I really like this heat press! I originally purchased HTVRONT’s first auto heat press, but due to technical issues, I had to return it. However, their customer service was fantastic, which made me feel comfortable purchasing from them again. I decided to wait for the Auto Heat Press 2, and I’m so glad I did—it’s been worth it, especially compared to bigger competitors.

🔥 Key Improvements & Features:

✅ Adjustable Pressure – This was a huge upgrade for me since I use DTF (Direct to Film) transfers. If you’re wondering whether this heat press works with DTF, the answer is yes! Not all automatic heat presses support DTF, but this one does, thanks to the pressure adjustment feature. I always use the highest pressure for my transfers, and they turn out perfect every time.

✅ Included Mat for Better Pressure – The added mat provides extra depth, improving pressure distribution.

✅ Quick & Accurate Heating – It heats up fast and has been very accurate whenever I’ve checked the temperature.

✅ User-Friendly & Safe – The slide-out drawer makes it easy to use and reduces the risk of burns.

🎨 Aesthetic & Size:

Not only is it functional, but it also looks great! Let’s be honest—some heat presses are just ugly. Since I keep this in my home office (not a workshop), I was willing to invest in something that both works well and looks nice. The compact size (15x15” mat, ~13” high, ~16” wide, ~20” long) fits well in my space.

📏 Real-Time Measurements Included – I took photos of my measurements since listed dimensions aren’t always 100% accurate. Hopefully, this helps others!

✨ Final Thoughts:

After using it for a few months (as a hobbyist making T-shirts), it still works just as well as day one. If you're looking for a DTF-friendly, compact, and aesthetically pleasing heat press, this is a fantastic option!

I just started using a machine cutter and working with HTV. This Heat Press takes ALL the guess work out of it! So easy to use and works perfectly right out of the box!! Heats well, love the larger size for bigger shirts. This is my favorite prime day purchase!!

With a small decorated apparel business we offer a few heat transfer products and have been using a large industrial Hotronics brand press for years. At 15 years old it’s a workhorse but has no automatic press or lift, is entirely metal and a little heavy which can really add up if you are going to run 200 presses in a row or have a mobile business. Still it’s hard to justify an almost $2000 cost to upgrade to get some of the automatic features and benefits of the newer industrial machines. But finding this has haves us literal headaches this past month when we had a surge of transfer orders! If you’re a hobbyist or one person business and can make the cost back in 1 month or less, just get it- it’s perfect for small batches. Speaking from a small industrial scale (several workers, running about 1-250 transfers depending on the week, and currently using industry-standard brand for a press) here’s why I love this little gadget:

1) AUTOMATIC!!!! Holy heck have I have literally saved myself so much physical pain in the past month. Our old machine has no lift or support so not having to use any force while cranking out shirts really allows us to get more done with less strain on our shoulders and arms from repetitive movements.

2) The COST!! I dare you to find anything in the market that is has as many new upgrade features and automation At this price, it is less than a THIRD of the cost of the automated Hottronics brand and at least for apparel it has as much heat and pressure as you could need. Also no need to pay freight and worry you won’t love it- this is gonna show up in a couple of days and worst case you can still return it without too much curfuffle.

3) Speed- it’s likely that our older machine is just way slower than anything newer but in 5 minutes you’ll be up and running and at temp. Even better, when we need to lower the heat for polyester, give it a bit and it’s good to go.

4) Not so heavy you can’t mobilize it- don’t get me wrong this this is still a chonky piece of machinery (think desktop tower weight and overall size) - if you have a cart it would be a great option for taking it to shows or events although to lift it does require some old fashion muscle.

~Potential~ downsides:

These aren’t deal breakers just things to keep in mind depending on the size or type of businesss you have

1) not able to dress the platen. 😬 professionally this keeps us from using it with anything that has buttons or zippers because to use a silicon mat or pillow between those layers is just slower than dressing the platen old fashion style. It’s still perfect for tees sweatshirts and other items that don’t really require it but would appreciate if the slide mechanism could be adjusted in the next iteration

2)Overly safe? The automatic off may have a changeable setting but this machine will shut down when not in use and if you step away to have a convo. Maybe you’re running a booth and have 15 min between orders it’s a little annoying to have it need to warm back up. Could I check the instructions, yes, will I …maybe in another month when we get very annoyed at that 🤣. It is not a complete loss though as it does give us peace of mind knowing we won’t ever burn our shop down because we forgot to turn it off

3) long term durability- I see no reason we won’t use this little beast for years BUT with the shell being plastic I expect that may discolor over time from the heat and could eventually start to become brittle. Because the pressure is mechanical and not a lever or pnuematic, this could also weaken faster and have less ability to be fixed or adjusted to compensate by the user. But the thing is, it’s 1/3 of the cost of the other press choices with these features so I am more than willing to just purchase again because that also means I have a chance to upgrade to newer features sooner. I do think this machine is a very nice quality for crafters, sole owner businesses and even shops like ours who do more work but not as frequently. We mainly stick in the vinyl, DTF , and EPT transfers for apparel so I can’t speak to sublimation settings or hard surfaces.

