Oh, Snap!

In the last going-on-four years I’ve been obsessing over duct-tape, I’ve gone through quite a few different gadgets and clips and clamps and snaps and magnets and rivets–more hardware than you can possibly imagine to use for closures and bling. Of all of them, the snap press has been my favorite! (It’s a close second with the magnets I found at K&J Magnetics)

I didn’t start out with a press. I actually went down to JoAnne’s during on of their “50% off notions wall” sales (I know all you Crafty Kathy’s out there know exactly what I’m talking about!) and happened to see a set of snap pliers! I snatched it up right away, my mind already spinning with projects. I think it was about $30, regular priced, and came with a few snaps. I grabbed an extra packet of snaps (around 7 bucks for 8 snaps, yikes!) and took it home.

I was apprehensive. I have used the same brand of rivet pliers for years, and LOVE it for projects like the Strawberry Purse, and also used them a lot for punching holes, but I’d never had any success with using them for snaps. I had never been able to successfully install snaps with any regularity without bending the snap itself to the point where it wouldn’t, well, “snap”.

So, I stuck two layers of tape together, punched a hole with my rivet pliers, and gave it a go. And. It. WORKED! I was beyond ecstatic. My daughter had a birthday party later that day, so I whipped out a flower headband (stay tuned) and every single snap worked like a charm!

But then I ran out of snaps, and the sale was over. I had no coupons and needed a minimum of a couple hundred snaps for the projects I had planned out in my head. So, I spent the next little while Googling things like, “bulk snaps”.

I found a couple of sites that piqued my interest, but my favorite was theKamSnap site. Not only did they have good shipping options to Alaska (like, FREE! heck yes!), but also had 2 options for presses to choose from. One was normal plain Jane, and the other….had a long arm! It has a total of about 4″ worth of clearance. How exciting! No more scrunching up tape inside the pliers (or press) in order to get the snaps put in.

I was super excited. I priced it all out, and it wasn’t as cheap as those plastic pliers, at least in initial out-of-pocket costs. Seems expected, though doesn’t it? You do, in life, get what you pay for, after all. I paid $87 for the press, but that didn’t include dies (the pieces required to actually install the snaps) or the snaps themselves. I, of course, went with the biggest snaps out there, and the most expensive dies. Go big or go home, right? I ordered 500 snaps, a press (the long arm one, the D-93) for $221.

Which is a lot of money for a duck like me.

Worth it?

For me, YES! For you? That all depends.

You sorta have to guess at how many snaps you’ll be using, and remember of course you can use it for more than just duct-tape stuff. There are plenty of Snappy Projects besides tape out there, if you are so inclined. As for duct-tape, A Studded Belt takes around 20 snaps. A lunch sack takes one or two. Don’t forget, either, that I have some amazing projects coming up with the potential to use a lot of snaps! (stay tuned!)

Here’s the plain math. To go with the cheap pliers and 120 snaps, you’re going to pay around $150.

To go with the heavy, cast-iron press, the die, and 100 snaps, you’re going to pay $149. After that, you’re going to pay $96 for 500 snaps, or $24 for 100 snaps, which works out to less than than a quarter a snap. With the pliers, you’re going to pay around a buck a piece for snaps, every time.

Bottom line, your “break even” is at 120 snaps. Any less then that, pliers. Anymore, press.

A couple of things to keep in mind if you are ordering the D-93. First, it’s not listed or pictured on the “Dies and Presses” page of KamSnap.To order it, click on the press pictured on the left, and on the next window, select D-93 from the pulldown menu. You know its the right one if it’s green and has a long arm. Oh, how I love that long arm! *swoon*. Now we just have to convince KamSnaps to offer rivets and dies, and I will die one happy duck-o!

When choosing your snaps, I highly recommend getting one of the “Spring” rather than the “Grip” options for tape because they are the ones that have posts. I’m not sure that the “Grip” option would stay secure on the tape. Plus, you will be able to go through more layers of tape with the “Spring” options, since they have that tall post.

To order the snaps of your choice, keep in mind that the price on the shopping cart on the right is the “base price”. To get the right price for the snaps you’re ordering, scroll down on the page to see how much they are. (I order the #24 size.) Then, select the size from the pull down menu on the shopping cart, and it will add the price in. Sort of confused me at first, so if you have any questions, I’ll be happy to help, or I’m sure you can contact KamSnaps directly.

In the meantime, duck-os, happy snapping, and of course, happy pulling!