Mighty Press® Digital), you will want to carefully consider if it is worth the extra money, to you.

Here are some situations where we think it is worth considering the extra money. You may have more.

• If there will be times when you may be doing a lot of something. All presses have to open and close. Auto open means half the physical work. An electromagnetic lockdown means even the other half is much easier.

• If you don’t have 100% use of your limbs (like arthritis, for example). Granted, the press is very easy to close but auto open still means you will only be using your limbs half as much.

• If you always pre-press, before applying your transfer. This is important, so I will explain. The best Pro results come from stretching the shirt, putting the garment on your press and then applying heat for 4-5 seconds. This removes any moisture and wrinkles and makes all fibers uniform, for a flatter and more even lay of the transfer. The Hotronix® Auto open makes this technique very easy and efficient. Here’s how: I used a sheet of our Alpha Double Green heat transfer paper, so I set the press for 385°, 20 seconds and medium pressure (5 on the pressure setting). I placed the garment on the press and pulled the top platen down for 4 seconds, without clamping it shut. When the heater block touches the shirt, the time counter starts going backwards. When the counter read 16 seconds I just let go and the heater block moved back up (it is very quiet, by the way). The time cycle reset to 20 seconds as it moved up and I already had my transfer in my hand, ready to position and press. Yes, you can certainly do this procedure with a regular clamshell, but with one big difference: if you let go of the handle on a regular press, it will “clank” up fast and hard, with a sound like a hammer hitting metal. Not good!

• Direct print to garment shirts: I wouldn’t consider anything except the 16x20 auto. There is some nonsense going around that you can cure direct printed garments in a dryer oven. Don’t believe it! The garments require light pressure. Also, since the garments need about 90 seconds to cure, that is a little too much time to just be “standing around”. The auto open feature makes sure that you do not ruin a garment if you are doing something else.

• Magnetic Lock-Down. All of the presses can be closed with about “3-fingers” worth of force, at a 5 (medium) pressure setting. You also won’t feel the familiar “jerk” (of a totally manual press) as you close, because the electromagnetic holder kicks in and does the final close for you. Stahl’s is the original innovator of the auto-opening clamshell and they got it right with this benefit.

  •16x20 Size: If I wanted the benefits of this type press and thought there was even a small chance that I might want to do 11x17 prints, I would get this size.

  •16x16 Size: If I knew that I would never do 11x17 prints, I would probably pick this size. It’s interesting that Stahl’s chose to make this press a 16x16, rather than the traditional 15x15 size. We are seeing more and more preprinted transfers that are about 12x15 (most are about 12x14) and this press covers them very nicely.

  •11x15 Size: Personally, I wouldn’t consider this size unless I was absolutely positive that I would never do a heat transfer bigger than 10x14. If I wasn’t that dead certain, I would move up to the 16x16 size. Thinking about it, even if I was dead certain, I would probably still save up a couple of hundred more bucks and get the 16x16. There are just too many heat press jobs/opportunities, which an 11x15 won’t cover.
  

I know this has been a long section but, for many, a heat press is a major investment and we felt like you deserved all the helpful facts

As we tested the Hotronix® Auto Open series, I also confess to feeling a little envious of folks now. Twenty years ago we could not have even imagined a slick press like the STX series. We did things the old-fashioned way…with arm power.

FREE freight on these presses, within the continental USA

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Hotronix® Auto Opening Hover Press 16x20

Maximize the production of digital direct-to-garment printing with the new Hotronix® Hover Press™, a brand new patent pending heat press manufactured exclusively by Stahls’ Hotronix®. The Hover Press™ includes digital time, temperature and pressure displays and allows the operator to set the press for two functions: hover or pressure. The Hotronix® Hover Press™ also features the new Twin Timer™ function which allows the user to program two independent time settings to count down any two-step process without resetting the timer.

Features:

• Two Modes – The first setting is for off contact and the second is for pressure.
  In both settings, once the cycle has ended, the press automatically pops up
  ensuring that the shirt will not be scorched or burned even if the operator is not
  standing by the machine.
• Three Settings – The Hotronix® Hover Press™ can be set in three combinations.
  In addition to hover and pressure settings, it also can be set to hover on the fi rst
  and second settings or apply pressure on both settings.
• Digital Time, Temperature and Pressure Displays
• New Twin Timer™ feature for programming two independent time settings.
• Automatic Open
• Magnetic Assist Lock Down

• The press can be tailored to the job at hand and the different requirements it
  may have.
• Designed for direct-to-garment, it can also be used for any type of traditional
  heat-applied graphics.

