Button Maker Machine (4th Gen) FASTTOBUY Installation-Free 37mm 1.5 Inch Upgrade Badge Maker Pin Maker Press Machine with 405pcs Free Button Parts, Circle Cutter

I debated a long time before buying this due to the mixed reviews. I have an Etsy shop and was looking to add buttons to my product lineup. I couldn’t afford a big professional maker, but the cost for this wasn’t exactly a drop in the bucket either.When it arrived I was surprised at how heavy it was. It has some sturdy high quality metal. Assembly was easy with the Allen wrench it came with and the basic instructions. Making the actual buttons was where the reviews diverge and I think that is because it’s hard to visualize what exactly you need to do from the instructions. There are a few good YouTube videos that helped me with that. I recommend searching them up. They show you how to line the molds up properly for each step and that makes a big difference.Some of the tips I have:• Make sure that your mylar is not stuck together. They are sticky and if you have more than one you won’t get a clean button.• Use a glue stick to glue your image onto the metal. It prevents it from wiggling when you press.• Make sure your image and your button back are turned straight so that the pin will face up correctly when finished.• Hold the press down about 5 seconds for your second press. It makes sure the mylar has time to set into its shape.• Use the right paper. You don’t want a thick paper, but still want your images to look crisp. I bought a package of matte presentation paper here on Amazon and it has worked very well. The brand I bought was epson, but there are other brands that would work.• The circle cutter is garbage. Don’t expect to be able to use it. I purchased a large hole punch (also on Amazon) to make my circles. Make sure it cuts 1/4-1/2 inch bigger than your finished buttons.With the YouTube videos and my tips you should be able to make high quality buttons with no problems. Out of the hundred or so I’ve made so far I have only mis-punched maybe 5 buttons and those were where my tips come from. My press was also very loud initially, but a bit of WD-40 fixed it right up.Good luck, and get creative!

Absolutely love it! Works great!! Just be sure to watch the video and follow the instructions exactly!!

The machine is excellent, a few tries but then I got it. I recommend buying a different hole punch, the one that came with it is not easy to use, flimsy and time consuming compared to a punch.

After a couple of batches, about 20%-30% of my buttons came out with a bubble on one side, where the mylar cover didn't crimp all the way under the back. Totally unusable buttons, with unacceptable waste. (Other users show photos of this phenomenon but don't cite the reason.) I measured the mylar/clear plastic covers because I noticed there was space around it in the mold. It's TOO SMALL.Per the manufacturer's own instruction sheet, paper for a 32mm button should measure 44mm, and the mylar covers have to match the paper size for it to work. Both the paper and the mylar need to take up all the space inside the mold diameter so no slippage/misalignment occurs. The mylars shipped with this press are smaller than spec, about 41mm. So now I'm left to either buy a whole third party button parts kit with mylars, or to find replacement mylars sold separately, which takes 5-7 weeks to ship. Disappointing, if I'm generous with my words.The press itself assembled easily and the sliding mechanism is good. No quibbles about the press. But shipping mylars that break the pressing process is just unacceptable. You waste so much in ink, paper, and plastic button parts.UPDATE Jan/2022: I've received 5 different emails offering to pay me to remove this review. They started by offering $20 to remove it, and with each email gradually increased to $50. This should suffice as my answer to removing an honest review.

TLDR- I gave it 3 stars because it was missing some supplies, the cutting tool is a throw away and right now the seller doesn't seem to sell supplies for THIS machine.Overall it's a pretty good machine but mine was missing the keychain parts. From what I can tell the seller doesn't sell them or other supplies for this machine. There are plenty of other sellers selling button supplies but you have to make sure they're compatible with THIS machine. I also noticed when looking at the reviews, there seems to be a different machine pictured in some of them, so I'm guessing at some point they changed it from a red metal one to the green one listed now.After making a few buttons I mostly figure out the machine and it's quirks. You're probably not going to have 100% success rate 100% of the time. I noticed the mylar would sometimes gets out of place when turning the base, it looked like static cling would pull the mylar up before it was time to press the button causing it to not crimp correctly (I'm guessing that's a mylar issues not necessarily a machine issue but if the machine was made of different materials it might not be an issue).The cutting tool also sucks! If you're just making a few buttons now and then it will get the general shape for you but it won't be perfect. You have to turn the cutting arm 360 degrees while holding the center down and ensuring it doesn't move at all. If you're making a lot of buttons at once, the cutter isn't going to cut it! You need to start with a circle that is 1.98 inches, 2 inches will be too big and you'll have to trim it down. Not sure how small you can go with a hole punch and have it still work, since you need to have extra material for it to crimp.I only paid $30 for it, so for that amount I'm happy enough with it.