Reddit mentions of 8 oz Rubber Mallet with Fiberglass Handle

I work with leather as a hobby and I'd be happy to tell you about the tools I use. Others may have different opinions of course.

Where should I buy my leather?
I get all my leather from Tandy Leather Factory. Link The prices are great, and they have a huge selection of quality, thickness, and sizes. Of course there may not be one near you.

If you have to buy from a craft store then you're going to be paying a lot, but that may be your only option. You should lookup "Saddle Supply" for your area too. The tools and materials are all the same.

What tools are a must-have?

• Rotary Leather Punch : This punches different size holes for different rivets, eyelets, or laces. The only downside to this rotary type, as opposed to this type is that you have to be within 2 inches of the edge of leather. But I find that is rarely a problem for me.
  
• Utility Knife AKA Box Cutter : DO NOT USE SCISSORS TO CUT LEATHER. If you ignore everything else, this is the one thing you should remember. Using scissors will bend the edge of leather all to hell. A new blade on a utility knife like this will cut through leather like butter. I use two, a regular size one and a small compact one for tight turns.
  
• 4 Prong Chisel : You'll use this to punch holes along the edge of the leather to sew it together. I use the 4 prong, but they also come in 1, 6, and 8.
  
• Rubber/Wood Mallet : For hitting the chisel. You'll probably say, I have a hammer I'll just use that. Don't, it'll mushroom your chisel and be loud, and destroy whatever you have under the leather you're punching through. Get a mallet form Walmart.
  
• Stitching Needles : For stitching leather together of course.
  
• Wax Thread : For stitching leather together. If you opt to use the hole punch and leather cording to bind your leather together it's going to look like a Boy Scout made it at camp. Trust me, take the time to stitch your stuff nicely.
  
• Rivets : These come in different colors, materials, types, and sizes.
  
• Rivet Setter : for striking rivets of course.
  
  Leather
  
• I use a 9oz leather for my goggles. It's thick and stiff (that's what she said) and is almost like balsa wood in hardness.
  
• For cuffs I'll recommend an 8oz leather. It's thick enough to be stiff, but will bend to a nice curve. Here are the cuffs I make. For the Straps I use about a 4-5oz leather. It's thin enough to bend easy, but thick enough to be strong. Of course, if you end up making something like bracers that need some extra strength you can go to a 6-7oz leather instead.
  
  Here is a project I'm currently working on that uses a mix of all the tools above. http://imgur.com/xEvP3
  
  Also, there are many many other tools you can add, but I think these are the basic must haves.