ECO Farm Red Manual Portable Heat Rosin Press - CH2034 VS INTIVA IM1200 Clamshell Rosin Press

 A rosin press is a device that you use to extract rosin from hemp flower. Because the extracted rosin is so concentrated, it contains very high levels of cannabinoids.

A rosin press works by applying heat and pressure to the hemp flower, which then results in a concentrated oil substance emerging from the press. The rosin is then consumed by vaping, dabbing, or smoking it.

In general, rosin presses are expensive items and are used by professionals, who really understand how the process works. However, there are more affordable options, such as those featured in this list, that are suitable for at-home use.

To help you make a more informed decision on which one to buy, this guide will give you a recommendation for the best rosin presses based on the ones deemed the most effective and best value for money.

What is rosin?

For the uninitiated among us, let’s talk about the basics first — what is rosin? In short, it’s a plants concentrate — just like shatter, budder or wax — that’s made without the use of any solvents. That’s why we call rosin a “solventless extract.” Instead of the traditional extraction methods, performed with a solvent like butane, or with supercritical C02, rosin is created with three very simple elements: heat, pressure, and time.

The rosin pressing process, in the absolute simplest terms, consists of pressing plants (or hash) with high pressure and a bit of heat. The heat and pressure cause the resins inside the flower (or hash) to liquify and ooze out of the press. This secretion is collected, and often cured in jars. The resulting product is a highly-concentrated solution of cannabinoids and terpenes, which is dabbable or vapable as-is.

Essentially, rosin is an extract that’s made without the use of any chemicals. Think of it like super-charged hashish, in that it’s made naturally, but at a much higher cannabinoid concentration than typical hash.

What is a rosin press?

A rosin press is a machine that’s used to create rosin. It consists of two heated plates that your starting material gets squished between, and some kind of hydraulic mechanism to create the pressure.

Rosin presses are very simple machines — there are few moving parts, no reservoirs for chemicals, and minimal electronics to fuss with. When using a rosin press machine, you’re only manipulating a handful of variables, when compared to solvent extractions: time, heat, and pressure.

ECO Farm Red Manual Portable Heat Rosin Press — CH2034

Features:

This ECO Farm rosin press is perfect for personal desktop operating or pressing and moving around. Accurate LCD Controller, temperature controls located at the back of the press, and a convenient carrying handle. 1.2-inch thick solid aluminium made heating element, 3x2 inch Dual platen, 0~250℃/485℉ temperature range, 2~5℃ temperature difference. Adjustable Maximum Pressure generates 1000lbs force, 770lbs using recommend and works perfectly. The personal heat press machine’s spare parts are UL certified and remain in stable working condition. Before Using, you need to increase the pressure by using the pressure adjustment wrench to adjust the pressure nut. Please kindly noted that do not adjust the pressure very large, this may cause the machine problem like a handle broken, and will influence the heat press machine service life.

INTIVA IM1200 Clamshell Rosin Press

Features:

Rosin presses are designed for solvent-free extraction of vegetable rosin oil for pharmaceutical, food processing, brewing, cosmetic and research laboratory applications. The Intiva IM1200 Clamshell Rosin Press is suitable for solvent-free vegetable oil extraction for small businesses and personal use. Lightweight, yet stronger and more powerful, the Intiva IM1200 Flip Rosin Press features a locking lever mechanism and an adjustable pressure knob that eliminates the need for constant manual maximum pressure. The press’s dual thermal solid aluminium plates ensure even heat distribution for optimal output. Touchscreen temperature and timer controls allow you to set and save press parameters for multiple batch extractions.

Rosin Press Buyers Guide

Now that we have covered each of the Rosin Press machines in a little bit more detail and discussed their individual pros, cons, and features we need to think about a few more general considerations that will help influence our decision.

Hopefully, the below buyers guide will help us to make a decision on which product deserves the coveted title of Best Rosin Press and will also clarify in your own mind which machine is right for you.

