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screen printing => Equipment => Topic started by: Hey Monkey on January 20, 2015, 07:55:53 AM
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Hey folks...
About to pull the trigger on a new manual press. Vastex 2000 6color 4station or an M&R. I was settled on a Kruzer but I like that the Vastex can upgrade colors/stations so maybe one of the slightly higher end M&R presses? Moving to automatic is not a concern as I will stay a manual shop. Thanks so much for your advice and opinions!
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Have products from both, more than happy with both.
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Those are the great presses to choose from. Just out of curiosity, why Antec Legend is not on the list?
Was it eliminated, or it was never on the list?
That press is maybe the lightest press to operate, very easy to turn and set up. Easy to turn gets helpful on a long runs, your hands will thank you.
Easy to set up and holds registration for a loooooong time. I have a 23 year old press that runs like a champ.
I believe there is a pretty good deal on Digitsmith on the used on (In florida)
Good luck, you will not make a mistake with any of those presses.
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Those are the great presses to choose from. Just out of curiosity, why Antec Legend is not on the list?
Was it eliminated, or it was never on the list?
That press is maybe the lightest press to operate, very easy to turn and set up. Easy to turn gets helpful on a long runs, your hands will thank you.
Easy to set up and holds registration for a loooooong time. I have a 23 year old press that runs like a champ.
I believe there is a pretty good deal on Digitsmith on the used on (In florida)
Good luck, you will not make a mistake with any of those presses.
Hey there!
It was on the list. And whenever I would read about Vastex and M&R the Antec would come up for that reason you mentioned. I have some good (somewhat) local dealers for both Vastex and M&R which had steered me towards them. That and the claims of great quality and service. Not that Antec doesn't have that I just seem to hear about it regarding Vastex and M&R at every turn.
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Those are the great presses to choose from. Just out of curiosity, why Antec Legend is not on the list?
Was it eliminated, or it was never on the list?
That press is maybe the lightest press to operate, very easy to turn and set up. Easy to turn gets helpful on a long runs, your hands will thank you.
Easy to set up and holds registration for a loooooong time. I have a 23 year old press that runs like a champ.
I believe there is a pretty good deal on Digitsmith on the used on (In florida)
Good luck, you will not make a mistake with any of those presses.
Hey there!
It was on the list. And whenever I would read about Vastex and M&R the Antec would come up for that reason you mentioned. I have some good (somewhat) local dealers for both Vastex and M&R which had steered me towards them. That and the claims of great quality and service. Not that Antec doesn't have that I just seem to hear about it regarding Vastex and M&R at every turn.
Not that you will need much service/support on a manual press... but don't discount those 2 companies, they both provide great sales/service and will be there for you if you ever need them.
We have a Vastex Manual and while we barely ever use it anymore it was a great piece of equipment for us when we did.
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Excellent to hear. I will be talking with M&R today hopefully and go from there.
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I have a Kruzer and it's very nice. You get a lot of bang for your buck with that press. Like others have said, you won't go wrong with any choice.
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I have a Kruzer and it's very nice. You get a lot of bang for your buck with that press. Like others have said, you won't go wrong with any choice.
I was pretty much dead set on a Kruzer. The Vastex started to appeal so I could upgrade colors/stations if I wanted. But I am and always will be a smaller shop so 6c 4s may be all I need.
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I have a Kruzer and it's very nice. You get a lot of bang for your buck with that press. Like others have said, you won't go wrong with any choice.
I was pretty much dead set on a Kruzer. The Vastex started to appeal so I could upgrade colors/stations if I wanted. But I am and always will be a smaller shop so 6c 4s may be all I need.
I'm curious as to why you always want to be a manual shop?
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I have a vatex and love it. I looked at m&r but got a great deal on mine. I was Contemplating the Kruzer but I believe the v2000 is a better press. Even my sales rep told me the Kruzer was more entry level.
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I'm curious as to why you always want to be a manual shop?
I have been a graphic designer for a long time. A few years ago I got burnt out. Bad. I needed a change. I wanted to make things with my hands again. I love pulling the squeegee, getting different textures and results with different pressures. Being able to make art again with my hands. Prince Ink Co. out of the VA are my inspirations.
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I'm curious as to why you always want to be a manual shop?
I have been a graphic designer for a long time. A few years ago I got burnt out. Bad. I needed a change. I wanted to make things with my hands again. I love pulling the squeegee, getting different textures and results with different pressures. Being able to make art again with my hands. Prince Ink Co. out of the VA are my inspirations.
Nothing wrong with that. The only thing I can add is I never thought I'd be an auto shop either (for different reasons) but it looks like I'm going down that road sometime sooner than later. I wish when I started buying my equipment I would have bought more in mind with an auto. You never know, you might change your mind someday or get burnt out pulling a squeegee.
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I just purchased a new manual for my shop, and after almost going with the Kruzer ended up with picking up a used Sidewinder with side clamps/air locks in great condition for 20% more. I watched the Kruzer video and was impressed with the build quality and features for the price point, but for just a bit more the Sidewinder was just too tough to pass up.
The main reason I went with M&R was for the pallet sharing capability with my auto. I've had a Legend and a Rototex previous to this and they are both great machines as well. Never used a Vastex, but I've heard good things about them.
As mentioned already, I'd take a look over at Digitsmith as there are some top notch used/refurbished manual presses on there right now. Not taking anything away from the Kruzer, but depending on your budget you may be able to get a bit more bang for your buck buying used.
