Eyelet press buying guide
Updated: 23 October 2026
You are on amazon.co.uk because a hem, a banner or a bag needs a metal eyelet, and the results mix pliers with lever presses of about 3–5 kg. This eyelet press buying guide is the order of checks: tool class, die size, the cutter, the base, the rings, then the review count. The [Eyelet press comparison](/hub/diy-supplies/eyelet-press) holds the eight prices, from about £32.99 to about £51.29 on 21 October 2026. This page does not name a winner. Listings and public UK sources were read, not a lab. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You are on amazon.co.uk because a hem, a banner or a bag needs a metal eyelet, and the results mix pliers with lever presses of about 3–5 kg.
You are on amazon.co.uk because a hem, a banner or a bag needs a metal eyelet, and the results mix pliers with lever presses of about 3–5 kg. This eyelet press buying guide is the order of checks: tool class, die size, the cutter, the base, the rings, then the review count. The Eyelet press comparison holds the eight prices, from about £32.99 to about £51.29 on 21 October 2026. This page does not name a winner. Listings and public UK sources were read, not a lab. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Dies | Rings | Mount | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  KATSU KATSU 4-die hand press | 6 / 10 / 12 / 14 mm | 400 | Table mount claimed | 8.2 | about £34.98 | View offer |
| Best value |  KATSU KATSU 3-die hand press | 6 / 10 / 12 mm | 1,500 | Table-mount claimed | 7.5 | about £32.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  FreeTec FreeTec 3-die hand press | 6 / 10 / 12 mm | 1,500 silver | Flat tabletop; fix it down | 7.0 | about £35.95 | View offer |
On this page
Press, pliers, or a hammer kit
Start by deciding whether you want a lever. These presses curl a two-part ring with a long handle and weigh about 3.15–5.04 kg. Pliers in the same search sit under about 1 kg and around £15–£25. A single UK tarpaulin hole is often a punch, an anvil and a hammer for about £5–£11. Those are three tools, not three sizes of one kit.
Buy the lever when you set rings often and you can fix the base to a board. Buy pliers for a handful of light holes. Buy the hammer kit for one torn trailer eyelet you will not repeat this month. If you are still on that choice, the eyelet press vs pliers page stays there and does not rank the eight presses. A cracked casting in that entry band is not a saving.
Die size before brand
Match the die to the eyelet, then look at the brand. Kits are sold as 6 mm, 10 mm and 12 mm, or as #0, #2 and #4. DASBET, at about £32.99, prints #0 as 6 mm, #2 as 9.5 mm and #4 as 12 mm. If your old ring is 10 mm, a die printed as 9.5 mm needs a scrap test with the rings from that box.
Only the KATSU four-die kit, at about £34.98, lists 14 mm as well as 6, 10 and 12 mm. BOOMSTART states dies of 6, 8 and 12 mm and eyelets of 6, 10 and 12 mm on the same listing, so measure the middle die before you cut a hem. On the tarpaulin eyelet press page, UK kits are about 10 mm or 12 mm inside, so the 6 mm die is the wrong hole.
What the box does not prove
A count of 1,500 or 9,000 eyelets is a quantity, not a grade of metal. Reviewers on several brands call the included rings soft, rough or prone to split. LetCartMaker claims 9,000 silver and gold grommets at about £43.49, with 3.7 from only 20 ratings behind that claim. The KATSU four-die box holds 400 eyelets, and buyers said refills were hard to find from the brand. Plan to buy better rings in the size you actually use.
Under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005, a product sold to consumers in Great Britain should explain risks that are not obvious. FreeTec prints the point itself: cast iron is brittle under misuse, and the press should be fixed on a flat tabletop. Reviewers who leave the base loose report wobble and an uneven curl. Clamp or screw the foot before you compare star lines.
How much evidence is enough
Prefer a three-figure amazon.co.uk review count over a perfect line from two people. Dyna-Living is 5.0 from 2 ratings at about £51.29, with a ductile-iron claim and no weight on the page. That is not a track record. DASBET is 4.2 from 13 ratings at the same about £32.99 as the KATSU three-die press, which is 4.0 from 191 ratings. The longer file shows the 6 mm die failing more than once. FreeTec's 3.9 from 687 ratings includes successful tarp sets and snapped bases. Volume means the fault is discussed. It does not cancel the fault. If an employee will use the press, the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 apply. These kits are not guarded workshop presses.
Common questions
Is a £15 grommet kit the same as this press?
No. Pliers in this search are a handheld squeeze tool, often under 1 kg and around £15 to £25. The lever presses here weigh about 3–5 kg and cost about £32.99 to about £51.29 on amazon.co.uk. They use interchangeable dies and they need a stable base. A £15 kit is not a small version of the same press.
What does #2 mean in millimetres?
It depends on the listing, and charts disagree. DASBET prints #2 as 9.5 mm, with #0 at 6 mm and #4 at 12 mm. Other kits here skip the # names and print 6 mm, 10 mm and 12 mm. Test the die with the rings in that box on scrap cloth before you cut a finished hem. Do not assume #2 and 10 mm are the same hole.
Why do two lines on one listing disagree about 8 mm and 10 mm?
BOOMSTART's amazon.co.uk listing states dies of 6 mm, 8 mm and 12 mm and eyelets of 6 mm, 10 mm and 12 mm. The product file does not say which middle size is in the box. If you order it, measure the dies against the rings before you cut cloth you care about. The KATSU kits state one size set each.
Should I trust 1,500 or 9,000 eyelets in the box?
Trust the figure as a count, not as a grade of metal. LetCartMaker's 9,000 claim sits behind 20 ratings at about £43.49. The KATSU three-die kit lists 1,500 at about £32.99 with 191 ratings, and buyers still report small eyelets splitting. Buy a better ring in the size you use rather than judging the press by the number on the title.
Does cast iron mean it will not break?
No. FreeTec's listing says cast iron is brittle under extreme stress from misuse. Reviews in the entry price band include castings that snapped or bent on first use. Fix the press on a flat board and do not extend the handle with a pipe. A ductile-iron claim on Dyna-Living, at about £51.29, is backed by only two ratings.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Updated 22.10.2026.
- GOV.UK: General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- HSE: PUWER overview (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- HSE: EIS30, industrial presses (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- Wonkee Donkee: replace tarpaulin eyelets (retrieved 22.10.2026)
- House of Tents: repair tent tarpaulins (retrieved 22.10.2026)