FREE freight on this press, within the continental USA

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The MAXX Digital Clamshell Heat Presses
16x20 - 15x15 - 11x15

Except for not having the electromagnet lockdown and auto open feature, these digital clamshell presses are virtually identical to the STX Auto Open series above.

That also makes these presses $200-250 cheaper than the STX Auto Open series.

That’s a good savings if you really don’t need the auto open feature, but do want a solid, dependable production press.

The bottom platen of this press screws onto the base. By unscrewing it, any one of three optional bottom platens (6x10, 8x10 or 7" round) can be attached. This can be very handy for imprinting small items or areas. The round is most often used for gym bags.

If I were still in the retail business this is the type of press that I could stick in my shop or take on the road with me and have no worries. It may not be as “sexy” as the STX series but I would still know that if I had to crank out 500 pressings in one day, this baby would get the job done.

One thing that puzzles many is the 200° - 430° temperature range. Stahls’ uses extremely accurate temperature probes and since no heat pressing is ever done below 200° F, they are all calibrated to activate the LCD readout at 200°. When the temperature reaches 201°, the display starts changing. It’s really a non-issue and we just share it for a FYI.

Without being fancy, this is a solid workhorse. You’ll be happy if you get it.

FREE freight on these presses, within the continental USA

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Mighty Press® 16x20 & 15x15 - Clamshell Heat Press

• The 15x15 size accommodates most preprinted transfers

• At 1750 watts, it is considerably more powerful than the Porta or the Lite (or 15x15 presses from other manufacturers, for that matter)

• The autotimer is built in, rather than being separate

• The over the center pressure adjustment and floating top platen means that there is no “pinch” that creates uneven pressure as is true with standard clamshell presses

• The press accepts items up to 7/8” thick

• It is cheaper than any other comparable press, of its type

This press is solid enough that even when you later need bigger and better (and who doesn’t hope that success requires that happy need), the heat press will still be useful as a production overflow press.

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Mighty Press® Porta 11x15 Clamshell Heat Press

Because this press is a step below the 15x15 clamshell above, it is cheaper in price, with fewer features.

The most obvious, of course, is size. The 11x15 size will do 8.5x11 heat transfers and patches, number, etc. very nicely but it will be too small to do the majority of preprinted transfers.

The press comes with a hand held timer that has a magnet on the back to attach it to the machine.

Also, while the press certainly gets and stays hot enough to do your work, at 1000 watts it is not nearly as powerful as the Mighty Press 15x15. Of course this could be an advantage if you are operating from a generator and every amp counts (it only draws 8.5 amps).

I would personally want at least the 15x15 above but if it fits your needs and budget, you don’t have to worry about reliability; like all Stahls’ presses, it is built solid.

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Mighty Press® Lite 11x15 Clamshell Heat Press

Stahls’ builds the “Lite” to offer the budget conscious a reliable and sturdy press for the least amount of money.

While it is the cheapest press that Stahls’ offers it is not cheaply made! It actually has some interesting and useful features.

• Unlike any other clamshell, it opens up 80°. This gives you plenty of room to work, with no danger of hitting your knuckles on a hot platen (unless you just didn’t have your morning coffee and your eyes are shut).

• The temperature gauge is easy to set, like an oven. When the heat indicating light goes out, you’re ready.

• It actually uses less table space than the two 9x12 portable swing-away presses that we offer from other manufacturers.

• The big handle and long opening arm makes the press much easier to open and close than even smaller presses.

• At $399 the Mighty Press® Lite is $100 higher than the 9x12 presses but, unlike the 9x12’s, it boasts a lifetime warranty on the heater element (verses 1 year on them) and is UL approved for electrical safety. This tells me that Stahls’ is very confident in their press. You don’t provide a lifetime warranty on anything that you think will give you problems.

The only thing it lacks is a timer. You will need to buy your own for $4-5.

While I would personally want a bit more press than this, a person has gotta start somewhere. If this is where you need to start, you at least will know that this is a reliable and safe press.

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Hotronix® Cap – Auto-opening
Other Cap presses Digital - Analog

This machine is a reasonably priced, very rugged, upscale cap press.

In the old days we also did a lot of caps and we would have snatched this one up in a heartbeat, had it been available.

Here’s why-

First, the sucker is built like a tank; solid, with a feeling of invincibility. As you use a heat press, they give you a certain “feel”. As we racked up a few dozen caps, during our testing, we got the feeling that it was like the Energizer® bunny; It would just keep going and going.

