Best 5 Swing-Away Arm Heat Press Machines Reviews In 2022
Is your crafting station looking more and more outdated?
Do you want to try new things, but don’t have the right tools?
This helpful article is going to help you narrow down your search for a new heat press machine. We’re going to review some of the most popular swing away heat press machine models in a couple different categories and give our verdict on the category.
About Swing Away Heat Presses
Why Choose A Swing Away Model?
The thing that draws most people to swing away heat presses is that they’re safer and easier to use. With a clamshell press, you either have to hold the heating platen up while placing and removing your items, or you have to trust its hinges to keep it up. If you’ve bought a cheaper model, this can be quite unnerving. With a swing away, you simply turn the heating platen sideways and are free to manoeuvre the press.
The Downside
Safer and easier handling of the machine are definitely big pluses, however, there is a downside as well. Swing away heat presses require a lot of extra side space compared to their clamshell counterparts. Most swing away heat press machines can turn a full 360 degrees, so you’ll need plenty of room on all sides to utilize their mobility to the fullest. Of course, you can make do with about 90 degrees to one side as well.
Where To Look For Swing Away Heat Press Machines?
As with any heat press, your local hobby shops aren’t likely to be able to help you. The biggest, most reliable offer comes from online retailers like Amazon and Alibaba. Articles such as this one can be a good place to start, as they describe many different machines and categorize them for you.
Expected Price Range
This depends on quite a few factors. Parts quality, machine versatility etc. Unless otherwise stated, we try to present a large variety of prices. In this article, we have presses ranging from just over $100 to almost $2000, which is more or less the range in which heat press machines come.
Best Swing Away Arm Heat Press Machines
Swing Away Heat Press For Home Use
Fancierstudio Heat Press 9×12”
Mighty Household Press
This swing arm heat press has a power output of 1100 Watts and works on temperatures up to 500 Fahrenheit. It has a 9×12” t-shirt platen. It’s light and small. It’s advertised as being suitable for work and home environments, but considering the size and price, it might fare better in a home setting.
Small Printing Area
Being only 9×12”, this heat press is not recommended if you need versatility, or tend to print on large surfaces. If you often make banners or large t-shirt, consider one of the larger models. If you focus more on tote bags, mouse pads or smaller clothes, this machine will do just fine.
Generic Looks
The platens and the handle are black with the other parts being turquoise. The control box has two separate screens for time and temperature, and the whole thing is controlled with just 4 buttons. The pressure adjusting knob is located on top of the machine.
Key Characteristics:
Cheap
Small printing area
Powerful motor
Cheap Swing Away Heat Press
EPhotoInc Heat Press 9×12”
Even Smaller And Even Stronger
Specification-wise, this press is pretty similar to the model reviewed first. It has a slightly more powerful motor, with a power output of 1200 Watts. It also works on temperatures up to 500 Fahrenheit. It’s slightly smaller and lighter than its Fancierstudio counterpart, and they cost the same.
Modern Colours
The control box is also the same as with the previous model, however on this machine, the buttons are coloured for faster recognition. The handle points up instead of forward, and the pressure knob is in the same place. This swing away heat press has a turquoise platen and its other parts are black with metallic details.
Alarm Feature
One of the few differences between these presses is that this one has an audible end of cycle alarm, so you don’t have to be around during the whole transfer process. Due to its small size, this press has the same limitations as the aforementioned one, being the best option for smaller projects, and not optimal for large printing tasks.
Key Characteristics:
Powerful motor
Cheap
Has an alarm
Small printing area
Heat Press 15×15” Swing Away
Mophorn 5-In-1 Swing Away Heat Press
Customizable Heat Press
This 15×15” swing away heat press has a 1050 Watt power output and works on temperatures up to 480 Fahrenheit. Its height can be adjusted to anywhere from 13 ½ to 17”. The lower platen is detachable to make replacing attachments easier.
Versatile Functions
The five attachments that form this multifunctional machine are a 15×15” t-shirt platen, a 5.5×3” curved cap press, a mug press for 11 Oz mugs and two plate presses for plates up to 5 and up to 6” in diameter. All of this considered, this swing arm heat press is quite affordable as well.
Elegant And Accurate
On this heat press you can adjust the highly accurate temperature display to Fahrenheit or Celsius units. The control box is located on the side and the arm is mounted in the middle of the upper platen. This means the pressure is applied more evenly. The press is completely black except for some metallic details.
Key Characteristics:
5 functions
Adjustable height
Celsius and Fahrenheit units
5-In-1 Swing Away Heat Press
F2C Pro 5-In-1 Heat Press
Comparatively Weaker Motor
Same as the last model, the height of this swing away heat press can be adjusted from 13.5” to 17”. It provides a power output of 1000 Watts, which is sufficient, but weaker than other presses on this list. Its maximum working temperature is 480 Fahrenheit, and the timer can measure up to 999 seconds.
Multifunctional Heat Press
This heat press comes with a 12×15” platen press, a 6×3” curved hat press, a mug press for 11 oz mugs and 2 plate presses for 5” and 6” diameter plates. One of the fan favourites, this press comes with an alarm function. It is also possible to change the temperature unit from Fahrenheit or Celsius.
Sliding Drawer
The heating board on this 12×15” swing away heat press is 4/5” thick. Its printing surface is coated with a non-stick layer and the lower drawer can be pulled out to make replacing attachments easier. The machine body is made of metal and plastic.
Key Characteristics:
5 different features
Alarm function
Temperature units can be changed
Adjustable height
16×20” Swing Away Heat Press
Geo Knight Digital Swinger Heat Press
Makes Up For Its Price
The largest one on this list, this Geo Knight swing arm heat press has a 16×20” t-shirt platen. It has a powerful 1800 Watt motor. It comes with extensive warranties, ranging from a year for parts to lifetime for the heating platen, which makes sense considering its exorbitant price.
Simply Good
Plain and simple, the Geo Knight swing away heat press is as high-quality as can be. The framework is made of welded steel. The platens are interchangeable, which means you can buy additional platens and turn this t-shirt press into something more versatile. The 16×20”platen it comes with is ¾” thick and can transfer on any surface that’s less than 2” thick, whereas most other presses can only handle 1”.
70 Programmable Functions
This impressive digital swing away heat press comes equipped with a whopping 70 programmable presets, a digital pressure gauge, user-selectable end of cycle alarms and a very accurate thermometer. You can choose between Fahrenheit and Celsius temperature units.
Key Characteristics:
High price
Abundant warranties
Large printing area
Powerful motor
Conclusion – Which Swing Away Heat Press Is The Best?
Though swing arm heat press is definitely one of the categories for heat press machines, it still leaves a lot of room for differences. These presses are quite different, and what’s best for you depends on many things. Best quality heat press on this list is without a doubt the Geo Knight Digital Swinger. In my opinion, the best swing away heat press is the Mophorn 5-in-1 swing away heat press. It is very versatile, comes with some good features, and it is reasonably priced.
