Dritz(R) Gripper Plier Kit For Assorted Snaps
From Prym Dritz
For open snaps (15, 16, 115 & 116), decorative snaps (17, 29, 25 & 105), jumbo snaps (24 & 30) and eyelets (104). Kit includes four size 16 snaps, twenty five 1/8'' eyelets and the pliers. Made by Dritz.
- Amazon Sales Rank: #104592 in Kitchen & Housewares
- Brand: Prym Dritz
Works well and lasts for years
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.
It has potential
This tool is built solid and tough... It has rubber handle grips and really seems capable of doing more than just putting snaps on clothing like errr maybe removing lugnuts from my tire or even some heavy plumbing work or something... I'm not going to give this product a bad review because of my problem with getting it to work right... I've followed the instructions and really everything should be very simple but whenever I install a button/snap on my clothing or hats (Yeah, I'm trendy like that) it ends up pulling apart very easily... I blame it more on the button/snap maker using cheap material that bends easier than a paper clip...
Ther must be a better way
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.
