If you are in the leathercrafting business, investing in a good clicker press is a game-changer that will save you a lot of time and help you substantially scale up your production. A leather clicker press will also improve your products by making them look more uniform and professional.
So, what are the best clicker presses for leather? The best clicker presses for leather are efficient, precise, and made of high-quality and long-lasting materials. They should be relatively easy to use for an experienced craftsman. You may also want to consider the size of the machine compared to your workspace.
A clicker press is one of the essential tools in leathercraft. So, if you want to improve your leathercraft products, read on to find out what leather clicker presses are and how you can buy the most suitable one for your business.
What Is A Leather Clicker Press?
A clicker press is a simple device that is used for cutting dense materials such as leather, rubber, and fabric. This tool is very efficient if you want to mass-produce pieces for leather wallets, bags, shoes, etc. The clicker press is an upgrade from traditional hand-cutting and stamping equipment.
The leather clicker press is designed specifically for leatherwork. It is mainly used to cut and stamp leatherwork products, using embossing stamps and leather clicker dies.
With clicker dies, you can use the leather clicker press to cut regular shapes quickly and accurately. With embossing stamps, you can evenly stamp initials, designs, or your business’s logo on the leather without much effort.
This process will save you a lot of trial and error since you don’t have to hand-cut every piece or engrave your logo on every product.
The leather clicker press has a very simple mechanism to cut leather. It works by using a heavy head that is pressed down to cut the material between its cutting board and steel rule die. The appearance of the cut depends entirely on the shape and sharpness of the dies, which we will go over in the section below.
What Is A Leather Clicker Die?
A leather clicker die is a metal cutter that can cut out shapes of leather. These are usually made from steel rules. Instead of having to hand-cut all the leather pieces using scissors or an Exacto knife, the shape is efficiently cut using just one press. This mechanism prevents errors and helps you save leather.
One limitation of this mechanism is that you can only cut the shapes that the dies can cut, similar to using a cookie cutter. So if you are only making one or two items that use the die, you may want to reevaluate whether it is a cost-effective way to cut your leather.
However, if you have a business that is mass-producing leather pieces like wallets, bags, belts, or shoes, it’s worth investing in a clicker press and the dies to cut all of the pieces that you’ll need for your design. This investment ensures you will always get the same shape with a clean-cut quality every time, no matter how many times you cut it.
Clicker dies can have many different sizes and shapes. The leather clicker die can be custom-made to fit the various components of leather items. For instance, if you are making a wallet, you’ll need to have the corresponding dies for the various parts of the wallet.
This requires planning out your design with careful measurements, making a mock-up to test the measurements and design, then custom-ordering the dies that allow you to cut all of the required components of the wallet. If your die is too big for the clicker press’ workable area, you can still make it work.
Simply place half of the leather and the die under the clicker press and press that half first, then move the uncut half under the head, making sure that the die and the leather are still aligned, then press the second half. Moving the die and the leather around won’t affect the cut shapes and size.
If you don’t want to custom-make your dies, you can also buy the standard dies that are available, which you can use to make popular items like keychains and wallets.
Since a die is essentially a custom-made blade, you will need to regularly sharpen the blade to make sure they will give your products a clean-cut look. If you are unsure whether the leather is cut or not, you can press it several times to make sure that the cut is completed.
Leather Clicker Embossing
Embossing helps you add small details to your leather product, for example, your business’s logo or a customer’s initials.
The mechanism that allows you to emboss something on your leather using a leather clicker press is very similar to using the clicker die. You will need an embossing stamp with, say, your logo. Place it face-down on the leather piece that you need to emboss, and press down the clicker press’ head to imprint the stamp onto the leather.
The result will be a neat and permanent stamp on your leather product with clear intricate details that don’t take much effort. However, if you want your logo to have a certain placement on your leather product, you will need to spend some time aligning the placement of the stamp on your leather piece before making a permanent mark on it.
Similar to the leather dies, embossing stamps will also need to be custom-made to fit your own designs. However, this is definitely a worthy investment since using embossing stamps with your logo on them will instantly elevate your leather products and make them look more professional and expensive.
With customizations like people’s initials, you can just order the embossing stamps with letters in the alphabet and create initials by aligning the embossing stamps when you press the leather. This allows your customers to be in charge and have highly customizable products, which gives your leathercraft business a unique edge over your competitors.
3 Reasons To Use A Leather Clicker Press
Getting a leather clicker press is a great way to start making more money from your leatherwork.
There are so many reasons why having a leather clicker press would benefit your leathercraft business, especially if you are hoping to scale up your production and mass-produce some signature items in your catalog.
1. Increase Efficiency
A leather clicker press will allow you to cut and stamp your leather works much faster, and it will save you a lot of time, especially if you are making 10+ items of the same product line.
Think of all the components you will need to cut when you make something as small as a keychain or a cardholder. Now, think of all the time it would take if you need to cut every piece by hand. Now, multiply that by how many items you are planning to make under the same product line.
When you produce on a larger scale, the labor cost increases dramatically. Since it takes so much time to cut your leather, you will have to factor the cost of that labor into the cost of the product.
Of course, if you increase your prices, your products will take longer to sell, which is simply not good business. That’s why saving time when producing a product can easily translate to monetary value.
