Sweater Stone
by Jo-Ann Stores
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List Price: Our Price: $4.22 You Save: $3.27 (44%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Art and Craft Supply See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Sweater Stone
Customer Review: It works. It just works. Amazing. Better than anything else I have tried. With a little practice, it gets every last pill.
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been fighting with pills on various articles of clothing for years. I have tried various methods, but nothing really worked that well. Someone told me about pumice stones, so I did a little research. I discovered the Sweater Stone on Amazon and elsewhere, but decided to just go buy a pumice stone at the drug store.
I found a small one and was able to get the pills off of a pair of Champion sweatpants. They are the worst. They start pilling almost immediately and never stop. But it was small and difficult to get at the right angle. It I was not careful, I would get the leading edge too close to the fabric and it would dig it.
I used that stone for several weeks (those Champion pants are an endless source of pills). Every time I used it, I had trouble getting at just the right angle.
I decided to try the Sweater Stone. When it arrived, I noticed that it had a different feel. The one from the store was gray and oddly shaped. The Sweater Stove is perfectly rectangular. It has a cardboard cover that makes it easier to hold. The shape is also better for de-pilling. The drugstore stone has an irregular shape that was difficult to use and it was too narrow to get a good grip on.
I really like the plastic case. The drugstore stone leaves grit on the shelf. The Sweater Stove case keeps things much tidier.
Be sure to use it outside or where you will be vacuuming. As someone else said, it is messy. It produces a lot of lint and grit. I do mine on the back patio. I sometimes do it on the ironing board where I can get the fabric tight. Then I vacuum the floor.
There is definitely a technique to using the Sweater Stone. It didn't work that well at the start.
The fabric needs to be fairly taut. Secure one end and brush gently from that end. Lift the leading edge of the stone up about 10-20 degrees. Do not let the leading edge contact the fabric. Brush fairly lightly. If you push hard, you will be taking more than pills. Try to skim them off the surface. I suggest practicing on sturdy fabric, like my sweatpants. I would be willing to rent them out. The stone does become clogged or loaded. When this happens, it will start leaving loose pills and lint behind. I just pick the accumulated fuzz of the stone every 8-10 strokes and then it cleans perfectly.
The Sweater Stove could come with better instructions. Mine had none at all.
Bottom line: This thing works. I was very skeptical, but I am now a convert.
And I have developed less of a hatred for my Champion sweatpants. I came close to tossing them several times, but I hate to waste anything. Now I can clean them up in a jiffy. They don't stay cleaned up, but at least I am probably wearing them out more quickly, and then I can throw them out with a clear conscience. ;-)
Customer Review: Just OK; tore holes in some items
Summary: 2 Stars
I used this item on a sweater, sweatshirt, and sweatpants. While it did remove some pilling it didn't make an AMAZING difference. Then I used it on another sweatshirt and sweatpants. It tore 9 holes along the sideseam of my sweatshirt!!! Then I tried it even more gently on the matching pants. It tore one hole in them and I stopped. These are high quality sweats too from a very well know outdoor outfitter. I doubt I will try this stone again b/c I don't want to take a chance on it harming another garment. I have used electric shavers and the little handheld sweater shaver that sells for around 4 or 5 dollars. I will go back to those.Customer Review: Meh
Summary: 1 Stars
Meh. That pretty much covers it. Did I really want to spend more than half an hour fighting with one sweater only to have it look A LITTLE less pilly? No.Customer Review: Not Perfect, but it Really Works!!
Summary: 4 Stars
Much of my clothing were starting to get pills, so I was desperate to find something, anything, that would remove them- as otherwise, I would have to spend a good deal of money on a new wardrobe.
I tried peeling them off with tape, and rolling them off with lint rollers. These only removed a few superficial lints- the stubborn pills remained. I tried using a vacuum shaver. The shaver worked on some types of fabric but not others, but left holes in all of them.
Resigned to buying a new wardrobe, I brought the SWEATER STONE not really expecting anything. To my delight, it actually works!
I would not say my clothes look like new, but they look much better. Be warned, though, if your garments are full of pills, or if you are very particular in wanting to remove as many of the pills as possible, shaving with the sweater shaver can awhile. I sometimes spend a couple of hours with one very pilly shirt. But this is still far less than the time it would take to remove all these pills with my fingers (the only other method I know that really works- I also spent hours with all the other methods I describe above but they never did end up working.) Furthermore, shaving with the sweater stone leaves my garments with a fresher look than picking with my fingers as it removes a good deal of fuzz as well the pills.
A point to note however is that the SWEATER STONE is rather messy. Unlike vacuum shavers which include a collection place for the pills, and lint rollers/tape in which the pills stick to the roller/tape, the pills simply fall all over your table/floor when using this device, along with crumbled bits of the stone itself. I recommend shaving with the SWEATER STONE on top of newspapers away from fans, wind, etc. Or, be prepared to do a bit of cleaning up afterwards.
So, all in all, not a perfect product, but I am quite satisfied.
To get an even fresher look, use a lint roller or lint brush after using the sweater shaver to remove any overlying lint/fuzz that remain after using the shaver.
Customer Review: Not efficient or effective
Summary: 3 Stars
I bought this last year hoping to improve the looks of some of my wool sweaters. I found the stone to be hard to use. It didn't pick up very many of the pills. I think I was more effective picking the pills individually with my fingers. It also left a great deal of stone crumbs embedded in my nice sweaters. Most of the crumbs fell out when I shook the sweater but I still had to pick a few out. In conclusion, I'm still looking for a better method to remove pills from my woolens than picking with my fingers.