I only have partial use of my left hand & have used the basting gun on many quilts. I like it except I miss sometimes & stick the needle in my fingers!! You DO have to use a lot of them & yes, have to cut them out. It's not so bad because I remove them as I machine quilt a few at a time & when I'm done, there's only a few left. You do have to be careful not to cut your fabric, though. Some say that they don't hold tight enough but I have not had a problem as long as I put them 3-4" apart. :)