EZGrip Squeegee Handle

[TheEZGrip.com Squeegee 2 Ergo Upright Handles]

PROS & CONS UPDATE
FREE SAMPLES I just received email notices that more 4 FREE SAMPLES have arrived at post offices in Fl, TX, CA and NJ. Nation03 has already received his, Prosperi-tees, Islandtee and a private party in Austin should also receive theirs today. As of this writing, I haven't heard about Frog and 3Deep's samples.
 
3. min video     http://www.theezgrip.com/video-demo.html

[mimosatexas]

going to check my box now.

[JohnMageeUnionink]

I could see this working better than the Action Engineering one for printers using a pull stroke. I push.

I had the same impression.

[TheEZGrip.com Squeegee 2 Ergo Upright Handles]

Mr Tpitman & John Mcgee Union Ink. As I mentioned to Full-SpectrumSeparator, "I'm not saying TheEZGrip is the perfect solution for all jobs, just most".

I think it pushes fine, but I'm not a pusher. However, why shouldn't it? And add in the other features like self standing, the quick blade change and easy to clean, TheEZGrip still comes out on top.

I believe both of you are jumping to a conclusion that it won't work, and should try it first. Maybe some of the 10 FREE SAMPLE reviews will address this issue. In either event, I bet it will end up being a personal choice. 

For my white ink, I only use Union White EF Brite Cotton PADE 102701. I prefer the thicker consistency, easier to control on the screen. I attempt to make a small mess in the screen and with Union EF I can do that, no problem.   

link to our 3. min video     http://www.theezgrip.com/video-demo.html

[mimosatexas]

Honest Review Part 1:

First Impressions (based on a 50 shirt p/f/p with white ink).   I printed about half with pull strokes and half with push, and did a few of each stroke type with the EZ, a few with wood and a few with the ergo handles, all with 70/90/70 rubber.  This was a short test, but I think I got an ok idea of how it works.

• Definitely Lightweight
• Putting the squeegee in and pulling it out for cleaning is SUPER easy and quick, and it does hold onto it surprisingly well.  This would be huge for me for storage and speed of cleanup (I think)
• Definitely use some different muscles vs traditional squeegees
• Biggest and most immediate issue is flooding with one hand.  I tried a few ways to flood quickly and evenly while holding only one handle and it simply takes more effort and time vs holding a traditional squeegee in the center.  This is a big one for me as I rely on one handed floods for speed on long runs vs propping the screen against my hip or stomach or something first, moving that hand to the squeegee, flooding, moving it back and lowering the screen the rest of the way.
• For whatever reason I had more issues getting a screen to clear while doing a pull stroke vs a standard squeegee handle.  Not sure if it was pressure related or angle related.
• Push stroke worked ok, but needs some design changes to be ideal (see below)

Quick final initial thoughts:
The squeegee needs 4 changes to work better in my opinion.

• On the side "away" from the printer (based on the arrows on the top) the plastic needs to be longer like the ergo handles to prevent the rubber from bending too much and losing control.  This was a problem even with my relatively light push strokes with the triple duro, but would be an easy "fix".
• The angle of the handles needs to rotate out about 5-10 degrees.  I'm not a wide dude, but the handles are kind of close together, and I felt a little like I was fighting the angle during my print stroke.
• There needs to be some kind of central horizontal "handle" to allow for single handed flooding.  It can be small and low profile, but it just needs something besides the little square plastic on the squeegee holder to be used for fast production.
• Make the handle 14 or 15 inches wide or offer another size.  13 may work for most shops, but I print lots of 12" wide stuff, and frequently wider.  I saw issues at the edges with pressure on the print while I tested, which was 12" wide, and that was with 14" wide rubber.

Overall, not bad.  I wouldnt switch to them without the above changes, but I do like things about it and could see it improving the process in shops who pull vs push and have not figured out thin thread mesh and eom to aid in easier printing.

edit: I will continue to test it on low stress jobs, and plan to try it out on a discharge job next week which I always use a pull stoke for anyway vs the push stroke I prefer for plastisol.

[TheEZGrip.com Squeegee 2 Ergo Upright Handles]

PROS & CONS UPDATE

REVIEWS:  First review came the other day from BSDPRINT, who wrote, "When using this new handle I don't have any issues affecting my hands and I feel like I still have very good control over the squeegee".

