Big Squeegee Giveaway

[signsbydale]

If you own a Big Squeegee already, tell us what it has done for your shop.

I will enter all responses into a drawing to be held on Oct. 6th. Three names will be drawn and the best will be entered into the handlaminator.com website.

The 3 winners will receive a set of rivet/dent squeegees. Included in the set are one each of a 10, 18, & 26 inch squeegee.

If you don't own a Big Squeegee yet, you can get a 10 inch rivet/dent squeegee free with an order of any 26 inch or larger squeegee. This offer is good until Oct 6th.

The rivet/dent feature is unique to this squeegee. It will also mask, mount and laminate small prints and cut vinyl.:thumb:

Anyone that bought a Big Squeegee and did not get a DVD needs to email me (signsbydale@hotmail.com) a copy of the receipt and I will send you one.

Good Luck

[signsbydale]

I guess I need to get this started...lol

I tried a number of things to lay down large pieces of vinyl. Soapy water always ended up to be a big mess and I never could get all the water back out. I ended up popping water bubbles.

I tried empty vinyl rolls to lay it down with mixed success.

I had another sign guy come in to help me put down a 4 X 8 foot graphic and resigned myself to going it alone the next time. He did not use squeegees, laid it down with his bare hands. What a mess!

Most big jobs took a long time to mount and a lot longer to pop the bubbles.

Then I came up with a simple design of what is now the Big Squeegee. At first I only mounted 24" wide vinyl at a time with no bubbles. Boy was my sign guy impressed. Especially when I told him I did it dry and by myself.

After I got to using the Big Squeegee, I found that I had a lot more time to develop my business. I was able to visit with area businesses, go to meetings, spend more time on art work, and get the jobs done quickly with high quality. I was also able to do things that I would not have undertaken before because of the time/cost factor.

I think the biggest benefit was that I was not worn out and frustrated when I went home at night.

In short, the Big Squeegee has saved me many hours of hard work and helped to increase my overall capabilities. It has increased my workload without increasing my time working. It has consistently helped me to give my customers higher quality work. I never get behind by more than a few days.

[Mike Paul]

Big Squeegee Giveaway.

So you have to buy one first to win one?:rolleyes: hmm. Interesting marketing.

[signsbydale]

Big Squeegee Giveaway.

So you have to buy one first to win one?:rolleyes: hmm. Interesting marketing.Call it customer rewards.

Besides, it would be nice to have some comments from customers that have had it for a while and I'm willing to give them something for their effort. There are quite a few Big Squeegee owners on this forum.

You may call it a marketing stratagy. A Big Squeegee owner may see it as "trying to help you out". I'd bet dollars to donuts that most Big Squeegee owners make more money using the Big Squeegee than I do selling them.

[PMG]

you would think the giveaway would be to attract new customers,not ones that already own one,and will soon own 2!!!!! :thumb:

[signsbydale]

you would think the giveaway would be to attract new customers,not ones that already own one,and will soon own 2!!!!! :thumb:No, I wouldn't :Big Laugh The point you seem to be missing here is that one Big Squeegee will do a good job but, having a set to choose the one that will fit the job from is even better.

On one of my ealier orders I included an 18 inch flat squeegee (before rivet/dent tool) with the order of a 56 inch laminator squeegee. The customer has really enjoyed the use of the flat one and says he don't know what he would do without it. He reordered more of different sizes.

My exisisting customers don't need convincing. They already know how good the squeegees are. However, I do need some feedback to help the holdouts make a good decision(to buy one).

[iSign]

you walk a thin line.
You paid for the right to hawk your wares here,
& nobody can take that away from you, but you have only your own self discipline to keep you from hawking yourself out of favor.

The buying public has always been a fickle enigma... a couple well placed ads could entice the attention of one or more sign professionals, while even the vague appearance of pushy or judgemental arrogance towards seasoned pros could bring down your reputation.

Oh well, there's my 2 cents.

People are making good money all over the planet without a bid squeegee. If I get one tomorrow & I hit my annual goal of $300K... how much credit does dale get for that?

[Mike Paul]

Hey Dale,
I was a bit skeptical of your product when you first started selling these but after reading some posts in the sign forums most seem to like it. I look at those post as honest feedback about the big squeegee but I think this offer will produce a lot of sensationalized/exaggerated testimonials from users trying to get something for free.

[ahollow]

Well, I know I bought a 26" to start, and just bought a 38" one because they work so well. I was ready to order a $1200 laminator but thought I would try the BIg Squeegee first, since it was a lot cheaper and had good reviews on this and other boards. For the work I do the Big Squeegee did everything I would have used the laminator for.

