Button machines aren't sold
in retail establishments, where consumers can do side-by-side
comparisons, so anyone wishing to purchase a button machine must
rely on what they read in a catalog or web site and then make
a decision.
But savvy consumers know what
a company doesn't tell you about their product can easily be
as important as what they do.
Because of
this, I felt comparing our Model 225 button press
against Badge-A-Minit's entire line of 2-1/4" button machines
and telling you what THEY don't tell you, might be helpful
for anyone thinking about buying a button machine.
(Down the page
a bit are links that will lead you to pages that describe each
of the five button machines being compared).
Before buying ANY button machine,
here are a few questions you should have answers to:
1. How easy is it to make buttons?
Most consumers don't have any idea how a button machine operates,
so this is probably the least asked question of the bunch.
Let me assure you... not all
button machines operate in the same fashion and many are actually
rather difficult to operate.
And if the machine you end up buying is difficult to operate,
you probably won't use it very often. At that point you will
likely either quit making buttons or spend the money necessary
to buy the machine you should have purchased in the first place.
2. How fast is it?
That is, how many buttons will you be able to produce with it
in a given amount of time?
If you plan to earn money with the buttons you make, you definitely
want to purchase a faster machine, because in business, time
is money.
If you try to make buttons for re-sale, using a slow button machine,
you either have to charge more for your product, or earn less
per hour when making them, to stay competitive.
3. What material is the
machine made of?
A great deal of pressure is generated when the button parts,
which are made of steel, are pressed together.
While it might look like metal in a photograph, many of the button
machines offered today are actually made of plastic or a plastic-like
compound. And plastic simply cannot withstand the rigors of button
making, the way machines that are made of steel, can.
4. Will the button machine produce professional
quality buttons?
After all, if your button machine produces inferior quality buttons,
will anyone really want to buy them?
Professional-quality buttons don't have paper or plastic sticking
out the sides and they won't fall apart after being made. Both
of these situations are common with the inexpensive Badge A Minit
machines.
5. What will be the true cost of the machine?
Some button machines are offered without a cutter, or only include
enough supplies to make a few buttons.
So you can compare "apples to apples", each kit in
this comparison was "created" to include the button
machine, a cutter, and 250 pin-back button sets, whether they
are offered that way or not. And the price of that "kit"
was adjusted accordingly.
6. What type of return policy is offered?
Since you don't buy button machines in a store and can't "try
it before you buy it", you really should be aware of the
return policy, in case you aren't happy with the machine.
At Dr. Don's Buttons, we have
a policy of not charging a re-stocking fee, should you decide
to return a button machine within the first 30 days.
Badge-A-Minit , on the other hand, charges a 10% re-stocking
fee, should you return one of their machines.
After reading
about any of the machines that are shown below, simply click
on the link that returns you to the comparison home page or simply
use your browser's BACK button to return here.
Click on a link below to learn more about:
Badge-A-Minit's
Hand Press
Badge-A-Minit's
Bench Press
Dr.
Don's Model 225 Button Machine
Badge-A-Minit's
Badge-A-Matic 1
(their manually operated button machine)
Badge-A-Minit's Badge-A-Matic
II
(their electric button machine)
click here
to see a video of the Model 225 button machine and the AC-1 cutter
in action
If you would like to order online, using
our
SECURE ONLINE
ORDER PAGE,
you can do so
by clicking here.
