I have the red snappers and like them. How thick is your leader fabric? I had them on my previous machine and the leaders were made of a very heavy fabric. Almost like canvas. It was difficult to put them on this system. My new machine came with leaders which are much thinner fabric and make the snappers easier to use. The other thing I noticed is that if your system is in a cold area and the clamp parts get cold they are stiffer. See if you can put them in a sunny location to warm them up a bit.