As to Dale's sales methods, I just believe he sincerely believes in his product, and is trying various options to get this across. Doesn't seem heavy-handed to me; at least he is trying to help the sign community.

[signsbydale]

you walk a thin line....

The buying public has always been a fickle enigma... a couple well placed ads could entice the attention of one or more sign professionals, while even the vague appearance of pushy or judgemental arrogance towards seasoned pros could bring down your reputation.

:thread This is a bit off topic! Do you have a story to tell Doug?

Yes, this seems to be a real big problem for introducing new concepts to arrogant seasoned pros. I no longer try to direct my ads to such closed minded folks. If they don't want to give the Big Squeegee a fair try then that's their problem. If the newbie shop down the street equipped with a Big Squeegee starts to take their business, well that's their problem too.:rolleyes:

I sell a large portion of the squeegees to people new to the sign business that are actually looking for a better way to mask, mount, and laminate. I offer a tool that will do the work of tools that costs many times what the Big Squeegee costs without compromising quality. In some cases the Big Squeegee works better and faster than the high dollar item.

I suppose that one of the reasons I get attacked by those seasoned pros is that they have invested a lot in what they do. I offer something that helps newbies skip some of that high dollar investment and allows them time to spend improving the design end of the business. It don't require a lot of training and experience to operate it either. The Big Squeegee represents some new concepts that have rather positive results. Do the seasoned pros feel threatened by what the Big Squeegee represents?

My brother is one of those "seasoned pros" with 30 years of sign making experience. It took a personal visit and a lot of talking to get him to try it. Once he saw what it did, he could not get enough of it. The Big Squeegee was like a new toy. I don't have the time to spend with each seasoned pro in this way and it don't pay the bills.

So I have to ask, where do we draw the line? If I cross it, does that mean I get ousted by seasoned pros that have never tried the product? It would be a shame to toss such a valuable tool aside because of a few arrogant seasoned pros.

If no one wants to contribute their experience here then there will not be a drawing. I paid for the privilege to use these merchant ads. So if you don't mind I'd like very much if you will honor that right and quit trying to make me look like the bad guy for your own profit in my ad.

[learned the hard way]

I see nothing wrong with Dale running a contest or any other kind of promotion for his product. He paid for the right to advertise his product on this board and is entitled to post threads occasionally to try to generate interest in his product. No problem that I can see.

What does aggravate me is when a new person joins, and apparently doesn't read the rules, and with his first 6 posts proceeds to drag up 2 and 3 year old threads trying to hawk his services. Just happened a day or so ago and nobody said anything to him.

[Kenny]

Okay, I'm already listed on Dale's "Testimonials" page and I've use the product alot since that post. The main reason I even looked at this was due to a post from another user who showed a sample coro and explaned how pleased they were with it.

Some additional thoughts:
-) I have a tool I can use that does not take up any space and allows me to do the work of a much larger dedicated piece of equipment. It does not replace the need for the dedicated equipment, but will complement it in the future.
-) By having the ability to laminate/mask materials manualy and in-house, I have time to aquire the funds to purchase the correct equipment for my needs, instead of purchasing a cheaper unit and upgrading in the future.

The Big Squeegee is a solid product that I would recommend to anyone.

[signsbydale]

Hey Dale,
I was a bit skeptical of your product when you first started selling these but after reading some posts in the sign forums most seem to like it. I look at those post as honest feedback about the big squeegee but I think this offer will produce a lot of sensationalized/exaggerated testimonials from users trying to get something for free.I hope other folks don't read things into it as you did. I'm not awarding the prizes to the best stories. Their names go into a drawing. If someone were to say that the Big Squeegee did not change anything, they would still have a chance at winning one of the prizes.

I see how you may have come to this conclusion though, when I stated that the best stories would be added to my web site. I'm sorry I did not make it clearer.

To most folks the "honest feedback" looks like exaggerations. I can assure you that they are not. However, there may be an element of excitement involved.

Think of this as a survey to see how people feel about the Big Squeegee after they have used it for a while. I think this is what you really want to know.

[deanalois]

Hey Dale VERY WELL SAID
I just got my 26" Big Squeegee on sale 2 weeks ago (at that price I had to try it)and love it. Now i wish I had got it sooner and not bought my WeberMade Premasker. The Big Squeegee ROCKS best tool I have every bought.
If only I waited till this thread started could have got a 10 inch rivet/dent squeegee free lol just my luck.
Current customer and future customer
The Big Squeegee is all you say it is an more Dale thanks for a great tool

[PMG]

No, I wouldn't :Big Laugh The point you seem to be missing here is that one Big Squeegee will do a good job but, having a set to choose the one that will fit the job from is even better.

