The Ultimate Rosin Press Buying Guide
It's been about two years since rosin was first introduced to the world of cannabis concentrate. Ever since that time, this solvent-free concentrate processing method has practically changed the way we view cannabis. A rosin press only requires two things to function properly: heat and pressure. This process is also amazingly time efficient. In some cases, it can produced consumable products in only seconds.
Impressed? If you’re here, you’ve likely heard a lot about the wonders of rosin tech. Before we begin, however, it’s vital that you gain an understanding of the materials that you’ll be pressing.
Pressing Material: Flower, Hash, and Kief
Each strain that you press will produce different tastes, yields, and results. This is why some strains produce absolutely fantastic rosin, while others fall spectacularly short.
If you’re looking for the best quality, you’re going to want to press flowers. However, you'll be trading high quality for low yields. On the other hand, pressing hash or kief will provide you with excellent quality and more satisfactory yields. It’s also recommended that you kief your product before going through with the pressing process (this also includes the flower).
- Trim: 3% – 8%
- Shake: 8% – 15%
- Flower: 15% – 30%
- Kief / Dry Sift: 30% – 60%
- Bubble Hash / Hash: 30% – 70%
Getting The Temperature Right
As we’ve alluded to before, producing good rosin requires the ideal temperature. Typically, lower temperatures around 150°F- 220°F will produce a rosin with a more butter/honey texture whereas higher temperatures 220°F- 250°F will produce rosin with a sap-like consistency. Quite frankly, there’s no need to go any higher than 300°F.
The Best Rosin Press For You, Depends On Your Needs
There are more rosin presses in the market than ever before, and it’s likely they’ll continue to increase in number as the industry continues to grow. Out of all of the presses out there, these are the most popular: manual presses, DIY presses, pneumatic presses, hydraulic presses, hybrid presses and electric presses.
How do you know which rosin press to choose? That comes down to your personal needs and your demands of the press. What you should consider before purchasing a Rosen press:
- What will it be used for?
- How often will it be used?
- How much material will you be pressing?
- How much space do you have available?
Manual Rosin Press
If you have a tight budget and only plan on pressing for yourself, the manual rosin press may be the option for you. It’s portable and low cost, perfect for individuals who plan on using it in their home. In most cases, a manual rosin press will come equipped with a hand crank or a similar mechanism for pressing materials. They’re low maintenance and great for pressing “on the go”.
Best Manual Rosin Press Reviews
Hydraulic Rosin Press
When you need to generate some serious PSI, the next step up is the hydraulic rosin press. AKA the H-frame press, this unit trumps the manual press in sheer power by employing a hydraulic cylinder that can generate pressures that exceed 20,000 pounds. H-frame presses are typically larger in size when compared to the manual press allowing the user to press more material at one time. Also, the hydraulic rosin press is more portable than its cousin, the pneumatic press, because it doesn’t house an air compressor. You’ll want to invest in the hydraulic rosin press if you wish to press larger quantities of product at one time.
Best Hydraulic Rosin Press Reviews
Pneumatic Rosin Press
For the most part, pneumatic pressure is the best kind of pressure. The pneumatic rosin press shares many of the same types of features as the hydraulic press, except for one game-changing difference: the use of an air compressor. That means you can’t pump with your hand, but that won’t be a problem if you’re trying to compress several batches at once. If that wasn’t good enough, you could also change the pressure emitted from the air compressor with the simple touch of a button. Pneumatic Rosin Presses are considered to be the most reliable and consistent in the industry. They don’t require oil and they’re virtually maintenance free. If you decide to go with the pneumatic rosin press, avoid the cheap models. The number one sign that you're handling a cheaper pneumatic press is if the internal cylinder requires oiling…a good one doesn’t need it.
Best Pneumatic Rosin Press Reviews
Electric Rosin Press
Best Electric Rosin Press- Read Review Here
Hybrid Rosin Press
Out of all of the rosin presses that we’ve seen thus far, none are as versatile as the hybrid rosin press. Hybrid presses are mainly hydraulic in nature, but clever engineering allows the user to modify the inner pump attachment so that the device can work with a hand pump, electronically, or pneumatically. Essentially, hybrid rosin presses can be whatever you need them to be to get the job done. High caliber hybrid presses can deliver forces between 20,000 – 30,000 lbs. Due to their versatile nature, hybrid rosin presses are mainly used in commercial applications.
DIY Rosin Press
Now, you may be asking yourself “why can’t I build my own rosin press”? You absolutely can which is where the DIY (do it yourself) rosin press comes into play. Don’t get your hopes up too high just yet; you’re going to need some mechanical engineering know how to build a reliable rosin press that can deliver on a regular basis. If you’re a bit rusty in that area but you’re still determined to build your own DIY rosin press, there are thousands of free online resources to choose from. The problem that many people face who go down the DIY path is obtaining quality parts for their rosin press. In most cases, people usually build their own rosin press to save money. A bit of advice: spend more money on reliable parts. Otherwise, you’re just asking for mechanical failure sometime down the line.
Small Rosin Press
Although this isn't exactly a “type” of rosin press, we felt it was important to include a list of reviews for rosin presses that are meant to be for personal use. This list will include presses that could fall into any of the above categories (hydraulic, manual etc) but are small enough to be functional for someone to have in their home.
Industrial Rosin Press
These are the big bad mamma-jammas. They are not going to functional for your typical home grower because of their sheer size and sometimes, noise. If you are a bigger grower, and need the best of the best then one of these presses might be for you. Check out reviews of the best industrial rosin presses.
Know What You’re Buying
If you’re interested in purchasing a Rosen press, you should educate yourself as much as possible before making a purchase. You should make a checklist of what you’ll need from your press (in terms of output, upkeep, space, etc.). Once you’ve answered the important questions, you’ll be able to take the necessary steps to purchase the right Rosen press for you.
