We have a love hate relationship, me and my Cropadile. That is of course, if such a thing is even possible between me, flesh blood, hormones and drama and a heavy metal, totally inanimate object. Stay with me if you will, see how much of this you can disagree with! I love that I can cut a hole in 2 different sizes. That is a positive. Therefore I can set eyelets in various sizes. A positive. I can chomp a nice roundy hole through several layers of card stock at once (lazy, huh) - or through chipboard and metal without so much as breaking into a 'nnnnnnnn' sound, or a clenching of the teeth. A positive. It's heavy - sturdy and built to last. A positive. No doubt, it is my 'go to' tool for short reach holes and eyelet setting. Absolutely. And recently it has become an adequate stand in for the cheapskate who sold her Bind It All and has since made 2 mini books with the O wires. (2 more than she ever made when she had a Bind It All!). So it punches holes and sets eyelets, about 3cm max from the edge of the card/paper/blah. It isn't long reach, the maker (We R Memory Keepers) have addressed that with the Big Bite - a gargantuan piece of equipment that does what the Cropadile does, anywhere within a 12" reach.
With so many positives, what are my dislikes? Not many, and apparently, not enough to put me off using it. It's heavy. The scissor action is easy to use, but the handles are further apart than my hand spread and I'm guessing this will apply to quite a lot of female crafters. And the non slip rubber handles are good. In fact, so good that you can't adjust your grip in one move - you have to use your other hand to hold the Cropadile whilst you adjust your grip. It's not long reach, but you already know that. It's pink. I didn't buy the green or any other alternative colour that may have been available because I didn't want the see through storage box and 'free' eyelets. I know I'm in the minority, but really, are manufacturers really so cynical as to think that pink is a default setting for women unless they are prepared to spend more? For me, also in a ridiculous 'discussion only' type vein, I can't quite get over the weight and the sturdiness of it - all that to set an eyelet! I feel somehow, it should be capable of more. Now that is ridiculous I know - I'm not an engineer and I realise the scissor action mechanism for the easy application of eyelets is a bit of a breakthrough really. But still. That's in my head. So overall, why do I use my Cropadile? Because it's there and it will go through most material without biting back. I have a marvellous Silent Setter by Provocraft which cuts and sets in 3 sizes and is not restricted in anyway by reach...it's simply a punch/setter that doesn't require a hammer. But it takes some doing through chipboard, for example, which is where the Cropadile trumps it. However, the Cropadile doesn't trump the Silent Setter for price, reach or indeed, the potential for increased Kegel exercise!
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29 comments:
I don't have a cropadile and didn't really know what it is. Reading your post I now know - that I don't need one! Simply because I don't really like eyelets. Easy, huh?
Oh I love mine never leave home without it LOL
I bought one because I thought I would set lots of eyelets once I had it - have a couple of other systems that didn't seem to work - don't use the cropadile either though... don't use the eyelets I bought to set with the cropadile...
Don't use it to punch holes either. Not a good investment for me, all in all!!
I was lucky a friend got me a cropodile from the QVC outlet shop for a fraction of the price, but I don't have it anymore as my Mum pinched it for her work, she loves it and she has REALLY bad hands. I got a big bite from the same place and I do like it, I have used it to make templates to set my sparkly stones and of course to make holes and set eyelets.
Clench those muscles......:D
LL Jan xx
I totally agree with you all the way through your post but need to add; I can't stand that the little cut out circles just fall out all over the place............... or don't come out at all and I have to put the tool down to find my pokey tool to poke the little piece of CS out just so i can see where my next cutting point it. I really can't stand that mine is PINK!!!!! I want a green one!!!!!!!!
I had a Silent Setter first and I struggled with holes through chipboard (I haven't used it since getting a Cropadile).
I bought the pink one with a completed loyalty card from a local craft shop and I wouldn't use anything else now. The pink one lives in the craft room.
Mum bought me the lavender one in the box with eyelets and it goes everywhere my craft tote goes.
The Big bite that Mum also got me has only been out of its packaging once - to check that it worked.
Toni :o)
Never mind that you've encapsulated totally MY feelings about the Cropadile; never mind that you are already blogger I admire. This piece of writing is simply inspirational and, in many ways, far too good to be limited to a blog! Mrs Dunnit, please accept my admiration. I love good writing!
Julia, I dont know if you have a day job or what it is, but if you aren't a professional writer I'll eat my hat! I have a crop a dile myself and you summed up perfectly my likes and dislikes in your post. I really enjoyed reading it and would LOVE to hear your reviews on other craft items I perhaps dont own (hey, and even ones I do!) Your writing style is so captivating, punchy, and at humorous in all the right places, that I reckon if you arent a writer already then you definitely should be! I am very much looking forward to your continued blogging! Gemma x
I have to admit, I use my Big Bite all the time & am proud to say ...its yellow, I didn't want "free" eyelets & grommets either lol
C
xx
My first eye-let punch-thingame-jig cost 99p from Woolworths, (many years ago) I still have some of the eyelets that came with it and...and it's brother that fixed in press-studs, (or buttons...) and talking of buttons the button cover maker thingy too.
