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Difference between Craftools and "more expensive" tools


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Siegle of Ca. sells a line of tools----Crown. Anyone know anything about them or are they the same quality as Craftools?

Sal

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Posted (edited)

Siegle of Ca. sells a line of tools----Crown. Anyone know anything about them or are they the same quality as Craftools?

Sal,

I have no Crown tools, so I'm probably talking stupidly & blindly about this, but, since Siegel's is trying to get rid of their entire inventory, I would venture a guess that perhaps the tools are not all that great (poorly finished, lousy metal that bends, whatever?)- if you look at the impressions, some look rather crude. The only advantage I could see is that some of the tools can be had in either coarse checkering or fine checkering. The Ellis Barnes lines of tools that Siegels sells are, on the other hand, superb; however they are rather pricey.

As a rudimentary beginner line of tools, they're probably ok, but I would wonder why a Company would try to get rid of the inventory if they are at least as good as (perhaps better than) Craftools. At least Craftools are replaceable if they fail- I don't know about Crown. Just my speculation, just my 2 cents worth.

As an addendum- the CraftJapan tools sold by Hidecrafter & Springfield are, for the most part, really quite nice & in many cases, are nicer than Craftool- at the worst, they are equal to Craftool. I just got a B936 beveler, a triweave & a crazylegs tool, all CraftJapan, & the impressions of the 936 & the crazylegs are crisper, clearer & more detailed than the same Craftools that I already own.

russ

Edited by whinewine
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Posted

The only 2 complaints I have about Crafttools is that 1) they do not have consistency. I have 2 backgrounders, both are the same tool number but one is larger and has a more course pattern than the other. 2) I have 2 basketweave tools and neither of them make even an acceptable impression. I can pound the heck out of one and as the leather dries the impression starts to fade and after a few days the leather just looks like it has ripples in it.

I do have some good Crafttools, but just not that many.

Damon

Posted

Sal,

I have always used crafttools until a few weeks ago. I ordered some stamps from Gomph-Hackbarth after reading the forums here about their tools. To say the least I have been thrilled and I am shocked on the quality. They create very clean impressions and have a heavy knurl on the shank of the stamp so they are easy to grip. The shank appears to be a little different as to the placement of the stamp vs. the crafttools. The price is not bad either. I bought the basic stamp set which is 15 stamps for $145 plus $5 shipping. You can search this site for Ellis Barnes or Gomph Hackbarth and I believe you will find all positive responses.

They are very nice when you call them and will assist you with any questions. I almost forgot, you can call them to get a price list and pictures of their stamps. They had even sent me a piece of leather showing their impressions. Give them a try and I am sure you will be happy.

Gomph-Hackbarth leather tools

10754n. martineau rd. Elfrida AZ. 85610

520-642-3891

Again, I am very happy with them and wanted to thank everyone who recommended them on this site.

Posted (edited)

Almost all the "Crown" tools I've bought from Siegel of California have been either Kyoshin Elle or Craft Japan. I would say these are definitely higher quality than the Craftools I have -- at a very competitive price, too (even lower now from SofC). As Russ said, the Japanese stamps are really pretty nice. I wonder if the reason why Siegel is closing out on the "Crown" tools is because they just aren't selling enough for it to be worthwhile to continue stocking them -- nothing related to poor quality as from what I've seen, the stamps from Japan are better-quality than those from Taiwan.

So what I'm saying is, the "Crown" stamps I've purchased from Siegel are indeed Craft Japan and Kyoshin Elle stamps like what Hidecrafter sells (I only bought a few Hidecrafter stamps years ago but would assume that is still what they carry).

Micah

Sal,

I have no Crown tools, so I'm probably talking stupidly & blindly about this, but, since Siegel's is trying to get rid of their entire inventory, I would venture a guess that perhaps the tools are not all that great (poorly finished, lousy metal that bends, whatever?)- if you look at the impressions, some look rather crude. The only advantage I could see is that some of the tools can be had in either coarse checkering or fine checkering. The Ellis Barnes lines of tools that Siegels sells are, on the other hand, superb; however they are rather pricey.

As a rudimentary beginner line of tools, they're probably ok, but I would wonder why a Company would try to get rid of the inventory if they are at least as good as (perhaps better than) Craftools. At least Craftools are replaceable if they fail- I don't know about Crown. Just my speculation, just my 2 cents worth.

As an addendum- the CraftJapan tools sold by Hidecrafter & Springfield are, for the most part, really quite nice & in many cases, are nicer than Craftool- at the worst, they are equal to Craftool. I just got a B936 beveler, a triweave & a crazylegs tool, all CraftJapan, & the impressions of the 936 & the crazylegs are crisper, clearer & more detailed than the same Craftools that I already own.

russ

Edited by Leather Bum
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Posted

Sal,

Just wanted to say hi. I am a beginning leather worker myself, also in michigan, and also don't know of anyone that does either. So if I find anything good related in michigan I will try to pass it along to you. I am in portland.

jim

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Posted

Sal,

Just wanted to say hi. I am a beginning leather worker myself, also in michigan, and also don't know of anyone that does either. So if I find anything good related in michigan I will try to pass it along to you. I am in portland.

jim

Hello to you too. Thanks for introducing yourself. I'm along the Lake Michigan shoreline in the Holland area.I do visit the Tandy/Leather Factory in GR from time to time but I am not impressed with the quality of leatherwork the employees there do and I have felt for a while now that there must be something better out there. By being on this forum, I have found that there is something better out there, but not much in Michigan--and I'm learning a lot here. You will to.

Happy carving. . . .

Sally

Sal

  • 3 weeks later...
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Posted

Sal,

I myself, as of just a couple of months ago, just used Tandy stamps. However, I had the privelage to have a class with Clint Fay. I asked him this same question and he told me that many people get by with tandy tools and do very well, however, when using tools quite a bit they are more prone to bending. They are also made of a steel and then plated. With your more expensive tools being made of stainless steel and polished. I myself had many of my tandy tools plating flake off and leave really nasty scratches in my tooling. Granted you can take some emery cloth and polish it back down but, in my opinion it takes time away from tooling and I just shouldn't have to do that. I now use Barry King Tools and am extremely satisfied with them, in fact my tooling has gotten better and I feel that for me they are easier to use. Hopefully this helped a little. Have a great day and happy tooling.

  • 3 years later...
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Posted (edited)

I'm glad I found this topic!! I'm getting back into leather work too, and have some old, used Crafttool stamps my dad bought off my grandfather. They're fine for practice, but as expensive at tools are, I've been worried about buying quality tools. We don't have anything near here, and I have found Springfield Leather. I bought a few basoc supplies and a few books, but no stamps yet.. I did get a set of edge smoother things.. Sorry lol. I hope they do okay.

This site is great, and is very helpful.. I'm really glad you made this topic Sal!!... And I just realized how old this topic was.. Thats what I get for mobile browsing. XD

Edited by Tonners
  • 1 year later...
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Posted

Howdy! My two cents worth. Part of the advantage of "good" tools is the variety available. Barry King has a bunch of tools for "Sheridan Style" carving. Bob Beard has an even larger bunch of tools for all kinds of carving especially "Figure Carving". I teach at a Tandy store and have all of their tools. But when I am doing "Sheridan" I use many of Barry's. The same for "Figure" carving and Bob Beard's tools. Tandy now has a new line of tools for "Sheridan" style and they are a little more money, but for "Sheridan" they are pretty good. Good Luck, Stan

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