I’m not sure why the prices are so high on some of these mauls. I’ve been using a cheap one I modified, and a mallet I carved by hand from a log of birch. Both work just fine, I prefer the poly maul only because it’s quieter. I think mauls are one of those tools that we build a personal relationship with. If you’re tooling leather, it’s in your hands constantly, so it matters how comfortable it feels, or the story behind where it came from, how it was made, and how many pieces it’s helped create throughout the years. It’s kind of like a man’s axe, or his rifle (or a woman’s axe, her rifle for that matter). A sharp axe from the hardware store will cut a tree down just as well as that Swedish beauty passed down from grandpa, but it won’t be as satisfying. A working rifle aimed properly, will kill a buck just as sure as that custom Winchester you love so much, but the stew won’t taste quite as sweet. Same applies to a leather crafters mallet, it becomes an extension of your arm eventually I suppose. Well, I guess I do understand the pricing now. Nevermind.
