Best Cheap Rosin Press — Reviews and Comparison for Beginners 2021
Rosin is the process of extracting the oils that give a cannabis plant its unique taste and smell by using heat and pressure.
The whole process is fairly simple and does not require the use of any foreign substances, unlike other methods that use butane and/or propane.
As you can imagine, since Rosin does not require the use of any other solvents or substances to produce, the final product is very potent, pure and tastes & smells exactly like the strain that it was extracted from. You need a best rosin press machine.
The Rosin Extraction Process Explained
The concept of extracting rosin is quite simple. Two heated plates are pressed on both sides of the desired starting material (which is enclosed in parchment paper or rosin pouches) at high pressure.The heat from the plates loosens the resinous glands, or trichomes, that contains all of the plant’s cannabinoids while the pressure effectively squeezes it from the flower. This basic process is the foundation for rosin presses and the technology that makes them run.Since rosin is produced without the use of solvents, which can change the flavor and finished product, it’s preferred by users who don’t want any chance of having lingering, man-made chemicals in their concentrates.The very best rosin, referred to as “live rosin” is pressed from plants that are freshly harvested, thereby maximizing the integrity of the cannabinoids and terpene compounds which collectively as an “entourage effect” help create a superior high when compared to more harsh extraction processes.
Pros:
- Aircraft quality aluminum construction
- Can be heated, or you can simply use the 4 tons of hydraulic pressure (without heat)
- Easy to clean
Cons:
- Requires hydraulic power source
- Requires outside heat source
- Not great at separating rosin from brick
Pros:
- Easy and intuitive interface with timer and temperature control
- 5 tons of pressure (with ergonomic handle for ease of use)
- 2-year warranty
- Great customer service
Cons:
- Very expensive
- Some users wish they could control the temperature of the two plates separately
- Smaller plates than some other machines on this list
ECO Farm HP02 8-Ton Hydraulic Heat Rosin Press Machine
Pros:
- Beloved by reviewers on Amazon, who say its easy to apply maximum pressure without straining your wrists or hands
- Accurate temperature gauge
- Reviewers say it beats out other (more expensive) brands, providing great value
- Heats up fast
Cons:
- No pressure gauge
- Similar to other Dabpress unit on this list, but 4 tons to its 12 tons of pressure (but this one is also cheaper!)
- Very heavy
How do you make rosin?
Making rosin is very simple because it only requires minimal equipment and minimal investment. You can produce rosin at home and put together a rig for less than $500 or buy one from a reputable brand for about the same cost.
A typical rosin production setup consists of: A rosin press Choice of starting Material (this can be cannabis flowers, bubble hash, or kief) Rosin filter extraction bags Parchment paper (unbleached, if possible)
There are three only three variables that go into play that determines the quality of the rosin produced: heat (temperature), pressure and time.
A brief word of caution: not all strains produce rosin equally. Some strains are known for producing more rosin, while some strains barely produce any rosin at all.
Starting Material You can press flowers, bubble hash, kief, or even high-quality trim but each material will give you different yields.
What Yields Can You Expect? Trim: 3% — 8% Shake: 8% — 15% Flower: 15% — 30% Kief / Dry Sift: 30% — 60%+ Bubble Hash / Hash: 30% — 70%+ *Figures are rough estimates
Pressing flowers will give you the best quality rosin but not necessarily the best yields. Generally, strains that are frostier on the inside when you break the bud in the middle are the best ones for making rosin.
When pressing flowers, try to go with the smaller nugs since they have more surface area, the more surface area means more travel for the rosin as it is being pressed.
Pressing kief or hash, on the other hand, will give you great quality and decent yields.
Here’s a chart to illustrate the point above. Rosin Quality vs. Yield By Material
Temperature Temperature is key to making good rosin! A good rule of thumb to remember is:
Lower temperatures (190°F- 220°F) = more flavor/terpenes, less yield, end material is more stable (butter-like/honey consistency
Higher temperatures (220°F- 250°F) = less flavor/terpenes, more yield, end material is less stable (sap-like consistency)
Bearing these in mind, if your press is more than capable of delivering the right pressure, we don’t recommend you going higher than 250°F.
Pressure While it’s tempting to go out to build or buy a rosin press with the highest capacity, science has shown that higher pressure does not necessarily equate to higher yields.
Sometimes the higher pressure can, in fact, produce less desirable results because the increase in pressure actually forces less desirable materials such as lipids and other fine particles into your rosin.
Our friends at Pure Pressure broke the science down to a tee on this on their blog if you want to read more about it.
Time The time it takes to produce rosin varies depending on the material, a strain that you’re using and if there’s enough pressure
Use the timetable below as a starting point to determine how long you should be pressing based on your starting material.
Characteristics of the best rosin press
When looking for the best rosin press, there are a few things we considered.
Shape of the plates: Rectangular plates work best
The ideal plate structure of a rosin press is longer and narrower. This is because this shape maximizes the perimeter of your press.
There is some more science and math behind this, but for our purposes, all you need to know is that a rectangular plate will generally outperform a square one.
Even heat distribution
Your rosin press should have uniform heat distribution. The way heat works to extract rosin is by melting the trichomes and other essential compounds into a lower viscous form.
By playing with the temperature, you can change the consistency of the rosin to either a shatter, butter, or pull n snap.
Many cheap rosin presses don’t have even heat distribution across their plates, and this leads to a lower quality rosin.
Reliability
Rosin presses can get pretty pricey. So, it makes sense to only invest in a press that will last you years to come.
All of the best rosin presses on this list are designed by reputable manufacturers, and will stand the test of time. They include a warranty of some kind, so you can rest assured your investment is covered.
We will be updating this list periodically, and no spot is safe! If you are reading this post, know that you are looking at the best rosin presses at this point in time.
We will break down the best presses by type, cost, and application.
Final thoughts
Choosing the right best rosin press for the money comes down to your business or personal goals. If you are looking to expand to dominate your state’s market, then we’d recommend sticking with hydraulic and pneumatic options as they are the most reliable and bullet-proof options.
If you are a home grower or a smaller company focused on smaller product ranges but place an emphasis on quality, then a small fine-tunable option like an electric press is probably better for you.