Best Mauls For Leather Work: The Complete Guide!

The leatherwork industry has seen a lot of improvements in the tools being produced. The leather maul, while an age old tool has seen tremendous improvements as the mauls we have today have astonishing look and feel. But are they all of great quality? Of course not! So, In this article, I did some research on the best mauls for leather work and here are the best of the best you can go for today.

So what are the best mauls for leather work? So in no particular order, the best mauls for leather work are;

Weaver Leather Master 24 oz Maul (Best General Purpose Maul)
BTSKY Nylon 14oz Maul (Best Beginner Carving Maul)
SLC’s 16oz Leather Working Maul (Upgrade Beginner Pick)
Barry King Leather Mauls 16oz (Best Quality All-Round Maul)
Wood Is Good WD205 Maul 18 oz (Best Multi-Functional Maul)
Co-Link Leathercraft Carving Maul (Best General Use Carving Maul)

In addition to the above best of the best picks are details for each of the selected mauls to help you make an informed decision. But first, what do we know about leather mauls?

What is a Leather Maul?

A leather maul is a striking tool you will use in leatherwork for stamping, tooling, setting rivets, oblongs, etc. The Maul is made of a head and a handle just like the hammer and mallet.

However, there’s a difference in the head and handle of a maul when compared to a regular mallet and a hammer.

Generally, the most common maul head is the round-shaped and the round shapes range from a perfectly cylindrical shaped to an almost cone-shaped maul head. The most benefit you will get using a maul is it’s structure that allows you to strike tools by rocking your wrist without moving the whole arm to get a punch or stamp done.

While the handle of a leather maul is usually made and finished in wood of some sort, you will also find some of the wooden handles are wrapped with leather (mainly vegetable-tanned leather) adding to the premium grip comfort for the user.

Every aspect of the Leather Maul is functional. It’s commonly made of a nylon material, polyurethane, etc that makes it perfect for hitting leatherwork tools made of metals and other materials. This ensures tools like stamping tools or chisels are in good conditions without developing mushroom heads.

The leather maul aside its functionality is generally a really beautiful tool and most crafters show it off as one of the tools in their collection they’re proud to have.

Most hobbyists and professional leather crafters today prefer using the leather maul because of its short handle that fits perfectly and offers more control with a massive head that gives more room for a solid strike without it deflecting.

How to Choose the Best Leather Maul Weight

The variety of Leather mauls on the market weighs averagely between 11 ounce all the way to 60 ounces and more and trying to match a particular type of maul weight to the kind of leatherwork projects you do as against the chisels, stamps, or punches you would use can be very daunting.

With the wide range of weights available, there isn’t a rule of thumb for choosing weights for specific tools or activities. Instead, a perfect weight choice is dependent on how comfortable you are with a particular weight, how much control you would want over the maul, and how long you will often want to use it on a project per sitting.

While some crafters are drawn to the solid nature of the a much weighty mauls, others may find it utterly impossible to handle.

Generally, leather mauls are heavy and gives you a lot of brute force that tends to be weighty for users. As such, it’s a bit difficult to use it to stamp or tool for a long time. So what you would want to do is to first of all figure out what the purpose of the maul will be especially as a beginner.

As a beginner, you will commonly require a leather maul for tooling, stamping, punching holes, patting down seams, setting rivets or eyelets and a few other basic activities.

So leather mauls weighing between 11 ounce and 16 ounces (or less if available) will do the job just fine and won’t wear you out too quickly.

Difference Between a Leather Maul and a Mallet

In most cases, the terms mauls and mallets will be used interchangeably which is wrong because there’s a clear difference between it in structure and in function.

The leather maul and the mallet are very similar striking tools but are different in terms of the shape of its head and the materials used. While leather Mauls mainly have a round head shape and made of nylon head, mallets are usually poly heads, rubber, or wood.

Also, Mallets are generally used for tapping chisels, stamping tools, tooling and offers a little bit of finesse, mauls offer more brute force.

With that said, you will find that while both leather mauls and mallets can be used for the same purposes, each one will do a better job in a specific aspect of leatherwork than the other. For example, a maul will do a great job on an English points compared to mallet.

