Half an hour into a diamond painting session, my right thumb would start to throb. I am 58, a retired school librarian in Knoxville, and I have finished about 40 canvases in four years. The thin plastic pens that come free in kits were the problem. They work, but they ask my thumb to pinch harder than it wants to. A year ago I switched to the Praise V Do drill pen kit. The difference was not dramatic. It was quiet. I stopped putting the canvas down every ten minutes to shake out my hand.
I am not a fast driller. I am a careful one, and I do my work at a folding table by a north window with the light pad under the canvas. I still keep the stock pens in a drawer for emergencies, but I do not use them for a full session. The Praise V Do pen has a larger grip than the stock pens, and that is the part that changed my evenings. I can work for an hour after supper and not spend the next morning rubbing my thumb. That is the whole review in one sentence, but the details are below.
The pen that ended my thumb ache
The Praise V Do drill pen kit includes one pen, six stainless steel tips, and a roller. It is the tool I reach for before every canvas now.
Amazon Check Today's Price on Amazon →The Ten Reasons
It changes your grip from a pinch to a pencil hold
The thin stock pen makes me pinch. The Praise V Do pen has a larger grip that sits against my fingers the way a pencil does. That one change is why my thumb stops aching after the first half hour. Before I switched, I would switch hands and use my left thumb, which is not a good plan. The larger grip lets my right hand do the work without that workaround. I still take breaks, but I do not need them every ten minutes. The pen does not make me faster. It makes me steadier, and steady is what finishes a canvas.
Six stainless steel tips cover the drills I use
The Praise V Do kit comes with six stainless steel metal tips. I use one tip for tiny drills and another when I am filling a big block of color. The tips screw into the pen, so swapping one takes a few seconds. I keep the spare tips in a small dish on the table so I am not hunting for them in the middle of a row. I keep the ones I use most in the dish and the rest in the kit. That little dish has saved me more time than any other small change at my table.
A metal tip picks up wax and drills without a fight
Plastic tips get worn and start to skip. The metal tips on the Praise V Do pen pick up the wax from my tray and hold a drill long enough for me to place it. I am not pressing down hard to make it stick. That matters on a long row, when my hand is already tired. I do not press hard enough to bend the tip. The drill releases when I touch it to the canvas. I wipe the tip on a cloth when it gets tacky and keep going.
It shortens the stop-start that makes my thumb throb
My old rhythm was place three drills, stop, shake my hand, place three more. The larger grip and the metal tip let me keep going. I finished a full row on the hummingbird canvas without setting the pen down. That sounds small. It is the whole reason I switched. A row is where a session either gets done or turns into a pile of half-filled symbols. By the end of the row, I am still placing drills, not rubbing my thumb.
It gives my fingers a rest between rows
The pen has an ergonomic grip that gives my fingers a place to sit. I do not have to hold it in a tight claw. When I set it down between rows, my hand feels less locked up. I can work for an hour after supper and still open a jar the next morning. That is the test I use now, not how fast I finish. The grip is not soft or squishy. It is a firm shape that tells my fingers where to go, which I prefer.
The change was not dramatic. It was quiet: I finished a full row without stopping to shake out my hand.
It works with the wax, trays and drills I already own
I did not have to buy a new system. The Praise V Do pen uses the same wax and drills that came with my kits. I press the tip into the wax on the tray, pick up a drill, and place it. The kit includes the pen, six metal tips, a roller and accessories. It does not force me into a new method. I just use my old method with less thumb pain. I use the wax from my kit, not a special wax, and it works.
The included roller is a spare, not a second purchase
The Praise V Do kit comes with a roller. I already use the EastyGold roller, so the one in this kit stays in its case. If you do not have a roller yet, this one lets you press finished sections flat without buying another tool. I would still roll a whole canvas before framing. I press down with both hands on the EastyGold roller, not the pen, so the pen is not doing a job it was not made for. The included roller is a spare in my house, and that is fine.
Swapping a tip takes seconds, not a hunt for tools
The metal tips screw into the pen. When a tip gets sticky, I unscrew it, wipe it, and put it back. I do not need a tiny wrench or a third hand. I keep one clean tip in the dish and swap it in when I am working a dense section. I do this over a tray so a dropped tip does not roll under the table. That small habit keeps a session from stalling.
It fits the way I already sit at my craft table
I work at a folding table by a north window, with the light pad under the canvas. The Praise V Do pen sits in my hand at the same angle as my old pen, so I did not have to relearn the motion. I just have less pain at the end of the session. The north light is better than a lamp for me, and the pen does not block the symbols. If you already have a way of holding your pen, this one should fit it without a fight.
The 30-day manufacturer warranty makes it a low-risk try
The listing says the pen kit has a manufacturer warranty for 30 days from the date of purchase. I have not needed it. I have used my pen for about a year, and it still holds a tip straight. But if you are unsure, that window gives you time to try it on a real canvas, not just a practice sheet. That is more than I can say for some craft tools I have bought.
What I'd Skip
I would skip the thin plastic stock pens that come free in kits. I keep a few in a drawer, but I do not use them for a full session anymore. I would also skip the idea that one tool fixes everything. The Praise V Do pen helps my thumb, but it does not replace my light pad, my storage box, or the roller I use to press finished sections. The pen is a tool, not a cure. My thumb still has good days and bad days. If you already own a roller, do not buy another one just because this kit includes one. Use the included roller as a spare and keep your old one on the table.
If your thumb aches by the second row, start here
The Praise V Do drill pen kit is the tool that made my evening sessions feel easier. It comes with one pen, six stainless steel tips, a roller and accessories. If you already have a light pad and sorted drills, this is the next thing I would change.
Amazon Check Today's Price on Amazon →