Wednesday, May 28, 2014

The End of a Fantastic Press

For years, Tri-State Laundry Equipment installed and serviced the Model-A Pants Topper from Cissell Manufacturing.  That particular pants topper was in just about every dry cleaning plant from coast to coast.  It was incredibly easy to operate and super reliable.  Super reliable except for one little weak link – the return spring that tensioned the expander.  The part lasted for several years, depending on the pant volume, but then would wear out over time.  It was a pretty simple fix.

Several years ago, Alliance Laundry Systems purchased Cissell and stopped manufacturing the Cissell line of finishing equipment.  That also means that the return spring stopped being manufactured as well.  Suddenly dry cleaners everywhere were on the hunt for this little but important part.  In fact, it is probably one of the most sought after dry cleaning parts in the U. S.  

If you have a Cissell Model-A Pants Topper, you might want to start thinking about your next step.  There are some terrific options out there by Unipress, Forenta, and Sankosha.  As always, be sure to do your due diligence before making your decision.  If you have questions, you can call Tri-State Laundry Equipment at (336) 992-5218 or reach out to me on LinkedIn.

And on a side note, I have to admit that I get a little sentimental when I see a Model-A Topper in great shape, with the exception of the return spring, on a truck heading to the scrap yard.