Key Of Grey

January 24th, 2010 – If you’ve read any blogs other than mine lately, you’ve heard about the Pick Punch. Well this week I received one so I thought I’d throw up a lightning review. This will likely be the fastest review you’ve ever read on a piece of music gear, because there’s really not much to say about it.

The Pick Punch is basically the same as those craft hole punches, but it punches holes the size and shape of a standard pick (or plectrum if you want to get all fancy). Plus, it’s made of materials strong enough to punch through pieces of plastic. To use it, you insert a piece of plastic into the Pick Punch, and push down the handle like you would a stapler. Et voila, your own handmade pick.

In the package I received, there were two different types of plastics: one translucent and one entirely clear. I found the clear one punched easier than the translucent piece. One thing I should note is that contrary to the videos on the Pick Punch site, it is not easy to punch the plastic, at least with the particular example that I got. My girlfriend was unable to punch the plastic without putting it on the floor and stepping on it, and even I had some difficulty pressing down on a table top. Just something to keep in mind if you are thinking of picking one up.

Overall, a pretty cool device. It’s not going to save you money on picks unless you go through a lot, but it’s still fun to make your own. You will need to sand the edges if you plan on using them to play, and the plastic that they offer on the Pick Punch site is a good weight and flexibility for my style of playing. The Pick Punch sells for $25 on their site, and you can also buy a different types of pick material from them as well.

Pick Punch