Cowhide vs horsehide vs buffalo?
#41
06-09-2013, 02:22 PM
Advanced
I make, and restore, a lot of saddle bags and bike accessories and have used Cow, Buffalo and Horse hide for various items. Simply put, regardless of the hide, if you use the correct weight hide for the application and look after it properly, all of these hides will last as long as each other.
As far as abrasion resistance is concerned, Buffalo tends to be the hardest wearing, especially for really hard scrapes, or god forbid sliding down the road with 300 lbs of motorcycle on top. That said, any of these hides arent gonna look pretty after a bad scrape.
Horse hide marks easier, but as far as tough goes it wears very well, and tends to be more supple than cow or buffalo.
Deer or Elk is the way to go for gloves.
As with everything, looking after your leather will significantly increase its longevity. I see gear come in for restoration all the time that could have been avoided if it's owner spend 30 mins once a month oiling or treating the leather.
If you are storing bags etc for winter, dont shove them in a plastic bag, leather needs to breath. Moist or Humid storage aint good either. Cool dry storage with a simple cotton sheet over the top will be just right, and oil your gear before you store it away.
Sorry for the leather lesson, as much as I appreciate the restoration work, i would rather see the gear out and in use and looked after
As far as abrasion resistance is concerned, Buffalo tends to be the hardest wearing, especially for really hard scrapes, or god forbid sliding down the road with 300 lbs of motorcycle on top. That said, any of these hides arent gonna look pretty after a bad scrape.
Horse hide marks easier, but as far as tough goes it wears very well, and tends to be more supple than cow or buffalo.
Deer or Elk is the way to go for gloves.
As with everything, looking after your leather will significantly increase its longevity. I see gear come in for restoration all the time that could have been avoided if it's owner spend 30 mins once a month oiling or treating the leather.
If you are storing bags etc for winter, dont shove them in a plastic bag, leather needs to breath. Moist or Humid storage aint good either. Cool dry storage with a simple cotton sheet over the top will be just right, and oil your gear before you store it away.
Sorry for the leather lesson, as much as I appreciate the restoration work, i would rather see the gear out and in use and looked after
Hey Krazy 8s - any suggestions / recommendations for the breaking-in and maintenance of a new horsehide jacket? I've read conflicting stuff online...everything from "do nothing at all" to "get a water bottle and spray the hide when wearing the jacket".
Thanks in advance!
#42
06-09-2013, 06:15 PM
I did alot of research on this a few years ago. Buffalo is supposed to be the toughest and thickest. If it is treated properly by both the factory and you, it is supposed to be one of the softest most supple and most toughest leathers you can use for a jacket. The only drawback is it is heavier then cowhide.
Horsehide???? Dude, never heard that one, but I don't know everything....close but not quite...
Horsehide???? Dude, never heard that one, but I don't know everything....close but not quite...
#43
06-10-2013, 08:12 AM
Resurrecting an old thread (again)!
Hey Krazy 8s - any suggestions / recommendations for the breaking-in and maintenance of a new horsehide jacket? I've read conflicting stuff online...everything from "do nothing at all" to "get a water bottle and spray the hide when wearing the jacket".
Thanks in advance!
Hey Krazy 8s - any suggestions / recommendations for the breaking-in and maintenance of a new horsehide jacket? I've read conflicting stuff online...everything from "do nothing at all" to "get a water bottle and spray the hide when wearing the jacket".
Thanks in advance!
If you want it looking "care worn", just wear it and look after it as per normal, it'll age naturally and will stop looking "new" in a month or 2.
Give it time to develop a natural look and patina, takes longer, but is much better for the leather, and looks better too.
#44
06-12-2013, 07:44 PM
Advanced
iqbaliqbal, depends what you mean by "Broken in". If you mean you want it looking aged and vintage real fast, go riding in the rain a couple of times and get it good and properly soaked. Horse hide, when it gets soaked through becomes maleable and will retain any creases once its dry, and will look like you've been living in it for years. Let it dry out at room temperature.
If you want it looking "care worn", just wear it and look after it as per normal, it'll age naturally and will stop looking "new" in a month or 2.
Give it time to develop a natural look and patina, takes longer, but is much better for the leather, and looks better too.
If you want it looking "care worn", just wear it and look after it as per normal, it'll age naturally and will stop looking "new" in a month or 2.
Give it time to develop a natural look and patina, takes longer, but is much better for the leather, and looks better too.
#46
06-12-2013, 09:59 PM
Cruiser
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: atlanta
Posts: 242
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My preference is horsehide. I've had my Legendary (made by Schott by the way)for 4 late Fall/Winter/Spring seasons now, and it's incredible. The first year it was a pain in the ***.
#47
06-13-2013, 01:21 AM
And nothing of Kangaroo either, been wearing Held roo gloves for several years and they have held up (no pun intended) better than any glove I've ever owned. Said to be four times more resistant to tearing and with almost twice the abrasion resistance of conventional cow leather, kangaroo leather also has the advantage of being substantially thinner (and thus lighter) as well as supple and nearly impervious to sweat. Much of this is because kangaroo leather fibers run horizontally with the skin, whereas cowhide fibers are basically random
#48
06-13-2013, 01:23 PM
Kangaroo is seriously tough stuff and makes real nice gloves. Its nice for dress jackets etc but not to good for riding gear.
The problem despite its strength is that is thin. So if you're skidding down the asphalt in a roo jacket, the heat from friction will give you worse road rash than if you were wearing a thicker jacket.
The problem despite its strength is that is thin. So if you're skidding down the asphalt in a roo jacket, the heat from friction will give you worse road rash than if you were wearing a thicker jacket.
#50
06-13-2013, 04:03 PM
Kangaroo is seriously tough stuff and makes real nice gloves. Its nice for dress jackets etc but not to good for riding gear.
The problem despite its strength is that is thin. So if you're skidding down the asphalt in a roo jacket, the heat from friction will give you worse road rash than if you were wearing a thicker jacket.
The problem despite its strength is that is thin. So if you're skidding down the asphalt in a roo jacket, the heat from friction will give you worse road rash than if you were wearing a thicker jacket.
Many top brands of GP race suits are made of Kangaroo leather, it has been proven in the MotoGP world to work better and you know those guys still a lot more often and longer distances, higher speeds than any of us mere mortals.It may be thinner but it is stroger (10 times more than cow) and resists abrasion better than other leathers - yes it is thinner but in cow hide the part that gives it strength is underneath - the out layer quickly strips away