TUF Olympian 6 colour 8 Station

[Kellan3737]

I am considering buying early 90s TUF auto press, and was wondering if anyone has any opinions on these machines, and also if anyone has done a conversion from manual to airclamps on one of these presses.

thanks!

[alan802]

If it were my money and my shop, I'd pass on that and find something else.  I could go into much more detail but I don't want to rub salt into a wound or ruffle any feathers of the good people that work for the company that manufactured them, they really are good people.  I'm personally not a fan of any of the machines from the early 90's and we used to have an American Centurian that was manufactured in 91 and it had a good amount of features not available on other machines at the time but it's nothing compared to the machines made in the last 5 years, and even 10.  I understand price may be the biggest factor but you really need to consider what that more expensive press can do and how much it can produce in a day versus that cheaper machine.  There are quite a few decent used machines floating around the market these days, and at good prices as well.

[rmonks]

I just sold a Tuff Javelin this past week. It was my first auto. and it was and still is a great press. If you compare it to say automobiles it is Jeep built like a tank not alot of fluff , bells and whistles, but the damn thing is very user friendly. It took me a while to learn how to print white on darks but with the print flash print flash feature it was my choice for print white. If you got allot of money definitely look for more bells and whistles. if not the Tuff will do what you want to do. Make money and up grade.

[mk162]

I would avoid v squeegees, i am not sure if the Olympian has them or not.

A good starter press would be an all air Gauntlet...late 90's.  It's a big step up from manual printing.  If you are patient, you can find a great deal on a servo press with ac heads.  They are out there.

I would recommend used over new since you can get a lot more for your money.

[Binkspot]

We started with an old Olympian. Not bad, built like a tank but there are lots of other good presses out there on the used market. The V squeegees are a pain with thicker inks especially in the cold.

Adding air clamps would cost more then then the press is worth. Like putting $2000 rims on a $500 used car.

[Kellan3737]

I apprecaite all the responses,  I have definitely been searching around for a M&R auto but in Canada these kind of things are not so easily found as they are in the states.  The Price I'm looking at paying includes a dryer and compressor for around 10500.  if the press isnt worth the hassle i'm definitely ok waiting till the next good deal comes around,  I just didnt want to pass up on what I thought might be a solid deal.

[Inkworks]

Buy used out of the USA, most of my shop (BC Canada) if from Chicago, Texas, New York, New Jersey etc. Shipping from Texas is cheaper than from Montreal for me.

Look at:
http://www.digitsmith.com/f6.html
http://thorntonequipment.com
http://www.screenprintexchange.com
http://spresource.blogspot.ca/
http://www.ebay.com/sch/Screen-Printing-/46736/i.html
(to make the best use of Ebay.com Have a broker/freight forwarder set up on the US side of the boarder and us their US address in your ebay.com profile, or many auctions won't let you bid if they are available to ship in the US only! Sometimes it won't even display the "ship to US only" auctions if you're logged in with a Canadian address. Ebay.com will get you 5-10 times as many auctions as Ebay.ca)

Do your due diligence on any sale of used stuff! check out the seller, the equipment, the local rep for that equipment, everything you can. I haven\t been burned yet, but it's easy to fall victim if you're not careful!

[Inkworks]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/M-R-Diamondback-automatic-screen-printer-Nuarc-Exposure-Unit-ConvDryer-MORE-/121072957318?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c3082b786

Just saw this. I don't know the seller or the equipment, but seems like a decent set-up.

[Homer]

don't forget about Enzo @ cosmex in montreal....great guy

http://www.cosmexgraphics.com/used_textile.htm

[Inkworks]

I've heard nothing but good things about Enzo, but personally found the pricing on the high side, maybe that's just room for negotiation.

[Kellan3737]

thanks Inkworks,  I already sent the seller on Ebay a message,  I have spoke with enzo a couple of times, and definitely the prices are on the high side, and anytime any good equipment comes in its sold. Not a huge fan of the way the website is setup.  I appreciate all the feed back and comments and ideas!

[Inkworks]

I'm a lover of a good bargain, so buying through Brokers isn't my first choice. I'd rather buy direct, used, from the seller direct. That, of course, comes with inherent risk, but when it works out there can be some great savings to be had out there.