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[knifemaker3]

While in Nashville this week on vacation, my wife and I stopped at a small shopping mall that had a Micheals store in it.  While there, I thought I would look at a Yudu screenprinter to see what all the buzz is really about.

I don't want to upset all the people here who use the Yudu, but I was very disappointed.  From all the good things I've heard on here about them I thought they would be at least somewhat of an acceptable quality.  But after seeing them I quickly realized a person would be much better off to just buy a set of jiffy clamps and some real screens than to mess with the Yudu.

I guess maybe I'm looking at this from the perspective of a person who has a quality steel 4 color press.  I also am looking at it from a production stand point of doing 100+ shirts if need be.  For a 1 color job I would still recommend even the Ryonet cheapy starter version I bought  a couple years ago over the Yudu.

If all you do are a few shirts at a time and are primarily a hobbiest, than the Yudu would be I guess acceptable.  Although for a 1 color design I think I would just cut me a board to slip the shirt on, buy a real screen and expose, tape off contact shims on the bottom of the screen, set the screen on and print.  It would work just as good with much less cost.

All in all I was very disappointed since I'd heard so much good things on here and then when actually seeing it realized it wasn't of very good quality IMHO.

Sorry if I've hurt anyone's feeling, just wasn't impressed.

[deChez]

I can certainly understand your persepctive on the Yudu....I'll tell you why it was a great solution for me.

1. Cost of equipment is quickly offset....and then cost of doing 1 color items provides a much greater profit margin when compared to plastisol transfers.

2. Small footprint of unit....I don't have any space to spare. Additionally, the screens themselves take up much less room when storing.

3. Unit includes exposure light (which doubles as a light box for me), and an area to dry screens in the dark.

4. Yudu screens are not more expensive than "real" screens.....when purchased at Michael's with coupons, they are in fact cheaper.

Bottom line....I got myself completely set up to do one color screen printing for around $250 (cost of machine, extra screens, and extra consumables).

I don't slip shirts over the platen....with a little forethought, and experience one quickly learns how to modify/streamline the process.

Would I like a more professional set-up? Sure....but even if I had the space, it would cost me more than a couple of hundred bucks, which means it would take much longer to get into profitville.

I can fly through an order of 50 tees, one color one location. I recently printed an order of 130 scrub tops...I breezed through that by using my small mat that goes with my rotary cutter, and spray tack (about every 4th top)...used the same method for an order of 50 2 sided shirts using the larger cutting mat.

It seems to me that people equate plastic with cheap....while this unit is an inexpensive entry level machine, it is not flimsy, or cheaply made.

I have no illusions that this equipment would be suitable for an order of 1000 shirts, or more than one color. But my market is generally 50 shirts, one color so it's been great for me.

[chrise]

I second what deChez stated. I picked up my Yudu on the craigs list for 100 bucks. It was used only once. It was a great way to get some experience with screen printing. I wasn't sure if it was going to be something that I liked so a small investment was what I was looking for. Well I am hooked. I get great results when I do every step correctly (Still learning). It is small enough that I can use it on my kitchen table. I also buy supplies at Michael's with their 50% off coupon so screens only cost me 12.50 and emulsion is $15 for a bottle that coats lots of screens.Maybe some day I will have the space and the demand for a professional system but for now I am happy to be using my Yudu.

[American logoZ]

How do you dry and/or cure the ink?

[chrise]

I air dry to touch and then heat set with a common house iron

[deChez]

I air dry also....set with my heat press.

[American logoZ]

Thanks. 

Craig, I respect and value your opinion.  I don't have great expectations of my yudu....orders of 50 to 100 single color shirts.   We shall see. Then maybe  I will find an empty corner and come begging for your hand-me-down equipment...or maybe I will leave the real jobs to the pros.   

[badablue]

For me and my future use, if I can get the time, it is to do design ideas for products I want to sell. Not garments. I may be screenprinting metal and plastic. I think if you buy it at list price then maybe yes I will agree that there are alternatives for the price. But for $170. then it has value to me .

[deChez]

For me and my future use, if I can get the time, it is to do design ideas for products I want to sell. Not garments. I may be screenprinting metal and plastic. I think if you buy it at list price then maybe yes I will agree that there are alternatives for the price. But for $170. then it has value to me .

Agreed.....I paid $199 for mine, and don't regret it for a minute. I also use it as a light box for tracing things, so I feel like I got 2 pieces of equipment for the price of one.

[COCHISE]

Drying Ink:

One unused engine stand, one spare 15" heat press, one cutting torch and Mig welder, add one unused table = one movable drying station to set the ink on the platen or on the table. Wash tests reveal success at one minute at less than 2" @ 425 degrees, thicker inks are heated longer.



kne

[American logoZ]

Love this! 

[jadran]

Hi Ken,
You forgot the most important part. Its up to you to start thinking what it could be.

[jadran]

A clever guy.

[COCHISE]

Thanks. It was a fun project. It kept me off the street for at least one full day. 

kne

[knifemaker3]

For simple stuff I can see where the Yudu would work....just not as well as better made equipment.  Especially when talking multi colors, halftones, etc.  I would expect too much flex in the screens to make tight registration impossible.

I paid @$1500.00 new price for my Vastex entry level press with entry level micro regs. and even though I have much better quality and esier registration I am already appreciating the better made presses.  That said, I still love my new Vastex press.

When you have larger orders or detailed designs you will soon learn that cheap is not good.  Believe me, I've learned this the hard way.  Never again will I look at cheap stuff like the Yudu and think I can get quality stuff out of it.  Simple designs, yes.  Simple lettering and such, yes.  but not much else.  It is too limited for most needs in the industry.  It is what it is...a hobbiest machine.

[MonkeyMeMe]

The Great thing about this forum is we all have different opinions and we can all express them  and respect each others opinions

What works for some may not work for others and that is the nature of the business.

I value and respect all of your opinions , at times I might not agree, but I always value and respect what has been said.

And everyone having the right to say  what we thing works is better than gold,,

MMM

[MXRacingDad]

Differing opinions are a great thing and sometimes we have to use what is within our means. No matter what equipment we have there is always something better. If Yudu is all you can afford at the time and you want to learn screening it looks like a very effiicient method for learning. Personally I think a 10 station automatic would be the way to go but I sure cant afford one. So I have been building my own 4 color single station which I still need to find the time to finish. However the luxury of having too much to do is OK too.

[deChez]

When you have larger orders or detailed designs you will soon learn that cheap is not good.  Believe me, I've learned this the hard way.  Never again will I look at cheap stuff like the Yudu and think I can get quality stuff out of it.  Simple designs, yes.  Simple lettering and such, yes.  but not much else.  It is too limited for most needs in the industry.  It is what it is...a hobbiest machine.

I have to disagree on some of this. Using the Yudu is no different than using any other one station machine.....you use it for 1 color jobs. Yes...it is a hobbiest machine, but that does not mean that one cannot produce quality work. A screen is a screen is a screen....it's a poor craftsman who blames his tools.

[knifemaker3]

dechez, can you get a screen in 305-390 mesh for the yudu?  We're printing a job right now which requires a 305 mesh due to the half tone dots.  I'm using an aluminum screen and it is only 1 color job, but could do process color prints with my machine if needed on white shirts.

I'm not familiar with the mesh sizing on the Yudu but if it doesn't have a minimum of 196-203, halftones will be unattainable.

I'm curious to know as I don't know the mesh sizes for the Yudu?

[COCHISE]

110 and 220 mesh is all I can find.

Kne