We bought this kit to use on a replacement awning we made.

Long story short: the grommets installed well and we ended up with a very sturdy end result. Don't be afraid to use some force when cutting/punching your fabric and the rest is easy.

Long story long: I did not try the cutter/punch straight out of the box. I felt I could sharpen it up a little bit first, so that's what I did. I chucked it in the drill and took a file to the cutting edge as it spun. I can't say it made a huge difference in sharpness, but I do believe it helped. When cutting your material, hit the punch hard with a hammer, rotate, and repeat. Usually 3-5 quick and heavy blows were enough to cut through my two layers of heavy material. I hit it until the punch was stuck in the wood behind the material-- then I knew I had gone completely though.

Actually installing the grommets was the easy part. Line things up and hit the big punch with a hammer to seal things down good. Rotate the metal punch with your fingers, hit again, rotate back a bit and hit one last time. It was quick and easy.

All in all, I was impressed with the professional look this gave our awning and I am very happy we used this kit.
We bought this kit to use on a replacement awning we made. Long story short: the grommets installed well and we ended up with a very sturdy end result. Don't be afraid to use some force when cutting/punching your fabric and the rest is easy. Long story long: I did not try the cutter/punch straight out of the box. I felt I could sharpen it up a little bit first, so that's what I did. I chucked it in the drill and took a file to the cutting edge as it spun. I can't say it made a huge difference in sharpness, but I do believe it helped. When cutting your material, hit the punch hard with a hammer, rotate, and repeat. Usually 3-5 quick and heavy blows were enough to cut through my two layers of heavy material. I hit it until the punch was stuck in the wood behind the material-- then I knew I had gone completely though. Actually installing the grommets was the easy part. Line things up and hit the big punch with a hammer to seal things down good. Rotate the metal punch with your fingers, hit again, rotate back a bit and hit one last time. It was quick and easy. All in all, I was impressed with the professional look this gave our awning and I am very happy we used this kit.