Cricut EasyPress vs. Heat Press – Which Is Better?

If you have been asking yourself EasyPress vs Heat Press, or looking at getting an EasyPress or heat press, but not sure which one is best or right for you then you’ll definitely want to read this post.

If you’ve been following me for any amount of time you know how much I LOVE doing projects with my Cricut. And out of all the projects I do, working with iron on vinyl is my absolute favorite!! Not only is it easier to weed, but with having an EasyPress and heat press it’s so much easier to apply without having mistakes. I’ve had a traditional heat press for 4 years now and it definitely improved the quality of my projects.

So when they announced the release of the EasyPress I was both excited and a little skeptical. Could this new product do just as good of work as my clam shell heat press?! If you’ve been looking at getting a heat press for some time now and you’ve heard of, or looked at, the EasyPress I’m sure you’ve asked yourself the same question. Well let me tell you, yes it can! There are pros and cons to both the EasyPress and traditional clam shell heat press and today I’ll be sharing my thoughts and opinions on both.

HEAT PRESS

This is the heat press I have. It’s a 12″x15″ Zeny 6-in-1 Combo that has attachments for two different sized plates, 2 different sized mugs, hats and then the clam shell heat press. When we bought it, I think we paid around $225 and at the time I was making 10-15 shirts each week. It was definitely worth the time and money I saved having a heat press vs. using an iron. Here are the pros and cons.

PROS:

• Easy to use. You set the temperature and time, close the clam shell, press a button and the heat press does all the work for you.
• It remembers the settings. When I turn on the heat press it automatically heats up to the temperature I originally programmed.
• Evenly distributes heat. Compared to a regular iron the heat press gives equal pressure on all surfaces.
• It’s much faster. Shirts that were taking me 2-3 minutes to apply iron on vinyl to now only take 30-40 seconds.
• It’s much more effective. The iron on definitely felt and looked like it was attached better with the heat press.

CONS:

• It’s heavy. Like 55 pounds heavy. It is a beast to unbox and don’t even think about moving it around where you are working.
• It takes a long time to heat up. It takes about 7 minutes for it to heat up to 305°F.
• Not only do the pads get hot but the whole machine gets hot. I was always worried about one of my kids touching it, even after it was turned off and getting burnt.
• There isn’t a lot of work area. If you’re working with designs that have multiple layers, you have to lay it out somewhere else and then move it on to the heat press. There have been a few times when the design got moved a little and the finished project came out slanted or distorted.
• Limited on space. Anything bigger than 12″x15″ (and really like 11.5″ x 14.5″) I couldn’t do or had a hard time getting to line up with multiple presses.

EASYPRESS

Now let’s talk about the EasyPress. Cricut released the EasyPress this last July during their Mountain Make-a-thon. Like I said, I was a little skeptical at first because how could something so little pack as much power as my big ‘ol heat press?! But after trying it on several projects at the Make-a-thon I was convinced. It was just as good better than my heat press. There are still a few things I would change about it so let’s get into the pros and cons.

PROS:

• It’s small and lightweight. At 9″x9″ and 5 pounds the EasyPress is much easier to store and also move to do projects outside my craft room. My craft room currently doubles as my baby’s room so before if she was napping I couldn’t get my projects done. Now I can.
  • The EasyPress 2 comes in FOUR sizes and many different colors too!
    • The Mini is perfect for extra small projects like mugs, hats and stuffed animals
    • The 6″x7″ is perfect for small projects like onesies or pressing perler beads.
    • The 9″x9″ is the most versatile in my opinon. You can use it for shirts, pillows, wood signs and more!
    • The 10″x12″ is great for larger projects like XL shirts, table runners, pillows and more!
• It heats up fast. It gets up to heat (usually 305°F) in 2 minutes or less.
• It’s easy to use. With just a few clicks of a button it’s ready to go.
• Evenly distributes heat.  Just like the heat press, compared to a regular iron, the EasyPress gives equal pressure on all surfaces.
• It makes doing large projects easier. Unlike the heat press, I can lay out my designs on the counter and press them right there. This is especially useful when I make pillows and XL shirts.
• It comes with a base to hold it in. This is convenient for not only storage but also when I’m using the EasyPress.
  • You can also purchase tote bags for the EasyPress machines too that make crafting on the go even easier!

CONS:

• You have to apply pressure to it. And not a whole lot but, unlike the heat press where you just press a button and pull down on a lever, the EasyPress you do need to apply pressure to.
• It doesn’t remember temperature settings. BUT Cricut does have this super useful guide on what temperatures and times for each type of iron on (traditional, glitter, foil, etc.) and what type of material (cotton, polyester, leather, etc.). ***NOTE the new EasyPress 2 DOES remember heat settings now!***

So what’s the verdict? In my opinion the EasyPress is the better product for me.  I will say if you have a business where you only make one or two designs and they are on small surfaces the heat press may be a better option for you. But for the majority of people who are working with iron on vinyl the EasyPress is the best option.

When ordering from Cricut.com make sure to use promo code FRUGAL to get 10% off and score FREE shipping on $50+ orders! Note promo code does not work on EasyPress machines alone.

If you’d like to check out more ways you can use your Cricut (and several EasyPress projects) check out these posts! Need help with your Cricut? Join our Cricut Support Facebook Group!