Review – If you’ve ever tried to make a custom shirt without a heat press, you know how difficult it is to successfully adhere vinyl or inkjet iron designs. Success requires uniform pressure and the right heat, which is where equipment like the VEVOR heat press comes in.
What is it?
A VEVOR heat press is basically a large iron that clamps to apply pressure over a large area. With a device like this, you can successfully press any heat transfer material onto any flat surface, with adjustable pressure and temperature settings, and a built-in timer. It is available in black, blue and white.
What’s in the box?
- VEVOR heat press
- manual
- power cable
Hardware Specifications
- 15″ x 15″ Teflon-coated heating pad area (38 x 38 cm)
- 15″ Silicone Pad
- Temperature range: 0 – 482°F/0 – 250°C
- Timer up to 999 seconds
- Power: 1200 W @ 110 VAC
- Adjustable pressure knob
- Weight: 39.68 lbs / 18 kg
- Dimensions: 25.6 x 15.7 x 13.9 inches / 65 x 39.8 x 35.2 cm
Design and Features
The picture above is a photo of the VEVOR heat press business area. The base plate is just a solid metal platform with a removable silicone heat-resistant pad that helps absorb heat to prevent scorching and helps to apply pressure evenly. The top plate is the part that is heated to the desired temperature for heat transfer.
At the top of the top plate is an adjustable knob that can range the pressure from almost nothing to a vise-like clamp. This is easy to adjust, and near the middle works great for vinyl transfers I’ve tested (the vinyl I bought requires medium pressure).
Above is a top view with the clip down. This is a fairly large unit, so make sure you have a storage plan.
Here’s another photo from the side, it’s just over a foot tall when clipped, which might help store it when not in use. The clamp arms are fairly easy to push down at light and medium pressure, but definitely need some muscle/weight at the highest pressure settings.
The display is easy to read from all angles, and in the photo above you can also see some steel welding and construction. The whole unit appears to be made of solid steel and feels solid. You can adjust the temperature display to Fahrenheit or Celsius.
Below the main display is the power on/off switch.
installation and setup
I tested the VEVOR heat press with vinyl heat transfer to t-shirts. You can use other materials and press them on pretty much any flat/thin surface (but I would look into different fabrics or material types to make sure your chosen transfer and receiver materials are compatible). You can buy pre-made vinyl transfer paper from a variety of sources, or just buy vinyl transfer paper and cut out your own designs using a cutter or by hand.
If you are using a cutter, you will need to mirror the design onto the vinyl and make sure to cut the right side (the vinyl you buy should have instructions for this). Above is the design work I’m working on.
Once the design is ready, I turn on the machine and set it to 315 degrees Fahrenheit. You can also set a timer (my vinyl was called 15 seconds), so I set that too.
Next, I checked the hot surface. It reads about 35 degrees, but is fairly even across the surface. I highly recommend checking the temperature before proceeding, if I press at that temperature it may over scorch or melt the vinyl.
I’ll include a video at the end of this section showing the whole process, but above is my first test shirt after the vinyl was peeled off after pressing. Different vinyl types have different instructions for when to peel the backing, so check with your specific vinyl.
I am very happy with the end result. I’ll be making more shirts in the future, I’m sure, with questionable text and designs on them. The first shirt I made held up well in the wash cycle, I forgot to pick out a small portion of a shirt design before ironing and trying to take it off afterwards was out of the question, the vinyl seemed fine ground adhesion.
see it in action
what do I like
- easy to use
- sturdy construction
- Even pressure and heat
what would i change
- Temperature calibration appears to be off
final thoughts
The VEVOR heat press allows me to make custom shirts, pillowcases and signage the way I want. This is a dangerous thing to do with my 8th grade humor level and low impulse control. I couldn’t find much information on this brand that I didn’t know about before, so my biggest concern with these types of products is long-term reliability. I’ll update here, and if there’s any breakage, I’ll keep pulling out the shirt.
price: $209.99
Where to buy: Amazon
source: The samples for this review were provided by VEVOR.
