Which Pricking Iron Do You Own?

[DavidL]

Which pricking iron do you think is the best

Im in need of a new 6 SPI iron

Choices

-Vergez blanchard ($150 for 6 teeth - not 10 teeth like the picture below)

-Leprovo ($90 for one inch iron)

-barnsley ( $150 for 10 teeth)

If you had a choice which would you pick and why?

[electrathon]

I have a few different Japanese ones, very happy with them and they were not expensive.

[kevinp]

I have some Joseph Dixon ones in 8 per inch and 6 per inch. they are very nice to use and are sharp.

[cjmt]

If all your options are for brand new pricking irons vergez Blanchard is in a totally different league to your other choices. Old dixons or if your very lucky new Dixons on a good day are their only competitors in the same league of quality

Charlie

[longtooth]

Dixon----12 stitches to the inch. Mainly use this for English work.

[Sona]

I just have two Blanchards and two japanese ones. So I can´t compare them to Dixon or one of the others. Acually I don´t really use the japanese one anymore which is more like a chisel. But I just love the blachards. Quite fine work, marks are not that wide, so you won´t get problems with smaller threads and for me it´s just a joy to work with them. Yes, they are expensive... but I for myself will just save some money to buy another Blachard with a different SPI rather then testing the other ones. Reason for that might be, that a lot of people say, that Blanchard is just the (!) top quality, and I love it. So why trying sth different

Edited March 6, 2014 by Sona

[rawcustom]

I have to agree with Sona's line of thinking on this. I think most of us try to live thrifty, but a good tool so often redeems itself in the improved quality of results, and joy of use that I'm forced to think of the saying "buy once, cry once". For me personally, I always think of my tools in line with inheritance as well. I plan to teach my boy a few of my hobbies, and someday when I'm old or dead, he'll have some quality tools to use and remember me by, and with any luck will pass on the cycle to the next generation. Nobody is interested in inheriting the Harbor Freight items in the shop.

[DavidL]

would any who owns an old barnsley say they equal in quality to vergez blanchard? i have a blanchard but they are pricy.

[cjmt]

I do and no, not in my opinion. Dixons are historically the English counterpart to Blanchard though they have had issues in recent years (but seem to be getting better). Barnsley has always been a slightly more budget option. Recent stuff has been really poor (nylon rollers on plough gauges for e.g.), older stuff is better but was still the budget professional choice of its time.

Charlie

[evandailey]

I do not have any experience with any others except the diamond point ones from GoodsJapan (which eventually broke two prongs off), but I bought these sometime last year on a whim from this seller because of the price and I can't imagine much that a single pricking iron at 10x the price would do that these won't. Seem to be well made. The teeth come to very fine points (edges really) and seem to be properly hardened. I don't know that I'd go pounding them all the way through 2 layers of 8 oz. veg. tan, but that's not what they're for. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pro-Line-Pro-Stitch-3-38mm-3-85mm-Leather-Chisel-Craft-Hole-Piercing-Punch-Tool-/331130001294?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item4d18e2d78e

[Django57]

evendailey they look as well made as my Joseph Dixon pricking iron would love to see some examples with the thread.

[tanda4]

I do not have any experience with any others except the diamond point ones from GoodsJapan (which eventually broke two prongs off), but I bought these sometime last year on a whim from this seller because of the price and I can't imagine much that a single pricking iron at 10x the price would do that these won't. Seem to be well made. The teeth come to very fine points (edges really) and seem to be properly hardened. I don't know that I'd go pounding them all the way through 2 layers of 8 oz. veg. tan, but that's not what they're for. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pro-Line-Pro-Stitch-3-38mm-3-85mm-Leather-Chisel-Craft-Hole-Piercing-Punch-Tool-/331130001294?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item4d18e2d78e

How many stitches per inch does it equal?

[evandailey]

How many stitches per inch does it equal?

Something like 6.5 to 7.

