Amon Tech 12 Pcs Leather Craft Hole Punch Set, 2mm - 5mm Oval Shape Hole Punch for Belt Watch Band Leather Working DIY

I bought these punches to cut out a few extra steps I was doing in order to make straps/belts with buckles. However, you do always get what you pay for unfortunately.From the marks on the punches, it would appear that they use a piece of high carbon stock rod, drill and tap it out, and then use a hydraulic press to compress the circle into the oblong shape before sharpening it. Two of the punches were not pressed completely and had more of a diamond shape to their cutting end. It required me to take a ball peen hammer and an anvil to flatten them out completely. I also have a nice picture of all of the punches standing up straight but only after I fixed 4 of them by dressing the ends with a cut-off wheel. Two of them had ends that were almost at a 20 degree slope. They also came pretty greasy and with metal chips in the chutes where the leather plugs come out of.If 1/2 stars were possible to give out, I might have given this 3 1/2 stars. The extra time I needed to fix, reshape and resharpen these punches was a bit frustrating and offset the savings I got. On the plus side, they're solid and hold an edge very well as I punched through several pieces of 12-14oz. leather and they were still sharp. However, I can't say that other people will have the tools needed to fix them up when they get them.

3 Stars. I punched a couple of test slots and they do the trick. You'll want to put a peice of scrap leather under them or they dont quite punch thru the bottom. Even though these are far from the best quality punches, I cant ding them too hard. If you buy cheap tools you get cheap tools. Mine arrived packaged well enough but upon inspection I noticed 1 of them had a large chip in its cutting edge. I can probably file it down and strop it to get an edge back. The broken one is the size I need so if I cant fix it I'll buy a better one. My conclusion, Maybe if you're just testing the waters and aren't sure that leatherwork is going to be your thin, go ahead and buy these. If you're already into leatherworking spend the extra money on a good set.

i like the fact that i can punch holes in my leather perfectly for making loop slots for ammunition loops, or weaving holes for notebooks, or pretty much just making slots for the sake of making slots instead of having to hand carve them. the one thing that i think that can be improved on, unless it's been done already, is heat treating these tools to harden them. i ruined one tool already on making a leatherbound notebook for one of my customers. it bent inward to itself and gave the inner edges of the leather sort of a jagged appearance. (that's the only reason why i gave this item four stars)other than that issue, these tools work really good for what i need them for.

Can't complain too loudly for the price point and the variety of sizes, but I did have to spend a considerable amount of time cleaning each tool up before they could be used. There was carbon residue, small burs and pits, and the striking end was not always level on almost all of the punches.These are very important concerns if you're going to use these for leather working. I spent some time with various grit (240, 400, 600) sandpapers and some 320 grit nail files (for interior) I was able to make these quite serviceable. Flattening the striking end is critical, because these are quite thin and will bend if struck off center too hard.Good value if you don't need to do a serious amount of belt bunches or are just getting started. In my opinion, you will end up replacing the most common sizes you use with better quality punches.Still, can't argue with the price.

Well made, very sharp. Nor too pretty, a little rust on the welds., but Im not looking for something pretty. A single tool elsewhere costs upwards of $12.00. These will cut most any size slot, For the ½ inch I used the smaller size twice. I would recommend this to a friend.

I would have given then 5 stars except the the finish of the cutting heads was unpolished and needed a better polishing. There were scratches and grinding marks that need to be sanded and buffed to decrease drag and improve the finished cut

For some reason I received 3 sets of the above and found them to be dirty and grimy. For the price I guess they are what one pays for. The edges were reasonably sharp but I will clean and sharpen before attempting to use them. I realize it’s a learning curve to start with cheap tools and eventually focus and better ones as you find what is indispensable.

Not sharp at all had to return handles are too short for proper use with a mallet. No professional appearance. Filthy with oil and black debris. You get what you pay for.