Ok, I'm going to go ahead and predict that these are going to take the leathercraft community by storm!
I've never been a fan of KS Blade Punch Irons for marketing reasons above all else, but who ever this new kid on the block is, they have really listened to the community and made their move.
In December I replied to a post about copying regarding Sinabrooks 'homage' to KS Blade Punch's stitching irons and the public feud that ensued:
'KS has gone the wrong route in dealing with this and my prediction is that as soon as another company comes along with a cool looking iron or one of the 30K+ Instaleather influencers promotes the latest iron, they will both die.'
Harsh? Definitely. Wrong? Remains to be seen..
We'll have to see if these Irons turn out to be any good, but by any standards, these initial specs seem promising:
Reversible prongs, from obverse to inverse
Japanese 440c stainless steel body
Removable prongs
Prongs made from Swedish powder steel
Looks good(ish)
Available with polished 'olive' shaped prongs as well as round (brogue punches too)
$132 for the set (2 + 8)
Reversible prongs are a world first and that's going to make a huge difference to stitching in gussets without an awl as well as box stitching, handles and thick leather projects.
Jesus, I should be promoting these! I hope they are ready to sell out fast lol🤣
The only drawback I see is the name, I don't think my mouth is capable of making those kind of sounds 🤔
What do you think? KS killer or not?
@philipjury Initial impressions: Seems like a solid product. Prongs (teeth) are very sharp. Tolerance is a little too tight when trying to take out and put back prongs (teeth), but nothing a little effort won't overcome. Wish they would have included a few extra prongs (teeth) instead of extra screws. Ordering/shipping was really simple.
To order more prongs (teeth) the store description reads $10.00 1 PCS. Not sure if PCS means piece as in 1 prong (tooth) or the pictured 11 prongs (teeth). Would be astronomical to think 1 prong (tooth) is $10.00. There are also multiple prong (teeth) width options. No idea what I ordered there. Only that they are spaced 3.0mm apart.
Order Information:
Order Date: 11.30.2019
Order Arrived: 12.11.2019
Cost: $132.00 ($152.00 after tax)
Website: Aliexpress.com
Store name: 4z Store
Product Description: 3.0mm 9 Teeth | 2 mm 2 Teeth
Its back in stock. A set is 2 and 9 teeth now instead of 2/8. Teeth and handle is being sold separately now and it is a bit more expensive than before. $160 for a full set, before it was about $135?
Is it me or does the teeth look shorter now?
It is nice you can get different size(width) of teeth for a set of handle. For example, 1.5 or 1.7 or 1.8 or 2mm teeth for a 3.0 SPI handle set. You could also get Japanese style teeth for you same handle!
Looks like they ran into an issue and pulled them from their line? Dear customers, due to the recent period of French prickingironand Japanese princkiron need to update the design, so that it is more accurate and easy to replace. Thank you for your support. Once the finished products are out, our company will contact you immediately. 4zWhats the name of the company and how do I order them ? I’ve been searching and can’t find any purchase info anywhere.
Anyone here have this and the Sinabroks one? Sinabroks repair kit is out for $60 with 3 replacement teeth. Sinabrokes teeth size is 2.2mm taper to 2.7mm, probably not reversible. There isn’t much info on it yet.
There's one thing I was wondering about these irons. If I could buy the Japanese style teeth separately, would they still fit the Euro style handle?
Made a purchase after your live stream mate. I'm blown away, I have a small diamond KS set.
But I fully support this way of engineering - a tool that doesn't have to be preplaced entirely once damaged!
Just received mine, and by first look I'd say I'm very impressed. It's a bit heavier than KS, but it gives a more sturdy feeling. The teeth are very sharp & thin and have the same width for about 8mm long, so it probably won't have any problems punching through thicker leather without making the holes too big. As I've ordered two sets (3.38 & 4), I got 4 replacement tooth, 2 allen keys and 58 (!) screws. I'll be using them the next couple days/weeks and will be back with the feedback.
@olena.wills @dirtmcgirt44 Have you tested them on thicker leather, how far do you think they can punch through without leaving a large hole?
Just came in 3.38, the teeth remind me of my beagle pricking irons
@Philip this 4Z or Wuta? Which to invest in?
Opened IG, saw @olena.wills post, and I ordered........ I'm weak!! >.<
(In my defense, I had just emailed RM last night about their out-of-stock KS 2.7s, so I'm chalking it up to divine intervention!)
Ahhhhhh I want it!!!!
First of all, I would like to say that if someone feels generous and wants to get me something (It was my birthday a few months back), I am not againt receiving these new irons as a gift. I will just this here, food for thought :p
@olena.wills I had a similar issue with KS Before, they would go deep into the leather and it was hard to remove them without deforming. I learned to control my punches so that the teeth barely cut the bottom leather part, be it on a 2oz or a 14 oz leather.
I had question for you also, do you get bigger holes on the top layer the deeper you punch? Say you are punching on a 4oz leather and a 8 oz once, do you get the same size holes on both?
Mine is also under customs clearance, so I should get it in few days. I'll let you guys know my opinion once I have them, I'm sooo excited :)
This looks great. My greatest problem with Crimson irons is that the teeth are like awl and they are geting wider and punch a biger hole as deeper as you go in lether. And because of that they destroyed the line of the stich. I will have to buy these.
Wow they look great AND the extra teeth. Impressive
Oh please leave my money alone ! 😬
One thing I noticed on 4Z is they have the same 45 degrees angle on all irons, at least from what I can see in their online shop. I think Armitage was talking in one of his YT videos how the smaller the iron the sharper the angle is on Vergez Blanchard irons and vice versa, saying it is a good thing as thinner threads need sharper angle to have that angled look in the stitch.
I have Crimson Irons 5mm and 2,7mm and the irons tips look a lot like the awl.
On this the tip is much wider.
Can someone explaint to me how much would that efect the look of the finished sadle stich. Would the angle be more pronounced?