Have you ever seen a rosin press at a trade show like LIFT & CO ? Have you  ever been curious to understand exactly what a rosin press is and how rosin presses work?

The team at Budders Cannabis is here to give you all the specific information that you may need to learn about what a rosin press is, how they work, and explain to you all the different types that exist. 

Rosin presses are machines that allow anyone and everyone to extract their own concentrates in controlled environment. A rosin press will allow you to have complete control over the quantity and quality of concentrates you consume.  A press will also give you the freedom of experimentation with different strains.

From manual to hydraulic to hybrid rosin presses, you can expect a few options to choose from in the rosin market.  Rosin presses are perfect for people who want to make their own concentrates out of cannabis strains.

Let's quickly learn how to spot and avoid bad rosin presses in Canada 

• Poor hydraulics that are susceptible to leaking or prone to malfunction
• Weird shaped heating plates that look like a horseshoe-shaped (very common in cheap rosin presses)
• A weak structure and material that can be prone to bending at high pressure 
• Heat plates that are too large to allow concentrate to escape and drip from the edges.  If the concentrate has too far to travel, it will burn and become undesirable. 
• Heat controllers that don’t offer pressure control and actuation speed   

If you watch for these things in your search to buy a rosin press, you’ll be well on your way to selecting a quality press and pumping out some high-quality rosin.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF ROSIN PRESSES

Now that we’ve gone over how to avoid buying bad rosin presses, we can start to  take a look at each different type of rosin press available.  Each method often has their own defining factors and what they’re best suited for. By reading this you'll know more when you buy your own rosin press.

MANUAL ROSIN PRESSES 

Manual rosin presses are usually for consumers who are looking for something that allows them to extract at home, without any extra functionality.  These are often even described as " DYI" rosin presses

A manual rosin press is usually compact in size and design.  A manual rosin press is designed to use the user’s body weight to press the raw material and extract concentrates.  As you can imagine, this process can be more tedious and energy consuming.

If you want a rosin press that is small, lightweight, and simple, these are a good option for you. This type of rosin press can also be good for the first time user who is a little weary about getting into extracting on their own. 

HYDRAULIC ROSIN PRESS

ELECTRIC ROSIN PRESS  

Many of our customers prefer electronic rosin presses because they are easy to use at home, they don't require a lot of technical capability and they rely on pressure from electricity.  Its ultimately a very seamless experience that doesn't need to be concealed in a workshop.

If you want to buy a modern rosin press that you can use at home... an electric rosin press is one of your best options.  These devices allow you to customize the pressure and heat settings to give you versatility in trialing your yields. It's a pretty accurate way of experimenting with different terpene profiles. 

However, the downside... they are very expensive.

HYBRID ROSIN PRESS

Hybrid rosin presses are very similar to electric presses, as they are also powered by electricity. One of the only differences between them is that a hybrid press requires users to press a button to press the raw material, and an automatic rosin press doesn’t.

Hybrid rosin presses are quite efficient in their yield amount, as they combine all of the best features into one amazing rosin press. They can get to be heavy and bit large, but they are still relatively quiet, and they are truly worth it.

If you’re looking for a rosin press that you can fully customize to fit the exact strain of raw material you’re using, and that you can control in terms of how slow or fast the pressing happens, then the hybrid rosin press is your new best friend.

Pneumatic Rosin Press

Pneumatic rosin presses are amazing because they involve no manual work on the users end.  If you are not a fan of pumping or cranking your rosin press machine, then you will want to look into Pneumatic. This will be a big step up from manual rosing press as there is far more technology involved in processing your raw materials.  This type of rosin press operates simply from the click of a button.

A Pneumatic press will require electricity and an air compressor.  This can give it significantly more pressure power.  Users who tend to prefer these prefers usually are producing larger volume of concentrates and therefore they can be ideal for commercial applications.

Few home users have the need for a pneumatic press, though a hybrid press (can be used manually/hydraulically or pneumatically) makes sense for a home user considering upgrading in the future.  Pneumatic rosin presses are generally considered to be the most reliable and consistent in the industry.

Hydraulic vs. Manual Rosin Presses

Hydraulic presses use compressed fluids to create pressure, while pneumatic presses use air to create pressure. Most rosin press advocates really prefer the manual concept when on a budget. Manual rosin presses are much more consistent and reliable.  

Using and maintaining a manual press is much easier in relation to a hydraulic press.  Hydraulic presses offer a higher pressure interval, but are notoriously unreliable and can ruin your rosin with a worn or blown out seal. Manual rosin presses are quieter, easier to operate and allow for a more even pressure distribution – which is key to creating top-notch rosin.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A ROSIN PRESS

• Start by setting your budget for your rosin press
• Determine where you plan on using the press
• What type of method do you prefer? Hybrid, manual, electric, etc?
• Research the brand and watch Youtube videos of the Rosin Press in action.  You don't want to cheap out on a low quality rosin press.  You get what you pay for with these things.
• Consider where and how you will be using the rosing press. If you don't have a lot of room to play with, look into more portable options.  If you have a lot of space and want to speed up your yields for high production, look into hydraulic.
• Don't forget terpenes profiles matter with rosin presses.  Not every strain of herb is the same, and some will do better on low temperatures and others will yield more on higher temperatures. 

How to shop for a Good Rosin Press

PRECISELY MEASURED, QUALITY HEAT PLATES

Heat plates play a major factor in the quality of your end-product. MyPress utilizes longer, more narrow plates in their presses to reduce the distance traveled by the extracted material. Reducing this distance prevents degradation and over-exposure to heat.  This results in a more consistent product.

When extracting rosin, heat must be controlled in order to preserve the cannabis terpenes and cannabinoids. When you use high temperatures, you actually rapidly degrade these molecules, creating a boring and inferior rosin. This is why producing rosin at the lowest temperature possible is important. 

