Badge a Minit Handpress Review

Compare Dr. Don's Button maker machine to Badge-A-Minit's button maker machines

Since button machines aren't sold in stores where consumers can do a side-by-side comparison, anyone who wishes to purchase a button machine must rely on what they read about the machine in a catalog or web site and then decide.

But savvy consumers know that what a company doesn't tell you about their product can easily be as important as what they do tell you.

Because of this, I wanted to compare our Model 225 button press against Badge-A-Minit's entire line of 2-1/4" button machines and tell you what THEY won't tell you.

(Down the page a bit are links that will lead you to pages that describe each of the five button machines that are being compared).

Before you buy ANY button machine, here are six questions you should ask.

1. How easy is it to make buttons with the machine?

Not all button machines operate in the same manner, and believe it or not, some machines are actually difficult to use.

If you buy a button machine that is difficult to use, you will be less likely to use it. And more than likely, at some point, you will likely either quit making buttons or you will spend the money necessary to buy the machine you should have purchased in the first place.

In the video below, watch as six year old Benjamin Singel makes a button in only 20 seconds, using our Model 225 button machine. See how easy it is to use?

2. How fast is the machine?

That is, how many buttons will you be able to make in a given amount of time?

If you plan to make money with the buttons you create, you definitely want a faster machine because in business, time is money.

If you make buttons with a machine that is slow, you will have a difficult choice to make. To stay competitve, you will either have to charge more for your buttons, or earn less per hour when making them. A faster machine allows you to be more competitive and make more money. The Model 225 can make up to 5 professional quality buttons in a single minute, while you will be lucky to make one button a minute (hence the name, Badge A Minit) with one of their inexpensive machines. If you're only making a few buttons, that difference won't mean much. But start making hundreds of buttons on a regular basis and that difference will mean a lot.

3. What is the machine made of?

While the photos on their web site make it look as if they are made of metal, the inexpensive Badge-A-Minit machines are actually made of plastic or a plastic-like compound. Plastic simply cannot withstand the rigors of button making the way machines made of steel, can. All of our machines are made of solid steel.

4. Will the button machine produce quality buttons?

The reason you need the answer to this question is that if your button machine produces poor quality buttons, will anyone want to buy them?

Professional-quality buttons, like those made with the Model 225, will have smooth, tightly crimped edges. They will not have paper or plastic sticking out the sides and they won't fall apart after being made. Buttons made using the inexpensive Badge A Minit machines often suffer from these "poor quality" issues.

5. What is 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 a button machine, a cutter, and 250 pin-back button sets, whether Badge A Minit offers them that way or not. And the price of that "kit" was adjusted accordingly.

6. What type of return policy is offered?

Since button machines aren't sold in stores, you need to know about the company's return policy, just in case you aren't happy with their machine.

If you purchase a Badge-A-Minit machine, you can return it for a refund within 30 days. However, they will charge you a 10% re-stocking fee to do so.

At Dr. Don's Buttons, you can also return a machine for a refund within 30 days, but we don't charge a re-stocking fee.

A question we think everyone should ask is, if the Badge A Minit machines are so good, why do they charge a restocking fee when we don't?