The Pick Punch is a great gadget for guitar, banjo, mandolin and other stringed instruments that require a pick for strumming. If you can’t figure out what purpose it serves just by the name and image, then you have my permission to skip this review. Everyone else, click through for more info.
If you play a stringed instrument with a pick and enjoy making things and saving money, then you’re going to love the Pick Punch. It’s a heavy duty spring loaded punch, that will allow you to create your own unique guitar picks from various materials that you already have lying around your house.
The punch looks sort of like a stapler, until you turn it over.
Then you’ll notice that familiar guitar pick shape which is also called the 351 or Fender shape. This punch will create 1-3/16″ (30mm) tall by 1-1/16″ (25.5mm) wide picks in the standard tear drop shape.
Using the Pick Punch couldn’t be more simple. You can purchase $3 sheets of Nylon, Polycarbonate or Acetal directly from the Pick Punch site, which will yield as many as 85 picks per sheet. Or just scrounge around your house for different materials that will work equally well. Some of the easiest to come by are plastic gift cards, expired credit cards, ATM cards, etc.
Just slide the material into the slot, check the pick shaped cut out on the bottom to make sure you have lined up the image you want for the pick and then squeeze the handle. That’s it.
Presto, you now have a perfectly shaped custom guitar pick! The edges of the punched pick are surprisingly smooth, but if you want to clean up any rough spots, just buff the edges with some really fine sandpaper. Simple and fast.
Besides using gift and old credit cards, you can also use lids from plastic containers like the ones you find on margarine and cool whip tubs. The sound that you get from each pick when you strum your guitar or other instrument will depend on the material used.
The Pick Punch site has ideas for creating all sorts of interesting pick designs. You can stamp your own graphics on them, combine two thin sheets of clear material with an image in the center, for one thick pick, etc.
I think this product would make a great gift for a guitar player. It’s built to last for years and will punch 1000’s of picks. It’s inexpensive and will save them money because they’ll never need to buy another pick.
Product Information
| Price: | $24.95 |
| Manufacturer: | Pick Punch |
| Pros: |
|
| Cons: |
|
Gadgeteer Comment Policy - Please read before commenting
It’s been a long time since I played my Gibson J-200, but I guarantee this would have been fantastic back in the days.
The concept is perfect. I will spend at least a week wondering which of my cards would be a soft pick and which would be harder.
Brilliant!
@Sandee It’s fun looking for new materials to try on it 🙂 Makes me want to get off my butt and finish my 3 string cigar box guitar and cigar box dulcimer. I just need to go buy a blade for my band saw first. 🙂
it’s one of these things that when you see it, you wonder why you didn’t think of it. brilliant.
Not really a guitar person but that’s a pretty awesome product!
I am buying this right now. And going to practice.
@GODMODE if you really do go buy one, please let us know if you come up with some really cool pick designs / materials.
@Julie – I bought one, yes. I hope it comes in soon! It looks like its through a Yahoo Store. I plan on making a guitar pick out of anything and everything I can! I will report back.
@Godmode Excellent. Make sure you wait till your butter tubs are EMPTY before you take the lids off to make picks 😉
This is sooo cool! I’m already thinking of people who will be receiving this christmas present
my boyfriends gonnnnna love this!
Works great but I got so obsessed that I ran out of things to punch
🙁
has anyone tried thin metals with this thing?
I got mine on order and now just like picks I hope to keep it handy when giging out.
GREAT – perfect for the stockings this year! Wish I had thought of this instead of cutting the lids to coffee cans when the boys ran out of picks.
A total waste of money. Most materials make horrible picks. You could by so may picks for this price!
I received one as a gift for my birthday…it is awesome. picks are so expensive. one good gift card and you get 5 picks. most gift cards are made of some kind of cheap foam with plastic laminate on both sides…try to find a clear card like Mcdonalds sometimes has. they are see through with the logo printed on the plastic. these work the best. Menards has good cards too! finding the best material is the fun part. when was the last time you handed over a baggie full of picks to all of your buddies who play guitar? Never! with this you don’t have to feel greedy about sharing or mad when you lose one. that is the best part.
Anyone over here in the UK selling these? Anyone know? I want one.
I heard about this on a radio show and I just ordered it. My boyfriend is going to love his birthday gift!!
This is a peice of crap not worth a cent yea you might get a rough pick after you kill yourself beating on it do yourself a favor take the 25 bucks and buy you some picks and the guy is a jerk no refunds poor customer service just wants your money