Wow. Cheap price no doubt. Chinglish instructions are a hoot.
"Features: Before operation please fix the frame and make sure crank can be turned freely. Lubricate washer with edible oil and insert on screw shaft from the small end. Insert screw shaft in press cage. Screw on press cage cap and screw on terminal adjustment bolt. Attach crank arm to screw shaft and tighten the bolt. Fill 80Percent fuel to the lamp bottle (kerosene or alcohol). Pass a 15cm wick through the washer. Leave 0.5cm of wick outside and put the longer end in the fuel bottle. Place washer at the bottle mouth. Place the lamp under press cage."... Do you light it?

Four 5* ratings with not a word.

So a $110 look alike has a vid saying its a piece of crap

Amazon.com: VBENLEM Manual Oil Press Stainless Steel Oil Press Machine Nut and Seed Oil Press Household : Home & Kitchen

Buy VBENLEM Manual Oil Press Stainless Steel Oil Press Machine Nut and Seed Oil Press Household: Kitchen & Dining - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

Yeah the lack of actual reviews stood out to me too...

 

Are you a DIY person? For about the price of a cup of Starbucks you could have the start of an oil press. Maybe Jerry rig an electric soldering or heat gun instead of the kerosene lamp. Adding a few washers so the handle could tighten - even better add a pulley and a small motor or a good cordless drill. Deburring the edges is easy enough with a file or stone.

 

I have an older version of it, made with lots of cast iron. I paid a lot more for mine.

It is a LOT of work for a small amount of product. It might be more productive if I could find an oil seed crop that is easy to grow in my 100 day growing season. I do grow gobs of squash and their seeds are supposed to have some oil, but there is the shell on the seeds would seem to be a problem, so I stopped playing with it a few years ago.

You have to heat the machine with a small flame. That is what the little bottle sitting under the outlet is for. This causes the product to be blackened with soot. I doubt the color would cause any health problems, just esthetics.

I'm glad I have it because of the problem of storing oil long term. Just look at the value placed on oil in the Bible, and those folks lived in the land of the olive tree.

 

I have an older version of it, made with lots of cast iron. I paid a lot more for mine.

It is a LOT of work for a small amount of product. It might be more productive if I could find an oil seed crop that is easy to grow in my 100 day growing season. I do grow gobs of squash and their seeds are supposed to have some oil, but there is the shell on the seeds would seem to be a problem, so I stopped playing with it a few years ago.

You have to heat the machine with a small flame. That is what the little bottle sitting under the outlet is for. This causes the product to be blackened with soot. I doubt the color would cause any health problems, just esthetics.

I'm glad I have it because of the problem of storing oil long term. Just look at the value placed on oil in the Bible, and those folks lived in the land of the olive tree.

The soot coats the seeds-not just the press? That’s a warning sign if you use any fuel other than alcohol.

I don’t see how they can make it of 304 SS- I would think the raw material would cost more.

 

Just curious,
I have no experience with an oil press/extractor but I see the wisdom of having one. You talk of the OP unit being cheap, is that inexpensive? What would a decent shtf press used for a family cost? Would a good design DIY cost less?

I am thinking along the lines of a unit to provide the oil needed for minimum health requirements for a family of 5. Not making enough to barter or deep fry french fries.

 

Just curious,
I have no experience with an oil press/extractor but I see the wisdom of having one. You talk of the OP unit being cheap, is that inexpensive? What would a decent shtf press used for a family cost? Would a good design DIY cost less?

Here’s one that I‘ve been considering…….made in Holland…….so I‘m assuming good quality. Was discussed on another forum site, with good reviews.

PITEBA oil press from the Netherlands | Buy direct from the maker

The original PITEBA oil expeller press – made in the Netherlands. Cold press pure oil from seeds and nuts at home. Manual, strong and built to last.

piteba.com

 

Simple & Best Oil press for a Good Health (DIY) | Hydraulic press | Peanut oil | Home made - YouTube

Oil extracting hydraulic press (DIY) at 1500rs / homemade coconut oil - YouTube

roll your own

 

There‘s a sticky thread over in the “Disaster Preparedness General Discussion“ section that discusses sunflower oil extraction and a homemade press.

Sunflower oil production

Sunflower oil production. A number of oil seeds can be grown here are some: Corn 129 lbs of oil/acre or 18 gal/acre Soybean 335 lb of oil/acre or 48 gal/acre Flax 359 lb of oil/acre or 51 gal/acre pumpkin seed 401 lb of oil/acre or 57 gal/acre sunflowers 714 lb of oil/acre or 102 gal/acre...

www.survivalistboards.com

 

I think that I will stay with fat or lard, rather than hand crank one of these after I have to grow and harvest an acre of sunflowers or soybeans. There is a deer standing in my back yard right now, but I am too lazy to butcher it. Maybe later.

 

Thanks Texas

 

Flaxseed as foodstuff product | Survivalist Forum (survivalistboards.com)

This thread has multiple links to different manual presses. Starts at post #10

 

Flaxseed as foodstuff product | Survivalist Forum (survivalistboards.com)

This thread has multiple links to different manual presses. Starts at post #10

I‘d add I made my own from DOM tubing and a 10 ton enerpac cylinder. Technically it’s just slides in my 50 ton press and I use the 10 ton ram. Great for pressing home grown sesame seeds- where the return is considered more valuable than most oil seed.

Screw presses are more efficient for most extraction.

 

I have a small 12 ton press to make oils if I feel inclined.