Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

How to use eyelet pliers

Updated: 23 October 2026

How to use eyelet pliers starts on scrap of the same material, with one washer, and stops when the eyelet no longer turns or the barrel starts to split. Wonkee Donkee's sequence is the spine: cut the hole, push the shank through, fit the washer, squeeze, and squeeze again only if it is not held. The [eyelet pliers comparison](/hub/hand-tools/eyelet-pliers) is where the kits differ in size. This page assumes the pliers are already the right tool. Peter F. wrote it on 22 October 2026 from that page, Toolbug and the UK review extracts. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing here was set in a lab.

How to use eyelet pliers starts on scrap of the same material, with one washer, and stops when the eyelet no longer turns or the barrel starts to split.

Our top picks

TOWOT TOWOT 10 mm eyelet pliers

Best overall

TOWOT TOWOT 10 mm eyelet pliers
9.2/10about £15.27
View offer
HAPDEN HAPDEN 6/10/12 mm eyelet pliers

Alternative

HAPDEN HAPDEN 6/10/12 mm eyelet pliers
8.3/10about £43.99
View offer
Swpeet Swpeet S664 5 mm eyelet pliers

Best value

Swpeet Swpeet S664 5 mm eyelet pliers
9.0/10about £12.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Before the first hole
  2. 2.Cut, then set
  3. 3.When the eyelet is wrong
  4. 4.Where pliers stop

Before the first hole

Practise on scrap and peel washers until you hold one ring. A HAPDEN review says the backing rings stick together. Put the finished flange on the face you want to see. If the box has no sheet, the scrap trial is the instruction. Check 5 mm against 10 mm on the eyelet pliers buying guide before you mark the good sheet.

Cut, then set

Mark the hole near the edge, on scrap. Hanolex says strike wood or hard plastic, not metal or concrete. Push the barrel through, seat one washer, and look before you squeeze. Stop when the eyelet no longer turns. A hard squeeze can buckle it. A split barrel is scrap.
TOWOT TOWOT 10 mm eyelet pliers

Testsieger

TOWOT TOWOT 10 mm eyelet pliers
9.2/10about £15.27
View offer

When the eyelet is wrong

If the eyelet still turns, set one washer only. If the barrel has opened, change the eyelet. An incomplete hole is a stop. Mygeromon reviews say the head snapped. If the barrel will not enter the die, the box is not a set. Do not melt webbing with a soldering iron.

Where pliers stop

The frame hits the sheet at the edge, and no listing prints a throat depth. TOWOT's bullet says up to 3 mm. A domestic cover near the edge can stay with pliers. A sail or an HGV curtain goes to a canvas worker. A new eyelet is not a rated tie-down.

Common questions

Do I cut the hole first?
Wonkee Donkee's tarp sequence starts with the hole, then the shank, then the washer, then the squeeze. A shared SBGGRL review says thinner material sometimes set without a pre-cut, and thick fabric was punched on the plastic disc. If your kit includes a cutter, use it on scrap against wood or hard plastic, as Hanolex describes. If the cutter leaves a ragged star instead of a disc, stop. Do not finish the circle with a knife or a soldering iron.
Which face gets the washer?
The finished flange goes on the face you want to see. The washer goes on the other face, which is Wonkee Donkee's order for a tarpaulin. US craft sheets that specify a rounded washer side are a different product line, and these UK listings do not all print the same diagram. Check the picture in your box. Swpeet reviews say the short grommet's direction was unclear, so the scrap piece is where you confirm it.
What if the washers are stuck together?
Separate them until you have one ring. A HAPDEN review says stuck backing rings led to too many washers on one barrel. Two washers change the stack height, so the die closes on metal instead of on the sheet, and the eyelet buckles or spins. If the rings will not peel apart, discard that pair and take two that do. Do not set the stack and hope the squeeze will sort it.
How hard do I squeeze before the eyelet buckles?
Squeeze until the eyelet no longer turns in the cloth, then stop. Wonkee Donkee allows a second squeeze if it is still loose. A HAPDEN review says a hard squeeze buckles the eyelet, so the second squeeze is a check, not a crush. If the barrel splits or mushrooms, that eyelet is finished. More force will not make a short barrel reach a thick stack.
What if the eyelet still turns?
Look for a missing washer, a doubled washer, or jaws that never met. HAPDEN reviews describe jaws that do not align, so the two parts never grip. TOWOT reviews describe eyelets that do not stay, and parts that are hard to line up. Reset one washer on scrap. If the die and the barrel are different sizes, which Swpeet and Guttiuaa reviews both report, the kit is not a match and another squeeze only marks the sheet.
Why can I only set a hole near the edge?
The plier frame cannot cross the sheet. Toolbug states that, and one HAPDEN review puts the reach at about an inch. None of these listings prints a longer throat. A hole in the middle of a wide cover needs a setter you strike, or a press. The edge of a domestic sheet, within what the cutter will penetrate, is the job these pliers can finish.

Related pages

Eyelet pliers for tarpaulins

Eyelet pliers vs a hammer setter

Eyelet pliers

Best eyelet pliers: the 10 mm pick and who should skip

Eyelet pliers buying guide for size, metal and reach

Sources

Sources for this comparison, last checked on 22 October 2026.

  1. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. GOV.UK, General Product Safety Regulations 2005: Great Britain (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. BS 3102:1959, withdrawn listing (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. Wonkee Donkee Tools, replacing eyelets on a tarpaulin (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. Hanolex, why brass eyelets (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. Hanolex, brass grommet size table (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Toolbug, how to use eyelet pliers (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. Laser Tools, eyelets and grommets for covers and curtains (retrieved 22 October 2026)