Then one from INKUPAZ "actually started out by learning on the EZGrip and I'm still currently using it. I'm a puller and it works great for my needs"

MIMOSATEXAS is the first response from the FREE GIVE-A-WAY, and I thank you for taking the time review it. In essence, Mimosatexas expressed "Over all, not bad". Other comments include "light weight, different muscles vs. traditional and speed of cleanup". All great comments.

To address your concerns about not cleaning the ink from the screen as much during a print stroke, probably it takes a little time to adjust to and find the right pressure and angle.

Your CONS were related to the push stroke. Well, I don't know what to say about that other than it may not work as a pusher for all people. Or maybe if you push and pull, you may want two squeegees, one for each.

I certainly appreciate your constructive suggestions of how to redesign the tool, they make good sense, but would cost about $40,000 to do those additions, so that's not in the stars anytime soon. Although, my next model will be a wider one in made a year.

Again, thanks for your honesty and if I've misquoted anyone, let me know.

[mimosatexas]

The changes related to both push and pull, but in my opinion are absolutely necessary for pushing while they would basically improve pulling. Far and away the biggest "con" is requiring two hands to evenly flood. Having to prop the screen against your body to flood is awkward and slow for real production.

Wanted to add, the squeegee holding system is absolutely the biggest "pro". I would use a traditional handle with that in place of staples, glue, screws etc in a second. The ergo handles are secondary to that in my opinion.

[TheEZGrip.com Squeegee 2 Ergo Upright Handles]

CON

Mimosatexas is right and I'm sorry I overlook addressing it in my review of his review. It is a real problem, if you hold the screen with one hand TheEZGrip will not work for you. It can't be held with one hand to flood.

Personal, I have always flooded with the screen down, therefore I don't have that problem. Sometimes I've taped a few washers (3/8") to the bottom of the screen frame closest to me, so they rest on the pallet when printing. This keeps the screen up and away from the pallet, but not too far so that it doesn't interfere with forcing the screen down during the print stroke. This may allow me to flood without leaving an imprint, not sure.

Honestly, for the above reason, I agree, TheEZGrip is not for everyone, hopefully, just most. 

TBS, thanks for the opportunity to have this discussion about TheEZGrip with so many printers in such a convenient forum.

3 min video     http://www.theezgrip.com/video-demo.html

[TheEZGrip.com Squeegee 2 Ergo Upright Handles]

I just wrote it "Honestly, for the above reason, I agree, TheEZGrip is not for everyone, hopefully, just most". That didn't come out the way I meant it. I mean, well you know what I mean.     
 

[mimosatexas]

No worries, just reviewing as requested and I appreciate the chance to test it. Honestly, most printers I know use between 1/8 and 1/4 off contact, and flooding with the screen down would be difficult. Using higher off contact introduced a higher potential for registration issues, even with tight screens.

[3Deep]

Got mine in the mail today been really busy and didn't have time to use yet, but did take it out the box and I do like the feel of it.  Monday I got a manual job to print and we will go from there, oh there is one thing that I know I like already boltless blade

[TheEZGrip.com Squeegee 2 Ergo Upright Handles]

Mimosatexas, you're right, I put two thin bolt washers together, so it's more like 1/4".

3Deep, thanks for letting me know you received it, glad you like the feel.

3 min. video     http://www.theezgrip.com/video-demo.html
 

[Full-SpectrumSeparator]

No worries, just reviewing as requested and I appreciate the chance to test it. Honestly, most printers I know use between 1/8 and 1/4 off contact, and flooding with the screen down would be difficult. Using higher off contact introduced a higher potential for registration issues, even with tight screens.

Thanks for your comments and review part 1,  before I get my EZGrip Squeegee Handle I can already see what you mean, I often do 1st-print hard-floods and off-contact light-flooding would not work with both hands for me except maybe for those 2nd hit floods (but thats the pull-with angle/pressure method when just standard mesh and thin eom... I will get to that but its not related to the EZ grip at the moment..) ... So using both hands to flood hmm... I will wait to see what happens with an open mind and see if I can adjust to holding the screen somehow and two-hand flooding.... but I can't do a flood with the screen down really then i might as well print it.   I like off-contact and good control of it, with high tension mesh especially, or very little [off-contact] at times for certain situations, but I will go into my testing of it simply keeping this in mind.   

