I finally purchased a heat press for myself.
Yes, I considered the very nice large 8 in 1 heat presses, as well as the 5 in 1 heat presses, but in the end wound up picking up the 9" x 9" Cricut Easy Press 2.
Why?
Although there are many heat presses available at prices between $100 and $250 which could have been better choices, I had a few requirements that only the Cricut Easy Press 2 could meet.
Size
First, the heat press had to be compact. My sewing/craft room is already jampacked with sewing machines, notions, fabric, and assorted other stuff, leaving very little space for a heat press.
A 15" x 15" heat press, especially if it comes with multiple attachments, requires a lot of space. It has to be far enough away from other things so that nothing accidentally touches it when it's hot.
The Cricut Easy Press 2 is 9" x 9" x 3" and easily slips onto a shelf on the cart underneath my ironing board when not in use.
Weight
This was probably the biggest concern. Most of the heat press machines I saw tipped the scales in the 40-50 pound range. A large heat press like that can only be moved safely once it has cooled off, so the heat press would require its own table or cart which it would live upon permanently. I have several antique sewing machines and know how difficult they are to move around when I need to relocate them. I don't have enough space for another cart or table, and the lower shelves of the cart for my ironing board wouldn't be able to safely stow the heat press - not to mention the wrestling match required to move the heat press into place each time I need it nor the issue of not being able to use my ironing board until well after the heat press cools off and is stowed elsewhere.
The 9" x 9" Cricut Easy Press 2 weighs in a 5 lbs. It is designed so you can pick it up and move it elsewhere easily even when it's still hot. This means I can press a project on the ironing board, then put the Easy Press on another surface to cool off so I can use the ironing board for other sewing or crafting activities.
Instructions
Of the many heat presses I viewed on Amazon, I noticed that the reviews for most indicated that the instructions were either not clear or missing completely. Some had videos on either the amazon site or had links to the instructional videos, but not all of them. This would mean I would have to spend time fiddling with the machine to figure out how to operate it, and likely make many errors along the way.
I really liked the way the Cricut Easy Press 2 presented itself. It came with a nice booklet with instructions and photos of each step for using it. The Cricut website also has handy charts to use to determine the heat and time combinations for all kinds of HTV (bookmarked that immediately).
The Cricut Easy Press 2 came with all the required materials to complete my first project using it. In the box was the carrying bag for the Cricut Easy Press 2 and a Cricut Logo cut out in green glitter HTV. The instruction pamphlet walked through the steps for turning the Easy Press on, seeing when it was heated, pressing the bag to prep it for HTV application, and finally applying the HTV.
I really liked having that project. It meant that within minutes of opening the box, I completed a practical project with the Easy Press 2.
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