Customer Reviews

Dritz(R) Gripper Plier Kit For Assorted Snaps

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I really like snaps on the shirts that I make. This pair of snap pliers makes it simple to add them. I have occasionally gotten one of the pieces misaligned and ended up with a prong not aligned, but I just pull it back off, straighten the prongs with a pair of regular pliers and remount it.

There is a very wide range of button colors available. You can also mount the snaps that don't have a 'button'. All that shows is a little ring of metal and those come in lots of colors also, so you can try to match your fabric and they don't really call attention to themselves, or use a contrasting color and let the ring show. Those are also much flatter than the button front ones.

I've even put a snap on the fly of all my boxer briefs. It looks good and prevents "escapes" and gaping. I remember pajamas when I was a little boy, and the fly front would gape easily. If you have a man or boy in the family do him a favor and add a snap to the fly on his pajamas. You can also just replace a button with a snap. You will still see the button hole stitching above and below the snap front, but if you center it well, the prongs of the snap will hold the buttonhole shut.

Once you use these, you will probably never sew on a snap again. The only reason to sew a snap is if you MUST have it not show.

You can also install small eyelets with these. It's hard to mess up an eyelet, just make a tiny hole first and push the eyelet into the hole, then use the pliers to spread and fold the back edges.

The head swivels so you have either the button snap side or the eyelet post. The front snap pusher is plastic so it doesn't mar the surface of the snap.

When you use them for snaps, there are little rubber rings that holds the snap parts on the pliers. As long as you center them well and don't let the fabric pull them off center, they mount very easily and I've never had one come off. They have never aged, no matter how many times I've washed them and worn the garments. Out of the hundreds I've used, I've had a couple lose their grip because one of the center grippers got bent, but you can usually just bend it back. If that doesn't work just pull it off and add a replacement of that part.

Snaps are so much faster and easier to mount than sewing buttons and buttonholes, they are also much easier to use for fingers that aren't nimble from age or injury. Small children also have a much easier time with snaps than buttons. You can also use a snap with one hand. If something catches the fabric and it gets pulled open, a button could come off or break (or worse, it might hold so well that the fabric tears), where a snap just unsnaps with no damage and you can snap it back. It's also kind of sexy that my shirts can be removed by just 'ripping' them open. You certainly can't do that with buttons.

I just bought this kit and even as a well educated person, and someone who does a lot of sewing and crafts, these directions are difficult to understand at best. I wish they would show more pictures of exactly how the rubber rings fit on, and how the snap pieces fit within them. I have tried every way possible, and the one that seems to match the directions the best does not produce good results because the rubber rings get in the way. They either cause one or both parts of the snap to move as the pliers are closed, and the snap does not line up right, or it gets the rubber ring caught between the snap pieces when squeezed together. There must be a better way to install snaps easily and quickly. I will keep trying it to see if practice makes perfect, but for a busy mom of 3 little ones, I would rather spend my time on more important things than figuring out how to get the snap pliers to work well. I may look into getting another tool, even if it's more expensive.

For the types of materials I set snaps in most often, I do use a couple snaps practicing getting them set right. I agree with the other reviewers that the instructions are pretty scant.
I use the snaps on bracelets made out of recycled bicycle inner tubes and occasionally grommets on aluminum cans for other projects. For the bracelets, I needed to poke the prongs through the rubber first, then close the pliers to set the snap.
For regular sized snaps like the pearl snaps that Dritz makes, you'll want to put a rubber ring on both sides of the snap setter. One side is metal, and the other is plastic. You'll slip a rubber ring on each side, then for the bottom of the snap, put the post part of the snap post down in the plastic side, and the pronged side in the metal side. Then set the snap so the post is facing up on your project. For the socket side, the socket side of the snap goes in the metal part with the ridged lip up and the decorative top of the snap with the prongs goes on the plastic side, face down. Set the snap so the decorative face is on top of your project.
For thicker materials like rubber, you might want to poke the holes for the prongs through first, then close the pliers to set the snap.
To set grommets, you take the rubber rings off,make a small hole where you want the grommet set. turn the plastic plate so the round peg is at the front, then set the grommet face down on that.Align your project with the pliers, close the pliers to set the grommet, remember the plastic side will be the top of the grommet.
I really recommend practicing with a bit of the same material first before you possibly mis-set a snap in something you're working on.
So far, I've used this successfully on rubber, fabric and aluminum.

Once you figure out what you're doing, the instructions are not that hard to follow.

Problem: regarding pearl drop snaps, the snaps are held in place by a wide rubber ring which creates a little "play" in the position of the front and back of the snaps. When you apply pressure there's no real way to make sure that the "teeth" of the front snaps are being centered correctly to enter the female portion of the back of the snap. As a result, if front and back are not aligned PERFECTLY, you can get a sharp metal tooth (or 2) that stick out of the fabric (+ won't stay on as strongly). This of course is unacceptable and needs to be removed and reapplied. I've done 3 shirts and can't say I've gotten much better at finding the magic sweet spot to avoid this from happening to at least 2-3 snaps for each shirt. It's a slow process too.

However, I've searched the internet and can't find a better applicator. This may be the best thing out there. So I'll keep using this until I get better...

The directions that come with it are not very helpful.
You really need to search the internet for better advice on how to use the tool.

Once you figure out the basics, you'll want to add snaps to EVERYTHING you own!

These we so annoying! I read the brief instructions thoroughly, and so did my husband. I tried to do some, and so did he. They attached one side of the snap well, but for the other side never worked. They did not line up the pieces right, so that no matter how hard I tried and pressed, the sharp pointy ends would end up in the wrong place and stick out of the fabric. I have no idea how to get them out now. Ruined my projects.

It was exactly what I was looking for! The snaps are a little larger than I'd like, but understandably so, and that's surely not something wrong with the product. I knew before buying it that they were a bit large, but I couldn't find any product with slightly smaller snaps that looked great.

I will say, though, that the directions were minimal (they're on the back of the cardboard piece, and were enough to get me doing everything right, but I can understand how they wouldn't be enough for many people) and when I put on the round piece, I broke a couple before getting the hang of it. I ended up putting a rubber ring on both end and using it that way, then taking one off and finishing the job.

So overall:

Pros:
-Worked pretty well
-Exactly what I was looking for
-Came with both eyelets and snaps
-Had enough snaps and eyelets for me to get started

Cons:
-Minimal instructions
-Difficult to use at first
-Had to adapt to my own way of using it

I wanted it for installing the small eyelets. Since the instructions are just about useless, I played around with it to explore how it could work. It works, but I had to try various ways to figure it out. How durable and long lasting it is, remains to be seen.

What ever happened to good technical writers?

This tool is poor at best. The problem is the angle at which the fulcrum applies pressure. Often (every?) time I used it I ended up with crushed, distorted snaps. The snaps would leave sharp edges, not a good design.

I tried light, and "firm" and "very hard" pressure with the tool... Every time wasted my time. Its going back.

The directions are not too hard to understand, but they could be a lot better.

I am reading the reviews searching for any possible further insight on how to use this tool. My duvet cover is all made, except for inserting the snaps. I thought it would be easy, and even bought a new snap tool, so I would have the little rubber rings, which are not sold separately. I have tried and tried and can't make things align and hold. I guess I'll have to go out and buy a couple of zippers to insert instead. The tool will have to go to the scrap heap.