Not too bad for the price

Quality was not up to par. The rod with the spring was sticking and grinding. Rather than going thru the hassle of sending it back,I took it apart and used a round file to clean out the enclosure so that it would work smoothly. Also the base was warped so that it was rounded on the bottom like a rocking chair.

Pen assembly press

I like the press but it has some problems. The plastic end cap on the press is a little soft and the pen tip would press into it. It was an easy fix with a harder piece of plastic glued to the end. Also the grip on the handle slips off. again an easy fix. Overall a good press fo the price.

Design could have been better.

The casting on the body is rough in some spots which shows poor craftmanship. The handle smelled so bad that I made a wooden one to replace it. Now I'm wondering what material it was actually made from. The directions suggest you put a cardboard pad over the metal plunger tip to prevent damage to your pen metal parts. This transmits to poor design if you have to alter a new tool to make it work properly. I opted to put an 1/8" hardboard piece over it for durability. I was thinking about just making my own pen press initially with a push/pull plunger toggle on a wooden base. Wish I had. I'm sure this item could have been commisioned to be made in the U.S.A. with American workers and better craftmanship.I really hate tools made in China as they are always inferior.

2 ISSUES

I have 2 issues with this product. First was the little flimsy red handle that just falls off and the second was the two press ends...as far as the handle goes I just took a piece of wood turned it down and glued it on for a handle (which looks pretty good if I do say so myself) and the two ends I took some self sticking felt pads and put one on each end...problem solved.

works great

I have no issues with this press. It works great every time. Good buy.

By far the best one in the market

I have a penturning business and I've tried assembly presses from PSI and from other competitors in the past. All of them tend to break. The mechanisms gets bent and or disengage from the wood. This model is sturdy. The base is made out of metal and it stands the high pressure required to assembly the pens. It has been a great bought and I am extremely pleased with it. It is the best one in the market by far...!!!!!

Good solid press BUT

After buying this press a few months ago I have tried it on several pens. Much to my dismay, there was no recess in the plastic end of the press for the nib as some images I saw seemed to indicate. I also found that unless the pen parts are lined up exactly and KEPT in place by maybe a 3rd hand, that the parts tended to get pushed out of alignement and shoved at an angle into the blank, thus totally destroying any chance of a decent pen. Now I am not saying that the press is not worth buying or that it isn't worth the price I paid for it, it has made some beautiful pens. I'm just saying that maybe some refinements can be made, a recess for the nib to fit into to help line things up (I altered mine by drilling a hole in the plastic stop piece for the nib) and perhaps a third hand might be needed for some parts that don't want to stay in place while pressure is being added. All in all a great asset to anyones shop, just make sure your parts are lined up with the blank, and by the way, I glued a piece of cardboard to the metal plunger with CA glue and it's worked well that way without marring the parts. If the cardboard ever comes off, I will probably use felt.

Awesome Tool!

I've been using a much more expensive yet more time consuming assembly press and am simply amazed at how much time this tool cut off my pen making - Approx. 20 minutes time saving on assembly. It is Heavy-duty construction, inexpensive, simple to use and was easy to bolt down with 4 screws to my work bench. I received this tool as a Christmas gift and am ever so Thankful for it. It was purchased locally at Woodworkers Paradise in Lumberton Texas.

Great Item

This press makes assembly a lot easier and smoother than a vice. I notice a lot of people say it won`t press in a pen cap without making shims. The piston end can be extended so no extra shims are needed. Great item. A little pricy but you get what you pay for.

Awesome Press

After using a press I had bought locally two years ago for a lot more, I realize that was a Bad mistake. This pen press is so easy to use it is like having an extra hand. Instead of using a piece of cardboard on the metal plunger as Penn State suggest I double stick taped a piece of leather with the rough side out on it and this is working super. This is a well built tool that all should have.