I have spent 10K in my first year and a half. A big portion of that is my Cobra 4, but the rest is hand tools, leather etc. It's hugely addicting, and I admit I have many things that I probably won't use for a while like spots, buckles etc. But, I don't care. I NEED to do leatherwork and in turn, I need quality tools. I found out quickly that poor quality tools irritate me, and so I graduated to better tools. Of course, that why my figure is so high. The quality of my work and the ease with which it is done makes that expanse worth it to me. Another plus is that you will always get your money out of quality tools should you decide to sell them, and, they eliminate any excuses that you might decide to blame on a crappy tool.