Thanks for the disclaimer, feel free to share their name with me anyway, finding another supplier of HCP leather that isn't a wholesale distributor is proving to be a bit of a pain.

I think it's the case. Too bad, despite their problems they had a broad selection of quality leathers. Also, @hurkoj I got a notification saying you commented but there is no message.

Inkscape is a free alternative to Illustrator. Otherwise an industry standard is autocad, but it's not user friendly.

Get a handle you're comfortable with, that's the most important part, if you prefer smaller that's perfectly fine. And then practice makes perfect. It takes a bit of time to get used to having an awl in the hand but after a while it'll become muscle memory.

Something else to be taken into consideration, I have noticed some inconsistencies with Fil au Chinois 832. Not every spool seems to be created equal. On one hand I have a spool of yellow thread that hasn't given me any problems whatsoever and that can be threaded like 632 on the other hand I have a spool of green thread that's pretty finicky and I have had to make some adjustments to the way I thread it.

Hi @Fadi, could you elaborate on that part of your message? "All i can tell you is the few people I know who own a DremFactory machine are not in love with it. For various reasons." I am considering getting the DreamFactory machine, and I do see the issue with it not being the best when it comes to applying the right amount of pressure, but I am curious to see what are some of the other potential flaws the machine may or may not have.

Hi Laura, I happen to be in the exact same position, if you make a decision and purchase either machine before I do, would you mind letting me know what are your thoughts on the product you got?

Same experience with CS Osborne. And to a certain extent with Blanchard as well. The price/quality ratio of Blanchard's tools isn't as bad when you can get them in France or if you buy from them directly rather than through a retailer. Some of the tools I got from Blanchard were very crude, others were ok but nothing was outstanding. It's my understanding that the company is not doing too well at the moment, their profits have been steadily decreasing for the past 5 years or so and they made a loss in 2020.

Thank you all for the welcome!