Leather We Use (Summary)

February 16, 2019

We use several standard types of leather for all of our camera and guitar straps, including Horween Chromexcel and Crazy Horse style leather from several great tanneries.  The following is a brief summary of the types of leather we offer and the colors currently available.

Horween Chromexcel

Horween Chromexcel is the signature leather for one of the USA's oldest and most famous tanneries.  Chromexcel is a full grain, medium soft leather with a shiny top and contrasting pull up.  It has a signature smell and a nice soft flesh side with a short nap. 

It has a medium hand, meaning it's stiff enough to not be floppy but flexible enough that it's not ridged...basically perfect almost every type of leather good!  To learn more about the specifics Chromexcel, check out this article.

The Chromexcel we use typically 6oz to 7oz(~2.5mm), meaning its a medium-heavy thickness.  This helps to prevent excessive stretching that can happen with lighter weight Chromexcel. 

Crazy Horse

Crazy Horse is a style of leather characterized by a matte fished side, contrasting pull up and soft napped flesh side.

We current source out Crazy Horse leather includes Tasman Leather from Maine, USA and Sepici Leather from Turkey.

It has a medium hand, meaning it's stiff enough to not be floppy but flexible enough that it's not ridged...basically perfect almost every type of leather good!  To learn more about the specifics Crazy Horse, check out this article.

We select Crazy Horse leathers that run 5oz to 6oz (~2mm).  Being a medium thickness, this weight works well for all leather goods.  

 

Other Leathers

Occasionally we get our hands on other styles of leathers on a limited basis.  Occasionally we use them to make our core products like our camera and guitar straps.  Most of the time we use the opportunity to make limited run products like tote bags, notebook covers, wallets, and other EDC gear.  Check out the Ready to Ship Section of the site of in-stock items and core products market with Limited Color.  

•  Horween Essex | Dublin | Derby
• Essex is Horween's signature vegetable tanned leather.  A waxed top is added to create Dublin.  Derby is the waxed top Dublin tumbled during the coloring process to produce a contrasty, wrinkled finish perfect for a vintage look. 
• Horween Equine Chromexcel
• Same tanning recipe as regular Chromexcel but made from equine (horse) rather than bovine (cow).  This yields a much smaller overall hide with a little firmer hand, more shine, and a tight flesh side compared to traditional bovine Chromexcel.
• Tasman Buffed Nubuck
• Nubuck and suede leathers are similar in that the finished side is a napped leather, much a full grain leather's flesh side.  Nubuck is made by sanding down the outer layer a full grain leather.  Suede is the inner portion of full grain leather (the top layer is cut off) and sanded to a fluffy nap. 
• Tasman Oil Tanned (Sunset)
• Oil tanned leather is a chrome tanned leather packed full of fats, waxes, and oils.  It has a slightly "oily" feel to it,  This yields a super soft and flexible leather with crazy contrasting pull up.  

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