Leather Stitching Pony for Leather Working, Mini Working Pony

Its not a kit of high quality tools you'd get from an actual from a high end tool company but they are completely serviceable and pretty much all the parts are useful. The waxed stitching thread is very nice though it is not 100% cotton. The punches are good quality and are tough. I took a needle file to the tips to sharpen them up. The multitool edger with interchangeable tips is actually a good tool. Nothing fancy but it is serviceable and will get someone going if theyre just starting out. Get a good pair of shears (scissors), a jewelers hammer and a curved knife. Paired with this there are a lot of repairs and projects you can do.

I have a full size pony, but it does not fit well in my project travel bag. This fits in my leather doctors bag and works great for small projects & pretty good quality - especially for the price. I added leather on the inside clamps & bottom to rest on a chair. Of course, the thread & scissors are junk - but the little needle holder is cool.

The good: gets you everything you need to get going at just figuring out how leather works. The chisels aren't bad, I'm just not a fan of diamond chisels, but they work quite well. Edge beveler is pretty nice and the burnishers work as intended since they're just wood. Scratch awl and rulers are fine, though it would have been nice if the ruler had a corked back so it doesn't slide all over the place. The bad: the exacto knife snapped on day three, if you use anything thicker than 5oz leather, it simply won't be able to cut through it without breaking. The thread is also trash and nothing tells you exactly it's size; looks to be 1.2m or thicker? It is not a great material. Things also frequently fall out of the storage wrap if you pack it up and move it around frequently. Hammer is junk and weighs less than a piece of paper so, again, if you work with thicker leather it is impossible. The chisels are also a non-standard size, they are massive compared to a 3.38m stitching chisel which is the standard for smaller goods, so it will look massive if you work on something small like a wallet. The needles are also ridiculous and none of them are standard, and as a beginner you will have no idea which to use since they give you like 500 different types. Upgrade suggestions: If you don't like diamond chisels, get a good standard french pricking iron (or japanese style, or round punch if you prefer) with some tiger thread. Then a good quality exacto knife with a strong handle and replaceable heads. Then good quality needles, a hammer, and you're pretty good-to-go. That is the order I upgraded and it worked out great, and I still use some pieces of this kit to save money.

Like what others have said here, I found my pony did have issues. The biggest complaint I had was the jaws had the potential to ruin my work. They were unfinished and had a protrusion sticking out. I disassembled the entire thing, and sanded the jaws flat. After doing so, I took advantage of the disassembled pieces and glued leather on each jaw face. Before reassembling it, I had to make adjustments to the locking mechanism (and adjust the screws holing the jaw-arms to the base) to accommodate for the reduced space between the jaw faces. I also mounted the pony to a pice of wood so I could either sit and sew or stand at my workbench and sew. The provided Velcro won’t be of help to anyone if you’re trying to use it the intended way to hold the pony down while trying to sew. Key word being trying! Otherwise I love it. Much better than using a book to hold my workpiece. Despite the additional work I had to put into it, the cost of buying one that had all those additions would have been cost prohibitive for me, and I have the added benefit of putting work into one of my tools, thereby increasing its perceived value to me. I won’t ever have to buy another one unless the locking mechanism rusts away.

Bought these as a beginner in leather work. As a big inner I found them very easy to use. There was a lot different tools to get experience with.

The price is nice for what you get but half of it you won’t use and is useless. The pricking irons are nice but due to the rough texture it gets caught a lot in leather. I’ve tried beeswax on them no go, order better ones maybe polished cheap ones from WUTA work better for $20. The burnisher is nice but pick up a more solid one that’s not too rough and a little more smooth. The thread is solid built and nice, the needles are good but very sharp so be careful not to prick your fingers. The thimble ring included is useless. You want to pick up a cheap Westcott cork backed ruler for a couple bucks, because the one included slides all over the place. Xacto knife isn’t that great get a name brand one as this one pops the blade loose a lot. Oh also pick up a cutting mat as this one doesn’t have one. Best glue to use for the leather is Aquillum 315 and burnishing paste I recommend tokonole. Another thing is get an edge beveler it makes your edges have a more refined look.

As for the Stitching Pony, I spent more time repairing it than getting any use out of it. But, I guess it'll be useful in a pinch. Everything else was satisfactory.

This was a gift for my son. It is a very awesome set. The amount of supplies and tools that came with this kit opened up a world of possibilities for him. It is a very good value for the price.

Some items had been broken from the first time use

Great kit good quality for the price

It was a gift for someone else - so cannot comment on its functionality.