Bench Guides
Short, practical buying guides written at the bench — which tool to choose, when the cheaper one is fine, and when it isn't. For technique tutorials, see The Bench Journal.
Toolkit starters
What to buy for your first bench, by discipline:
- Day-one jewellery school kit — what to actually buy before class starts
- The silversmithing toolkit — what you need at your bench
- Ring maker essentials — sizing, forming and finishing tools
- Watchmaker essentials — kit for service, repair and battery work
- The wire worker's toolkit — kit for jump rings, chain and bead wrapping
- Repoussé and chasing tools — kit for dimensional silverwork
Head-to-head tool comparisons
Two tools, one job — which earns its place at your bench:
- Bench Vice vs Engineer's Vice for Jewellery: Which to Buy First
- Butane vs Oxy-acetylene Torch: Which to Buy First?
- Chasing hammer vs ball-peen hammer: which to buy first
- Cross-lock vs reverse-action tweezers: which grip wins at the bench
- Doming block vs anvil: shaping curved surfaces
- Goldsmith Hammer vs Silversmith Hammer: Which to Buy First?
- Hard vs Easy Solder: Which to Buy First for Jewellery Making
- Jeweller's Saw vs Coping Saw: Which to Buy First?
- Parallel-action pliers vs pivot pliers: when each earns its place
- Pickle (the solution) vs Pickle Pot (the heated container): A Working Guide
- Rawhide mallet vs brass mallet: when soft strikes matter
- Ring stretcher vs ring reducer: sizing rings up or down
- Round mandrel vs stepped mandrel: a working guide
- Side cutters vs end cutters: cutting hardened wire cleanly
- Soldering pick vs pickle tongs: heat zone vs after-flame tools
- Triblet vs Ring Mandrel: A Working Jeweller's Guide
- Watch case holder vs bench block: securing watch work
- Wax Carving Tools vs Wax Pen: Which to Buy First
Working with us
- Trade accounts — for schools, studios and workshop buyers.
- Press & media
- How we test tools