Manual

[cleveprint]

Hi all. Kinda new here. Been stalking for a while though! I wanted some opinions from everyone on a manual. We have a new m&r diamondback s coming in a month or so. Very excited for that. Finally getting rid of our old lawson.

We have a 6 color Rototex manual that we have had since 1989. Its been phenomenal. Very easy to setup and we have gotten our moneys-worth out of it. Its pretty old though and is starting to get beat up. Two of the arms dont hold registration as good as they used to, there are some stripped out bolts and such. It might just be time for a new one...

That being said, should we be looking into a new Rototex or an m&r? We have a lot invested in the rototex with multiple platens and experience printing on it. Heck, I feel like I grew up printing on this machine (family business)! We are comfortable printing on it. I know m&r's big selling point is the fact that you can change platens out between your auto and manual. That would probably be nice to have uniform equipment throughout the shop. I know their quality speaks for itself, but I believe that is the same for the Rototex as well.

Just a small tid-bit about our shop, we are a small print shop. We sort of specialize in small runs. Id say our average run size is probably 48 shirts. We do plenty of big runs too, but the majority of our runs are smaller. Very rarely are we setting up a press for a sample. We typically do all of that digitally.

Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated. I enjoy this forum and the knowledge some people provide. Hopefully I can add some things as well!! Thanks!

[3Deep]

Get what fits you and what you like, if the old press was great buy a new one, why change unless price, service, parts play a part in not getting the press your use to.  I know everyone might say get the M&R but only you know what you like and want.

Darryl

[Frog]

We have a 6 color Rototex manual that we have had since 1989. Its been phenomenal. Very easy to setup and we have gotten our moneys-worth out of it. Its pretty old though and is starting to get beat up. Two of the arms dont hold registration as good as they used to, there are some stripped out bolts and such. It might just be time for a new one...

While I in no way would discourage you from getting an M&R manual press, and maybe it's a good fit, but I would never consider a machine scrap merely because of a few  "stripped out bolts and such", if indeed, that's all it is.
Things like that happen to machines, and that's why they sell taps and dies and thread-repair inserts, and even have machine shops for the worst scenarios.

[cleveprint]

Good points all around. I guess another question would be actually how beneficial is it to have interchangeable platens and such for your auto and manual? We've never had it before, so I guess its not too big of a deal for us. Maybe just wondering from someone who has the options...

[alan802]

Good points all around. I guess another question would be actually how beneficial is it to have interchangeable platens and such for your auto and manual? We've never had it before, so I guess its not too big of a deal for us. Maybe just wondering from someone who has the options...

It is awesome to have interchangeable pallets, we take advantage of that feature a lot.  I have some pics and posted my thoughts on our new Sidewinder manual a month or two ago.  Just search my posts and they should pop up.

[ScreenFoo]

Find a shop with a Chameleon to toss a couple jobs on--no telling what you'll like better or worse till you try it out.  I'd think the M&R camp can help you find someone nearby.

I've swapped out platens more than a few times--it definitely has come in handy here.