We R Memory Keepers Crop-a-dile Big Byte Review

I have been the proud owner of a bright pink Big Byte hole punch from We R Memory Keepers for quite a few years now. So I thought it was about time that I reviewed it here on the Tin Teddy Blog – because it really is a very special tool.

It comes in other colour schemes too. I have seen it for sale with and without a storage box and pack of eyelets/rivits.

The first thing you notice about this hole punch is that it is very big, and rather heavy. It is seriously sturdy! I suspect mine will outlive me!

It is a metal construction, with plastic detailing. There is a soft plastic (silicone, I think) around the handle.

There is also a hand-held version of the Crop-a-dile, which is more well known. The Big Byte version has the long “throat” area which allows you to reach into larger projects to punch holes. You are not stuck punching only around the edge.

I will do a review of the standard Crop-a-dile in a few months time. It is a very similar product, with much of the same functionality, in a hand-held version.

The Big Byte is not really designed to be used as a hand-held punch. You can, but it is much easier to put it down!

There are small plastic feet on the bottom which allows the Big Byte to stand on your desk or shelf. These are easily removable – though I am not sure why. Please comment below if you know why it has this feature.

The mouth of the hole punch is around a centimetre, so you can punch multiple pieces of paper or card at once. The picture above shows the scale against my (average woman’s size) hand.

And here is where the Crop-a-dile shows off its legendary status. This thing can punch holes in nearly anything!

Well, it can certainly go through any thickness of card, drinks cans, compact disks and wood veneer. Those are just the things I have personally tried.

The long arm of the lever makes punching through hard things much easier than you might expect.

As you can see in the above pictures, I can reach the lever easily.

The Crop-a-dile can do two sizes of hole punch. The 1/8″ is what I would call “standard hole punch size”. The smaller 3/16″ hole is also very useful though.

You just slide a sturdy little switch on the top of the head to choose which setting you require. In the picture above, the rivit setting option is selected.

The Big Byte can also be used to set metal rivets or eyelets into your projects. These are easily bought from craft shops or online. Whilst you can also set rivits using a punch and hammer, the Big Byte makes it very quick and easy.

The rivit setter can be swiveled around, so you can choose one of four sizes of rivit. The upper part of the rivit setter has 3 options, and a flat surface. This makes the tool very versatile and usable with many brands of rivits.

On the bottom of the Big Byte there are rulers, with a sliding “stop” that allows you to easily punch identically placed holes over and over. The scale on the rulers is in inches (this is an American product). There are three rulers as the three functions of the cropper are in slightly different places on the head. The rulers are clearly marked so you know which is which.

When you squeeze the lever/handle a sharp stud with two lugs comes down and punches the hole. In the picture above you can see the two different sized holes, and the punch coming down in the 1/8″ sized one.

The Crop-a-dile punches very cleanly. I have been using mine for a few years now, and punched with it many hundreds of times. It is still working (and looking) as good as the day I first got it.

Summary

The Big Byte Crop-a-dile is a fantastic, reliable hole punch that can handle a vast range of tasks. As someone who does multiple crafts, I have found it particularly useful. It has been used for card making, scrapbooking, tags and ATCs, leatherworking, plastics, mixed media and even basic woodworking projects.

I bought the Big Byte version of the Crop-a-dile because I was doing a lot of scrapbooking at the time, and felt that the longer reach would be useful for that. You may not need this feature, and the standard Crop-a-dile is often available cheaper.

Yes, there are lots of hole punches available that are a lot cheaper. But I am very happy with the versatility, reliability and sheer sturdiness of the Big Byte. I feel it is worth the investment, as I do a lot of crafting.

I highly recommend this hole punch (as you have no doubt gathered already!). I particularly like that it is so incredibly strong and sturdy.

Links to the Big Byte Crop-a-dile on Amazon.

Here are links to the Big Byte Crop-a-dile on Amazon. If you purchase from these links, I may get a small commission from Amazon for sending customers their way. This is at no extra cost to yourself. Thank you.