caintuck - Posted - 03/14/2008:  07:23:20

Hope the Mods will not move this to "Product reviews" until a few folks have read it.

I bought four derlins, two L two M. Both sizes were to small as purchased for my stubby middle finger. Put the large ones on a kitchen knife blade to spread them out a bit and steamed them for a few minutes then doused them in cold water. They fit well after that. Filed the bottom part of the blade so that that edge would not dig into my cuticle.Trimmed the top with a nail clipper and filed the rough edges so that the the pick mimics the shape of my real nail at its best frailing length. Result: a fantastic frailling pick This thing is like a turbo version of the ping-pong ball pick (thanks John Balch). The blade lies right against the nail; just perfect.

I've seen some complaints about these picks as purchased, as if they should fit you like a custom made boot. They won't in most cases. They need some trimming and shaping, which are standard procedures for any string player who uses picks. A great product in my opinion. Thanks Fred Kelly.

The mediums will be fine for my index finger once I trim and shape them.

Edited by - gottasmilealot on 03/15/2008 16:11:03

Clare - Posted - 03/14/2008:  08:16:13

Thanks for this - I was wondering how to make mine fit! Being a girl, with quite small fingers, I thought a small would do, but it turned out to be very small! I then went for the medium and although it fits, its a bit tight - I'll definitely be trying your suggestion.

caintuck - Posted - 03/14/2008:  08:37:15

Clare, the small ones may be just fine once you shape them.Yesterday, I left one of my mediums on a knife blade over night, and now it's a large. Be careful with the shaping and trimming. It's easy to overdo it.

Edited by - caintuck on 03/14/2008 08:38:56

harvey - Posted - 03/14/2008:  08:42:43

I agree that it's a good idea to experiment a little with stretching and trimming to make them as comfortable as possible. You may need to ruin one of them before you know how to get it right, but they're not that expensive.

jamie_t123 - Posted - 03/14/2008:  08:46:38

I lined the inside of mine with medical tape to help with the fit and also to stop the pick from digging into my skin...works well to make a big pick a bit smaller...

Never get between a Woman and her Banjo!

roger martin - Posted - 03/14/2008:  10:50:43

I tend to alter just about any pick I use.Thumb picks always are trimmed and reshaped.Sometimes I play without picks at all which makes the transition to picks awkward.So, I found that if I trim the thumb pick WAY back to where it just catches the string, it feels close to using no pick.So either way I dont have to spend a few minutes getting used to a pick.

Roger MArtin

Bluesage - Posted - 03/14/2008:  20:30:07

I recently picked up a few and have been experimenting with them. So far I've been more impressed with the "freedom pick" than any other finger pick I've tried (and I've tried them all). I tried filing one pair down, but the shorter length affected the tone adversely.

I'd like to get a few more and try to file the pick in such a way as to not alter the curvature of the pick. When I do, I'll put up a review on my website...

Mike Iverson - www.bluesageband.com

raybob - Posted - 03/15/2008:  11:55:47

I got mediums and they were too tight. I also didn't like the way they seemed to want to squirt off my finger when my finger was bent. I sanded down about 2/3 of the two wings that extend back along the sides and this cured then wanting to squirt off my finger. After seeing this topic resurrected yesterday I got a cup of water and brought it to a boil in the microwave. The polycarbonate is stubborn but I opened it up a little, and now it's pretty comfortable. I picked with it last night for an hour or so, and it's back on my 'A' list.

I also rounded the inside edge/corner that sits just above the cuticle with an emery board, and this also makes it more comfortable. I don't have a problem with the length or shape of the blade, so I'll leave this alone for now.

Ray

"We learn from history that we do not learn from history." --G. Santayana