Rosin Press Setup & Ease of Use
The first thing we need to consider is how easy the Rosin Press we are looking at is to setup and use.

As with all products, the Rosin Presses we have covered have a variety of functionality and therefore a range of difficulties concerning setup and continuous use.

Some of the more industrial and high-quality Rosin Presses are more complex to setup and use, and whilst all of the presses require a thorough reading of instructions before use, it is tremendously important that the more inexperienced growers take the time to learn how to operate the machines prior to use to ensure optimal performance and functionality.

Grade of Rosin Press
As stated above, there are two distinct grades of Rosin Press; household and industrial.

Industrial machines tend to be larger, more complex, and better able to deal with higher yields due to their design and innate durability and functionality.

Household Rosin Presses meanwhile are usually smaller, easier to use, and designed for the grower with smaller yields.

These household Rosin Presses are ideal for smaller workspaces and as such, are much more suited to your average home grower than the bulkier, space-consuming, industrial presses.

That being the case you need to acknowledge what type of press is best for your situation, are you a grower with limited space, and who produces small to mid-sized yields?

If so, then one of the smaller household Rosin Presses would be better suited to your needs.

If on the other hand you produce large amounts of yields and require a robust and durable machine, and have the space for said machine, then an industrial Rosin Press would be more suitable.

Rosin Press Portability
Another consideration to take into account is how often you will be required to move the Rosin Press.

Obviously, some of the smaller, household Rosin Presses would be more suited to growers who frequently move and reposition their machine and growing environment.

Some of the smaller Rosin Presses weigh in at around 6.5kg and these are ideal for frequent relocation and are relatively easy to move and setup again.

Of course, if you do decide to purchase one of the more heavy and industrial Rosin Presses then please be aware that these bulky items may not react well to frequent and continuous setup, assembly, and relocation.

Warranties on Your Rosin Press
It’s always important when considering making a purchase to check out the warranty status of the product in question.

This consideration is doubly important, we believe, when purchasing a particularly complex, expensive or mechanical product that is at greater risk of breaking.

Some of the Rosin Presses we have covered have taken this into account and offer very good warranty deals, some up to two years warranty with additional 24/7 lifetime customer care.

We always encourage consumers to take an interest in warranties and customer care services as whilst in an idea world every product we purchase would not suffer from defects, breakages or factory flaws, the truth is even the most well made products by the most reputable firms can sometimes produce an anomaly and if that’s the case you shouldn’t be out of pocket.

Conclusion

Rosin presses are fairly new on the market, and new versions with new features are being released all the time. If you ask the pros, there are a whole slew of features you might or might not want in a rosin press machine. But for most people, there are only a few things to pay attention to.

Remember our three variables we mentioned? Time, heat and pressure — these are the only things you need to create great rosin. Almost any rosin press on the market today will be able to create the right amount of heat and pressure for good results. As for time — that just takes patience!

A great rosin press will have a pressure gauge and temperature display, so that you can keep track of your variables for consistent results. Without these features, you’re forced to rely on “feel” rather than any measurable variables. That’s not to say you can’t make great rosin without a pressure gauge — it’ll just take some trial and error before you’re able to determine intuitively how hard and how long to press for. If you’re looking for consistent results and ease of use, look for a rosin press that has both a temperature reading and a pressure gauge.

Another main difference between different presses is the size and max pressure. These mostly concern the amount of material you can process at a given time. If you’re looking to make rosin at industrial scale, you’ll need to do very careful research before pulling the trigger. But for the home rosineer, size isn’t so important — if your press can only handle 7g of material at a time, you can just do a second press. Time constraints are much less of an issue for pressing rosin at home, where you’re not worried about meeting quotas.

Some rosin presses have manual pressure levers, where you pull a lever down to initiate and maintain the pressing process, whereas others are fully automatic. It’s often a matter of personal preference which one is better for your needs.