4) Size- this is every so slightly smaller than our industrial press so we are limited to that 12” space but that does cover 99% of our work - just something to keep in mind for those really big prints

Again, I had to write this review because we all are so impressed with this machine even as a team who has used industrial level equipment. I will absolutely look forward to new items this company makes and would love to see a side by side automatic press!!

Great heat press! I have a steam press but after seeing this at a sewing class I had to have one. So easy to operate!

So far so good! I press shirts for my family for holidays and random events/occasions. I've used this press several times now, I love the slide out tray, easy to use interface, and adjustable pressure. I have bragged on this press a lot already- the more I use it, I anticipate feeling more comfortable and doing more with it. As a novice, coming from the cricut heat press, I appreciate the conveniences of the machine and how easy it is to use. ESPECIALLY with the HTVRONT vinyl-- the products work very well together. Looking forward to doing more puff vinyl projects with this machine, and trying out other types of this company's HTV.

Love that this has programmable heat and pressure settings. I've been using it for shirts mostly but works great for cutting boards, wind spinners and slates too! It is very heavy but also very durable. It has a function to automatically press and raise based on the time you set and it turns off after not using it for a certain amount of time.

I love this new press! I am very happy with my upgrade.

If you are thinking of upgrading like I did, I hope this review helps you in your decision on what press to get.

I have the original press so I have something to compare to.

Pressure control- The original had its default pressure control but I was finding myself using my manual press for things like slates. This one i can control it, if I need less or more. Note for most items you will need 170. (It's in the manual) by default it's set at 50. You will need to adjust this before you press the 1st time.

The tray- It pulls out all the way! While the original it pulled out most of the way, this one pulls out all the way for easier placement. It also gives you a little click when you push in so you can hear when it's pushed back all the way. Note it will also beep at you if you try to start it when it's not all the way.

Controls- it's got a easy to use control panel, and a included "cheat sheet" right under it so if you forget what to hit, it's right there. Like the original you can set default settings. I like the adjustable screen it makes it so much easier to keep a eye on the timer.

Quick to heat up- this one seems to heat up a bit faster. Though I didn't time it.

Footprint - the footprint is pretty much the same, though it's taller.

Weight- my complaint with the 1st one, when the tray was all the way out, if you pushed to hard it tipped. It was a little to light. (Though really easy to move). This one they have fixed it. This baby is heaaavvvvyyyyy. I don't feel like I am going to tip it over like the original. But this one I won't be moving around like i do the original.

The only thing this is missing is a larger size. I wish they would come out with a 16x20 option. For a automatic press, this is definitely worth the upgrade.

This machine is great and such a time saver. Of course machines like these have their pros and cons.

Pro-

- i love the fact that is is not tiresome to use

- the tray pulls out completely so no more easy burns unless im not paying close attention or my hand is too far back

- it is fairly lightweight

Sleek in design and overall stunning

- i had an event that required roughly over 200 back and front designs from toddler to 3x

And this machine works like a beast for hours !

Both pro and con -

The machine will turn off after a time of idleness which is great but sometimes not so great

Con -

-The pressure is not heavy enough

I have to go to the highest setting and sometime it is still not enough so i add a cushion

- the machine does not lift high enough but thankfully the tray pulls out

- the space behind the top and bottom pressure plate is not large enough for example if you have a fairly large design and you dont want the design to bent it will likely bend

- the overall size of the plate i wish was larger for back designs

Overall i thoroughly enjoy this product and it is such a great addition to any craft room

Solid workhorse with nice automatic features. This press really made my last order, which consisted of around 3600 pressings, as efficient and consistent as it could be. Not having to physically open and close a press, especially at the high pressure that DTF requires, really saved my shoulders and hands.

I have had this for almost a year now and I absolutely love it... The automatic release is fantastic. The other thing I love is that you can configure a few commonly used settings easily and it has a pressure which makes it really easy to make sure that they settings are all the same

It’s heavy -best to have a proper stand. I just ordered one for it. I haven’t tried it yet but I watch u-tube vids where they use it for their projects so I had to have one they give great reviews.

Bought this heat press for my wife how does transfers with her cricut. It worked really well and was pretty straight forward to set up. Make sure you have dedicated space for it and beware that it’s got some weight to it.

Be careful on colour choices if paying with affirm. I had selected Daisy white, was redirected to affirm for payment options. Placed my order to realize it had changed my colour to bubble blue. I contacted the seller to see if I could change the colour. They told me to contact Amazon directly as the product was already at the warehouse. I contacted Amazon & the sales representative said it would be no problem. The bubble blue colour arrived & exchange was not an option. Had to do a full return & lost out on a $60.00 coupon.

I ended up receiving as gift, in Daisy white. The machine is wonderful, easy to use. I love all of the updated spec's from the previous press. I would buy again in a heartbeat. Note this is a large machine & you need to have a dedicated space for your press. The machine is heavish & you wouldn't want to be moving it often. Looking forward to buying the new Htvront tumbler pro kit!!!