On one of my ealier orders I included an 18 inch flat squeegee (before rivet/dent tool) with the order of a 56 inch laminator squeegee. The customer has really enjoyed the use of the flat one and says he don't know what he would do without it. He reordered more of different sizes.

My exisisting customers don't need convincing. They already know how good the squeegees are. However, I do need some feedback to help the holdouts make a good decision(to buy one). Dale I'm not bashing you or your product,I'm sorry if i sounded like that,wish the best for you and your product, will you be offering a giveaway to get new customers as well? Example,Send in your name and address for a chance to win.........not only would you have allot of new people interested,,you would also have a hell of a new mailing list for your product!!!!!!!!

[VinylCraft]

:rolleyes:

[Bigdawg]

I see nothing wrong with Dale running a contest or any other kind of promotion for his product. He paid for the right to advertise his product on this board and is entitled to post threads occasionally to try to generate interest in his product. No problem that I can see.

What does aggravate me is when a new person joins, and apparently doesn't read the rules, and with his first 6 posts proceeds to drag up 2 and 3 year old threads trying to hawk his services. Just happened a day or so ago and nobody said anything to him.
Since you mentioned it - yes the posts you are talking about irritated the heck out of me as a paid merchant member since he was hawking services I sell - and paid to sell here on signs101. I don't do much advertising of our services here mostly because I do a lot of business outside this board and our main reason for signing up as merchant member was to 1) support Fred and this board and 2) our pricing is much cheaper then most areas AND we offer a discount to signs101 members so we wanted to make that available to all of you out there.

As far as Dale and the Big Squeegee - I see it more as enthusiasm for his product as opposed to being pushy with it. He does mention it in most of his posts and that is his right to do so. Yes, it will probably turn off some people, but if he wants to offer a contest for valued customers - go for it. The Big Squeegee is a good product at a fair price and when you are excited about your product - and you feel (as it seems Dale does) that it will help out other people it is hard not to want to let people know!

Added: Just a note - we own a Big Squeegee too!!

[Mike Paul]

I see how you may have come to this conclusion though, when I stated that the best stories would be added to my web site. I'm sorry I did not make it clearer.

:thumb: Thanks for clarifying.

[iSign]

...seems to be a real big problem for introducing new concepts to arrogant seasoned pros.

...to direct my ads to such closed minded folks.

..the newbie shop down the street equipped with a Big Squeegee starts to take their business ...that's their problem...

...I get attacked by those seasoned pros
...Do the seasoned pros feel threatened...
http://www.letterhead.com/ubb/graemlins/rolf.gifhttp://www.letterhead.com/ubb/graemlins/rolf.gifhttp://www.letterhead.com/ubb/graemlins/rolf.gifhttp://www.letterhead.com/ubb/graemlins/rolf.gifhttp://www.letterhead.com/ubb/graemlins/rolf.gif

"Attacked" ???

...I don't have the time to spend with each seasoned pro
...it don't pay the bills.
...that's for sure. If you spend it like a defensive snarling animal, the way you are here, it might be counter productive.

...does that mean I get ousted by seasoned pros that have never tried the product? It would be a shame to toss such a valuable tool aside because of a few arrogant seasoned pros.

...actually, it's a far greater shame for you to toss aside your valuable reputation as a professional individual because of a few constructive critiques.

I paid for the privilege to use these merchant ads... quit trying to make me look like the bad guy

DUDE!! ..YOU DON'T NEED ANY HELP THERE!! :Big Laugh

I hope other folks don't read things into it as you did. I'm not awarding the prizes to the best stories. Their names go into a drawing. If someone were to say that the Big Squeegee did not change anything, they would still have a chance at winning one of the prizes.

from the looks of this thread, If someone were to say that the Big Squeegee did not change anything... they would be in for a royal public bashing! http://www.letterhead.com/ubb/graemlins/bash.gif

...just for the record Dale, I have not questioned the validity of your product here, nor your right to promote it here. As far as how you promote it, 2 others questioned (as in, asking a question... not attacking) your promotional offer. I thought your replies to them were rather defensive & made that observation.

