I've used the C.S. Osbourne 1.5" awl and loved it. My main complaint was that I'v bent the blade on two awls now and they are fixed blades, so I ended up throwing out the whole thing. I just purchased the Tandy haft and smal diamond shaped blade and it has been working great. Keep in mind that you you have to hone the blades before you can start using them. Also, you don't pound the blade through the leather, you push it through. For a great video on honing your awl blade (and great videos on leather work in general, please visit http://youtu.be/wvY9beqObiQ?list=UU8urn9l3pybW5LztUa6zbOA)
Nigel Armitage has fantastic videos on leatherwork and does a marvelous job teaching. I also highly recommend Ian Atkinson's videos on youtube.com as well.
