Good quality hollow punches?

[Starwind0]

It seems if I google high quality I get harbor freight (HA!) .. but I know if I go to some leather shops they will ask hundreds for a set. I want a good hole punch set. I can spend maybe 100, but prefer less. Ideas? 

[Arturomex]

I don't know exactly what you're working on or how large you want to go but if you're not fixed on buying a complete set, you could consider buying "most used" sizes.

 My most commonly used sizes are #1, #2, #4, #5 #8 and very occasionally #9.

First thing to mind in terms of budget is, of course, Tandy. I can't speak to Tandy Craftool drive punches as I've never used them but the Tandy Mini and Maxi Leather Punch sets still come out of the drawer here every now and then and there's nothing wrong with them. They do a great job when I need something that I don't have in a drive punch.

Weaver Leather has nice punches but they're a little pricey, probably somewhere between thirty and forty-five dollars each which, based on 6 punches, puts you over budget and in the price range of punch "sets." Have you considered the punch sets where different sizes fit into the same handle?  

Maybe someone here who has some experience with Japanese punches could share their  thoughts.  A friend of mine uses these: https://www.goodsjapan.com/leathercraft-items/general-hole-punches/craft-sha-leathercraft-round-hole-punch-100-leather-hole-cutting-tool-30mm/a-20978  and is very happy with them.

And, of course, there's C.S. Osborne punches that fit into your budget range quite nicely. I'll add a caveat that I've found Osborne quality has been a little erratic.

Good luck on your search.

Arturo

Edited April 23, 2020 by Arturomex

[fredk]

Its not easy to find quality metal tools.

From my experience. You cannot trust the quality of the steel in punches by either price or 'name' . 

I've bought a set of individual hole punches by Draper. Price was about £27 for six. The metal was so soft the tube ends rolled over when I tried them on 3mm leather with 6mm leather as a punch pad. These were made in India. I've bought hole punches with other top names and they've usually ended up in my son's waste/scrap metal bin. They've been a waste of money.

I had very old punches which were owned by my grandfathers. They could punch through 0.8mm aluminium they were so tough and hard. Maybe look for old ones. If you have 'garage' sales still going on in your area you might be able to pick some up

Now I buy individual punches direct from China. 8 out of 10 are sharp and ready to use as they come. Of all the punches I've bought this way only one out of about 30 has been poor quality. The price I pay is between £1 and £3.50 roughly depending on size and includes postage.

Rotary pliers punches; the same stories. I've gone through dozens of them, from cheap ones at £2 to ones at £15 (again Draper). I'm very happy with some Tandy ones I bought a few years ago. They have changeable tubes but I've not had to change one yet.

As Arturo says, only certain sizes are commonly used. I go by millimetres and not # size, so I have 1mm up to 7mm as the most used, especially 3mm, then a I have a few random larger sizes, 10mm, 12mm, 19mm. I also have a few random sized oval hole punches 5 x 2mm, 7 x 2mm etc

[Frodo]

https://www.harborfreight.com/6-piece-hollow-punch-set-67030.html

 

use these in your press  

 

3/16 in., 1/4 in., 5/16 in., 3/8 in., 7/16 in., 1/2 in.

Edited April 23, 2020 by Frodo

[blue62]

The harbor freight punch set is just fine, sharpen them up and they work great for less than $10.

[480volt]

As others have pointed out, an inexpensive punch set from a land far, far away will likely work for you.

If you are interested in old, high quality drive or arch punches, Bruce Johnson has some listed on his site, mostly Osborne. Anything you buy from him will be ready to go right out of the box. It will blow right through your budget, though, to try to build a complete set, and the sizes available depends on what he has on hand.

Brettun’s Village lists a domestically made set 1/4 - 5/8 by 16ths, for 45 bucks, freight included. These are interchangeable head punches. I’ve been meaning to pick up a set myself for punching things I don’t want to use my good punches on (like gaskets)

[bikermutt07]

These are the ones I own.

They arrived sharp out of the box.

I really like them.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SHBS4C8/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_i_7RgQEbE2JK6PN

[nrk]

On 4/23/2020 at 6:47 AM, Starwind0 said:

It seems if I google high quality I get harbor freight (HA!) .. but I know if I go to some leather shops they will ask hundreds for a set. I want a good hole punch set. I can spend maybe 100, but prefer less. Ideas? 

https://www.buckleguy.com/k-157-mini-punch-set/
should be fine