SE 6-Piece Hollow Leather Punch Set - Stainless Steel with Precision Cutting Edges, 1/8" to 5/16" Sizes - Includes Storage Pouch for Leatherworking and Gasket Making -790LP

These are simple punches that you hit with a hammer. It drives into your material and whatever may be below. Please find some scrap of wood or other thick material that you can sacrifice. This set of 9 comes in some very useful sizes. I used the smallest punch to create a new hole in the straps of an old pair of sandals where the leather had stretched out. Just the right size for this purpose. Then the next larger size was exactly the right size for belts. I used it on two belts, one of regular weight leather and the other very heavy weight leather. It worked easily both times. Darned useful for those embarrassing moments when you've lost 16 lbs, don't feel like buy new cloths but still have more lbs to go before your old/cute wardrobe works again. I do have a pair of dress sandals with super fine holes but there was no punch in this set small enough to match that hole. Perhaps a large leather needle will match that size instead. These are hollow punches and the hollow fills up as you use the punch. Eventually, you'll need a needle, tweezers or something to get that material out of the hollow. These are very sturdy punches and should stand up to some heavy use. It is pretty clear that it will work on a variety of materials, leather, paper, pliable plastics. You might be able to use it on very thin sheets of metal or wood. If you do use it on metal, you'll have to figure out how to sharpen the punch eventually. The punches themselves are fine although they have smudges of grease/graphite/other lubricant on them. The plastic case is better than a plastic baggie but not by much. Everytime I open the case, the punches fall out. Update - I obviously use these for belts and shoe straps but since I gained 50 lbs then lost 50 lbs in the last 7 years, this punch set is reasonably active. It hasn't needed sharpening yet. As for those fine holes for dress sandals, it's easier to grab a very large leather needle and a small hammer and punch those out.

This is a great little punch set. The punches are fairly short, the longest is only about 3", which is great for getting into tight spots when you've forgotten about that one Chicago screw you needed to drop into place. The punches are easily cleared and stay sharp with repeated use. I've used these on 1/8" leather sides with no problem, and for thin leather, I've pushed through by hand. The bore sizes work well for just about any project need. Definitely recommend this little set. Easily carried for those spending a weekend at Ren Faire or other historical re-enactment where leathercraft is needed.

For the price ($10) they're OK. Expecting a nicely fashioned, well-made product tor the price paid would be expecting too much. The edges left on the tools from cutting the extraction slots are MUCH sharper than the part of the tool intended to cut. Rather wicked. I filed the those edges first thing to prevent getting sliced by them. On paper (#400 wet-n-dry), stamped holes were fine. On thicker material (ice and water shield- a roofing material) they did fine, too. Yes, the storage pack is cheap..but it DOES hold the stamp set OK. The latches might last for a few opening/closings. I bought this set for the purpose of cutting a couple holes in leather/plastic. They will work fine for that purpose. Had I intended to use them more than rarely, I would have purchased a better made tool. It's a matter of getting what you pay for. These don't cost much..and you don't get much of a tool for that cost. Having to pay $40-50 for a couple of holes in leather would be spendy. These stamps will accomplish what I expect of them (not much) just fine.

These are just plan old heat tempered steel so they really are only going to stay sharp if you use them on soft materials such as leather, wood, paper stock, poster-board, vinyl sheeting, very thin tin or aluminum etc. I used them on the Vinyl Carbon Fiber sheeting (sold here on amazon link below)I used them around the bolt holes so the vinyl was not under the bolt twisting wrinkles into my project and they worked perfect. A piece of pine or poster-board behind and you will get a great cut. The pouch they come in is a joke its made of thin plastic that cracks so keep that in mind your going to need tape or a new storage bag. Fast shipping, no packing in box so not good; they got loose in the box and were rattling around during shipping. Highly recommend requesting seller to bubble wrap and tape so you don't get any dull ones. I purchased from seller: KO Tool Supply http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0070Y36FK/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

These are leaps and bounds better than the pliers style leather punches. I needed a solution to punch some holes in leather for making an axe sheath. I Originally purchased the Tekton pliers style punch on amazon and it ended up canting the head so it was not working well at all. it was creating sloppy holes not cutting all the way through. I then purchased these for the old school leather punch style. It worked way better for my purposes. The holes were nice and uniform and I was able to punch straight through multiple layers of leather with ease. I was a little skeptical at first due to the low cost, but after using them all my concerns were put to rest. If you're going to be doing any kind of leather work above occasionally adding a hole for a belt every few years, these are the style punches you need to get. Highly Recommended!

Typical made in China quality. Larger punches seem pretty sharp but the smaller punches were dull and were not perfectly round. There was also a small amount of rust on some of the punches. The result? Lots of effort, yielding mediocre results. The edge of the 3/16 bit seemed to further dull after only one use so I don't imagine I will be able to use it many more times before its completely useless. The larger punches may hold up better (they certainly look like they would) and for ten bucks it certainly wouldn't hurt to give these a try. Just don't expect it to last too long. If you are considering purchasing this product to punch smaller holes, I suggest going with one of these: Neiko Hand Held Power Punch, Sheet Metal Hole Punch Kit . Yes, it is 3 times the price, but it will give you great results with minimal effort. Just keep in mind that A) You will not be able to punch holes as large, B) You will be limited to punching only materials thin enough to fit inside the mouth of the tool and C) You will not be able to punch holes far from the edge of the material you are cutting because at some point, the edge of the material you are cutting will hit the back of the C-shaped mouth (look at the picture for a better understanding). Hope this helps.

I purchased this set so that I could punch some holes in my leather belts. What I didn't want to do was use something that would just split the leather, but would actually cut a whole. These tools do exactly that and do a great job at it! With a light weight mallet I was able to easily cut my holes into some pretty thick leather. What I also like is that there are relief notches that allow for the cut leather to be taken out so as to not plug the cutting hole. The sizes of the punches are great and they are exceptionally "heavy duty." I didn't go wrong buying this set and it saved me a bunch of money. Just one of the leather belts I own would have cost $80 to replace. For ten bucks I have belts that fit again without added costs.

Product is good