On 31 October 2015, the channel published a video of Vuohensilta unsuccessfully attempting to fold a piece of paper more than seven times with the hydraulic press.

The video was subsequently posted to the social news website Reddit in March 2016, causing it to receive more than two million views within a day.

Analysis of the channel's success often cites the excitement of the unexpected results, Vuohensilta's sense of humor, and his distinctive Finnish accent.

[3][4] Videos may also feature the press crushing an assortment of items, such as explosive materials, objects that have been placed in liquid nitrogen, fruits, and Australian memorabilia.

Originally at the end of each video, after the outro, a clay figure made by his then wife, Anni Vuohensilta, often described by Lauri as "very dangerous", was "dealt with" by the press as "extra content" of the day.

[10] The fourth most-viewed upload on the channel, with 24 million views as of June 2021[update], was produced in 2017 in partnership with 20th Century Fox to promote the then-upcoming film Logan, in which Vuohensilta tries to crush an "adamantium" bearing ball and then Wolverine's claws, both resulting in damage or destruction of the "hardened" pressing tool.

[13] Brad Reed, in an article published in Boy Genius Report, wrote that the "couple’s reactions are part of what make the videos so funny", highlighting Vuohensilta's wife Anni's laugh, which can frequently be heard in the background of the Hydraulic Press Channel's videos, as well as Vuohensilta's tendency to "state the obvious in a fairly deadpan manner".

[2] Jesse Singal, in an article published on New York magazine's website, wrote that the channel attracts viewers by combining the "tension" created by the hydraulic press's destructive power with Vuohensilta's "goofy nerdiness".

[6] Vuohensilta also attributes the channel's attractiveness to the excitement of the explosions and the unexpected results, as well as "the humor value of everything, my accent and stupid jokes".