Details on the Best Mauls For Leather Work

Now here are some of the best leather work mauls I did a thorough research on to make your choice much easier. Here they are presented in no particular order!

1. Weaver Leather Master 24Oz Maul (Best General Purpose Maul)

The House of Weaver Leather has the statement of “high-performing products” on top of their list of philosophies. It offers the very best of the best tools and services. It has held up this mantra since it’s establishment in 1973 and till today Weaver Leather has grown from humble beginnings into the trusted manufacturer of a wide range of leather and nylon goods. It’s indeed no surprise the brand has one of the best Nylon mauls on the market.

The Weaver leather master maul is of premium quality, has an amazing design you will be very proud of, and supreme comfort set to reduce fatigue tremendously while giving you the urge to keep tooling for hours.

This maul comes with a highly durable nylon head that can be powered through heavy-duty leatherwork tasks and activities such as fixing oblongs, rivets, etc. With its leather cushioning on the handle, you’re set for the best grip while maintaining a lot of comfort and control.

The Weaver leather maul has 3 sets of weights that is, 16, 24, and 32 ounce to choose from. The size 24 ounce maul is specifically in our best choice list because it offers both finesse and brute force for all forms of tooling and stamping. The Weaver leather master maul on it’s own, aside its functionality is a real work of art.

I spent sometime comparing the price of the Weaver leather master maul across all major online shopping platforms and found that it’s much cheaper on Amazon and more expensive on the Weaver leather website unless you’re buying goods over $100.

So for a better price offering, You can check out the Weaver Leather mauls listing over here on Amazon, it’s current price and shipping details.

2. BTSKY Nylon Maul 14 oz (Best Beginner Carving Maul)

The BTSKY brand is in the stationary, general goods, and tools niche with a couple of their tools being best sellers on Amazon. The BTSKY nylon maul is one of their tools listing and has seen a lot of success with it being of high-quality and at a very affordable price.

While the tool is suitable for professional, it’s by far the best beginner leather maul. This nylon head maul is of a suitable weight and very sturdy for a beginner. It’s suitable for making solid carving, tooling, stamping, etc.

More importantly, it’s comfortable to handle for hours and at the same time very sturdy to give you the best prints.

If you’re a beginner and you’re interested in a quality leather maul that you wouldn’t have to pay a bunch of cash for but serves the purpose of a good Maul, you can check out the BTSKY Nylon Maul over here on Amazon!

3. SLC’s 16oz Leather Working Maul (Upgrade Beginner Pick)

The House of SLC’s is a leather work supplier brand that deals in a lot in leatherwork tools and materials. Their 16oz professional leather working maul is one of the leatherwork tools it has in its arsenal.

It’s a possible upgrade pick from the BTSKY Nylon maul. On the scale of quality, the SLC’s leather maul is on top compared to the BYSKY Maul, it’s more sturdier and has a bit of an extra weight to it with a neatly finished replaceable head.

With its 16 oz head, it’s the perfect tool for tooling and carving all sorts of leather. If you’re interested in the SLC’s 16oz Professional Leather Working Maul, you can check it out over here on Amazon.

4. Barry King Leather Mauls 16oz (Best Quality All-Round Maul)

The house of Barry King Tools has expanded over the years from producers of top of the line stamping tools to various additions such as the maul up for discussion in our top picks.

The Barry King range of tools are handcrafted and made of stainless steel which helps prevent corrosion and extends the life of the tools being used frequently. The design of the Barry King tools are tailored for the “Sheridan Style” carving, but can also be used for other styles as well.

Joining the House of Barry King by purchasing its tools makes you a lifetime acquaintance of the brand as all of the Barry King tools are lifetime guaranteed.

Their Professional Leather Working Mauls inherits all the premium quality associated with the Barry King brand. With their tools handcrafted, you’re guaranteed a high-quality maul.

The Barry King maul features a poly maul head with an exceptionally smooth wooden handle that gives you supreme comfort and grip. The Barry King mauls comes in a range of weights and styles (hammer, taper-head, and round) to choose from. If our choice of 16 ounce round maul isn’t what you’re after, you will find that the 24, 32, and 48 ounce mauls cover just about all you’ll need in a professional leather maul.

