Uneven grain/crease on a Horsehide?

[blobsterroll]

I am not sure if I am just seeing things or if this is normal, but after a Schott Horsehide I decided to cop a Doulbe Helix Works 'Deviant' Teacore Black jacket from Snake Oil Provisions.

It is very grainy/creasey out of the box (or so I think) and very stiff. And looking at the upper left sleeve/triceps area of the jacket it seems to be softer and more creased than the other parts (picture of it beside the other sleeve). Attached pic highlighted in red. Maybe a weak point as it ages.

It seems to be one panel of Horsehide but its softer, more creased and feels more "broken in" than the rest of the jacket and of that sleeve panel, meaning the forearm area of the same cut is smoother like the other sleeve. Maybe SOP sent me an old jacket? A jacket that they let customers try on? It did come from LA all the way to Germany in a box in the summer so idk if thats the reason, they dont do refunds either!

Is this normal? Not what I expect from a $2k Japanese Horsehide jacket...

 

[ton312]

Does it feel thinner or just more broken in? If the panel itself is thinner, that’s no good. If it’s simply showing more grain, but has the same thickness, that’s just leather.

 

[Marc mndt]

Is this normal? Not what I expect from a $2k Japanese Horsehide jacket...

Soms hides have a tendency to crease more / faster than others. This is not something thats apparent when cutting the panels. So yes, this is perfectly normal and you don't have to worry about structural integrity. Unless it's loose grain (when the grain is pulling away from the layers below).

Why didn't you order from Burg und Schild? They're local plus they have a 14 day return policy (obligated by European legislation)

https://www.burgundschild.com/en/clothing/jackets/leather-jackets/horsehide-jacket-deviant-black

 

[blobsterroll]

Does it feel thinner or just more broken in? If the panel itself is thinner, that’s no good. If it’s simply showing more grain, but has the same thickness, that’s just leather.

Not thinner, just... crumpled (?)

Just not what I am expecting from a $2K jacket. I will probably sell it and find a Shinki or Himeji. I'd like for it to last a long time and age with me. Still on a quest for a Buy It For Life type of jacket.

 

[blobsterroll]

Soms hides have a tendency to crease more / faster than others. This is not always apparent when cutting the panels. So yes, this is perfectly normal and you don't have to worry about structural integrity. Unless it's loose grain (when the grain is pulling away from the layers below).

Why didn't you order from Burg und Schild? They're local plus they have a 14 day return policy (obligated by European legislation)

https://www.burgundschild.com/en/clothing/jackets/leather-jackets/horsehide-jacket-deviant-black

No. I am a US employee so I dont get taxed when ordering from the States. Also SOP brags of a discount for people like me, but they have not gone through with that either. SMDH. Will probably put it on sale though. I guess this is not what I am looking for, which is a shame because IMHO it fits me well and is comfortable to wear.

But no, the leather is not pulling away or anything.

 

[blobsterroll]

Wait, before I post this in classifieds...

Is shinki leather any better?

 

[Marc mndt]

I will probably sell it and find a Shinki or Himeji

You might end up with the same 'issue'. Here's some pics of one of my shinki jackets. When new and after three years of regular wear. Note the third sleeve panel (under the pits).

If you want a jacket with perfectly smooth panels, you might not want to buy leather.

 

[El Marro]

Not thinner, just... crumpled (?)

Just not what I am expecting from a $2K jacket. I will probably sell it and find a Shinki or Himeji.

My IHJ-54-BLK (which is made with horsehide tanned in Himeji) has one sleeve panel that Is much softer and grainier than any other part of the jacket. It has been like that since the day I received the jacket and initially I thought that the other panels would break in similarly but they haven’t.
As I recall this bothered me a bit when the jacket was brand new but over time it is less noticeable with wear and I think it is something that can happen when you are dealing with leather.

 

[El Marro]

Wait, before I post this in classifieds...

Is shinki leather any better?

No, nor is it any worse.

 

[blobsterroll]

You might end up with the same 'issue'. Here's some pics of one of my shinki jackets. When new and after three years of regular wear. Note the third sleeve panel (under the pits).