Second, and perhaps most importantly, is the availability of six different sizes of lower platens (all other cap press that we know about only offer three). If you have never done caps before you probably don’t know how critical having the right sized platen is, for efficient, quality production. The importance of having a perfectly fitted lower platen cannot be over-stated.

The reason it is so critical is that in the press, you are putting a curved object on top of another curved object. If the radii of the two curves don’t match (too large or too small), you will get a “hump” somewhere in the cap front (unfortunately, usually in the middle). At best, this effect makes some caps very difficult to imprint. At worst, some types of caps will be impossible to imprint, without creasing.

The extra, optional platen sizes are: Youth – 2.5 x 3, Full – 4 x 6.5, Low Crown – 2.75 x 6.5, Foam Front – 4 x 8 and 6 Panel – 3 x 5.75. Rounding out the benefits is the low $45 each for the attachments, about 25% cheaper than most cap presses.

Third, is the innovative hold-down device of the Hotronix® Cap press.
Every other cap press that we have used has some type of spring-loaded hold-down at the bottom of the press. With this system, the back of the cap is hooked onto the hold-down and then you lift the cap and bring it up, to position it on the lower platen. While the tension is not great, there is enough (especially on small caps) to often cause a bit of a “struggle”, to seat the cap on the platen correctly.

Truthfully, the Hotronix® hold-down is so simple that it kind of irritated me that we didn’t have it on our cap presses in the old days. On the Hotronix® press, the cap is put on the lower platen first. The position of the seated cap puts the back of the cap very close to the lower platen support. After positioning the cap, you then push a small lever on the right side of the platen support. This lever pushes a hold-down bar down, inside the cap, and it is secured. Very cool!

Other points that we liked:

• The platens are very “quick-change”. Pull one straight up, out of the centering pins and put another in its place.

• The 90° opening means that if you can walk and chew gum at the same time, there is no danger of burning your hands.

• We took the platens to a cap wholesaler in Nashville. As we wandered around their warehouse, we couldn’t find any cap that would not fit perfectly on one of the six platens.

• The auto-open feature is very handy and the base cost of the press is just a little more than standard fully digital cap presses.

• The largest lower platen (4x8) is big enough to put most “iron-on” patches on jeans, jackets and shirts.

• Cap presses don’t need as much power as a big 16x20 press, but at 500 watts, it is 50 watts more powerful than others.

This press is a winner, which will serve you well, for many years.

Some closing notes:

Believe it or not, however, we think the most important benefit is the large selection of lower platens. Having gone nuts quite a few times trying to make a cap seat properly on the wrong-sized lower platen, we don’t think we are overstating this benefit.

Personally, if the ol’ budget would just not allow me to get this press and as many of the platens as possible (you can always purchase more later), I would consider getting the Mighty Press® Cap, listed below.

They made that press very basic, to hold down price, but it is not cheaply made. I would then add as many lower platens as I could afford and get the rest later.

FREE freight on these presses, within the continental USA

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The MAXX® Digital Cap Press
Other Cap presses Auto Opening - Analog

This machine is a reasonably priced, very rugged, upscale cap press.

In the old days we also did a lot of caps and we would have snatched this one up in a heartbeat, had it been available.

Here’s why-

First, the sucker is built like a tank; solid, with a feeling of invincibility. As you use a heat press, they give you a certain “feel”. As we racked up a few dozen caps, during our testing, we got the feeling that it was like the Energizer® bunny; It would just keep going and going.

Second, and perhaps most importantly, is the availability of six different sizes of lower platens (all other cap press that we know about only offer three). If you have never done caps before you probably don’t know how critical having the right sized platen is, for efficient, quality production. The importance of having a perfectly fitted lower platen cannot be over-stated.

The reason it is so critical is that in the press, you are putting a curved object on top of another curved object. If the radii of the two curves don’t match (too large or too small), you will get a “hump” somewhere in the cap front (unfortunately, usually in the middle). At best, this effect makes some caps very difficult to imprint. At worst, some types of caps will be impossible to imprint, without creasing.

The extra, optional platen sizes are: Youth – 2.5 x 3, Full – 4 x 6.5, Low Crown – 2.75 x 6.5, Foam Front – 4 x 8 and 6 Panel – 3 x 5.75. Rounding out the benefits is the low $45 each for the attachments, about 25% cheaper than most cap presses.