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I have an Antec Legend 4/6 (color) sitting in storage right now.
Let me know if interested in used.
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I have been a graphic designer for a long time. A few years ago I got burnt out. Bad. I needed a change. I wanted to make things with my hands again. I love pulling the squeegee, getting different textures and results with different pressures. Being able to make art again with my hands. Prince Ink Co. out of the VA are my inspirations.
Same exact story for me. Started out with a Harco manual, then moved up to Antec because they're made here in VA, and now the Antec collects dust because the auto is all I use.
I wouldn't rule Antec out especially if you plan to stay manual, much lighter than more presses while build quality is really nice.
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Dual gate registration is what we loved about it!
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We have a Kruzer. While M&R does call it "entry level", it far exceeds most presses out there in the same category. We have a Sidewinder also and there are definite differences there, but for the price, a Kruzer is an excellent option. I'm not familiar enough with Vastex to comment on them.
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I wish the Kruzer wasn't advertised as "entry level". It is much more robust and feature full than every other "entry level" press on the market. I would say the Vastex is definitely a great machine and I think you will be happy with either option.
That said, here is why I went with a Kruzer:
-Pallets: the Vastex pallets sit high above the arm, which means you cannot fit smaller width shirts on wider pallets, limiting print area. The quick release, leveling system, and availability of options when it comes to pallet size/shape are also top notch with the Kruzer.
-Side Clamps: these are GREAT. I could expand on why, but basically they are superior to a back clamp in every way I can think of. You can get side clamps for the Vastex, but you start getting into the price range of presses like the sidewinder when you add them.
-Price: The only downsides I saw to the Kruzer were 4 stations instead of 6 and no air locks for the screen clamp. Getting another press with those two features would more than double the price, and for comparable 6/4 presses without air locks, you're still looking at a hefty jump in price unless you can find a great deal on the used market.
Compatibility with a future auto also played a roll for me, even though I will likely remain a manual printer for the foreseeable future.
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Don't underestimate platen compatibility in the future...
we bought a few different sets of platens for our kruzer (sleeve, leg, etc)
we're printing a big order of sleeve prints next week, and instead of having to buy 12 new sleeve platens, we only need to buy 8 to fill out the auto... when we do youth prints or other smallish prints on the kruzer, we use some of the youth platens from the auto on it... very nice to not have to buy different platens that aren't compatible...
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Thank you everyone!! I think I am pulling the trigger on the Vastex.
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Well... I am an all Vastex shop a few weeks from now! really excited to step up to some real printing equipment. Thanks to you all for the advice and opinions.
Christmas in February!
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Well... I am an all Vastex shop a few weeks from now! really excited to step up to some real printing equipment. Thanks to you all for the advice and opinions.
Christmas in February!
Congrats man, that's a great press. Be sure to post some pics when you get it.. 8)
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Vas-tastic!
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Well... I am an all Vastex shop a few weeks from now! really excited to step up to some real printing equipment. Thanks to you all for the advice and opinions.
Christmas in February!
That thing's a piece of crap. Good luck with it.
:) Just kidding. Congrats on stepping your game up.
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Well... I am an all Vastex shop a few weeks from now! really excited to step up to some real printing equipment. Thanks to you all for the advice and opinions.
Christmas in February!
That thing's a piece of crap. Good luck with it.
I started on a Vastex 4 color in '75, very different than what they make today. It was a little clunky, but did good work. I'm sure you'll be happy with your choice, at least for a little while; as you grow, you'll go through changes, you might even end up with an auto...
Steve
:) Just kidding. Congrats on stepping your game up.
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Well... I am an all Vastex shop a few weeks from now! really excited to step up to some real printing equipment. Thanks to you all for the advice and opinions.
Christmas in February!
That thing's a piece of crap. Good luck with it.
:) Just kidding. Congrats on stepping your game up.
LOL! I was all "Whaaaaa?!! Oh no..." I am excited. You should have seen what I have been printing on...
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Woohoo!! Got my shipping notice! Equipment should hit the floor on Feb 6!
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Woohoo!! Got my shipping notice! Equipment should hit the floor on Feb 6!
Great machines and an awesome staff of people at Vastex. You will love it.
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we bought all Vastex equipment a la carte about 6 years ago, V2000 6/6. The stuff is built like a brick shirthouse, you will get a little tired if spinnin' that thing after a few hundred shirts a day but you will never wear it out, bend it break it or regret your choice .
If you are handy the rectangular arms are great platforms for any custom pallets you care to make.
The only real issue we had with the press was the weak method of securing the pallets to the arms. The two heavy duty hand bolts were a PITA when it came to loading shirts as we found they often caught the shirt when loading especially on smaller sizes.
Also the pallets did not securely hold to the print arms, they would slip a little when you spun the press because the darn thing had so much inertia to over come. We solved this (thanks to a tip from Dot Tone Dan) by adding some non-slip safety tape to the top of the arms and bottom of pallet brackets. We also replaced the grabby hand screws with regular bolts and big washers.
Since then Vastex re-designed the attachment method so you should be good to go.
One thing to watch for is once in a great while after you spin that thing a few thousand times the center bolt on the very top of he press that loads the shaft to the bearings will back out a little . When this happens the machine can get a little loose. A quick half turn to the bolt solves this issue. We keep a wrench on top of the press all the time. Loc-tite would solve this issue but we just twist the bolt a couple times a year.
mooseman