The 6 Best Padding Press Machines

Editor's Notes

July 04, 2019:

There are some helpful features that allow you to differentiate between the build-quality of padding press machines. One feature that is particularly important is the clamping mechanism. This is where the Blane Graphics Superpad and the Blane Graphics Super Mini excel above the rest. They utilize a bar clamp design which has a sliding adjuster with a piece of steel that indexes into a serrated bar. Then the final clamping is done with a padded screw. This robust mechanism contrasts heavily with the clamping mechanisms of models like the CFS Products Mini-Kit and the Champadco PSDPP200-11 which have simple wing nuts that thread onto machine screws. These will get the job done, but at some cost to the quality of the final product and the longevity of the machine.

Padding press machines are quite simple in design and therefore have limited failure points. With plywood-using machines, the concern is that thin pieces of plywood are being clamped at their extremes with a pivot at the center (the paper). Padding does not require that high amounts of pressure is exerted by the clamping mechanism, but repeated clamping on plywood coupled with difficulty in applying even pressure at both ends with wing nuts, will eventually distort it and render it useless. This concern has compelled us to place machines with non-plywood pressure plates higher on the list.