Other points that we liked:

• The platens are very “quick-change”. Pull one straight up, out of the centering pins and put another in its place.

• The 90° opening means that if you can walk and chew gum at the same time, there is no danger of burning your hands.

• We took the platens to a cap wholesaler in Nashville. As we wandered around their warehouse, we couldn’t find any cap that would not fit perfectly on one of the six platens.

• The largest lower platen (4x8) is big enough to put most “iron-on” patches on jeans, jackets and shirts.

• Cap presses don’t need as much power as a big 16x20 press, but at 500 watts, it is 50 watts more powerful than others.

This press is a winner, which will serve you well, for many years.

Some closing notes:

Believe it or not, however, we think the most important benefit is the large selection of lower platens. Having gone nuts quite a few times trying to make a cap seat properly on the wrong-sized lower platen, we don’t think we are overstating this benefit.

Personally, if the ol’ budget would just not allow me to get this press and as many of the platens as possible (you can always purchase more later), I would consider getting the Mighty Press® Cap, listed below.

They made that press very basic, to hold down price, but it is not cheaply made. I would then add as many lower platens as I could afford and get the rest later.

FREE freight on this press, within the continental USA

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Mighty Press® Cap
Other Cap presses Auto Opening - Digital

As we stated at the ending of our above review on the Auto Open cap press above, Stahls’ made this cap press very basic, to hold down price.

As is true with all Stahls’ presses, however, cheap price does not mean cheaply made. This press is actually a lot better than the cap press that we used in the old retails days and we made a lot of caps.

At $495, the cap press is the cheapest on the market but still has all the necessary features to do a good job:

• While not fully digital, the auto reset timer and analog dial temperature control and large temperature gauge is accurate and easy to use.

• The lever action clamp that holds the back of the cap is the same method used on the auto open cap press.

• The extra 5 lower platens for the auto open cap press also fit this press and change just as quickly and easily.

• Like the auto open, it is 50 watts more powerful than other presses on the market.

This is a lot of press for the money. Caps are an often overlooked opportunity by many and they leave a lot of easy money on the table.

Caps are very inexpensive and heat transfer costs are next to nothing because the imprint area is so small (relative to a T-shirt). Custom caps that sell for $7-9 often have less than two bucks in them.

Caps and shirts go together as naturally as biscuits and gravy. If price has stopped you from “throwing your hat” into the ring, consider this press. It’s almost as good as an annuity.

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Hotronix® STX6 (6x6) Auto Opening

I think of this press like a beautifully balanced carpenters hammer: if you don’t need to pound a lot of nails, it doesn’t matter what you use. If you do, it’s a joy to use a perfect tool!

Presses this small are commonly referred to as “Label Presses”. This is because the garment industry is the biggest user. However, the press has plenty of uses for heat transfer and sublimation decorators.

Don’t let the small size fool you. The press has every feature of Stahls’ big 16x20 Hotronix® Auto Open, so it just as sophisticated. However, because the press is small, it is perfect for small and awkward items that are very difficult to deal with, when using a regular press.

The fact that it includes the auto open feature and at 1000 watts is much more powerful than other label presses just adds butter to the toast.

As an example of the usefulness of this type press, I can remember several times in the old days when we had to decorate hundreds of tote bags with a regular press.

The only way we could do them (because of the seams and drawstring) was to insert a piece of a mouse pad inside the tote, press it, then remove the mouse pad and repeat. Aaaarg! With the SDX6 I would have just opened the tote and pulled it onto the lower platen.

No matter if you are a high volume manufacturer or an entrepreneur decorating baby clothes, this press is a winner for specialty needs!

FREE freight on this press, within the continental USA

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Hotronix® Swinger (air operated) 22x22 & 16x20 Please contact us for more information about these presses. Hotronix® Air Operated Swinger 22x22 (table design) Ships by truck Table top model – 265 lbs. 37x25x24 Pedestal model – 427 lbs. 36x48x62 1750 watts, 14.5 amps, 110 volts $4,250 Buy Hotronix® Air Operated Swinger 16x20 (table design) Ships by truck Table top model – 165 lbs. 37x25x24 Pedestal model – 315 lbs. 36x48x62 1750 watts, 14.5 amps, 110 volts $3,150 Buy <- Back to press description - Go to top -^

This completes your learning tour of Stahls’ heat presses.
Click next to learn about HIX heat presses or click here to skip to Designing Made Easy.

Updated: Wednesday September 8, 2010