One of my hobbies is card making and as such I am always trying to stop myself spending on bits and pieces to do with crafting! There are so many embellishments and tools to choose from but I told myslef that I could justify buying the Crop- a-dile because it seemed like a good investment that would last.


What is a Crop-a-dile?

The Crop-a-dile is a handheld tool which is held like a pair of pliers that is used to punch holes and set eyelets into things. Unlike the one in the picture mine is actually pink and came in the matching pink carry case with a selection of eyelets so that you are ready to go. This tool allows you to set eyelets of two different sizes - 1/8 inch and 3/16 inch. The instructions say it can be used on items such as chipboard, leather, fabric, wood, and many others. It is completely silent to use and much easier than the old fashioned method of using a braddle and hammer to set eyelets.

My personal experience

I have not used the tool on as wide a range of materials as the instructions insist you can, but I have tried it on thick card, and paper with great results. It is straightforward to use and easy to change the size setting. The handles are covered in a grippy rubber that makes them comfortable to hold and the case means that everything is contained in the one place. The eyelets that come with it are all 3/16 inch size and are in 8 different colours, each with their own section in the case. I say colours, but they are what I would call 'metal' colours, for example, silver, black, copper, bronze.
The one thing that is annoying is that you can only use this on the edge of projects as it only reaches a couple of inches in to the material you are punching into. I knew this before buying it, but it is something to bear in mind if you want an eyelet setter that will reach the middle of scrapbook pages, etc.

Overall, it is a handy product to have around which can be used in a variety of ways, e.g punching extra holes in belts or embellishing a card.

The Crop-a-dile can be bought on its own or in the case with eyelets as shown. Prices start at around £18 for the tool on its own.