Your self promotion is a little over the top in my opinion. Not the use of your right to post self promotion... just the way it sounds like when I buy mine (notice I didn't say "if" ...I almost bought mine in your last promotion... but, I digress...) when I buy mine, the days will be longer, the sunsets brighter, I'll be spending time in the yard... birds singing, children playing... scent of wildflowers wafting across the luxurious afternoon delight of getting my signs made faster & living life fuller. I can't wait! :thumb:

[signsbydale]

Dale I'm not bashing you or your product,I'm sorry if i sounded like that,wish the best for you and your product, will you be offering a giveaway to get new customers as well? Example,Send in your name and address for a chance to win.........not only would you have a lot of new people interested,,you would also have a hell of a new mailing list for your product!!!!!!!!Actually, I'm not going to be selling the squeegees from my web site much longer. I have some offers in the works that will put the Big Squeeegee in sign catalogs on an international level. The web site will be for advertising only.

I believe the feedback I get here will be instamental in helping sign professionals everywhere to make a more informative decission on the purchase of sign making tools.

I would like to thank everyone that takes part in this drawing in advance.
:U Rock::thumb:

[signsbydale]

http://www.letterhead.com/ubb/graemlins/rolf.gifhttp://www.letterhead.com/ubb/graemlins/rolf.gifhttp://www.letterhead.com/ubb/graemlins/rolf.gifhttp://www.letterhead.com/ubb/graemlins/rolf.gifhttp://www.letterhead.com/ubb/graemlins/rolf.gif

from the looks of this thread, If someone were to say that the Big Squeegee did not change anything... they would be in for a royal public bashing! http://www.letterhead.com/ubb/graemlins/bash.gifThat would be a hard find anyway. You should see the bashings I got when I suggested in another forum that there may be something better than those little hard squeegees.
I almost bought mine in your last promotion.Don't expect me to grieve over your loss.http://www.letterhead.com/ubb/graemlins/rolf.gifhttp://www.letterhead.com/ubb/graemlins/rolf.gifhttp://www.letterhead.com/ubb/graemlins/rolf.gifhttp://www.letterhead.com/ubb/graemlins/rolf.gifhttp://www.letterhead.com/ubb/graemlins/rolf.gif

[deanalois]

Well this thread sure went to sh*t quick

[Jackpine]

I know that some may think the price is too high or that it is too good to be true. But I know neither is true. Dale has developed a good product and is proud of it. His promotion is just that....promoting sales. If any think it isn't worth buying .... don't buy one. Bashing????/ way too much on any board or forum......it is a waste of time. I will say from experience Dale is an honest merchant and is trying to do business......what is the problem with that?

[GB2]

Now...if you'd extend your previous sale on your products to 101 members just one more week, I'd be happy to order a set of them and enter your contest.....that's what I get for putting off until tomorrow what you can order today!

[signsbydale]

Now...if you'd extend your previous sale on your products to 101 members just one more week, I'd be happy to order a set of them and enter your contest.....that's what I get for putting off until tomorrow what you can order today!If I had just waited to fill up my tank this week, I could get gas at $2.23 instead of $2.80 I paid last week. I wonder if they will give me a refund? :Big Laugh

Sorry, just have to draw a line somewhere. You can still get a 10 inch rivet/dent squeegee($22 value) with the purchase of a 26" or larger squeegee until Oct 6th. I think you will find the 10 inch will be used more than a larger one. This may turn out to be a better deal for you than last weeks even though it may not appear that way on the surface.

[tjybcy]

Well, when I first received the big squeegee, I really didn't expect much....probably a result of being burned in the past by products that made a lot of promises, but didn't deliver. But, boy, was I under-estimating this "miracle product"!

It truly has cut our transfer taping time in half. Before, it would take 2-3 employees to assist in taping large graphics or even a large order of smaller graphics, but now, one employee can do the job of 2-3 in half the time! Pretty impressive & a huge time (translated: MONEY!!) saver!

THANKS DALE!!!:thankyou:

Sincerely,
Brian & Teresa Young
A.V. Sign Shop
Lancaster, CA

[deanalois]

Now thats what this tread is suppose to generate

[signstudio]

Hi Guys, I will be honest here, I have the 56" & 38" Big Squeegee and the 10" rivet tool, and the 56" is a little hard to use just because of its large size, I find my self using it to hold rolls or spool out things more then mounting or laminating, and I really find it useful as a straight edge (all though the edge on mine is not that straight because I have cut into it on accident) which leads to my next comment of: for the price I would really like to see some sort of edge protector in the form of a stick on edge wrap, or a graphite edge insert. I do not like to have a bunch of tools laying on my working surface so if I have just used the Big Squeegee to mount or lam something and I want to quickly trim the edge I just use the straight edge or the Big Squeegee. so on to the 38" I find it very useful for masking by my self or quick lam jobs. and then the rivet dent tool I really find it to be more squeegee like than the others, it useful for just about anything you would use a normal squeegee for.


