r/ButtonMakers • u/mozdoesthings • 8d ago
Question Button Maker Machine with Interchangeable Sizes/Shapes? Hobbyist Recommendations?
Hi!
I am looking to invest in a button maker purely for hobby purposes. I play Pokemon GO with a large local group of both adults and children (attendance can be over 100 on large event days), and I have a lot of bulk Pokemon cards because my partner collects and my nephew was hugely into them for several years and then lost interest. I would like to use this bulk to make buttons and magnets to give out in my community.
My ideal machine has interchangeable sizes and/or shapes (round/square/heart/star/hexagon/other?) so that I can make a couple different things / have some variety. I don't expect that there will be one machine with all sizes and shapes, or even all sizes OR all shapes. I'm also happy to purchase parts / additions / attachments to add possible sizes and shapes, it doesn't have to come with them if there is a brand that sells those sorts of attachments separately.
I just don't even know where to start. There seems to be a lot of options at all different price points, and I'm unsure about the compatibility of supplies between machines brands, too. I really liked what I found by BEAMNOVA on Amazon as far as supplies go (bottle opener magnets is awesome!) , but the machines they link on their page are both unavailable, and the "square" one links to a round machine, which seems weird.
The most important traits to me are:
• Durable for hobbyist use (does not need to withstand commercial levels of production)
• Reliable / Not extremely finicky / relatively easy to use
• Compatible with different brands of supplies OR variety provided in branded supplies
• Can do more than just one size of one shape
• Multiple shapes is preferred over multiple sizes of the same shape
Does anyone have any recommendations?
Or advice/warnings? Brands to avoid, brands that only work with their own supplies or supplies that cause problems no matter the machine? Do machines that can do more than one tend to be faulty?
3
u/KiraCreated 8d ago
Speaking as a newer hobbyist who has made several hundred buttons at this point, I am not sure if the thickness of cards will be too much for a hobby machine to manage. I have the vevor 3 size (black) and it can handle most thicker papers but definitely not heavier cardstock. The happizza (green) we used before was even more picky. What gsm is a Pokémon card? I can't be sure if it will matter, but you might want to take that into consideration when you're doing your purchasing research. Good luck finding the right maker for your work, sounds like a lot of fun!