Hermann Oak Leather

[keplerts]

Just bought my very first piece (side) of Hermann Oak Leather from Weaver Leather. I asked for a nice clean, big side of 7/8oz leather. And I must say, this is one nice side of leather! It is listed as tannery run but I think it must be #1 grade. I couldn't be happier with what they sent me. I'm making a set of saddle bags from it and can't wait to see how it cuts, tools, and dyes.

The one question I have is: How do I know it is really Hermann Oak? There is not stamping or identifying marks on it to indicate it is Hermann Oak. It smells just like any Cahin Tannery leather I have bought in the past. I'm not saying I didn't really get what I paid for but the thought crossed my mind of how would I know?

Again, I couldn't have asked for a better side of leather for Weaver Leather.

[JLSleather]

Well, you've answered your own question -- you wouldn't know. Keep in mind, not all H.O. is good leather, and not all good leather is H.O. I mean, H.O. themselves admit it's not all "equal", that's why there are different "grades"

Point is, try not to put too much emphasis on the NAME. I personally LOVE Al Stohlman's carving / coloring, but even Al admitted that his early work (in his own words) "left much to be desired". And yet it was signed A.S.

I've never purchased anything at Weaver. They might be great folks (wouldn't know) selling good stuff. Couple people I know who have shopped there said good things (but then, one liked his cobra stitcher until I told him show me that it stitches back in the same holes!). But I've always thought they were a bit overpriced considering the price of the SAME things in other places.

If you got good leather and you're happy, then there's nothing to add to that But I think $310 for a side is extreme.

Figuring about 25 feet, that's over $12 / foot.

H.O. requires a larger purchase, but for "A" grade you pay like $7.25 / foot.

And Goliger will sell you a single side of H.O. "A" grade for around $9.25 / foot.

[keplerts]

JLS, thanks for your thoughts. I always appreciate your thoughts on things. I just thought I would finally try a side of HO to see what all the glowing remarks are about. You are right in that I have gotten very nice leather from other tanneries but just thought I would give HO a try. I have a wholesale price account with Weaver Leather and actually paid $8.75 a Square foot (before shipping). 24.5 square foot to this side. They only sell TR leather but I can hardly find a bad spot anywhere on this side. I also got some other stuff so I will need to figure out my actual SF cost.

I guess I thought there would be an indicator or mark of some sort showing it was "HO".

Thanks again for your thoughts!

[Art]

Horween will mark their leather, but I've never seen it from HO or W&C, ditto Baker or JRJ. Like Jeff said, If you like what you got, then mores the better.

Art

[King's X]

The HO sold by Tandy Leather is marked with the HO logo in green on the underside.

[keplerts]

King's X,

That's what I was kind of expecting to see on the side I got. Just an indicator that I actually got what I was paying for.

[mlapaglia]

In a world where anyone can make a fake HO stamp. Are you even sure you get what you paid for just because it has the stamp?

[keplerts]

mlapaglia,

Probably not! In todays world of "corporate crooks" I guess I was expecting some confirmation that it is truely HO. What that confirmation should be, I guess I don't even know. I will just use this side and be happy with how nice it is. I do believe it is HO. After all, HO IS what I ordered!

[JLSleather]

I went to two tandy stores back when they started selling HO, just for that reason. The sides they had on the rack, well -- wasn't something I wanted, even if they weren't marked up 40%!

Oh, wait.. they were 40% over the price of the GOOD stuff.

Edited September 13, 2015 by JLSleather

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

I order from Weaver a lot and generally am pleased with their service. However, I have gotten bad leather from them, just like I have gotten bad leather from HO, W & C and other places. I even got a side of what was supposed to be HO from Weaver that I know WAS NOT HO. How did I know? Because I have used enough of it that I know if it is or isn't HO. And that is the only way you will know as well. They paid the freight back and sent me what I'd ordered. If it works and tools up better than anything else you've had then it probably is indeed HO, and furthermore, if it's better than anything else you've had, does it matter? The inferior stuff will not hold the tooling and will finish up a poor color. No matter what you do to try to improve it, it just gets worse. Some of the HO I've gotten is stamped with a logo, most has not been. Weaver, in my experience, does try to keep their customers.

[Weaver Leather Supply]

Keplerts, I am glad to hear you are giving Hermann Oak a try, and I thank you for your order from Weaver! I can assure you that if you order anything we are selling as Hermann Oak from us it is in fact Hermann Oak. I have never seen any of HO's leather marked by them in any way to distinguish it as HO. Possibly they are marking it for some people but that's not something we have ever asked them to do. If we were selling non HO leather marketed as HO we would not still be around as a Hermann Oak distributor. I'm glad you are happy with the leather you received. Visually there is not much difference between HO and Chahin tooling leather, however HO is usually a bit more golden color. Both are sold as tannery run but generally the grade on both tanneries' tooling sides is very good.