Hot take: my $300 paring press was a total waste of cash

I keep seeing people online raving about those expensive screw presses for bookbinding, so I finally dropped $300 on a nice metal one. Honestly, I regret it. My old $40 wooden one from a garage sale did the same job just fine, and this fancy press actually caused me issues. The metal surface made my leather covers slide around, so my alignment went off on two projects. I spent more time fixing mistakes than the press saved me time. I think a lot of these tools are just marketing hype for hobbyists who want to look professional. Has anyone else been burned by a pricey bookbinding gadget they thought was a game changer?

2 comments

2 Comments

shane7512d ago

I used to be one of those people defending the expensive metal presses, thinking the weight and precision would justify the cost. But the sliding issue you mentioned makes a lot of sense, especially with leather covers that need a bit of grip to stay put. Consider me converted back to the wood press camp, I guess cheaper really was better in this case.

nathan1932d ago

Man, I was totally team "spend the money" until I read this. I was saving up for one of those metal presses, thinking itd be a huge upgrade. Now I'm rethinking my whole setup.