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TheEZGrip thread had 2100 views in its first 8 days, we're now over 30,000!
"I like the push stroke using the EZGrip handle better than the pull stroke using the EZGrip, I could get use to using this style handle if I had to. I do like being able to remove and replace the blade in the handle love that part" The Shirt Board
INKUPAZ
"actually started out by learning on TheEZGrip and I'm still currently using it. I'm a puller/pusher and it works great for my needs. I recommend it to any printer" The Shirt Board
"I'm the Application Specialist at GSG and have been testing your handle all day today on a variety of meshes with different inks.
One word 'awesome ' I really like it , so easy to use and less strenuous on the body. I am going to continue testing next week.
One question though, can I get six more? I would like to use them at SGIA and ISS for my print demos."
The Shirt Board, August 2016
3DEEP (3517 posts)
"once you get the hang of the EZGrip handle you won't look back. I give this product thumbs up."
"I like is blade removal is very easy, which then makes cleaning very easy. "
LI like pushing more than I did pulling, but both ways still did a nice job, my blades of choice was the 70/90/70."
Jeffrey Blake Hicks, Master Screenprinter & Full-Spectrum Separator / Planetary Prints, Syracuse, NY, July 2016
Chris, InKupaz, Sedona, AZ May 2016
Allan , Screen Creations, Des Peres, MO July 2016
RON
"I would recommend these to anyone that wants to get started into screen printing and those who have
been doing this for over 20 years like myself. Thanks EZgrip!"
"With the few shirts done with that ink I was able to test some of the flood techniques, and it was really just easy as Ron already has shown it appears to one-handed flood holding the grip (I'm right-handed so I hold the frame with my left hand and flood holding the right-hand grip of the EZGRip, and just put a little angular pressure to make it consistent rather than fill-flooding the right side and top-coating the left side of the design..."
"I prefer a push stroke and also the EZ Grip seems great at it, "
SCREEN PRINTER REVIEWS theEZGrip
OSHA Recommend POWER GRIP
"Again, all of this is preliminary and notes I'm taking so I don't forget my first-impressions after the first day of printing some jobs with the EZGrip Squeegee Handle, and at the end of the week I will conclude the review with final thoughts and see how it goes. I'm definitely going to put this thing through its paces, it might be my new favorite squeegee, the push-stroke seems nice too, I will have to test quality and there is a halftone job tomorrow with tight registration of underbase and top-color dots."
"but for other reasons I would possibly have to really test using the EZGrip with halftones for flood-consistency and speed/efficiency tests about one-handed flooding vs. other methods if I had to switch for doing halftone repeatability flooding etc... With the few shirts done with that ink I was able to test some of the flood techniques, and it was really just easy as Ron already has shown it appears to one-handed flood holding the grip (I'm right-handed so I hold the frame with my left hand and flood holding the right-hand grip of the EZGRip, and just put a little angular pressure to make it consistent rather than fill-flooding the right side and top-coating the left side of the design..."
Mark Suhadolnik Textile Application Specialist GSG Graphic Solutions Group
"TheEZGrip is now our squeegee of choice. I bought one at the ISS show, brought it back to the shop, my printers used it and love it. It’s superior in many ways, so it is what we use now!"
Pierre John Jamnicky TheShirtBoard.com co-owner May 2017
FULL-SPECTRUM SEPARATOR (83 posts)
July 8 "I'll keep an open mind and give a fair and honest review".
July 19 "...overall it is really a great invention and product and evolution of screen printing".
July 27 "When I get into the printing videos I will definitely be using the EZGrip and discussing how much I like it and include it in the teachings about techniques and printing methods etc.
I am really loving it.... overall it is really excellent but the EZGrip is become very useful for a lot of situations allowing me to really add pressure like I could not have done before and with more control, a note about large-designs I thought this would be a problem but actually you can use the handles and get the squeegee into the back of the frame and start pressure almost better than with a regular squeegee... also the tips on it make it so you can rest it either way and it won't bounce and fall into the ink..."
Northwest Screen Printing, Chubbuck, ID August 2016
Andy Manes, Frog Prints, Walnut Creek, CA July 2016
DSH (88 posts)
" done several little jobs and one thing I found is that I seem to keep pressure more evenly across the squeegee. As an old fart, when I get tired my left arm doesn't always clear the screen properly when using the traditional squeegee. However, I didn't have this problem with the EZgrip. When I did a longer run, as noted by others, I found I used some muscles that I hadn't used before. My arms did ache. With some more use, that will go away." The Shirt Board
FROG (9886 posts)
"I really like the easy blade change feature" The Shirt Board
Randy, bsdPRINTING, Mt. Carroll, IL June 2016
August 8, "Sorry for the delay in getting a full review. Its been a crazy summer, but I have been putting your squeegee to work! It has been my go to squeegee handle for white ink, which is my most commonly printed color. I definitely am going to place an order for a few more, as I've not only gotten use to the EZ grip, but I really do enjoy printing with it. I noticed some people had some issues with 1 handed flooding while the screen was up, and for arguments sake, I printed a few jobs while flooding in the up position, with one hand. While it wasn't quite as easy, I did find it more then doable, and if I were to flood screens more often, I might find it beneficial to have a center flood handle, but I by no means consider that a deal breaker.