Thanks,

Mark Daniels
Sign Studio

[signsbydale]

That is a great idea Mark. I really hadn't thought to use the back side of the 56" as a cutting edge for a box knife or such. A metal insert may have safety issues. I'll look into it. You didn't mention what you you were using to trim with. Using it as a strait edge for a circular saw would not be a good idea.

[wurv]

I’ll start with: I hate taping!

We landed a job back in July of 600 double sided oval (9”X22”) signs for one of our customers. The job was perfect for screenprinting, but I don’t have screen print equipment. Vinyl was our only option. So, in gathering all of the supplies for this, (13 rolls of 50yd white vinyl, 1 roll grey, 7 rolls 14” tape, etc) I was looking for a tape applicator of some kind to speed things up. Enter the “Big Squeegee”: It’s first use would be to tape the vinyl for all 1200 signs (600 X 2). We saved a ton of time and a ton of frustration on this one job alone.

We actually wore the felt off in that first job, thankfully Dale stands by his product and helped us get our Squeegee back in business ASAP.

Since then we have started to use it on banners to apply the vinyl. We would usually do the soapy water thing, but that really eats into the time that it takes to complete the job. We just stick one side down to the banner, give the Big Squeegee a big push and it’s done! It used to take about twice as long to apply the vinyl on banners.


Sincerely,
Tad Gilliland
Wurv Marketing
Dinuba CA

[signsbydale]

Thank you Tad.
This is not the first I've heard about doing screen printing jobs with the Big Squeegee. Before the introduction of the Big Squeegee, these jobs were a break even proposition at best. Now you can comfortably bid on them.

I don't think that I would be too far out of line to suggest that the Big Squeegee pays for itself on a daily basis. The list price of a Squeegee like the one Tad has is $71.50 so this would mean that the use of it will save it's owner about $360 in a five day week. I'm sure this is a fairly low estimate but some weeks it gets used less than others.

[signsbydale]

Most users report that it cuts their time almost in half. Some of them even said it cut their time in half and the manpower in half. This equates out to cut time to one forth.

If you work an 8 hour day using the Big Squeegee then you could be saving about 7 hours or more on labor per day. Now.. what do you charge per hour for your labor? $50, $75? Are you losing money by not having a Big Squeegee?It truly has cut our transfer taping time in half. Before, it would take 2-3 employees to assist in taping large graphics or even a large order of smaller graphics, but now, one employee can do the job of 2-3 in half the time!We landed a job back in July of 600 double sided oval (9”X22”) signs for one of our customers.... We saved a ton of time and a ton of frustration on this one job alone....
...We would usually do the soapy water thing, but that really eats into the time that it takes to complete the job. We just stick one side down to the banner, give the Big Squeegee a big push and it’s done! It used to take about twice as long to apply the vinyl on banners.

[rcmtnet]

Well I finally talked myself into a Big Squeegee, having been around vinyl for a while and seen and heard horror stories of webbing, backing paper and backer board with a big expensive laminating machine, so I figured what the heck I will give it a shot.

When my 31" Big Squeegee arrived I said this thing is busted so a quick email to Dale and a new one arrived in a few short days.

Now it looks easy on the video and guess what pictures don't lie, I laid down three six foot sheets of lamination in about 10 minuets!

I was blown away to say the least, the next day I went to see a good customer who had wanted me to do his logo's on six 53' trailers. I told him that I had just purchased my dream machine laminator and I could now take on the project.

12' long laminated 3-M Control Tac prints without a single bubble 10 mins each no webbing no $5-8000 dollar laminator to pay for, no headaches, no alignment issues, no payments, no storage issues and the best of all this thing paid for itself in its first 6 feet of vinyl try that with anything else. As for ease of use I literally stopped ¾ of the way through the lamination process pulled the vinyl and print backward because of limited space and preceded the lamination process.

Dale my hat is off to you!, your product is simple it cuts out the fat and I have no doubt that this invention would run circles around most moderately priced laminators and for all you people that say no way I’m buying a big expensive machine I say go for it, somebody needs to keep the economy going. As for me I would rather keep the money in my pocket plus it's really nice to own something for once made in america.

If only Dale could make a printer this cheap life would be good!

M. Harris
Nsigna Signs and Graphics

[technowolf]

signsbydale..........dont push it to hard......remember too much is like not enough...:rolleyes:

[Outline Graphics]

Hmmm....

Yeah, it's a good thing this site isn't known for bashing people. Christ... The guy runs a contest, offering to give away product, and gets shredded? Oh brother...