I probably wouldn't have a crop-a-dial if it hadn't been a 'free' gift for signing up for a magazine subscription, but on saying that, I do lovvve it, even though I moan, as I try and get those little eye-lets to stay put while I try and squash them! I lovvve the squishy pink handles but really can't see, why it's so expensive. (mine came with the pink box and eyelets) Hubby of course frowns, and thinks it's a thing of torture as he twiddles the screws and wonder what part of the anatomy would one use it on!
(Lyn)
I have the big bite and love it, but use it far more for punching holes than setting grommets. I really wish I could remember to design stuff with grommets!
I love mine, wouldn't be with out it.
I never noticed the hand grips being large, which is a little surprising as I have really short fingers, but it could be that just about everything is so big, I fail to notice when new things are lol.
A lot of things become more expensive when they are pink. It's sort of like women's clothing costing more to dry clean. Once there were some pink storage containers at the craft store that were twice as much as the identical in every way except color, storage containers at the hardware store.
I do love that it makes it so easy to punch chipboard and such. I usually forget where I've put my grommets though lol.
I thought I was the only one with these feelings about the Cropodile. Thanks for letting me know I am not alone;)
I love mine, use it all the time, it is what I reach for when I want a hole in anything (including DH's leather belts whether he is shrinking or expanding)! I have the same problem with the width of the grip, its just out of my hand span so when I saw you had used it to make holes for your o'wires I really felt for you!! Mine is pink because that is the colour it was available in, the other colours came later.
I used my cropadile so much when I first got it and was using eyelets loads but I only occaisionally use it now ... as for big bite ... well used it once ... I think and got mad that I couldn't get to grips with the gromits.lol.
Now the silent setter ....well I used it on a mat and it left dints in the table ... I must be heavy handed or over excted when I used it ...shame I was working on the dinning table that day ....grrrrr ...that was the day I fell out of love with it and fell for the cropadale ...I am very fickle when it comes to love affairs with tools .xx
I would not be without my (green gifted) cropodile. the hammer and punch rarely see the light of day now, I agree it is a two hand job and I sometimes find setting the eyelet more fiddly than I have a right to, (cack handed)
I'm pretty sure the engineers sussed the width of grasp for scissor action and solved it for surgical instruments ( can just let go of the body bit to use both hands on your tool ( so to speak) - why not also our crafting tools? - get campaigning Mrs D.....
Dx
can't not can, see cack handed
I have a 'love/hate', 'ying/yang', 'black/white' etc relationship with mine. I've spoiled so many eyelets, dropped the darn thing and come close to both ripping projects and my fingers so many times that I keep reverting back to my Silent Setter. However, I'm glad I have my Crop and my Big Bite. Now that bloomin Martha Stewart circle cutter...........ouch! I've cut my finger again!!!
xx
Happily ignoring the point of this post as I dont have one or particularly want one but yes y is "pink is a default setting for women"? I'm looking at circle cutters (slightly worried by Joannes comment) and one of the features is "stylish pink finish" no, we r memory keepers that is in fact a down side, not a feature!
Hi Julia, what an entertaining read this was. I don't have a Cropadile and based on your review I won't be getting one as it doesn't sound like my arthritic hands could cope with it. What I do have is a Making Memories box of tricks with which I can make several different sizes of holes anywhere I want and then attach eyelets to said holes, albeit rather noisily - so much so this task is only done during the day :) Anyway, thanks again for writing the witty review. Elizabeth x
I do like my cropodile, but always need to use both hands whether making the holes or setting eyelets, which is a bit of a nuisance. Better than the hammer an all the faff though! I bought the orange version too - the one that allows you to make holes further into your pages - but I've only used it once as it's such an unwieldy, awkward thing - I think I wasted my money there.
I agree about the pink!
It doesn't half hurt when it clouts you on the head though!
I love mine for punching holes but never have yet got the knack for eyelet setting.
Great article! Well, I have both the Cropodile and the Big Bite, but unless I need the reach, I go for the Cropodile every time.l Sadly both are in pik - I wanted Green, but, being the cheapskate I am, I bought the ones that were the cheapest!
I have the big bite and love it for chomping through anything easily. The thing that does baffle me is having to turn the little cubes for the different settings. They confuse me which isn't hard and I get fed up having to get the little instruction leaflet out everytime to check what I need for what. At the price why doesn't it eat the bits it punches out either instead of chucking them everywhere for me to pick up. Just little niggles for a great bit of kit (and it's yellow not pink!!!!)
Hugs Lisax
I have a big bite and it was love at first bite! I have never looked back. I have the smaller Fiskar eyelet setters with springs that I can take when I go anywhere, but I LOVE the strength and ease of the BIG ORANGE CHOMPER! It is a little tedious to figure out the setting for the eyelet setter, but not impossible, even for math stunted me! Ahhh...I think the main reason I love paper crafting as much as I do, is so I can collect tools the way DH collects wrenches and socket sets!
Thanks for sharing! :o)
On finishing reading I had to go and check and though I'm only just under 5'2" I do have largish hands, :-( so I can hold and use the C-A-D ok. I'm happy with the pink. I read somewhere that at one time pink was the colour for boys way, way back - hard to believe! Oh BTW I do have the Big Bite too ;-)
Anne xx
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