What's happened to Hermann Oak?

[buzzardbait]

First off let me say that I'm no expert, but I have been working with leather off and on for 40 years. I carve, I make sheaths ,holsters, belts etc. I discovered H.O. about 8 years ago and loved it. In the last year I have bought 6 sides and 2 bends of various weights and from a couple of different suppliers. It has all been crap. I am not buying the low grades but what I am getting is not as good as Tandys Craftsman Oak. I am paying a premium price for Scars, blemishes, wrinkles and holes. Every one of these sides is so filthy it looks like they drug it to my house behind the truck and some of it is so tough I can't push a very sharp head knife through it. I figure I am loosing about 35 % per hide to waste. I have to drive 2 hours to buy from Tandy but that is what it is coming to. Is anyone else having this problem with H.O.? 

[bikermutt07]

I haven't heard anything. Maybe by some chance you got the last few the different suppliers had at the time.

If you can pony up and buy 10 sides at once you can get them straight from H.O.

Or you could switch to Wickett & Craig. They are very comparable and sell by the hide to the public.

[Mark842]

I have no issues with quality on the Hermann Oak I get. As good as always.

[YinTx]

Where are you getting it from?

YinTx

[battlemunky]

I just got my first HO and can't wait to try it. It even looks different than the Tandy stuff I've been using. I really hope its fine or I'll be sorely let down. Also, the side I bought was comparable in price to Tandy's.

 

[pentelaravi]

Is Wickett & Craig natural skirting slimier to H.O natural veg tan leather?

Right now i am using PREMIUM BELT BEND from SLC, and issue with the quality. Thinness is not consistent between orders ,Low spots in leather if thickness above 9 oz,  scars, clamp marks,…..

Looking for alternatives.

[buzzardbait]

I considered ordering one of those "Premium Belt Bends" about a month ago, until I contacted them to see what premium meant in this case. I found out it doesn't mean the leather is a premium grade, it's because the bend is cut from the premium part of the hide. So the" Premium belt bend" is just the premium cut of the hide which may or may not be trash. For those of us who don't live close to a supplier to hand pick our own leather, or to buy 10 hides at a time from H.O. it comes down to the luck of the draw.

[JKHelms]

I’ve been using HO from SLC and noticed it is not as good quality as I used to get 

I’m gonna try some W&C direct from the tannery next. 

[JRLeather2]

I make championship belts for a living. I need clean sides, ( I use backs), I used to order a roll,10 sides from H/O at a time. Their quality really started slipping, the last roll I ordered sent the whole thing back. I now use W/C and have been very satisfied with the product. I can also order direct from the tannery even if I only need a side.

Edited January 31, 2018 by JRLeather2

[Chief31794]

I've been a loyal HO guy for about 30 years, I've also noticed that the quality is slipping.  I'm a one off custom maker (mostly instrument straps) and I need high consistent quality and I use only Bends.  I recently started researching alternatives.  I'm getting more bug bites, surface scratches, clamp marks, and what I call "Weak Spots" where the leather has a weak band across the bend. Never got many of any of these problems until a couple of years ago. Then they started showing up more and more regularly.  Additionally, I got mine from Springfield Leather Company due to only buying 20-20 bends a year and at 2-3 at the time. To add insult to injury, last bend I got from them had Feet prints  where it had been walked on in the warehouse.  I complained once maybe twice to Kevin about the quality (not the feet prints, because when that happened I decided to move on), I sent some pictures of large scratches, marks etc. I was told it was normal.  For normal, I  decided not to pay premium prices and  if I have to cut around areas excessively, I'll do it for a lot less than the price SLC charges. I reached out to RJF leather and  Roger sent me some very nice samples of his bends. I'm going to give them a try. I am also researching some Italian Veg Tan which is pretty expensive but absolutely beautiful. 

Chief

[buzzardbait]

Chief31794 that sounds like my experience exactly from multiple suppliers. I think on my next order I will try Wickett & Craig. I am normally brand loyal and I like to stick with the same products  because I know  how they react to dye and paint and the finishes I use but I think it is time for a change.

[chiefjason]

On 1/29/2018 at 1:00 PM, pentelaravi said:

Is Wickett & Craig natural skirting slimier to H.O natural veg tan leather?

Right now i am using PREMIUM BELT BEND from SLC, and issue with the quality. Thinness is not consistent between orders ,Low spots in leather if thickness above 9 oz,  scars, clamp marks,…..

Looking for alternatives.

I use the tooling/holster/carving sides.  Veg tanned.  I did not use a lot of HO but the WC is nicer than the HO I did order from SLC.  Cleanest hides I have ever seen.  The color is a very light cream color.  Flesh side has a nice grain to it for the majority of the hide.  Not as fleshy as cheap stuff.  You can have them level the side for free, it just takes about a week longer to ship.  I ordered a level 8 oz for the front of my holsters and it is fantastic.  The 8-10 oz sides can be very stiff, nearly too stiff for the fronts.  So I ordered 2 sides and had them level one for me.  I deal with Dave and he's been great to work with.  I have never gotten a hide that didn't have a mark or two from clamps, they have to clamp them when they dry so they don't shrink.  But these hides have less marks and defects than other hides I have used.  

