I started working with leather in 1970. Besides crafting all these years, I retired from the Air Force in 1985. I worked for Tandy Leather in Fort Worth, Texas for a couple of years. They were a great company with pretty good quality in all of their tools and supplies back then. I stopped crafting about three years ago and just recently began crafting again for fun. I live in Tucson AZ and I just recently began purchasing items from the two local Tandy Leather Factory stores. I am totally dismayed at the lack of quality in their tools, their kits, and many of their other items. Almost everything they sell is labled as being made in China, India, or other asian countries. Their kit items contain very inferior leather, bad sewing needles, inferior leather lace, etc. Their rolls of leather lace are extremely poor, with the lace containing thin spots and a lack of uniformity in the width and weight of the lace. I hate to say it, but Tandy Leather Factory is basically a good source only for the very beginners or kids learning leather crafting! About the only thing I buy from them now is actual sides of leather if they have any top quality sides available at any time I go in. I do occasionally buy new items that come out, but very few. They need to bring their business back to the USA and build the quality of their merchandise back up to old "made in the USA" standards.