I Want To Buy A Good Rotary Hole Punch. What To Lok For Please?

[Rayban]

Yup.......thats the very type that I was talking about. I have seen a bunch of those over the years that twisted/warped so that they wouldn't punch a decent hole anymore

I believe those are the kind you have for an emergency "gotta punch a hole" situation, but if you're punching holes every day, like for making belts, etc......not so good, IMO.

[Sovran81]

After going through several different cheaper ones, I bit the bullet and bought the Osborn No. 155 mainly for both replaceable tubes and solid steel handle. It had one more advantage over the others I didn't realize until I used it. Longer handle which gave more leverage and made punching easier in thick hard leather. I also have a set of hammer punches, but really only use them when the throat on the Osborn is too shallow.

At $2-3 a tube(replaced 1 tube in 4 years) I dont even bother trying to sharpen them. If it isnt exactly even on the edge you end up with in incomplete hole

[J Hayes]

+1 for the Osborne 155. You may have to sharpen a few tubes before use though. Also the K157 mini punch set is handy, I turned the handle down on mine to fit into the chuck on a cheapo table top drill press I wasn't using.

[Sovran81]

Also the K157 mini punch set is handy, I turned the handle down on mine to fit into the chuck on a cheapo table top drill press I wasn't using.

LOL, great idea. Punch and burnish in one easy step. Dont miss your mark though.

[silverwingit]

I couldn't make the plunge for an Osborne rotary punch so I bought one by Heritage. It has a "compound" action making it easier to deal with thicker leather. Though the punch tube are not replaceable, it cost me about 1/3 of what the Osborne would have. Works just fine for me.

Michelle

[SilverBear]

Has anybody looked at these I am thinking about getting a pair. http://www.amazon.com/Leathercraft-Eyelet-Button-Pliers-Adjust/dp/B00GM5HNZW/ref=pd_sim_sbs_ac_26?ie=UTF8&refRID=17RKSS725942BS6JTEKR

[Sovran81]

SilverBear, I hope you have considerable hand strength. Those handles are mighty short. While they have different dies and punches, I doubt you will be able to buy the punches when they chip.

[WyomingSlick]

I couldn't make the plunge for an Osborne rotary punch so I bought one by Heritage. It has a "compound" action making it easier to deal with thicker leather. Though the punch tube are not replaceable, it cost me about 1/3 of what the Osborne would have. Works just fine for me.

Michelle

Finally !

I have been waiting for someone to mention the compound action hole rotary punches. I have never owned one but I do have pliars and cutters that use the same type of action in my shop. So I know that they markedly increase the pressure one is able to bring to bear on the task This may be a very important consideration for those who do not have strong hands.

That same engineering that makes them easier to punch with also redistributes the stresses and should make their frame less likely to twist or warp like the economy type punches often do.

[WyomingSlick]

Has anybody looked at these I am thinking about getting a pair. http://www.amazon.com/Leathercraft-Eyelet-Button-Pliers-Adjust/dp/B00GM5HNZW/ref=pd_sim_sbs_ac_26?ie=UTF8&refRID=17RKSS725942BS6JTEKR

The hand strength should not be an issue since those are a compound action type that require much less closing pressure.

What may be an issue is the throat depth.

It looks to me like the tool also has some dies to set eyelets and some types of snaps/rivets which is a plus if you don't already have such tools. Also a plus for inclusion in a travel set for jobs away from home.

While the quality of the steel in the tubes may be an issue: I would not be surprised if tubes from other metric/foreign hole punches will also fit this tool. And like you may have noticed, they have invaded the leather tool section on eBay in a major way !