Tiger Thread: Is There Seriously Not A Comparable Braided Poly Thread In The United States?

[dcobranding]

At this very moment, I have a shopping cart full of various colors and thicknesses of Tiger thread at Abbey England. I understand that Abbey England is a great supplier, but shipping costs are outrageous. It only makes sense to buy as much variety as I can afford in order to "save" on shipping. That said, I really would rather not have $200+ tied up in THREAD(!) at this time.

Are there seriously no comparable alternatives to Tiger thread available here in the United States of America?! Bruce Cheaney, a saddle maker in Texas, highly recommended Trencilo. I also found this (http://www.sheridanleather.com/Braided_Poly_Thread_p/braided-pound-thread.htm) which might be the same stuff. It appears to only come in white.

I appreciate any input you care to share.

Best,

David

[dcobranding]

It appears that http://ludlowleather.com/ offers Tiger thread here in the United States (sorry mods, I didn't see the post by Mr. Armitage).

I still would like to know if anyone has found any comparable alternatives in terms of quality and variety.

Best,

David

[cem]

Apart from Trencilo, the only other braided threads that I know of that might be available directly to you in America is Classic by Coats Industrial, Serabraid by the Amann Group and the stuff Tandy sells. I've seen or have samples of these three and the braid isn't quite as tight as Tiger Ritza.

None of the others really have the variety of Tiger Ritza though for colours or sizing.

[WScott]

Do a search on here for tiger thread, there are members selling it and it has been all over the website

...and it is that good IMHO

[DavidL]

If you never used tiger thread before or braided thread try out a spool or sample before you buy 200 dollars worth of goods. For me personally I don't prefer it as it looks clunky (.8mm at 7SPI). .6mm would look better, linen is what I prefer after trying out ritza and Tiger. I can see why people like the thread though.

I have some samples available in black and brown from my own personal usage that I sell on my etsy.

Edited May 12, 2014 by DavidL

[dcobranding]

Thanks for the info. Much appreciated.

[Hi Im Joe]

Some people have recommended the Maine Thread Co. waxed polycord. I am going to buy some because you can get a bundle for 20 bucks and its made in the USA.

[dcobranding]

Thanks Joe. I'll definitely try Maine Thread Co.'s "polycord" as they call it.

By the looks of it, I'm not sure this product is apples-to-apples with Tiger. Their light weight is 2-3 ply while their heavy weight is only 6 ply, where Tiger is 12-ish if I recall correctly. Their poly looks to be round, where Tiger is flat. But, that said, I look forward to trying their product to see for myself. I'm finding myself geeking out a little more than I'm comfortable with about thread lately. Ha.

Thanks again for the heads up.

[Hi Im Joe]

Thanks Joe. I'll definitely try Maine Thread Co.'s "polycord" as they call it.

By the looks of it, I'm not sure this product is apples-to-apples with Tiger. Their light weight is 2-3 ply while their heavy weight is only 6 ply, where Tiger is 12-ish if I recall correctly. Their poly looks to be round, where Tiger is flat. But, that said, I look forward to trying their product to see for myself. I'm finding myself geeking out a little more than I'm comfortable with about thread lately. Ha.

Thanks again for the heads up.

Yeah I don't think its the same design as Tiger Thread. Just thought you'd like another option.

[DavidL]

The only threads I know of that will compare are some vintage stock poly braid thread. A brand under rice or something similar I believe sells this type of thread, out of production for years however. Vintage new old stock may be the only option or you might find an undiscovered brand.

[Sona]

We got one called "Forellenfaden" (sth like troutthread) in Germany, but I doubt that this would help you....

[dcobranding]

Thank you all for your input. This quest to find the best thread has been a maze to say the least.

cem, thank you for suggesting Serabraid by Armann Group.

I am in communication with Chris Sisson, the National Rep for Armann. Their T90 waxed braided poly looks fantastic. 12-16 ply, nice selection of colors, 500m spools for under $20 each (minimum purchase is 6 spools). I think I might have a go at Serabraid first.

Of course, I have to pick up at least one spool of Tiger (either Sexy Chocolate... er, I mean "Havanna Cigar" or beige in .8mm) in order to do a proper comparison (at least, that's how I'm rationalizing it in my head). I geek out way too much on this stuff.

Thanks again.

Cheers.

[King's X]

Rocky Mountain Leather on eBay has the Tiger thread in small amounts.

[mrtreat32]

Thank you all for your input. This quest to find the best thread has been a maze to say the least.

cem, thank you for suggesting Serabraid by Armann Group.

I am in communication with Chris Sisson, the National Rep for Armann. Their T90 waxed braided poly looks fantastic. 12-16 ply, nice selection of colors, 500m spools for under $20 each (minimum purchase is 6 spools). I think I might have a go at Serabraid first.