For me, one of the main benefits is the ease in clearing my white screens with 1 stroke. I have much better, and consistent pressure throughout the print. I recently had a tight registration 5 color job, and if I were to double stroke the white base, I was off on the registration slightly. Wasn't a problem though. I consistently cleared my white screen with 1 stroke and the job came out flawless.
Definitely patent that squeegee holder design, that is one of the most brilliant things I've seen. It is so simple, yet very effective and I can't believe more companies aren't doing the same thing. The ease of switching blades out, or just removing the blade to get a more thorough clean is really awesome.
I also really like the materials you used for the handle, they feel great in the hand and clean up easily.
Compared to the ergo force squeegee, I definitely prefer the EZ grip, since I have always been a puller by nature. I felt like the ergo force has a nice design and it does work well for pushing, but I can't seem to make that switch over to pushing full time, so the EZ grip definitely saved me some wrist pain.
My final thoughts are positive on your product. I would love to see you come out with an entire line of handles, both EZ grip and even standard traditional handles that include your squeegee holding system. I feel like switching up the way I hold a squeegee is better then printing the same way for too long, so sometimes I find myself jumping back and forth from different handles. I think you really have something here just based off your materials and squeegee holder alone. And I think many will enjoy the EZ style grip, like myself, but if you add a traditional handle to your product line, there should be no reason manual printers use anything else.
I hope this has helped and I look forward to purchasing more EZ grips and hopefully any future products you put out in the future! I would definitely recommend this product. And if you do come out with a handle for oversized prints, that will be a home run for manual printers trying to consistently print larger prints.
NATION3 (498 posts)
July 9 "...I also like the fact that no screws are holding the blade in. I can imagine getting a bunch of precut blades and always having a few clean for an easy color changeover."
"First impressions - I really like the materials used. The plastic has a nice feel in the hand and I like the shape of the grips. Also, like said before, I love how the squeegee is installed. I think it is way better then screws, glue, staples, etc. This should be the standard for manual squeegees in my opinion. I'm also a big fan of how you can lay the squeegee down without the blade getting ink all over the place. It's a simple feature, but I love it."
"...after a few prints this felt very natural. I felt no tension or pain in my fingers or wrists. It actually feels like you are getting a little pump in your forearms and biceps, which I'll take any day over wrist and finger pain."
"Afterwards I went back to print with a tradition squeegee, and I gotta say, I don't think I like them as much anymore. I can put much more even and consistent pressure down when using the EZgrip. I think this may be my go to squeegee,"
"I'll definitely have more input, but so far I already plan on ordering at least 4 more. I can't weigh in on printing water based ink with this squeegee as I don't really do much water based at all, but for pulling plastisol, I'm very pleased." The Shirt Board
Jake, AFA Sports Lettering, July 2016
" I changed to a 14" wide blade and all was well, the back design called for it really, and I was glad the EZGrip worked great with the 14" side - sticking out about 1/2" on each side of the blade-holder part..."
JOE
"I have been manually printing t-shirts for over 20 years. I have seen few innovations in that time that have been "game changers" for me. Of course, there have been improvements in all aspects of this industry and the rapid advent of digital technology and separation software have been impressive.
But, as a MANUAL press operator, I have taken a lot of wear and tear on my body. I have suffered nerve damage from repetitive motion injury. This has limited my ability to stay at the press for the long hours that my business demands. It has also lowered my enthusiasm for a craft that I have loved for a long time.
Let's face it, holding a standard wooden squeegee isn't too ergonomic.
I have tried thicker handles, I have tried the flying wing styles, I have tried the metal ergo grips. I have changed my technique.
None of those things did for me what the EZ Grip handle has done. I can feel my fingers again!
I have had numbness in my ring and little finger of my left hand for a long time.
Switching to the EZ Grip handles has literally changed the game for me. I have replaced most of my squeegees now with this fantastic product.
Not only am I able to print for longer periods at a stretch, when I am done, the cleanup is incredibly quick and easy. I remove the blades and get every speck of ink of the rubber and the handle in seconds.
If you are at all inclined, I highly recommend that you try this product.
Happy printing!"
Doug, Desoto Shirt & Hat, Arcadia, FL July 2016
"Since I only have one EZGrip handle I decided to print a multi color job by just moving the handle to the blade,
no mess, no ink transfer..."
"It takes a little getting use to if you've been using the standard handles for years."
