Zack White's leather

[Peterk]

Hello all,

After working with leather from Tandy, and seeing some of the leather customer makers use, I can see that I will need to upgrade the quality of the leather if I am to take my hobby to the next level. As of right now, I am unable financially to upgrade to quality leather as supplied by vendors such as W&C or Herman Oak, but I have seen some pasted leather from Zack White company with reasonable prices. I have heard from a reputable custom holster maker that he has had good luck getting good leather from Zack White, but I would like to know if anyone here has gotten leather from Zack White, and how you feel about it. I am referring to 7 - 9 oz Veg-tanned leather suitable for Holster/knife sheath use.

Thanks!

[MADMAX22]

Sorry havnt tried them out so cant answer your question. However I am thinking about trying some other leathers besides tandy in the future but would like to say I have been pleased with picking out the higher end tandy stuff. When getting the premium or live oak from tandy I have gotten some nice looking leather. The biggest problem I see with tandy is the fact that most of the leather is stored in a store front atmosphere and if you dont get it while it is new it ends up getting beatup or sun burned. However I have the opportunity to pick thru what I want. I am debating on ordering online since I cant see what Im getting.

By chance what type of leather were you getting from tandy. The craftsman stuff allthough good to learn on isnt that great.

[WaG35]

On Monday UPS dropped off a double shoulder of 7-8 that I ordered from Zach White . Until now I have been using Tandy leather. The difference between them is night and day. I won't buy another shoulder from Tandy. I made a holster for my new Sig today and am amazed that there can be such a difference. I always figured leather was leather. I am sure I have gotten better too, but the detail I was able to achieve on this one is amazing. I ordered the premium so I can't comment on anything else.

Edited November 12, 2008 by WaG35

[Peterk]

thanks guys for your feedback...

I am still on my first double shoulder from Tandy, which I believe is their Craftsman quality and I do remember seeing their higher grade stuff when I was in their store last week, and immediately realized what a "higher grade" piece of leather really looks like. From what I've heard the stuff you would get from ZW, W&C, and/or Herman Oak is even beyond that so I can't wait to try one of them. I know Herman Oak has a minimum order policy and Zack White is still within my budget so I will get a double shoulder from ZW soon to try.

Thanks.

Here is what I've made for my first holster/leather project with the Tandy leather...

[ClayB]

That holster looks pretty nice to me!

Herman Oak does have a minimum, but they have dealers throughout the US, Canada, Australia, and Japan. From the dealers, you should be able to buy whatever you need, although maybe at a higher price than from them direct. If you go to thier website, click on the "distrubutors " button on the left side of the screen, and it'll show you where you can get Herman Oak leather.

[Go2Tex]

The first leather I ever ordered way back when I first got serious about leather work was from Zack White and I thought it was a very nice piece of leather. I always wondered what their source was. It actually compared to Wickett and Craig. I'm wondering now if their leather is still as good as then and what their prices are. I just paid over $200 for a side of chestnut from W&C. (incl shipping).

I almost never buy Tandy veg tan. It's way over priced for what you get. It's all imported and most of it has grain damage to the point that you can't hardly work around it.

Hermann Oak is still the best and now that W&C is over 2 bills for a side, for a natural tan project, I'll probably opt for that. Goliger's out of California carries No. 1 grade HO and no minimum.

http://goligerleather.com/

[jwwright]

For me, at least for saddles, it is hard to beat Herman Oak. I have found other skirting to be good, but the consistantcy of temper in Herman Oak is important to me.

Panhandle Leather in Amarillo, TX has great service and deals in Herman Oak with no minimum order. You can't order online, but they do have a website for contact info. www.panhandleleather.com .

JW

[Peterk]

thanks all!

[Freddo]

I have a couple of questions:

1) Approximately what does Zack White charge for Shipping a typicaly 7-8 oz side?

2) Has anyone purchased the $50.00 tooling side special that Tandy currently has for it's 3-4oz side? Any opinions on this?

Just curious.

Fred

[TroyS]

I've met several great people thru my dealings with Tandy but am really starting to get frustrated with the quality of anything that comes from Tandy. Tools are entry level (soft metal, piss-poor detail, chrome plate chips of onto leather), leather is poor quality (I have to spend an hour or so looking thru 15 or 20 hides to find something usable), and hardware way out of the park on price (you know what I'm talking about).

Tandy is a great place to shop if you have a scout troop or summer camp activities, but for the real LEATHER CRAFTSPERSON, buying quality products from Tandy is like buying a $400 bottle of wine at a 7-11 store ...

Sorry, just my 2 cents worth ....

[Wyvern]

On Monday UPS dropped off a double shoulder of 7-8 that I ordered from Zach White . Until now I have been using Tandy leather. The difference between them is night and day. I won't buy another shoulder from Tandy. I made a holster for my new Sig today and am amazed that there can be such a difference. I always figured leather was leather. I am sure I have gotten better too, but the detail I was able to achieve on this one is amazing. I ordered the premium so I can't comment on anything else.