It's pretty simple. If you don't like it..fine. Why not go out and think of a useful product...design it...patent it... put it to market...pay to be a vendor... and then make up any contest you'd like?

I've not seen ONE negative comment regarding the product, which personally... is pretty astounding as far as I'm concerned. It's seldom you see a product that EVERYONE likes (well, everyone who has one). Do I have one yet? No... Not YET

I don't see how he's being pushy about it in any way. He's running a contest!

Christ...poor Dale... I feel for ya man... I really do.

[Dave Drane]

Are we going to see them in Australia in the near future Dale?

[signsbydale]

Are we going to see them in Australia in the near future Dale?I have been shipping to anywhere in the world that anyone was willing to pay the shipping on. I have shipped to Austria, Italy, UK, Canada, and even to Hawaii.:Big Laugh

I sure would like to see you folks in Australia be able to get these. If you can come up with a solution to the shipping problem let me know. It is going into the Fellers Catalog in Jan. but I don't know if that is available to Australians.

[Dave Drane]

Hi Dale, the Fellers (is that SignWarehouse) catalog is not seen here. Would Signwarehouse become a distributor for you?? I wonder how much the freight would be?? Do you want me to get one of our reps to get in touch with you??

[signsbydale]

Ameriban changed their name to Fellers.
SignWareHouse has not shown interest yet.
The freight table can be found at http://pe.usps.com/text/pub51/51tblc.html#vnameref_22 Australia is category 5. Hi Dale, the Fellers (is that SignWarehouse) catalog is not seen here. Would Signwarehouse become a distributor for you?? I wonder how much the freight would be?? Do you want me to get one of our reps to get in touch with you?? Yes, please have a rep either call me at 479-518-3744 or email me at signsbydale@hotmail.com

I would like to remind everyone that this is NOT a contest. It is a drawing for those that own Big Squeegees and wish to tell us how it has benefited their shop. Don't feel you need to tell everyone to buy one. If you don't use it much tell us that too. Thank you.

[roxym]

Dale, to be very honest with you I totally overlooked your product until I got a VersaCamm. I then ordered the 31" Big Squeegee and for the first 2 weeks it sat on the end of the bench and held rolls of vinyl and banner material. After a few trial runs I began to use it daily and am so thankful for it now that I have a multitude of coroplast campaign signs to do. Love not having to use release paper on all those prints! Had to stock up on masking tape though! You have a good product at a reasonable price, just wish I would have had the video to watch in the beginning.

[bob]

I bought a 30" model some months back. I find it to be handy in certain well defined situations but not the panecea that everyone would appear to imply.

It has its own foibles. I can apply laminate to a print but, for the life of me, I cannot get the big squeegee to roll off the lighter weight laminate backing. Thus I have to free one hand to manage the backing and have only one hand pushing the squeegee. This is OK for small to medium size stuff but on larger prints it often leads to disaster due, apparently, to my inability to maintain constant pressure accross the entire width of the squeegee while attempting to juggle a few feet of wayward backing.

As far as applying cut vinyl, I can to it just as fast, just as simply, and with orders of magnitude more control in the traditional manner.

For applying mask, I have a setup that works fast and well and doesn't require that I roll logs of maske across the table.

My final verdict. It's a boon for manual lamination, within reason. It's also a handy place to park a roll of media for mounting on the printer's infeed shaft. Other than that, shrug.

[signage]

I bought a 26" Cut vinyl tool and it works as Dale describes. I has made masking easier in most instances. Good job Dale with a good and simple solution.

[Dave Drane]

Ameriban changed their name to Fellers.
SignWareHouse has not shown interest yet.
The freight table can be found at http://pe.usps.com/text/pub51/51tblc.html#vnameref_22 Australia is category 5. Yes, please have a rep either call me at 479-518-3744 or email me at signsbydale@hotmail.com

I would like to remind everyone that this is NOT a contest. It is a drawing for those that own Big Squeegees and wish to tell us how it has benefited their shop. Don't feel you need to tell everyone to buy one. If you don't use it much tell us that too. Thank you.
Geez Dale, i would need a university degree to work out the freight. How much do they weigh??:help:

[signsbydale]

Geez Dale, i would need a university degree to work out the freight. How much do they weigh??:help:figure about 2 lb/ft.

[Inkfish Graphics]

I bought a 54" big squeegee and had a few problems at first until I changed the felt that came on it to a 100%cotton t-shirt like material. Works like a dream! Laminates and mounts without a hitch.

[signsbydale]

Inkfish[/left] Graphics]I bought a 54" big squeegee and had a few problems at first until I changed the felt that came on it to a 100%cotton t-shirt like material. Works like a dream! Laminates and mounts without a hitch.Thank you Inkfish for your input!

