Best value for leather

[Jason046]

I have been buying my leather from a local Tandy store and I was wondering if this was the best value for the leather I am getting. I buy a side of 8-9oz veg tan and I tool on it. The only problem I have found is I really have to look for good sides. I wouldn't mind buying from a supplier if anyone has a good recommendation. I have checked out Weaver but they are more expensive than Tandy.

[rodneywt1180b]

You might check out Springfield Leather.  Watch the shipping charges though.  They add up fast. Probably true for most online sellers.

You can buy individual hides from Wickett & Craig.

Maverick is another good bet.

 

[JLSleather]

"Value" is subjective -- question is what's it worth TO YOU?  I personally don't mind PAYING more AS LONG AS I'm GETTING more.  The same stuff at a higher price is not "value", nor it less stuff at the same price.  

I like Wickett&Craig leathers, usually get the skirting leather and have them split to thickness I want.  It isn't free, but it's quite good.

Hermann Oak is also very good.  Price is a little less, but there's a minimum order of 10 sides, if that's a concern.

Both carve very nicely.

[howlback]

I just spent nearly $300 dollars on a side of #1 Hermann Oak saddle skirting. Beautiful leather but it's reserved for customer who want to pay a premium. The guy it buy from said Chahin is a nice tannery in Mexico though. Might be worth checking out!

[TonySFLDLTHR]

Here is some write up that we have on Hermann Oak that JLS mentioned. http://springfieldleather.com/hermann-oak

We also sell it 4 different ways. So you can get as much or as little as you might like.

[JLSleather]

8 minutes ago, howlback said:

I just spent nearly $300 dollars on a side of #1 Hermann Oak saddle skirting. Beautiful leather but it's reserved for customer who want to pay a premium. The guy it buy from said Chahin is a nice tannery in Mexico though. Might be worth checking out!

Just FYI -- $300 per side is about a 50% markup.  A grade leather from H.O. tannery is about $200 per side ($8 per foot).

[howlback]

1 minute ago, JLSleather said:

Just FYI -- $300 per side is about a 50% markup.  A grade leather from H.O. tannery is about $200 per side ($8 per foot).

And can only be ordered 10 a time (about $2,070 for A/B after shipping).

[Ed in Tx]

Buying your leather from Tandy is the worst possible choice. Springfield Leather has a few different choice in veg tan at different price points. I recently purchased a belt bend that was on a flash sale for $99 and they split it to the weight I wanted free of charge. The leather was from a tannery in Europe (don't remember exactly where) but the hide is great. Tools extremely well and takes dye easily with very even results. 

When you are buying from Tandy your paying a lot more money for lower quality hides. Some of their prices just make me laugh, recently they had some European veg tan that priced out at around $17 a sq. ft.

[Hasbeencowboy]

I have been buying English Bridle and skirting leather from Wickett and Craig.  I have no complaints.  I bought  a few items from  Springfield Leather some time back and they charged me $25 for shipping and according to the invoice shipping was $17 or $18 , so in my opinion, what I bought wasn't all that good of a deal.  Just something to consider.

 

 

[Jason046]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I will look I to all the options. I am buying oak leaf sides so it's a B grade leather I believe. I'm cutting 7" squares and tooling them along with 50" x 1 1/2" straps. We are running a business so the more we can get out of it the better. Would pay more for the side if I could get a better side with less marks

[NVLeatherWorx]

On 8/23/2018 at 7:31 AM, Jason046 said:

I have been buying my leather from a local Tandy store and I was wondering if this was the best value for the leather I am getting. I buy a side of 8-9oz veg tan and I tool on it. The only problem I have found is I really have to look for good sides. I wouldn't mind buying from a supplier if anyone has a good recommendation. I have checked out Weaver but they are more expensive than Tandy.

The best value is for sure not from Tandy but your costs are going to be more or less depending on where you are in relation to where you buy from.  I only use H.O. veg-tan and I have 3 sources from where I pull from:  direct from Tannery when I have a large need, Springfield Leather when I have a unique need (varied sizes), and Hide House in Napa, CA (I place my order and let them know exactly what I am looking for and have never had a problem with the results or quality).  The Hide House is also close enough to me that I can actually make a day trip over the Sierra Nevada's and pick out my own hides, that makes it a nice thing indeed.  And yes, $300 for a side of H.O. is steep but you have to shop around for the quality and value.  If you are in it for business then you want to look at those suppliers who have special programs for that purpose, this also means cheaper pricing.  The Chahin tannery in Mexico was mentioned but I would recommend that you stay clear of anything South of the border as they do not use the same formula as what is used here and in Europe, we all use an Oak based (original formula ingredient) for veg-tan where all of the tanneries in Mexico, Central, and South America use a more widely available plant product for their formula.  The water is also not as good and the combination results in a leather that takes on a reddish tint when cased, doesn't tool well, has issues taking dye/stain, and also has a totally different smell to it, almost acidic.

 

[Mark842]

1 hour ago, NVLeatherWorx said:

The Chahin tannery in Mexico was mentioned but I would recommend that you stay clear of anything South of the border as they do not use the same formula as what is used here and in Europe, we all use an Oak based (original formula ingredient) for veg-tan where all of the tanneries in Mexico, Central, and South America use a more widely available plant product for their formula.  The water is also not as good and the combination results in a leather that takes on a reddish tint when cased, doesn't tool well, has issues taking dye/stain, and also has a totally different smell to it, almost acidic.

I'll second that and add that I've had major issues sewing Chahin leathers also.

[Squilchuck]

Used to buy Tandy leather when starting out because price was low. However, I found it tooled and dyed poorly and inconsistently.  Now I use only Herman Oak. I buy mostly from Hide House. You can get a wholesale account.  I just bought a side of HO 11/13 skirting from Panhandle leather for $195 + $10 shipping. Best price I have found. Not seen it yet. --John

[Jason046]

On 8/25/2018 at 9:12 AM, Squilchuck said:

Used to buy Tandy leather when starting out because price was low. However, I found it tooled and dyed poorly and inconsistently.  Now I use only Herman Oak. I buy mostly from Hide House. You can get a wholesale account.  I just bought a side of HO 11/13 skirting from Panhandle leather for $195 + $10 shipping. Best price I have found. Not seen it yet. --John

If you don't mind updating me on the HO leather from panhandle leather. That's a pretty good price. Would like to know what you thought about it

[howlback]

On 8/23/2018 at 2:44 PM, Hasbeencowboy said:

I have been buying English Bridle and skirting leather from Wickett and Craig.  I have no complaints.  I bought  a few items from  Springfield Leather some time back and they charged me $25 for shipping and according to the invoice shipping was $17 or $18 , so in my opinion, what I bought wasn't all that good of a deal.  Just something to consider.

 

 

Never worked with Bridle before. Does it burnish?

[garypl]

43 minutes ago, howlback said:

Never worked with Bridle before. Does it burnish?

I just bought a side of bridle leather from W&C and it stamps and burnishes just fine!

Gary

[JKHelms]

I just got a side of 12 oz. W&C English bridle off their overstock. I think it was 165.00.

beautiful leather