Like the title says, even though i've got a list of pros and cons, I'm really weighing in on the whole "scratch your instrument," conversation.
If you are using the capo correctly, it should have two little flaps of fabric that cover the back of the neck and keep your instrument nice and safe. I do think it's possible to do some major damage to the finish of your instrument with this capo, but you couldn't do it if you had the capo on right. Just be sure to fold over the two little protective strips of fabric before tightening everything down.
Pros:
- Doesn't have the big handle hanging off the back. With the more common sort of clamp style capos, a fair amount of metal hangs off the back of the neck. That is fine on a bass or a guitar, where there is lots of room. On a soprano ukulele, there just isn't a ton of space. A capo like this, or the planet waves, or the shubbs, where they wrap tight the whole way around the neck, is way nicer when fretting down by the capo. It's possible to roll your hand completely over the capo without moving it if need be.
- I like the old school style. Uke has this sort of silly laid back classic vibe, and these cloth capos really seem to fit that. That's personal preference, but I like it.
- It moves up and down the neck easily. the fabric slides readily, and the bit of rubber on the front rolls/slides pretty well too. If you want to move it up or down a couple of frets it's simple to do without removing the capo
- Cheap. Ultimately, a capo is holding down a few strings. It's hard to justify eighteen bucks for some of the competitors. For the four dollars this capo currently sells for, you could buy it and if you hated it, you could get another and throw this in your case, in case you ever lost the one you liked or left it behind.
Cons:
- It's hard enough to get that balance of "tight enough not to buzz" but "loose enough not to change the pitch of the strings," on steel strings, and five times as hard on nylons This capo is pretty good at that, but not nearly as good as something like a shubb with an adjustable screw. It has a couple of different possible tightness levels, so it's at least as good as the clamp style. I give it a four out of five on that front, but if you want the best option for that, get something with an adjustable screw.
- It could scratch your instrument. The clamp style are idiot proof. You really would have to try to do any damage. My personal opinion is that it would be kind of a trick to do it with these, but it would be much easier if you had it on wrong. It's not really worth taking a star off by itself, but it does take a little more thought than some other capos
- It moves easily. This capo is maybe the worst I've ever had for being knocked out of place, and that is what I took the star off for. a quick smack with the hand can slide it down a full fret, or at the very minimum create a solid buzz. I don't run my hand into it very often, and I think that is the idea the design is built around, that anyone who has done much on the instrument isn't going to be smacking the capo consistently, but a little tackier rubber on the front, or maybe a little bit of a rubber coating on the fabric could probably stop the problem.
Ultimately, it's a pretty nice capo, and it's an even better option because of the price. I'd recommend trying it first, then moving on to something else if you find it's not what you are after. For four bucks, use it as a backup.