let's talk leather properties

[flounderpounder]

I was looking at a video showing a sharkskin strap from panatime. The guy was saying how soft and almost velvetlike it was. I realized while we all can see what a particular type of leather looks like it may be vastly different in terms of feeling, suppleness, durability, and so on. For those of you out there that own a lot of different types of leather post your thoughts on them. Also if straps from different sources tend to have distiguishing charecteristics let's hear those two. And of course if you have a favorite material and maker I'd love to hear it.

Unfortunately I own no straps yet so I can't comment. but I'm in the process of aquiring a stingray strap from Hamilton leather and I'll be ordering a panatime vintage ostrich leg too. When I get them I'll chime in with my thoughts.

 

[silverclaw]

My favorite material is the XaMAS / Strapmasters butterscotch. It's pliable, but holds its
shape, and it's pretty soft, but best of all, it patinas very very well.

Another one of my favorites is basically any PAV leather. Those are very nice. My pav91 strap from Mario Paci is incredible.

I dislike exotic leathers so I can't comment on that. Hamilton / Eric is a good choice, however, I would suggest looking on paneristi.com for second hand stuff.

 

[tootall]

I realized while we all can see what a particular type of leather looks like it may be vastly different in terms of feeling, suppleness, durability, and so on.

I asked a very similar question a few years ago. And I think it all boils down to 2 camps. Those who prefer the brand of a maker, and those who appreciate the material used. Sure there are exceptions, but that is pretty much the rule. So you will get a ton of different answers.

 

[flounderpounder]

I hope to see a lot of different answers from different people. Hamilton is trying to source some blue sanded stingray for me right now. So I can't wait to get that band. Its the type that has the bumps sanded down to make it flat and it has a very distinctive white and blue almost honeycomb look. I was going to get grey and black but I changed my mind.

The panatime vintage ostrich is only $54 so I figure I can't go wrong.

I've done a lot of leatherwork in the past so I will probably make a few straps myself. But I've never worked in exotics so I'll probably stick to cow leather and try for a distressed vintage look. I have all the tools including a huge chunk of leather left over from other projects. So I'm good to go.

 

[tootall]

I think one major confusion is that people describe something as soft, when in fact they mean pliable.

 

[vvind]

this is a confusing thread. everyone will say kinda random stuff
one person might like one strap so much but another might hate it so much
straps are confusinggg
wish i could have all the straps in front of me then i can feel and test everyone to pick the perfect ones for myself lol

ive had 5 custom straps made already and heres what i have to say

bakeka straps- italian leather- its hard but after wearing long time it should soften abit. It still feels very very comfy and probably my favorite strap i have.

gunny - grey strap, its so damn soft like tissue paper. It absorbs sweat easy. Its the total opposite of my bakeka straps. At first i did not like it, but because i custom the perfect size to my wrist it hugs wrist very nicely. Also because its so soft, its comfortable. I started liking this more and more as i wore it. Its a good strap but totally different from bakekas italian leather. Gunny also has harder leathers so ask him.

Tedsu crocodile strap - its medium soft. I thought it would be harder. I figure harder would be better cause the it would feel more durable and keep its shape. I heard its what they put on the backside of the croc or inside the strap that makes how hard it is. So just ask the seller. I just feel croc straps medium hardness would be good

snpr straps horween leather - this leather is the hardest leather ive tried, it about same as bakekas italian leather but maybe a bit harder. Maybe because it was 5inch thick im not sure. For really hard leathers like this i think 4mm is good enough. If you go 5mm and thicker, it will be a pain in the A. Maybe other people like this, but i definitely dont!

 

[flounderpounder]

Ok so the ostrich leg from panatime came today. I still don't have a watch for it lol. But it's very stiff and quite glossy. I was hoping since I picked the vintage version it would look worn. It doesn't but no biggie since I can always wear it in myself. It's going on a kw bronzo which is currently somewhere between guangzhou and here. The strap is quite stiff but I began to work it back and forth which softened it a lot. I was hoping for a more luxurious feel but what can you expect for $50 I guess. Time will tell how it breaks in.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

 

[tootall]

this is a confusing thread. everyone will say kinda random stuff
one person might like one strap so much but another might hate it so much
straps are confusinggg
wish i could have all the straps in front of me then i can feel and test everyone to pick the perfect ones for myself lol

ive had 5 custom straps made already and heres what i have to say

bakeka straps- italian leather- its hard but after wearing long time it should soften abit. It still feels very very comfy and probably my favorite strap i have.

gunny - grey strap, its so damn soft like tissue paper. It absorbs sweat easy. Its the total opposite of my bakeka straps. At first i did not like it, but because i custom the perfect size to my wrist it hugs wrist very nicely. Also because its so soft, its comfortable. I started liking this more and more as i wore it. Its a good strap but totally different from bakekas italian leather. Gunny also has harder leathers so ask him.

Tedsu crocodile strap - its medium soft. I thought it would be harder. I figure harder would be better cause the it would feel more durable and keep its shape. I heard its what they put on the backside of the croc or inside the strap that makes how hard it is. So just ask the seller. I just feel croc straps medium hardness would be good

snpr straps horween leather - this leather is the hardest leather ive tried, it about same as bakekas italian leather but maybe a bit harder. Maybe because it was 5inch thick im not sure. For really hard leathers like this i think 4mm is good enough. If you go 5mm and thicker, it will be a pain in the A. Maybe other people like this, but i definitely dont!

This was a well thought out reply. And it confirms my point above about prefering the brand of the maker. All of these (probably could add Simona) are supposed to be the top echelon of custom makers. But each one has their own style, and that style is not to everyone's liking. Many people will never venture outside of these more popular "makers" and thus they tend to believe all others must fit into these same categories.