While this maul is a professional high-end priced leather maul, beginners will also find it extremely helpful and a great tool to get used to for the long term.

The Barry king mauls are great for leatherwork carving, tooling, etc on a highly professional level.

This tool is indeed renowned and a well handcrafted tool you will be so proud to have for it’s high efficiency and how beautifully it will furnish your tools arsenal.

Curious enough? Check out the current price and more information on the Barry King maul over here on Amazon!

5. Wood Is Good WD205 Maul 18 oz (Best Multi-Functional Maul)

The House of Wood is Good is an American tools manufacturing company and has carved out a space for themselves in the mauls and mallets niche and are just excelling in that space. Their range of mauls are highly rated on the Amazons recommendations list for mauls/mallets.

Talk of high quality and durability! as their mauls are unbreakable with a beautiful green head color that stands out from the rest. The Wood is Good brand truly set out to differentiate itself not only in color identity but also in the materials they used for the head of their mauls.

The head of the Wood is Good maul is made of a highly durable and tough urethane material with the goal of not only toughness, but to enable it render the quietest blows on leatherwork tools.

Having attained such an amazing feet of being one of the most quite mauls, it’s still able to transmit the maximum blow you would want from an 18 ounce maul.

The diameter of the urethane head is 2-3/4-inches. For the handle, Wood is Good carefully selects New England Hardwood, polishes, sands it and turns it into it’s beautiful handles.

If you’re interested in the Wood is Good maul, you can check it out over here on Amazon for pricing and shipping details. You can also see some of its great reviews on Amazon.

6. Co-Link Leathercraft Carving Maul 16Oz (Best General Use Carving Maul)

The House of Co-Link is in the leatherwork tools niche but from time to time features general goods that helps to make the life crafters alike very easy. Their leathercraft carving maul simply makes carving a truly great experience.

The Co-Link Leathercraft Carving Maul is a true beauty and very functional. What makes this unique is it’s beautiful aluminum handle that compliments the solid white or black nylon head it comes in. The handle feels great and the head is 16 ounce, just about the weight you will need for most carving and tooling.

The Co-Link Leathercraft Carving Maul has a good balance to it and very sturdy with a head diameter of 1.96 inches and an overall length of 7.08 inches.

This tool is suitable for both professionals and beginners who love to do leather carvings and stampings and simply love to see beautiful tools do awesome works.

If you’re interested in the The Co-Link Leathercraft Carving Maul, you can check it out over here on Amazon for pricing and any additional information.

7. Baotongle Leathercraft Maul 12Oz (Best Small Stamping and Carving Tool)

The Baotongle brand is in the general art supplies and general goods space and have some very creative and interesting supplies. Their Baotongle Leathercraft Maul is your tool if you want a small tooling maul you can use for stamping and can easily move about with.

The Boatongle has a 12 ounce Nylon head, a nicely polished and finished wooden handle, and a stainless steel reinforcement. The overall length of the tool is 8.3 inches, a handle length around 5 inches and a head diameter around 2 inches.

The Baotongle Leathercraft Maul has a stainless steel reinforced nylon head that gives it the brute force and finesse for great outcome in your works. It’s wooden handle is beautifully made to give you the best of the best experience when using this tool.

The materials used are well-sourced and results in this highly durable leather maul that leaves no traces of wear after its been used.

The Baotongle leathercraft maul is a really small tool but will have a super great effect in your leather work. If you’re interested in the Baotongle Leathercraft Maul, you can check it out over here on Amazon for its price today.

Conclusion

Leatherwork mauls are today every leather crafters’ best friend and finding the best one that’s suitable for the kind of work you do is vital. Leatherwork entails quite a bit of tools and I guess like most beginners your number one wish is to get the most helpful tool with each tool you buy and so this article researched thoroughly the best of the best mauls your money can buy. No matter the Maul you buy, my honest opinion is to get one smaller size and one bigger size. I hope this article was of great help to you in making a better choice in mauls. Cheers!!:D