I am shopping for punches and currently have found C.S. Osborn make a large selection and good quality. If quality is at the top of the shopping requirements is there another company that I should be looking at?
I am also considering KS Blades but they don’t produce Oblong, English Point Strap, etc. They only make Round Hole punches.
I would put CS Osborne in the same class as many of Blanchard...kinda junk compared to whole lot of stuff coming out of China or South Korea right now. They gotta up their game if they want to stay relevant because they are not the only game in town anymore. You might check out some of the punches on Weaver Leathercraft. They look really nice, but I have never used them.
Indeed, the CSO belly out as Nigel Armitage reviewed them in one of his Vimeo videos. Look for other brands that make straight ones for accurate positioning. Horse Shoe Brand by Jeremiah Watt makes some nice examples of good oblong punches in the US.
Thanks Philip and Paul. I will check them all out.
@PJCUSA Personally I really love finding used vintage punches on eBay and other auction sites, but I mostly use my German made punches from J Clarke Marine.
It's the same factory that makes Blanchard (red) punches too.
As for oblong, CSO are a reliable bet.
I'm actually thinking of buying one or two of these punches as they look really well made:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33015130582.html?spm=a2g0o.store_pc_allProduct.8148356.43.5d3e5c9fUIP4hZ