Horween or Shinki- Whose horse is your pick?

[ButteMT61]

The above statement has a number of inaccuracies.Shinki leather is not the most revered and certainly not the most expensive horsehide in the world. But sure it's a high quality leather. 8-9 mm is 2oz and 3oz is 1.1 - 1.2mm

I would hope one would correct an inaccuracy with an accurate statement. You mean .8 -.9 mm perhaps?

 

[andyfalzon]

yes that's what I mean

 

[indigoeagle]

1oz=0.4mm; 1mm=2.5oz
It seems that for Japanese shinki horse hide 1.2-1.3mm (i.e. 3-3.25oz) is the norm.

 

[indigoeagle]

Does anyone know whether the Horween horse hide comes in all varieties chrome-tanned, chrome/veg and veg-tanned?
And which one is the most common one?
What about cordovan? If one gets a pair of Aldens in cordovan, is that veg tanned?
Interesting that generally no information is given on this when otherwise all the other details are obsessed about whether it's jackets or boots.

 

[Deusis]

Sorry for resurrecting an old thread but I thought I would supply some picture comparisons of both Horween and Shinki Hikaku Shell Cordovan.

From my experience, Horween tends to have more variation in the thickness throughout the shell and the overall feel is much more waxy. Shinki Hikaku is a pretty consistent weight throughout and is more of a "plastic-y" feel which isn't necessarily a bad thing. While Horween Shell Cordovan feels waxy on both sides, Shinki Hikaku feels nappy, almost like a suede on the inside. Clayton Shell Cordovan is the closest to Horween Shell Cordovan in terms of thickness variation and feel.

Here is an image album of Horween Shell Cordovan, Shinki Hikaku Shell Cordovan, and Clayton Shell Cordovan as well as an album of just the Shinki Hikaku Shell Cordovan.

I hope this is helpful!

Horween #4 Shell Cordovan (Left) and Shinki Hikaku Burgundy Shell Cordovan (Right)


Shinki Hikaku Brown and Red Brown Shell Cordovan


Inner finish on Shinki Hikaku Shell Cordovan


Horween, Shinki Hikaku and Clayton Shell Cordovan

 

[nick123]

Nice stuff. Very elegant.

 

[zhz]

OK, forgive me if I am asking something stupid, but Shinki is veg-tanned and Horween is CXL, is it fair to compare these two? I mean these are totally two different things, they both great and have their own characters...

 

[nick123]

I think we lump those two together because they're really the only named tanneries talked about here. I certainly can't name any others...perhaps tanneries are guarded secrets by manufacturers but it wouldn't hurt to add one or two more specific tanneries into the pool of discussion.

 

[handymike]

I was trying to figure which type of jacket to go with, and I was looking for informed opinion. At the time, very few of us had jackets made of Shinki. I just received my dream jacket today (Shinki) and I'm soooo happy I went the way I did!

 

[Superfluous]

I just received my dream jacket today (Shinki) and I'm soooo happy I went the way I did!

 

[handymike]

Patience, Señor!
I need some alone time with the jacket before I share

 

[Sloan1874]

Shinki at its best is beautiful stuff, and hard to beat.

 

[Superfluous]

I think we lump those two together because they're really the only named tanneries talked about here. I certainly can't name any others...perhaps tanneries are guarded secrets by manufacturers but it wouldn't hurt to add one or two more specific tanneries into the pool of discussion.

Some jacket manufacturers are very guarded regarding the tanneries they patronize. Others freely share the information.

Frankly, the identity of the tannery is not terribly important. Most tanneries offer several different variations of HH and other hides. Horween offers literally dozens of different hides ( http://horween.com/leathers/full-tannage-list/ ). Some are heavy weight -- others are mid weight -- some are veg tanned -- others are not -- some are aniline finished -- others are not -- some are full grain -- others are not). Therefore, stating that a jacket is made from "Horween HH" conveys very little information regarding the character of the leather. We commonly refer to "Shinki" HH as though there is only one variant of HH produced by Shinki (and that may be the case). However, Shinki may produce several different HHs. For example, I am told that the Shinki HH used by The Few is finished differently than the Shinki HH used by RMC -- this Shinki hide may have the same characteristics as other Shinki hides except for the finishing, or it may have other differences (or it may be identical and my source is mistaken). I have handled certain Flat Head jackets made using Shinki HH that feel thicker/stiffer than other Shinki jackets, but my subjective observation is far from meaningful.

 

[bretron]

Yeah john told me personally that Shinki will pretty much make whatever he wants color wise, but he specifically has to demand that they don't hot press it to get the grain out of it, as I guess the Japanese like their sh*t crispy fried and without character

 

[bretron]

Patience, Señor!
I need some alone time with the jacket before I share

C'mon, Eric! You'll have the rest of your life to enjoy it- we've been waiting

 

[zhz]

The shinki I saw on RMC is smooth and shinny, TBH I don't like this kind of effect, the one John uses looks much better. Also, how about warhorse and Liberty HH used by EMC and BK? They also look very good.

 

[Superfluous]

Yeah john told me personally that Shinki will pretty much make whatever he wants color wise, but he specifically has to demand that they don't hot press it to get the grain out of it, as I guess the Japanese like their sh*t crispy fried and without character

John told me the same thing, BUT he was referring to The Few, and not all Japanese manufacturers. NOT all Japanese manufacturers produce flattened, grainless, "crispy fried" Shinki jackets. To the contrary, many Japanese Shinki jackets have plenty of grain. The Japanese manufacturers tend to seek less grain for their A-2s and other military repros -- hence The Few's use of Shinki with less character. Even RMC appears to use Shinki leather with less character for their A-2s, as compared to RMC's Buco jackets. I am not sure why this is the case.

 

[regius]

could anyone tell me Shinki's website or contact info??

 

[Superfluous]

could anyone tell me Shinki's website or contact info??

Website: http://shinki-hikaku.jp/

Good luck communicating with them. I once e-mailed them a question regarding their leather. Several months later, they forwarded my old e-mail to John Chapman and asked him to respond.

 

[regius]

Website: http://shinki-hikaku.jp/

Good luck communicating with them. I once e-mailed them a question regarding their leather. Several months later, they forwarded my old e-mail to John Chapman and asked him to respond.

what the hell?? lol, luckily, i work for a Japanese company, trading in particular, we may one day start importing Shinki HH, haha. I'll have my sourcing department email them in Japanese.