Inkfish called me up and was really excited about the cotton replacement. The reason he did not like the felt was because of the silvering. The change to 100% cotton got rid of the silvering and he said that it did a better job than cold roll laminators.:thumb::thumb:

I have been working on getting a replacement for the felt and the replaceable felt feature is a step in that direction. It does take time and money to get things like this going. When I get the replaceable cotton strips available they will be easy to replace. For now the felt works and the silvering will disappear over night in most cases.

I have been looking at other materials but cotton seems to be the best tested so far. Soooo. Do I look for black cotton cloth??:rolleyes: :Big Laugh

[Jackpine]

Thank you Inkfish for your input!

Inkfish called me up and was really excited about the cotton replacement. The reason he did not like the felt was because of the silvering. The change to 100% cotton got rid of the silvering and he said that it did a better job than cold roll laminators.:thumb::thumb:

I have been working on getting a replacement for the felt and the replaceable felt feature is a step in that direction. It does take time and money to get things like this going. When I get the replaceable cotton strips available they will be easy to replace. For now the felt works and the silvering will disappear over night in most cases.

I have been looking at other materials but cotton seems to be the best tested so far. Soooo. Do I look for black cotton cloth??:rolleyes: :Big Laugh

I've replaced the felt with non stretching velvet. Works very good. I get a little silvering but as Dale said it goes away. I have also edged my hand squeegees with the soft side of velcro ( thanks to Fred's advice awhile back). I like that very much. I have some 2" sticky back Velcro to try on the Big Squeegee but the velvet is working good.

[gtjet]

We like the big laminator and use it almost dailey. The only problem we have is on bigger prints 10 foot and longer. We currently use a different method to apply it than the one Dale shows. This method envolves, setting the laminate about 1" back from the edge of the print and taping it down there, rolling the backing around the roll set on the big laminator at the start, and then continuing to roll the backing around the roll as we move across the print. This method is virtually fool proof and on a 20 foot print believe me we do not want to have an error half way across it that ruins the print. No bubbles and no errors that cause a ruined print with this method. We use Dales method on smaller prints as it is a little faster but this method is still very fast and allows us to stop if needed we no longer have small bubbles where we stop. On big prints it is the way to go for us and has helped us avoid the cost of an expensive laminator. Something we would own by now if now for the big squeegee at a cost of $5000 plus dollars.

[signsbydale]

I've replaced the felt with non stretching velvet. Works very good. I get a little silvering but as Dale said it goes away. I have also edged my hand squeegees with the soft side of velcro ( thanks to Fred's advice awhile back). I like that very much. I have some 2" sticky back Velcro to try on the Big Squeegee but the velvet is working good.I tried the loop Velcro on a Big Squeegee and was disapointed with the result. I don't recommend it. It may be good for those little hard squeegees that are pulled across the vinyl but when it is pushed across it does not slide well. The velvet works a little better than felt but the felt is easier to install at this time. After the first day it is hard to tell the difference.

[bob]

We like the big laminator and use it almost dailey. The only problem we have is on bigger prints 10 foot and longer. We currently use a different method to apply it than the one Dale shows. This method envolves, setting the laminate about 1" back from the edge of the print and taping it down there, rolling the backing around the roll set on the big laminator at the start, and then continuing to roll the backing around the roll as we move across the print. This method is virtually fool proof and on a 20 foot print believe me we do not want to have an error half way across it that ruins the print. No bubbles and no errors that cause a ruined print with this method. We use Dales method on smaller prints as it is a little faster but this method is still very fast and allows us to stop if needed we no longer have small bubbles where we stop. On big prints it is the way to go for us and has helped us avoid the cost of an expensive laminator. Something we would own by now if now for the big squeegee at a cost of $5000 plus dollars.

You want to draw a picture or take a photo or something? If you have some method to wrangle the backing as it peels off the lamnate I'd be all eyes and ears but I can't exactly figure it our from what you just posted. I'd really like to know...

[Jackpine]

You want to draw a picture or take a photo or something? If you have some method to wrangle the backing as it peels off the lamnate I'd be all eyes and ears but I can't exactly figure it our from what you just posted. I'd really like to know...

Me too. I would like alittle more infomation. I too can't figure it out. Thanks in advance. sounds like a good method.

[signsbydale]

You want to draw a picture or take a photo or something? If you have some method to wrangle the backing as it peels off the lamnate I'd be all eyes and ears but I can't exactly figure it out from what you just posted. I'd really like to know...From the explanation I gather that the backing would be guided around the roll and follow the applied vinyl around the leading edge of the squeegee.