The secret to making rosin is all in the time and temperature you press with. 

You can press at temperatures within 76 Celsius to 110 Celsius for 15 to 60 seconds. 

•    Hash:  65 – 76 Celsius
•    Kief: 82 – 93 Celsius
•    Dried Cannabis: 82 – 98 Celsius

EVEN PRESSURE DISTRIBUTION & CONTROLLED PLATE PRESS SPEED

One of the most important properties of a good rosin press is its capability to provide measured and evenly distributed pressure.  It's also the most misunderstood part of making Rosin. There are many things that affect the pressure required for optimal results: material type, humidity, quality of grow, cure method, and age of material.   

The speed you apply pressure to a filled rosin bag is very important. Too fast and you’ll have a blow-out, while pressing too slowly will result in overexposure to the heat plates, leading to degradation. 

In order to reduce heat, pressure must be increased. High pressures have the ability to create a final product with much less of a compromise to the original terpene profile. The measure of a highly effective rosin press is its ability to provide enough pressure so that heat may be lowered to a point where minimal degradation can take place.

The optimal pressure range for pressing rosin is between 300 and 1000 psi, at the bag.

• Dried herb will be around 600-1000 psi.
• Kief & Hash will be on the lower end between 300 and 800 psi.

The plate size does NOT factor into these numbers. If you have a 20 ton press and press a 2x9 bag you will get 2500 psi at the bag. With a 2x3 bag you will get 7500 psi at the bag. These PSIs may marginally increase yield but it is likely that the increased yield is at the expense of the purest quality possible.

SAFETY

Since these machines are capable of putting out so much pressure and heat, you need to make sure the press is durable, reliable and safe to you and those around you.

HOW DOES A ROSIN PRESS WORK?

The easiest way of explaining how a rosin press works is by explaining that it’s essentially applying a large amount of pressure to the dry herb in order to fully extract all the concentrates from it. Once pressed, all you need to do is collect the concentrates and enjoy them.

However, there can be more to it depending on the type of rosin press you use. For example, MyPress heat and press to get a much higher concentrate yield; and other presses simply apply pressure.

ROSIN PRESS PRESSURE

The pressure is a major key when using a rosin press. Different styles of rosin press offer various methods of applying pressure. 

ROSIN PRESS YIELD AMOUNT

Your yield amount is determined by:

• Temperature 
• Amount of pressure
• Material used

Based on that, you can start to calculate the amount of material needed to press a desired amount of concentrates.  If you reference the temperature guide for rosin presses included above, you'll be able to know what temperatures will give you the best yield.  You can also reference the rosin press pressure guide above to tell you suggested PSI ranges for various materials.

Speaking of different types of materials... you should know that pressing bags matter.  Do you research on pressure, materials and bags to get the purest concentrates and highest yields from your rosin press. 

HOW TO COLLECT THE ROSIN?

The easiest way to collect the rosin from the parchment paper is to let it cool down first. Then, using a titanium dabber tool, collect the rosin from the paper.  It’s best to do your collecting over a non-stick silicone mat to catch any falling pieces. Move your collection tool around the rosin and it should start to roll up around the end, a little bit like making a snowball.

PRODUCT SPOT - MYPRESS ROSIN PRESS

MY PRESS GEN 2 REVIEW – THE IDEAL MODERN COMPACT PRESS FOR HOME USERS?

My Press is a portable, lightweight rosin press designed for personal use. It is manufactured in Denver, Colorado. The first state to legalize marijuana sales recreationally.  It’s made with very high-quality materials to ensure a high-quality final product and to have the longest possible lifespan. It will require just two things to work correctly, and these are heat and pressure. The rosin press uses the solvent-less technique to create cannabis rosin and to eliminate any solvent contamination of the cannabis end-product. You won’t have to clean the machine of solvent impurities, and this will save you lots of time and effort.

MYPRESS GEN 2 ROSIN PRESS FEATURES

High portability

My Press rosin press is a very small and lightweight machine, weighing in at 13 pounds. 

Stainless Steel Axiom plates

This portable rosin press comes with 3 x 3 stainless steel Axiom plates that are able to deliver a range of heat between 71 degrees Celsius up to a maximum of 137 degrees Celsius. 

Safety features

My Press rosin press comes with a few safety features. The included pressure adjusting wrench lets you adjust the pressure keeping your hands away from the heated plates while the press is running. The press automatically powers off after 30 minutes of no activity. My Press is designed so that it stays in a closed position when you are not using it. This means that the plates will not be exposed or touched by accident. If the press’ heat exceeds 200 degrees Celsisus, the machine will automatically power off. The plates and frame are grounded.

Unique LED counter display

My Press rosin press comes with a single LED counter display that will make sure to show you exactly how much time your cannabis material is placed under heat. This way, you’ll be able to get enough control in order to get the best possible final results. This machine will help you produce the highest-quality rosin. 

High efficiency

All you have to do to get the best rosin is to learn all the necessary information about the material you are going to press, amount, temperature, required pressure and the time needed for your material to be pressed. My Press rosin press will provide the best results in the most efficient manner as long as you set the correct time and temperature.

Pros

What to like:

• My Press rosin press is highly portable, and it’s the perfect pressing machine for home and personal use.
• Using the pressing machine is effortless.
• It comes with a lot of safety features that are extremely beneficial for the user.
• My Press rosin press is made with high-quality materials, and this will ensure an extended lifespan.

Cons

What to consider:

• With My Press rosin press, you will not be able to produce large amounts of rosin at once, considering its small size. But for your daily personal use, this solvent-less rosin press will turn out to be your ideal companion in making the highest-quality rosin.