BSDPRINT
"When using this new handle I don't have any issues affecting my hands and I feel like I still have very good control over the squeegee". The Shirt Board
"I noticed after printing with it for a bit that I had a pain in my back right shoulder-blade area, and realized this was directly related to using the EZGrip -- however it is just what happens when you start working new muscle groups in a certain way, and could have slept on it wrong or just be something that was only slightly perturbed by doing the EZGrip method of printing, but I definitely could tell the printing was using that muscle/tendon group much more than the other method of pull-stroke printing.... which I can tell uses more of my upper-abs and the arms/wrists etc... I'm sure there are weight or other machines that specifically have these variations and work those different groups... so whether this is a drawback or it will just be something that I get used to and is only a little new-movement-adjustment then I will have to see."
Ron, Graphic Screen Inc, Cottonwood, AZ May 2016
Darryl, 3 Deep Screen Printing, Midland City, AL July 2016
LARRYK (342 posts)
So I posted earlier that I had bought some of these from Midwest and didn't get the BOGO deal but I figured I had just made the purchase prior to the date of the offer. Which is what had happened. So I get a PM from Ron and he is seeing to it that I will get 2 free handles........ So there you go people.... Good Product..... Good Service..... Good People..... equals success!
" since I am also into music and play guitar, piano, and writing and art/painting, computer programming, etc... I really value my hands/fingers/fingertips and their sensitivity and dexterity ...
...and I did not like how I was losing those a bit from screenprinting, causing calluses to form a bit more than I wanted and numbness in some fingers.... this will all go away with the EZGrip I can tell, and just perhaps work my wrist/forearms and upper arms/chest/back more."
July 2016
"...did some great consistent halftone printing with it so that is not a problem. I will definitely purchase a few more so I can do some printing of multi-color jobs using the EZ Grip for each color. "
"...it seems like I am capable of much greater pressures with the EZGrip (And with much more control and much less strain or effort), and this is really my favorite aspect about the EZGrip so far..."
"I find it is fine to do one-handed floods holding one of the handles,,,"
MK162 (6197 posts)
" I bought one, it's pretty good. I like it... this would be perfect for millennials and hipsters since they lack upper body strength. "The Shirt Board
AHSCC
"I had 3 different printers try it for 4 days and asked for comments. I'll be brief. The overall impression was excellent.
-Comfortable
- Easy to use
- Less stress on wrists and better use of big muscles
- Handle position helps to print even pressure
The only negative reported to me was "flex" when printing and applying pressure, but this was overcome after getting used to a new toy. We are going to order 12 to further test." The Shirt Board
"More Pressure can be achieved, during the print... with more consistency but also speed variation, all with less effort. I could raise or lower the angle and actually this was much easier on my hands and wrists - and especially fingers and fingertips, than traditional style pull-stroke printing with a traditional squeegee-handle... trying various angles and pressures but also doing what I would while printing that type of job, it worked amazingly well for these reasons.. I could clear the screen easier and print either slow or high-speed while also having higher or lower pressure but seemingly more control, even though it seemed like less at first this was just me getting familiar with using the EZGrip itself. There were some things which I think it was just being afraid to control it... However it could be one of two ways... It seemed like the handles could twist a bit and the blade-deflection was more, and I could see much more a right-handed effect vs. less-strong left-hand (similar to printing normal when you have to adjust...)... but compared to normal pull printing, this was perhaps 10 times easier to accomodate and then realize it was just more control I had... I could increase the pressure differential of my left hand and also just realize i had lateral twist-control of the blade compared to a normal handle, so to just keep consistent placement of my angles for my hands and the pressures... But this is like really a force-multiplier as well as a parameter-control increase in many ways. All with less effort because normally I would have to use a lot more strain to produce those results or even test those variations. The increased pressure with also speed is a major benefit for me because this is actually not that easy to do normally, you have to compensate more pressure or speed and fight those normally, but with the EZGrip it almost felt like my arms connected to the grips and squeegee were operating like an automatic press.
There are definitely some other muscle groups being used, and nothing on my hands/fingertips, but still a bit in the wrists and more into the forearms... however the back and shoulders are used more... One more thing to add to this is just how fast I could still do flooding one-handed and the speed at which I could rely on setting the squeegee down and picking it back up, surprised at how little ink was getting anywhere near the back of the screen--- adding that this is great and keeps a cleaner screen - however it is sort of similar to a push-stroke with the pull-flood, but the EZGrip always sets back so that you can basically have a larger area without any ink getting in the screen, the handles and tips/spikes stay clean, you would not want to set them in the ink you would get ink on your hands that way.... the ink does not roll up into the blade-holder, stays just away from it even with a lot of ink loaded... but anyway, printing a lot and having it be easier and perhaps faster with less effort, more control, and keeping things cleaner.... all great benefits and added power/versatility in the arsenal. It doesn't mean you throw away all the other squeegee holders, I have yet to use it for left-chest and we print larger designs at times that call for 16, 17, 18" or more squeegees, it would be great with a, b, c features added but this is about reviewing the current EZGrip handle and I will keep ideas about what it should or shouldn't have to a different discussion or outside the review for now.