Which Heat Press Should I Buy For Sublimation?

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I am all about saving a buck, but I will be the first to tell you that you get what you pay for when it comes to heat presses. A crappy heat press can get you really far with HTV and other decorating processes but will have problems with sublimation and after a few ruined substrates, you will be on the market for a new press.

The 3 Heat Presses I Own

Hix Swingman 20

Geo Knight DC16

F2C Pro 6 in 1 Combo Heat Press Machine

Swing Away Verus Clam Shell for Sublimation

I may be a little biased because I only have swing away presses, but for sublimation is an important feature to consider. If you already have a calm shell, will it work? Yes, but if you are going to buy a new press, get a swing away.

Since you can sublimate a lot more things then apparel(key chains, ornaments, slates, etc.) having the ability to have the heat platen swing away allows you to be able to properly set up these items without having to worry about burning yourself.

Also since sublimation is a dye process it is important that your transfer sheet doesn’t move while pressing or the design will ghost and not be as clear. A swing away press allows the whole heat platen to come down at the same angle so there is less chance of the design moving and causing issues.

Hix Swingman 20

Hix Swingman 20

This was my very first press and I originally bought it for HTV and I have had it about 5 years and it still works beautifully. This thing is a beast and a workhorse. The platen is 16×20 but it is not threadable for shirts. This is great starter press, even for sublimation and Hix is a name that is well respected.

Things I love about it:

• It’s simplicity
• Heat accuracy
• Size

Geo Knight DC16

Geo Knight DC16

I bought this press used and I’m not really sure how old it is but I have had it a year and it gets used just about every day for at least 5 hours a day at my shop. The heat platen is 14X16 so smaller than the Hix Swingman, but it is threadable for apparel. It also has a digital screen that allows you to program it. It reads your pressure, making it easy to have consistent presses as you change the pressure for different items. This press also has the ability to change the top platen to a plate press or hat press. Also, the size of the bottom can be changed, making this a very versatile press. This press also comes in a 16X20 size as well.

So the biggest reason why I love my Geo Knight is because of their warranty and customer service. In the beginning, when I first got the press(used) I was having issues and I emailed their customer service and Aaron Knight(grandson of the founder, I believe) emailed me directly back and walked me through my problem.

Their warranty is the following:

• FREE Lifetime Tech Support
• Lifetime warranty on heat platen
• 5-year warranty on frame
• 3-year warranty on controller
• 1 year warranty on parts

Things I love about it:

• Digital screen
• Heat accuracy
• Size
• Ability to thread it
• Versatility
• Customer Service

No, I am not getting paid by Geo Knight, I just really love their press and they won me over with their customer service experience. If you only want to buy one press, this is the one. Yes, it is pricey(bought mine used) but now that I have one, if this one ever broke, I wouldn’t think twice about buying another one.

Update: Geo Knight and Stahls are the only two heat press companies that manufacture spare parts for their presses. This means if you have any other press and a part breaks, it won’t be repairable. Both companies are on the higher priced end, but they will be repairable, making it a lifetime investment. I broke my pressure gauge(user error) on the Geo Knight. All I had to do was order the $30 part, and they sent me the manual to fix it. In 30 minutes, I had it repaired again. So simple, if something similar happened on my Hix press, I would have been out the $1000 for the press and starting over!

Amazon No-Name Press

F2C Pro 6 in 1 Combo Heat Press Machine

This is the last press that I bought and you are probably wondering why I bought this press after I had the others, I wonder the same thing…oh well. I will say that not all no-name brand presses on Amazon are not created equal, even if they look like they are the same press in the picture. Before I bought this one, I bought another one that was so crappy it looked rusted and had plastic in all the places and seemed like it was maybe going to last one day. I didn’t give it that long before it was on the porch for UPS to take it back to Amazon(love amazons return policy) Read the reviews, I then read the reviews and found this one. I am sure that it came out of the same factory but this one clearly had the upgraded options, more metal, and just built better because it had the track removable bottom. I have mainly used it for mugs and plates and had success with a little TLC. It is defiantly not my Geo Knight but you can definitely start out with this press and work your way up. Just be patient and you will find the sweet spot on the press an get it to work for you. In the time period, you make ruin a quite a few substrates than with a higher end press.

Things I like about it:

• Digital screen
• Size
• Versatility
• Low Cost