Of course, I have to pick up at least one spool of Tiger (either Sexy Chocolate... er, I mean "Havanna Cigar" or beige in .8mm) in order to do a proper comparison (at least, that's how I'm rationalizing it in my head). I geek out way too much on this stuff.

Thanks again.

Cheers.

I bought a small amount of the cigar tiger thread on ebay..very nice color but I got it in .8mm and cream in .6mm. I found the .8mm to be a little thick for the look I wanted but most people recommend that size on here. How many spi do you normally use?

[WScott]

Totally agree, 0.6 Havana Cigar is a beautiful thread.

I have ordered from here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/leatherwurx

Cy in Calgary Alberta...really good guy.

Edited May 14, 2014 by WScott

[mrtreat32]

I emailed ludlow leather to see if they carry or can get the .6mm tiger thread and I havent heard back.

I have bought the samples on etsy once but you get a much better deal buying a whole spool. Anyone else in the US carry the .6 ritza thread

[St8LineGunsmith]

This is JMO but I really dont see what all the hype is about Tiger thread I tried it and personally think it is over rated and over priced.

but thats just me.

[Hi Im Joe]

I just bought some medium weight Maine Polycord and love it. Made in the USA and really high quality with good prices and fast shipping.

http://www.mainethread.com/waxed_cord.html

[mrtreat32]

I just bought some medium weight Maine Polycord and love it. Made in the USA and really high quality with good prices and fast shipping.

http://www.mainethread.com/waxed_cord.html

Gonna try it out. Just placed a order for .30 and .35!

[St8LineGunsmith]

Yep thats where I get my thread too.

[mrtreat32]

just got the maine thread in the mail.

Sewed a test line with it. Seems nice so far. Feels similar to tiger thread to me.

Only problem is I ordered the .30 and .35 looking for something thinner than my 432 fil au chinois and both are thicker. Next order I will order the ultra lightweight .20 It seems of high quality but these sizes seem better suited to 7spi or larger.

[HippieLee]

just got the maine thread in the mail.

Sewed a test line with it. Seems nice so far. Feels similar to tiger thread to me.

Only problem is I ordered the .30 and .35 looking for something thinner than my 432 fil au chinois and both are thicker. Next order I will order the ultra lightweight .20 It seems of high quality but these sizes seem better suited to 7spi or larger.

Thanks for that info! good to know as I was considering an order too and wasn't sure what size I should get.

[mrtreat32]

Thanks for that info! good to know as I was considering an order too and wasn't sure what size I should get.

no problem.

The .30 is pretty close in size to the .6mm tiger thread. I don't have a way of measuring it precisely but in feel and appearance.

I just had them send me a sample card with the different thread sizes which I should have done ahead of time. Gonna see what the .20 looks like as well as color options.

[dcobranding]

I been doin some "cypherin'.

FYI:

Maine Thread's Waxed Poly:

70 yards = 64 meters (roughly); 500 divided by 64 = 7.8125 spools

Price for 70 yards of medium weight waxed poly from Maine = $6.29 ea.

$6.29 x 7.8125 = almost $50 for 500m

Also, Maine's waxed poly is twisted, not braided. Tiger is braided and $45 for 500m.

Maine Thread also offers a non-waxed braided "polished cotton" thread in a wide variety of colors (seriously gorgeous stuff, by the way), but it's $8.80 for 100 meters ($44 for 500m).

Maine Thread sent me a sample card. Their waxed poly reminds me of Tandy's waxed linen (which I manage to break every time I try to use it). Poly is stronger. Maine's poly seems to be good stuff, just not what I'm looking for.

I ordered one spool of Tiger through http://ludlowleather.com/. Had to try it myself. Get this though... I received an email today saying that they had made an inventory mistake, and the Mid Brown 1mm which I order was out-of-stock even though the website did not give that information. They were extremely apologetic (even offering me a $20 coupon code), and asked me how I wished to proceed. I ended up calling out there to figure out my options. Being a small shop owner myself, I told them that I didn't feel that they owed me $20 for an innocent mistake. I know how much Tiger Thread from Abbey England costs because I have an account there, and Ludlow is not making much margin as it is. But, what a shining and impressive example of fantastic customer care! Before I got off the phone, I asked when the John James 02 needles would be in-stock. He told me that they would be on his desk today, and insisted on throwing a package of them in with my order since I refused to take advantage of their generous (but warrantless, in my opinion) gift. Needless to say, I will be doing business with them again.

Am I the only one who "geeks out" about this stuff? Come on geeks, stand up and make some noise!

#time-for-my-meds

[LTC]

well. they (ludlow) are apparently out of black tiger thread in 0.8 and will be for at least a couple of weeks, so i need to find another source for tiger thread or equivalent.

last batch i got from Canada took almost a solid month to get to me here in the US. maybe it'll be faster ordering from Abbey?