Product Review: The Silent Setter

The Silent Setter
Provo-Craft

I used to loathe setting eyelets -- and for that matter, my family loathed it when I did it, too. The NOISE!! All the pounding drove them crazy.

There are other products out there that are quiet for setting eyelets and adding holes, but most are somewhat limited in where you can do it. If it isn't along an edge, you might be out of luck.

Not so with the Silent Setter.

The tool itself looks a bit like a hand drill: a comfort-grip knob on the top, magnetic chuck on the bottom that will hold the punches and the setters. You can literally put a hole ANYWHERE -- and in complete silence.

They aren't kidding about the name.

Operation is simple -- just push and twist to make a hole. Slightly more pressure is required for heavier cardstock, but still, the amount of pressure needed is SO much less than the more traditional methods. It's also perfect for adding holes for brads. With no limitation on where you add the holes, so brads can be added even after most of the project is complete.

It's surprisingly easy to use, even for me. Sometimes I do have to get a little leverage by standing up to use it, but I've had few problems with it working. My hands and wrists do ache if I have to set more than just a few, so it may not be the best for arthritics.

Switch the tip to a setter, and repeat the push and twist to set eyelets. It takes a bit of practice to make sure you don't mutilate the eyelet, but then that's the case for every single setter out there. And since each eyelet is different, some softer than others, practice is your best friend. Still, it's much gentler on eyelets than other tools, and you can -watch- as you set it and stop when it is perfectly scrunched without waiting to see if it worked or if it ended up mangled.

Some people have said that it only works with the eyelets included. This hasn't been the case for me. I've used multiple different brands of eyelets, and had no trouble. Coming from a woman with bad wrists and hands, this is something special. I suppose it all comes down to the user, and how much time you're willing to spend working with a new product.

If you expect any tool to work perfectly the very first time you try it, I imagine you don't have a lot of tools that you like. All new tools require practice, whether it be scrapbooking tools, or power tools in the garage. Very few people are absolute experts the first time they try something, so be patient with your tools and practice!

The Silent Setter has another nice bonus -- it comes with its own carrying case. The case is nicely padded, so the heavy tool won't bang up anything in your crafting bags.

You get three punch tips, three setter tips, and a mini craft mat inside the case, along with a small tub of eyelets to start.

The price is average, around 20, but it's easy to find them on sale.

I give the Silent Setter a B, mostly for the learning curve involved and potential difficulty for folks without a lot of hand and wrist strength.