[timfse]

I'm just not getting the knack of the 54" squeege. I've watched the videos, I've tried them dry, with soap/water, rapid tack and I just don't seem to get it. Now, I've put down 24" transfer tape ok on vinyl, but as far as putting down a 48" digital print, I need some advice.

Thanks

[GXSignCo]

Although I don't use it a lot, I've found it works really good for 18x24 coroplast signs...knocks 'em out in short order. My wife really likes them too, told me that she was really impressed after using them a bit. I also use them for smallish digital print mounting, but use my laminator for large ones.

[PGilleland]

My shop resisted trying the big squeegee, not truly believing it would be better than traditional methods of laminating and installing lettering and graphics. However, the more they use it, the more they like it!

[exsigns]

Why not to post a short video of BS in use somewhere like utube or google video? I for now have no idea how it works but a short video will help a lot determine a need in this tool

[bob]

From the explanation I gather that the backing would be guided around the roll and follow the applied vinyl around the leading edge of the squeegee.

Huh? Perhaps it's just too early but I cannot manage to draw a picture of this that makes any sense whatsoever. Please elaborate.

[Bcrawford]

I've purchased the 26" Big Squeege and use it for 18" X 24" Coroplast signs, I am still amazed at how easy and fast it makes applying vinyl to Coroplast, and almost never any bubbles!

[signsbydale]

Why not to post a short video of BS in use somewhere like utube or google video? I for now have no idea how it works but a short video will help a lot determine a need in this tool:wine-smi: :beer
Why not check out the videos in my web site?

For Bob:

http://handlaminator.com/wrprd.jpg
The red line would be the liner.

[infinitef]

I just recently bought a 1-32 squeegee. I am 17 years old, and just started my own vinyl graphics shop. I love this squeegee! With having no experience to the sign industry, this laminator is very easy to use. This tool works GREAT for laminating, I haven’t had a print ruined. It is fast and simple. The squeegee does not take up very much room, which is important when you have a small shop. Another great benefit was the price. The price was awesome for such a good tool. I definitely don’t regret buying it. The shipping was incredibly quick, and Dale is pleasant to talk to.
Thanks Dale!

Spencer McMurtry
Infinite Graphics

[bob]

The red line would be the liner.

Ahhhh. Other than it might be a taste tricky to get it started, that could well be the ticket. Thanks...

[Timothy Davis]

Just purchased my 26" cut vinyl tool. After looking at the replies to this and other post, plus the fact that 90% of the time I work alone, I thought what the heck. It only cost about as much as a full roll of 24" vinyl and if it saves me the frustration of the bubbles I had last week on a dry applied alum sign It will save me a ton on stress.

That alum sign the bubbles never went away and I now have to go take it down and use the damned bubble poper on it.

I will post a video up of my first use of this tool. I promise not to practice first. If it screws up you will all see.

[scottie]

my wife bought me the big squeegee a couple months ago. I do alot of posters that get laminated. It by far is the best tool for the job. Thanks so much Dale.

[signsbydale]

I will post a video up of my first use of this tool. I promise not to practice first. If it screws up you will all see.Oh no!:Big Laugh The easiest way to screw something up is to film it....:biggrin:

I'd like to remind everyone that today is the last day to enter the drawing.
It is also the last day of the sale.

[signsbydale]

I think that everyone would agree that those that use the Big Squeegee are already winners.
:U Rock:

The winners of the drawing are:

post #14 deanalois

post #30 wurv

post #42 signage

Congratulations!

In all fairness and appreciation, I would like to extend the sale to those that have participated in the drawing to Oct 14th. You can choose either the 30% discount or the free 10" rivet/dent tool.

[signsbydale]

A big :thankyou: for those that have participated in the drawing. The Prizes have been sent out. Some of the comments have been added to my web site.

If anyone has some video of the Big Squeegee at work, I'd like very much to include it in the next upgrade of the training DVD and in the web site. Compensation for contributions used in the videos is available.

[deanalois]

Thanks Dale
Just want to thank you for a great product and having the contest and shipping the winners the set of Big Squeegees so fast.
Thanks Again
Dean

[signage]

Thanks Dale
Received my squeegees and they work like a charm.

Thank You,
Brian

[signsbydale]

Thanks Dale
Just want to thank you for a great product and having the contest and shipping the winners the set of Big Squeegees so fast.
Thanks Again
DeanThanks Dale
Received my squeegees and they work like a charm.

Thank You,
Brianyou're welcome.