Heat Press Buyer's Guide: Clamshell Heat Press VS Swing Away Heat Press

With so many heat press options for your business and hobby needs, it can be overwhelming to figure out what best fits your needs. In this guide series we will break down the things you need to consider, so you can figure out which heat press is best for you.  

There are a couple of considerations you need make before picking out a heatpress: 

1. Size: How big a heat press should you buy? 
2. Style: Should you get a Clamshell or Swing Away Heat Press?
3. Materials: What are you planning to Heat Press (fabric, mugs, caps, etc) 
4. Function: How the heat press releases. Manual, Auto Open, or Air Operated
5. Volume: How many things are you planning to make with your heat press? 

In this article we will be breaking down all you need to know about the two most common heat press styles. We are going to break down the positive and negatives of the clamshell and swing aways heat press to see what best fits your needs and Heat Press set up. 

Clamshell Heat Press 

The Clamshell heat press style is named after clams because it opens and closes like a clam shell. The clam shell heat press have hinge between the upper and lower platen. This is one of the most common designs, the least expensive for heat presses, and a great entry level heat press. 

GeoKnight DK20 Clam Shell Heat Press	HIX  Clamshell Auto Open Heat Press
Pros for Clamshell Heat Press	Cons for Clamshell Heat Press
Great for beginners  More portable  Takes up less work table space.  Least number of steps to operate Cheaper to Swing-away counterpart of the same size  Has less moving parts	Limited layout area, harder than the swingaway to layout your work Your hands work directly under the heat press to lay out your pressed item. So if you aren't paying attention, you risk getting burned.

 Learn more, check out our Clam Shell Heat Press Collection. 

Clamshell Heat Press is for you if: 

• You are a beginner or hobbyist looking into getting into Heat Press. Clamshells are cheaper and has less moving parts.  
• Have very limited space to dedicate to your heat press station 
• Need something more portable, for conventions or on the go heat press work.  
• Planning to do mainly T-Shirts. 

1. Best Clamshell Heat Press for Beginners

Geo Knight DK16 14" x 16" Clamshell Heat Press 

2. Best Clamshell Heat Press for  Hobbyist and Small Businesses

Geo Knight DK20 16" x 20" Clamshell Heat Press

3. Best Clamshell heat press for Business 

Hix N-880 16" x 20" Clamshell Heat Press

Swing Away Heat Press 

The swing away heat press has a lower platen that pulls towards the user, so the user can lay out the work without reaching under the hot upper platen. Also known as the swing arm, the swing away is designed with three purposes in mind: 

1. Made so the heating elements comes evenly and flat against the object/garment that is being imprinting, no matter the thickness.
2. Easy to lay out lower work area to put your garment or objects that you want to heat press. 
3. Made to get heating platen away from the user's hands when doing lay outs, thus eliminating the dangers of burns.  

Geo Knight Swinger DK20S Heat Press	HIX SwingMan Heat Press
Pros for Swing Away Heat Press	Cons for Swing Away Heat Press
Access to load materials and layout transfers. You have full view of the layout area.  Heat free work space. Avoids touching heat platen.   Even and Level Pressure  Accommodates thicker materials  Easier to use with trickier garments	More steps to complete an applications  More space required to accommodate swinging action Heavier than the clamshell, therefore less portable

Learn more, check out our Swing Away Heat Press Collection 

Swing-Away Heat Press is for you if: 

• You want to work with thicker materials and thicker embellishments. If you plan to use your heat press beyond T-Shirts. 
• You want high quality sublimation heat press jobs (where majority of the shirt is printed on). Since swing aways heat presses give you even and level pressure, it will give you a better print for items with large surface areas. 

1. Best Swing Away Heat Press for Beginners

Hix HobbyLite 9"x12" Swing Away Heat Press 

The HobbyLite is the perfect unit for anyone who is looking for a heatpress at a value price. The Hix HobbyLite is one the of lightest units we have at 19 pounds. It's is great for hobbyists, artists, schools and social organizations that are looking for a solid entry level heat press. 

The HobbyLite is great for beginners because your hands will not operate near the heat platen. A stop keeps the head from going to far when the platen is swung back to the left. 

With control over pressure and temperature, the HobbyLite is an easy to use unit that is perfect for beginners. 

2. Best Swing Away Heat Press for  Hobbyist and Starter Businesses

Geo Knight 16" x 20" Swinger DK20S Swing Away Heat Press

3. Best Swing Away Heat Press for Businesses 

HIX SwingMan 25 Twin Swing Away 20"x25" Heat Press

To check out specific models we highly recommend checking out the following two pages: 

• Clamshell Heat Press Options 
• Swing Away Heat Press Options