Which forging press to buy?

[billyO]

Hello all.  I hope the warmer summers are treating everyone else better than us here in the PNW without A/C...

I recently was given the opportunity to do a large sculptural commission with the instructions that "money is no object".   After a little discussion, it looks like the customer is willing to buy our shop a forging press as a deposit, so which one?   

I have quite a bit  of experience with using Uncle Al's 25-ton H-frame and with Coal Ironworks 16-ton and 25-ton, but most of that work was for making damascus billets and canisters, and outside of speed, there wasn't much of a difference in their abilities to forge billets and kitchen knives.  

I've heard a lot of good things about the Gilmore 50-ton press at the NWBA conferences over the years, but I'm not sure if this is because they are superior machines or merely because he is a fellow longtime member of the NWBA...

I'm also a little concerned that the H-frame might limit access to the dies for some operations while making sculptural pieces.  Has anyone with an H-frame press had any issuse with the frame getting in the way, limiting access to the dies?

 

I appreciate any input.  Thanks and stay cool!