[Sona]

To be honest, in my eyes such offers are just too susect. If they´d be of an equal quality as a dixon, it would be just about the same price, maybe a bit more or less. But it wouldn´t be this low. That´s the open market.... you won´t sell high quality for this low, because you would loose money buy selling stuff. And you won´t sell bad quality for an enormous price, cause you would sell just for a very short time (of course with some exceptions)

That´s just a reason, why I tend to buy less tools on ebay and similar sites and more in specialized shops. Just my 2 cent....

[tailorsham1]

Vergez Blanchard - amazing tools. Always sharp, always precise, and last a lifetime if you take care of them. I primarily work with chrome tanned leathers and make custom personal accessories. The resulting stitch is beautiful. And it's what Hermes uses. If it's good enough for Hermes, it's good enough for me!

[DavidL]

I agree Vergez blanchard are most likely the best around in my opinion. However, I didn't buy another vergez since they get pricy if they are over 4 prongs so i settled for a dixon iron which I hear is a good alternative. If any one is interested I will post a comparison of the two irons.

[Sona]

As I don´t own any dixons and a lot of people try to compare them to each other I´d be very interested in a comparison of the two brands.

[cjmt]

Quick photo

One Blanchard no 10 10 tooth - quite recent, one old Dixon no 10. In Blanchard term no 10 = c. 10 tip and Dixons no 10 = 10 spi so a no 11/11 Blanchard is functionally equivalent to a 1" no 10 Dixons.

In terms of quality - old Dixons is as good as current Blanchard. Modern Dixons however have been much worse quality for at least the last 10 years, however have got better again recently, but are still patchy in my view, at least one pricking iron we've had from them in the last year had a huge casting flaw in one tooth that QC should have rejected and the teeth are still quite wide and crude. A Blanchard however is a Blanchard, they are very consistent and Ive never yet bought a bad one.

This watch strap is stitched using Blanchard no 10s and a Blanchard awl

Charlie

[Matt S]

I replied Dixon and 'other' to the question; I own 9 (actually had to count), mostly second hand. Think I ought to flog a few! Incidentally I was under the impression that Le Prevo's irons are from Dixon? They certainly look the same and there aren't very many English makers.

Don't know what the best is, but mine work.

[cjmt]

I suspect the Le Prevo are by an ex Dixons man who has set up by himself. If so i have 2 of them as well - they are quite hefty, really too much so for fine work but strong and long lived. I think Abbey sell them as well. I'd be interested to see a photo if you have one

Charlie

[Matt S]

I suspect the Le Prevo are by an ex Dixons man who has set up by himself. If so i have 2 of them as well - they are quite hefty, really too much so for fine work but strong and long lived. I think Abbey sell them as well. I'd be interested to see a photo if you have one

Charlie

There we are, family portrait. Left to right:

Geo Barnsley 4SPI (Was told this is for spacing boot nails, but if so don't see why it's marked in SPI rather than PPI if so.)

5 SPI x 1-1/2" (probably Dixon)

6 SPI x 1-1/2" modern Dixon

7 SPI x 1-1/2" (unknown)

8 SPI x 1" (probably Dixon)

9 SPI x 1/2" Dryad (marked in PPI) -- fine little thing, lightweight and refined

10SPI x 1-1/2" (unknown)

10 SPI x 1" left handed (unknown, ground down Dixon?)

11 SPI x 3/8" Dryad (non-slanted teeth)

12 SPI x 1/2" (probably Dixon)

Edited March 23, 2014 by Matt S

[DavidL]

had a chance to play around with my dixon pricking iron #7. Now I understand the difference in price when compared to a vergez blanchard. The new dixon pricking irons are essentially unfinished pricking irons, almost like un sharpened awls you have to use a sharpening stone to slim down the blade. After you slim down the blades you have to sharpen the iron at 15 degrees, which in turn tapers the end of the prong. The last step is to take the iron and run it 90 degrees to the face of the stone to even out the prongs so that it hits flat on. If need be take a needle file and slim down in between the prong if any of them are a touch too large.

In my opinion if you need an iron just to mess around with this is a cheap buy and will last a long time. The vergez is the finished more refined version of the modern dixon.