As for the other comments you have provided I really appreciate it, and I think what was happening at another shop I worked at for a year or so doing customer service, sales, art, digitizing, seps, screens, (coating/reclaim/exposure/washout, etc).. printing.. you get the idea, small shop just me and the owner's son, anyway we were using Saati textile PV emulsion and they had a vastex fluorescent bulb type exposure unit, about 4 minutes with 1-over-1 coating and round-edge, shirt-side first, squeegee-side second and drying with shirt-side down, I am pretty sure based on just the feel I would get after exposures at least on 86/110 to 155 that there was a decent small EOM on the shirt-side, but the weakness of the exposure would tend to have a little slimy aspects on the squeegee side.   we post-exposed but thats not really a fix.   The guy ordered some of the blue emulsion I forget the brand, Ulano I think, and it was terrible for me, which I explained don't just change something like that we have to retest all the exposure times and with that weak a$$ exposure doing 10 or 12 minutes and still not a good squeegee-side curing I was just like go back to the textile PV (pink colored)... ... anyway the new shop I'm at (which is the old shop I worked for in the beginning lol) - with a very experienced production manager, uses the blue emulsion from Ulano with a much stronger exposure unit, amerigraph metal halide about 1200 watt i think, and with some of the exposures around a minute or two for various meshes.. but always 1-over-1 round-edge shirt-side/squeegee-side and drying down.... however also they have a much more controlled humidity and I think the previous shop did not it was clear from film sticking to the screens etc... so perhaps with more water in the emulsion and the differences I which I could feel even with my hands, I was getting a better EOM and didn't encounter any issues with my push-strokes that I preferred much of the time for all the reasons you do and others.   
   
 So at this shop I am working now it is more like the production manager has always preferred no off contact and pull-stroke with angle/pressure differences to achieve different ink amounts and such... which indeed works a certain way,  there are many ways to approach that topic but I don't want to derail the thread into push/pull and eom angle/pressure  types of discussions.     Just saying I appreciate you input and I think I need to get to the bottom of it and try out some added EOM at the new shop if I can on some screens with face-coating the shirt-side, and using my push-strokes on some things to see if I can get that good clearing with just a single angle I would use also, not too low or high, and can skew slightly to avoid snagging on design elements,  I also prefer how clean the flood and ink is from pull-flooding, and of course strain over time and ease of print, etc... I don't think i was getting  ink-smear in the direction of push or having ink-deposit issues before so it must have been some extra eom-related stuff going on.   I can tell just by the feel and such that we have a very thin but strong exposure of the screens of all mesh counts, 86 especially you can even feel the threads..   The only thought to leave this topic for another thread is that of production and usage related issues,  for example I seem to also get the idea and am not sure if I prefer it or not (pulling with high-pressure and low-angle is such a strain on so many muscle groups but not good in the hand/wrist areas I can just tell)... but I can see how using lower EOM can use less emulsion and no face-coating or less coating times means less time for the screen-coater and less for the reclaimer, and perhaps all the angle/pressure real-time controls on press with the same screen and using the top-side and off-contact and flashing to get proper deposits of variation has its own benefits to it.   It is good to see it from all angles and not feel so pressured to use one or the other,  really it is all just more versatility in screenprinting that makes it such an awesome print method.   

Well, save anything in response to that for a different thread I'm sure... anyway the EZGrip - I am eagerly awaiting my sample and hopefully I can try it out next week at work.   I like to be fast and efficient but demand a certain quality of output from myself as well, I'm a rebel in many ways but I also appreciate all the experience I've gained from this awesome industry over the years since I was bitten by the bug, and being a printer now especially I am open to being put in my place and learn the ways of the masters without being too much of a brat. 

[Rockers]

PROS & CONS UPDATE
FREE SAMPLES I just received email notices that more 4 FREE SAMPLES have arrived at post offices in Fl, TX, CA and NJ. Nation03 has already received his, Prosperi-tees, Islandtee and a private party in Austin should also receive theirs today. As of this writing, I haven't heard about Frog and 3Deep's samples.
 
3. min video     http://www.theezgrip.com/video-demo.html

If we cover the shipping expenses would you mind giving us a free sample too. I`m sure I can show this to one or two of  our screen print distributer here in Japan.

[TheEZGrip.com Squeegee 2 Ergo Upright Handles]

Hi Rockers,

Be glad to send you part, email me your address and payment method.

3 min. video     http://www.theezgrip.com/video-demo.html