WHICH SQUEEGEE HANDLE FOR A MANUAL T-SHIRT PRINTER?

We have been screen printing t-shirts by hand for nearly a decade now. It’s about time we gave you our opinion on some of the most common squeegee handles on the market. 

Before we get into the details, I want to point out that there is no right or wrong squeegee and these results are purely based on the experience we have with each squeegee handle over a long period of time. Each handle is scored using the same criteria;

• Comfort to print with.
• Printability, ie. does the squeegee allow for both a pull/push print.
• Print results, ie. is there any buckling or skipping of the squeegee.
• Ease of cleaning.
• Ease of storing.
• Longevity of the handle.
• Price point.

IN LAST PLACE : THE DIY SQUEEGEE HANDLE (SORRY DIY PRINTERS)

The DIY squeegee handle is exactly what it says it is; a squeegee which has been handmade or produced using non factory grade materials. It’s usually a chunk of wood, often decking scraps or something that has been repurposed to create a DIY squeegee.

The positives of a DIY squeegee is that you can adapt the shape and length of the handle and choose your squeegee blade to suit your printing style.

The negatives are usually (dependent on your skill level) the lack of stability within the handle, for example, often the blade will not be secure or held in perfectly straight which can result in a poor print.

THE DIY SQUEEGEE RESULTS:

4th PLACE : THE BADASS SQUEEGEE HANDLE

The badass squeegee is one of the first ergonomic squeegee handles that we could get our hands on. It has 2 handles that are created to relieve pressure off the printers wrists while still giving a solid and even print.

The positives of the BADASS squeegee handle is that you can easily print a large open area of mesh. The heavy weight of the squeegee combined with the comfort of the handles makes printing large areas a breeze!

The negatives to the BADASS squeegee is the lack of a flood bar. When flooding your image you either need to use both hands and rest your screen on your stomach or you can attempt to flood with one hand – however the BADASS squeegee is a heavy m****fu**** and when you can only hold it using one arm it can be a bit of a nightmare!

THE BADASS SQUEEGEE RESULTS:

3rd PLACE : THE EZ GRIP SQUEEGEE HANDLE

The EZ Grip squeegee is something which has been floating around the industry for a little while now and has had some brilliant reviews from many professional screen printers.

The positives of EZ Grip squeegee is that you can easily change the blade in house which will save time and money. Additionally the handles are moulded perfectly to your hand creating a very comfortable printing experience.

The negatives are something which we have had to learn over time. Our main criticism revolves around the squeegee blade. Firstly the blade which comes with the squeegee handle is too soft so immediately you need to change that out. Secondly the blade is designed to hang slightly over each edge of the handle, as the original blade is too soft, this creates a dragging defect on each side of your screen.

THE EZ GRIP SQUEEGEE HANDLE RESULTS:

2nd PLACE : THE TRADITIONAL WOODEN SQUEEGEE HANDLE

The traditional wooden handled squeegee is a firm favourite in our studio. It is designed to be used for lots of different printing techniques including t-shirt printing and poster printing. The main things to look for when purchasing a good quality wooden handle is regular screws holding the blade securely in place, varnished wood and lastly look out for the handles which are sculpted to a hand shape.

The positives of a wooden squeegee handle is that you can change the blade as and when you need too. These are the OG of screen printing squeegees for a reason, they can be used for nearly all printing jobs and last forever if you look after them!

The negatives that we have struggled with the wooden handles are the cleaning processes. When using plastisol ink, you will need to clean your squeegee handle with solvent however this can breakdown the varnish on the handle which makes it sticky and also rough over time.

THE TRADITIONAL WOODEN HANDLE SQUEEGEE RESULTS:

WINNER!!! : THE METAL HANDLE ERGONOMIC SQUEEGEE

The metal handle squeegee is number 1 for a reason! So much so that we are currently in the process of exchanging (nearly) all of our squeegees over to the metal ergonomic handles.

The positives of the metal ergonomic handled squeegee is the comfort to print with it, the lightweight feeling, the sturdy structure, the ability to change the blade easily… the list goes on!

The negatives are minimal but if we must think of something that annoys us about this squeegee it would be the noise it makes during a print run. I can’t put this into words so please watch our YouTube video where we will demonstrate this little irritant in full.

THE METAL HANDLE, ERGONOMIC SQUEEGEE RESULTS:

CHECK OUT OUR YOUTUBE VIDEO HERE:

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We fund our blog and YouTube channel by selling our Blind Maggot t-shirts. Please help and support us by purchasing a shirt. As a thank you, we are giving all of our squeegee viewers £10 off our limited edition t-shirts!

GET £10 OFF LIMITED EDITION T-SHIRTS  DISCOUNT CODE : SQUEEGEE

Check out all of the designs here and keep watching our YouTube channel to find out how we printed them: https://www.blindmaggot.co.uk/collections/limited-edition

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