On the other hand, production time can also be a key factor in helping your business perform. If you have a product line that sells very well, you can quickly and efficiently make more items to satisfy the demands of the market. Increasing your output using the same amount of time will help you make the most of your labor hours and help you maximize your profits.
The leather clicker press is an integral part of any leather production process. It cuts, stamps, and assembles components fast without sacrificing quality. In fact, it can actually reduce the human errors that can often occur when you cut by hand. A machine doesn’t get tired, so it doesn’t make mistakes even after cutting leather hundreds of times.
2. Reduce Leather Scraps
Leather can be an expensive material, so you want to save every tiny piece that you can in order to maximize your returns. One of the best ways to use a leather clicker press is to cut small pieces of leather. With the help of dies, you can make very good use of your leather scraps.
When you cut a large piece of leather, you can use several dies and arrange them efficiently to take advantage of every corner and eliminate waste. You’ll get more from your material and increase your profit in no time.
3. Effective Hand-Operated Machine
Although leather clicker presses are often called “leather cutting machines,” they are actually hand-operated, meaning you don’t need any electricity at all to operate them. This saves you the cost of electricity in your workshop and at the same time benefits the environment.
The machines are designed to have a 1 to 4-ton press, which allows you to exert a huge amount of pressure with just a hand crank. Most leather clicker presses don’t require a lot of strength to operate, so you don’t have to worry about getting tired after cutting a few pieces.
What To Know Before Buying a Leather Clicker Press
If you are interested in buying a leather clicker press for your workshop, you should consider your range of products and your production capacity so you can select the best clicker press for your leathercraft business.
Knowing the item that you will be working on will help you make an informed decision when it comes to choosing the right leather and the dies’ shapes and sizes, which will affect the clicker press’ design and capacity.
The Thickness of the Leather
For example, if you are using thicker leather, you will need a thicker die to be able to cut through that leather. If you are making a large bag, you will need a large die and relatively large leather clicker press in order to cut it efficiently.
On the other hand, if you are only making small items like keychains or wallets, buying a mid-size leather clicker press would be a more suitable option for you.
If you are unsure about where to start, below are our recommendations for the best leather clicker press machines on the market.
The 3 Best Clicker Presses To Use With Leather
| Rank | Product | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Vevor Leather Cutting Machine | Guiding shafts, pressure relief pad |
| 2. | ZonePack Manual Leather Die Cutting Machine | High-precision, compact, carbon steel |
| 3. | Weaver Leather Mighty Wonder Clicker Press | 4-ton press, swivel head, adjustable |
1. Vevor Leather Cutting Machine
The Vevor Leather Cutting Machine is built to last with a sturdy cold-drawn steel construction. This is a serious tool that can be a great addition to your leathercraft workshop, thanks to its ability to withstand a large load.
This particular machine’s pressing range is 10.2″ by 6″, although you can opt for bigger or smaller machines in the same line and enjoy the same features and pressing qualities. This machine can bear 1.5-tons of pressure, ensuring a clean, seamless cut for your leather products.
The two guiding shafts make sure that the cutting head and the supporting frame run smoothly in parallel towards a certain direction regardless of the blade. The pressure-relief pad can reduce the stress of the steel structure while guaranteeing an accurate cut.
The accuracy of this cutting machine lies in the soundly designed integrated guiding shafts. The large surface and asymmetric bottom plate ensure strong stability. Moreover, these guiding shafts are integrally turned with a silicone-manganese steel spring wire, further supporting the sturdy construction.
This Leather Cutting machine has an adjustable pressure stroke up to 12mm (0.47″), which provides you with a precise cut every time with less effort required as the cutting pressure will match the thickness of the die and the leather.
This powerful and well-equipped machine is a reliable addition to your leathercraft workshop, with highly useful adjustments and consistent performance to help you make high-quality leather products for your business.
2. ZonePack Manual Leather Die Cutting Machine
The ZonePack manual leather die-cutting machine is a high-precision instrument equipped with a pressing plate equipped with a nylon backing plate, which is convenient for die-cutting and protecting the machine.
This machine is made of reliable, high-quality carbon steel, which makes it highly sturdy and effective at cutting leather.
Although it is very lightweight, only 6.6 kg, this small machine can produce a pressure of 1 ton (1000 kg), which is highly efficient for cutting leather. The machine features a 21-centimeter handle, which fits right in your hand for easy operation.
With a press plate size of 18 by 10 centimeters, this machine is specially designed for professional small batch production of leather craft items like key chains, wallets, or belts, etc. Thanks to its small size, it won’t take up too much space in your workshop while still proving itself useful.
3. Weaver Leather Mighty Wonder Clicker Press
The Weaver Leather Mighty Wonder Clicker Press is perfect for the first-time user or professional crafter who needs to make even, precise leather cuts every time. With a powerful 4-ton press, this press can handle nearly any project you throw at it.
Our favorite feature of this clicker press is the swivel-away clicker head that allows you to see where you’re setting the die, which is amazing if you need precision and accuracy when cutting leather.
A 29″ hardwood handle offers more leverage for easier clicking. Cutting your leather with this press is a highly efficient and painless way to get high-quality, clean cuts that can really elevate your leather products.
The large knurled adjustment knob makes it easy to adjust the machine for using 0.75″ to 1.25″ dies. This machine is a mid-sized one, 15″ wide and 10″ deep, which is perfect if you are making small to mid-sized products such as wallets or handbags.
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