[Pergamena]

Hello Everyone,

Doing a little outreach here... I apologize if this is not the right venue for the advertisement. If so, please feel free to delete! (Or point me in the right direction...) I help run a tannery in New York's Hudson Valley named Pergamena Parchments & Leathers. We have been around for a very long time, but have been producing vegtan for the last 10 years. We do cow hide, as well as goat and calf leather. We do a softer cow leather than Hermann Oak, or Wickett & Craig, but it might be suitable for some applications. I have also seen some of the goat and calf leather producers/sellers mentioned on here so I thought this might be the right place to mention that as well. We also do some deerskin. Again, all vegtan and all domestic hides, mostly from the Northeast US. We supply primarily the bookbinding trade, accessories, and handbags. If someone is also looking to buy craft leathers from Tandy or similar suppliers, we have a good supply of one offs or 2nds that we offer on our Etsy shop. www.etsy.com/shop/PergamenaNY   You are also welcome to check our website www.pergamena.net 

If you are seeing this and would like to give us a try, you can use the promo code LEATHERWORKER2018

Thanks again and I hope we can help you!

Jesse Meyer

Pergamena Parchments & Leathers

 

[NVLeatherWorx]

Been a long time since I have visited this place and posted but here I go.

I have been, and still am, an H.O. supporter and have not had any issues with their leather.  I get all of mine from The Hide House (www.hidehouse.com) in Napa, CA and it costs MUCH less than SLC or anyone else, even with my wholesale pricing as a business operator.  In fact, my average price per square foot for H.O. is $7.95 and so far every side that I have purchased from them has not had any issues in the usable portion of the hide.  You will always have the clamp marks and some rough areas around the edges and that applies to all suppliers and tanners but foot prints and the other stuff, not even a hint of them.

[toe2short]

I have a HO on the way. The last one I ordered was a 3/4 oz and I was not crazy about the quality. I ordered a 6 oz. Holster cut. If it is not better then the last one, I will try Wicker Craig

On 3/1/2018 at 11:55 AM, Pergamena said:

Hello Everyone,

Doing a little outreach here... I apologize if this is not the right venue for the advertisement. If so, please feel free to delete! (Or point me in the right direction...) I help run a tannery in New York's Hudson Valley named Pergamena Parchments & Leathers. We have been around for a very long time, but have been producing vegtan for the last 10 years. We do cow hide, as well as goat and calf leather. We do a softer cow leather than Hermann Oak, or Wickett & Craig, but it might be suitable for some applications. I have also seen some of the goat and calf leather producers/sellers mentioned on here so I thought this might be the right place to mention that as well. We also do some deerskin. Again, all vegtan and all domestic hides, mostly from the Northeast US. We supply primarily the bookbinding trade, accessories, and handbags. If someone is also looking to buy craft leathers from Tandy or similar suppliers, we have a good supply of one offs or 2nds that we offer on our Etsy shop. www.etsy.com/shop/PergamenaNY   You are also welcome to check our website www.pergamena.net 

If you are seeing this and would like to give us a try, you can use the promo code LEATHERWORKER2018

Thanks again and I hope we can help you!

Jesse Meyer

Pergamena Parchments & Leathers

 

I will give you a try.

Thank you

jim 

[Ken Nelson]

I have been using HO for 12 or 13 years.  I have not noticed a decline in quality.  I get all mine from Panhandle Leather in Amarillo, TX.  Their prices are the best I have found and they are the most reasonable on shipping.  And they usually get the orders out the same day if I call in the morning.

[JLSleather]

On 1/25/2018 at 3:59 PM, buzzardbait said:

from a couple of different suppliers. It has all been crap

Think about that -- is it Hermann Oak, or is it these retailers? 

I have purchased leather from quite a few different places., sometimes left to wonder how they even stay in business - I suspect it has something to do with selling to the inexperienced and those not properly warned.  .  

But direct from Hermann Oak is the ONLY place that has never sent me a hide I didn't like.  I absolutely recommend ordering direct from the tannery.  $8 per foot for fantastic leather.  Direct from HO, a side of top notch, "A" leather is about $200. 

IF a retailer marks it up a bit and lets you avoid buying 10+ sides, fair enough.  Think about it - say you only want one side. 

• Those people charging $300 are out of control - let's just skip those.   
• leather, marked up, should look and carve just like if I would have got it direct from HO - and any deviation is unacceptable.  You don't get to sell me lower grade leather AND mark up the price.
• AND, I have had retailers (they are often called "suppliers", but that's not actually true) sell me something substandard - then offer to "fix it" by sending me a different batch or refunding my money.  But that's not a leather purchase - that's a 0% interest LOAN to them

[JRLeather2]

I bought direct from Herman Oak , "A" grade sides and they were terrible, sent the whole roll back.