Grommet Machine

[GraphicVisalia]

I've already bought two different grommet machines and admit I went the cheap road. Got what I deserved. At this point I'm looking for a good reliable grommet press that isn't $500 bucks. Any suggestions?

Thank you in advance!

 

[Slamdunkpro]

Hiker

 

[WILLIAMS]

+1 hiker; do a search, lots of reviews/comments on hiker & stimpson

 

[Replicator]

Stimpson

 

[Pro Image]

Fasnap from Fellers......Ive had one for more than 10 years and still works just like the day I bought it......

 

[bob]

Any grommet press does exactly the same thing in exactly the same way as any other grommet press. While some of the machines from the Pacific rim have poorly machined dies and are generally garbage, any name brand grommet press is pretty much the same as any other name brand press. Buy whatever is on sale.

 

[Pat Whatley]

What Bob said.

 

[GypsyGraphics]

Stimpson here

 

[jiarby]

+1 for Hiker... they have a distribution center here in Mesa, AZ so I can pick up grommies locally!

 

[SightLine]

I did the same years ago. Got some imported one from eBay. Only identifying marks on it are "Made in Japan" on the handle and a triangle cast in on one side. It came with dies of a few sizes and matching grommets. What I discovered later was that the dies are all metric so standard grommets sizes offered here in the US do not fit right.

After some careful measuring of the dies and a couple of emails and photos back and forth - I took the plunge and ordered a #2 die for a Sooper Ace machine from Image One - it fits perfect and now I can use their grommets.

The machine itself is nice, heavy, and well built. You just cannot get original dies for it and getting metric grommets is a pain here. That being said - what I did is an option you could explore for the machine you have. Otherwise I'd go with what was already posted and get a Hiker, Stimpson, or Fasnap press as they are the most widely known and should never be a problem to get the correct grommets or new dies for them. I've also found that getting the brand grommets specifically for your machine works best.

 

[parrott]

Stimpson. We have had ours for 10+ years and never had an issue. Heavy duty and reliable.

 

[Finishline Signs]

My first grommet press was a cheap one that was a pain to use. When I broke down and bought a good one (HIker) it was the best thing I ever did. The aggrivation the other press caused was not worth the $125 savings.

 

[customcreations]

I have one of the $50 ebay specials and love it after a minor tweak. It had a metric die set. I had my buddy machine it down to #2 size and love it. I tried another shops high dollar one and hated it. The dies were a reversed setup. I like having the bigger stand up part on the bottom.

 

[njshorts]

we have a 225$ hiker- solid, works really well.

 

[MIMO]

+++ on the hiker. Height / depth adjustment is great feature as it means you're not just squishing the *%#• out of your substrate.

 

[TheSnowman]

Stimpson. This thing looks like it was built in the early 80's, and still works as good as the day the previous owner of my company bought it.

 

[CentralSigns]

We did it by hand for years then bought a Hiker. Wow did we regret not buying one sooner. Never go back to any other machine. They are a solid choice. Just throw the grommet parts on and its in as fast as you can say done.

 

[premiercolour]

Fully Automatic Grommet Machine $6,500 delivered with 10,000 grommets.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hj-ClUg1lc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT_rBV6uA5I

 

[westpointsigns]

Hiker here, and I use standard grommets from the local farm supply store. They cut right through banner material up to 7 layers thick.

 

[2B]

Since this threat is basically the same as what I am looking for thought it best to post here instead of a new thread.

A used grommet press was obtained when another sign shop was purchased, the actual press is in great shape and appears to be extremely well built. the issue is the spring loaded head is no longer hold the grommets and the press has NO identifying marks at all! not even where it was made.

The head is threaded and can be removed from the arm press.

Have looked through grommet presses on Google and it appears to be a SPOONER ACE or a LEXJET. Is there anyway to tell the difference and/or are the heads interchangeable?

Looking for a #2 self piercing head if at all possible, tired of the grommets falling out when its loaded