UK suppliers

[Sonja]

Hi , thankyou for having me here. I am new to the world of leatherworking, just dabbling really. I am in the UK and am having difficulty finding a supplier for good quality bridle leather that actually has good customer service and ease of ordering. I have dealt with Abbey and do not want to repeat the experience. lets just say it wasnt positive although the product was fine - eventually. I have now been trying to contact Bakers and they only seem to answer emails about every 4 days. I am now beginning to think neither really wish for any custom.

What other suppliers can i try please?

[gary]

http://www.leprevo.co.uk/hides.htm

http://www.aacrack.co.uk

http://www.claytonleather.com

http://www.gradeleather.co.uk

http://www.je-sedgwick.co.uk/category/bridle-leather/

http://www.metropolitanleather.com

http://www.jtbatchelor.co.uk

Among others and worth a try.  Depends exactly what cut you want.

There are quite a few others out there, such as the English Leather Co, but they have a minimum order of 300 square ft.

Gary

 

 

 

[fivewayswelshcobs]

I have used Abbey a lot over the last 15 years with few problems and their online ordering works well, Bakers I tend to ring and then have a day out to collect and select it myself. Sedgewicks will deal in large amounts direct but usually sell through Abbey. Have also had leather from Metropolitan, Grade and Clayton  with no problems but in my mind Bakers is the best. . There is also Midgley in Somerset.

[Sonja]

thanks for the list gary, i am working my way through it.

glad you had good experiences with abbey,fivewayswelshcob, i was horrified at their service  and i have only ordered 3 times, all of which were disasters on their part plus they took money off my card without my permission which really really got my goat. they rang to apol , i wasnt here so left a message that they would ring back, they never did.

I am in norfolk, is there a supplier this way at all?

[Sonja]

j t bactchelor's webpage doesnt seem to have a link apart from map and email??????????? cant find any leathers at all, is it me?

[HENDREFORGAN]

Abbey are one of the best for highest quality leather products but I hear what you say and wouldn't deny it either.  The ONLY other supplier I would recommend to fully answer your needs is Metropolitan Leather and they aren't too far away from you either.  Give them a call and ask if you can visit?  You'll be blown away by the hides you'll see!

[Matt S]

JT Bachelors mainly sells over the counter, and do a little mail order when they feel like it. They are a fine business to deal with so long as you can get there during business hours Monday to Friday. They have no desire to expand, nor would it do them any good. Baker's I would agree with 5ways, you need to phone to offer, and their leather is fantastic. Metropolitan has good service, I find their bridle fine but a little bland.

[MY63]

I use Le Prevo most often as they are close to me but I also use G H leathers http://www.leathermerchants.com/ they are both happy to help beginners and sell one hide or skin at a time. I had a minor issue with Abbey which they corrected straight away there brass ware is excellent.

Welcome to the world of leatherwork this site is full of great people who are happy to share their knowledge.

[Sonja]

Thanks for all the replies. I tried bakers but they seem to only answer emails every 5 days, so tonight i rang them. It seems that no one at all knows what they have available for sale so i got nowhere at all. I have now purchased some from metropolitan as recommended by gary.  Just hope the leather is of good quality.

I now need to find a good place to purchase celtic 1 inch conchos. The best ones i have found are in poland but they are very very pricey and if ordering wholesale you have to order massively.

 

 

[gary]

 

2 hours ago, Sonja said:

Thanks for all the replies. I tried bakers but they seem to only answer emails every 5 days, so tonight i rang them. It seems that no one at all knows what they have available for sale so i got nowhere at all. I have now purchased some from metropolitan as recommended by gary.  Just hope the leather is of good quality.

 

I hope Metropolitan works out for you. I have never used them, it was Hendreforgan who recommended them. I had a look at their site and I may give them a try as well.

 

[Mrvista]

Hi Sonja.

i don't know where you are based, if your looking for good Bridle leather then you need to go to Marcus Gear in Walsall. Their website is a little average, however, the leather they sell is top knotch, Nigel Armitage( master craftsman) put me on to them, they have a great range of leather, will split Bridle shoulder to your desired thickness for an additional charge, and you can visit them and view their wares, I live in Brighton, but if I'm in the midlands I will always get over to buy from them.

http://www.marcusgear.co.uk/products.asp

regards

Andy

Apricity Leatherworks on Pinterest.

[gmace99]

The English leather company do sell quantities of less than 300 sq ft .   This is a link to their site.  http://www.theenglishleather.com/english-bridle-butts  

AW Midgley are a great company and very helpful  http://www.awmidgley.co.uk/

I don't buy of  either of them  However I have sent students to them and have heard nice things.  Midgley I dealt with years ago when I could only buy small quantities and they where great.

The reason I don't buy from them is because I am able to buy direct from company's because I can order 5 or more pairs of butt at a time.

 

[Sonja]

my leather arrived from Metropolitan, was supposed to be 3- 3.5mm.. well its 2.3- 2.8mm !!!   and i asked for a piece nearer the thicker end of their range too. Does anyone actually supply what they say they have?? getting very disheartened now

[HENDREFORGAN]

That would appear to be a whole size increment dropped . . and Metropolitan wouldn't do that . . they wouldn't.  How did you measure your hide?  If you do wish to be accurate buy a digital vernier gauge but never try to use a ruler or tape measure.  Chinese made units are barely a few pounds on eBay yet I've tested the ones I bought against British made and found virtually no issues.

Phone them Sonja . . they are well respected for their customer relationships.

[Wulfing]

metropolitan leather and Le prevo are my favorites for small 1x hide orders. AA crack and sons are supposed to be good and have been around for a long time.  

Im new to leather work though. I've only had 5 orders so far. 

Edited February 21, 2017 by Wulfing

[LumpenDoodle2]

Said it before, but LeProvo for me every time.    The website is a bit 'old fashioned', but don't let that put you off.   Also, they are happy to chat on the phone, and send out a sample to you.

I just put an order in now, confident that they will send me the right stuff, and the right quality.

Absolute stars, IMHO.

[fredk]

Another vote for LePrevo.

I've been using them for nearly 17 years now. Never a glitch.

[gary]

Just had a quick look through this again and thought I'd better clarify, The English Leather Company does have a 300 sq ft/colour minimum for their English Bridle (quote and their emphasis)

Hides & Thicknesses

Butts/Bends: 2.0 – 2.2mm / 3.25 - 3.5mm / 3.75 - 4.0mm
Sides: 1.8 - 2.0mm / 2.0 – 2.2mm / 2.5 - 3.0mm
Shoulders: 2.0 – 2.2mm / 3.2 - 3.5mm
5ft Bridle Butts: 3.5 – 4.0mm
Stirrup Butts: 4.5 – 5.0mm

MINIMUM ORDER QUANTITY: 300 SQ. FT. PER COLOUR

(unquote)

Here's the link http://www.theenglishleather.com/english-bridle

I just thought, as you said you were new and just dabbling, that you would probably be more interested in these cuts than 22 sq ft minimum of 2 sides of bridle butt.

Sorry if I wasn't clear enough.

Edited February 21, 2017 by gary
correct autocorrect