If you want a jacket with perfectly smooth panels, you might not want to buy leather.

View attachment 439170 View attachment 439168 View attachment 439169

Your pics are better but yes it's like that with mine too!

 

[blobsterroll]

No, nor is it any worse.

Gotcha. I just saw that Fjorde in YouTube says that Shinki may age slower and stay looking brand new than say, Horween.

We don't have a lot of case studies regarding Nita tannery (Double Helix) though

 

[blobsterroll]

Not to be a jerk ITT but the Schott leather is pretty consistent and uniform... just bad fitting, and less quality leather in terms of tanning and aging

 

[Marc mndt]

I just saw that Fjorde in YouTube says that Shinki may age slower and stay looking brand new than say, Horween.

Lol Fjorde doesn't know shit. Shinki is just the name of the tannery. They process horsehide, deerskin, full aniline, semi aniline and what have you. Different hides / processing methods, different qualities. Saying 'Shinki' has this or that quality is total bs.

Here's what 'slow aging Shinki' looks like, worn 10 times.

the Schott leather is pretty consistent and uniform...

Schott's steerhide is chrome tanned and corrected.

 

[JMax]

Normal. I’ve got vintage jackets that do the same. Even a jacket by LW, with its “uniform” hides, does this. I like it.

The jacket looks ace in the pictures.

 

[Kevin the Devon]

Lol Fjorde doesn't know shit. Shinki is just the name of the tannery. They process horsehide, deerskin, full aniline, semi aniline and what have you. Different hides / processing methods, different qualities. Saying 'Shinki' has this or that quality is total bs.

Here's what 'slow aging Shinki' looks like, worn 10 times.

View attachment 439177


Schott's steerhide is chrome tanned and corrected.

Wow amazing looking jacket.
Even this jacket the sleeves have different creases.
What finish is the leather? Is it horse hide and that's how all horse hide looks?

 

[Marc mndt]

Wow amazing looking jacket.
Even this jacket the sleeves have different creases.
What finish is the leather? Is it horse hide and that's how all horse hide looks?

It's semi aniline pony / horsehide. Here's some additional pics.

 

[blobsterroll]

Lol Fjorde doesn't know shit. Shinki is just the name of the tannery. They process horsehide, deerskin, full aniline, semi aniline and what have you. Different hides / processing methods, different qualities. Saying 'Shinki' has this or that quality is total bs.

Here's what 'slow aging Shinki' looks like, worn 10 times.

View attachment 439177


Schott's steerhide is chrome tanned and corrected.

I had the Schott Horsehide and what I was referring to.

I thought the tannery/the way it was tanned had an effect on its aging.

Thats a badass jacket! I bet if you put some leather conditioner on it, it will look brand new again.

 

[BloodEagle]

To the OP, if thats bothers you I'd consider not buying any leather jacket at all - in about 2 weeks thats going to completely dissappear as all the other parts of the jacket get broken in to - particularly in that high movement area. Its a complete non-issue, to the point that (and I really dont mean this to sound rude), I thought this might be a parody post at first.

 

[El Marro]

To the OP, if thats bothers you I'd consider not buying any leather jacket at all - in about 2 weeks thats going to completely dissappear as all the other parts of the jacket get broken in to - particularly in that high movement area. Its a complete non-issue, to the point that (and I really dont mean this to sound rude), I thought this might be a parody post at first.

Part of me it’s in total agreement with this sentiment, and yet another part of me totally understands where the OP is coming from.
If every single leather jacket we purchased had some type of idiosyncracy or noticeable flaw then it would be fair to say just deal with it. The fact of the matter though is that most of my leather jackets have fairly uniform grain and characteristics across all of the panels. When I have received a jacket where one panel is quite different I have certainly taken note of the fact.
I agree that with wear this should become much less noticeable but I can also see why our OP was surprised and disappointed.

 

[Imuricecreamman]

From most of the pics, I'd say this jacket exhibits what most of us here consider as "desirable" grain characteristics. Uneven thickness is something else and something that would possibly annoy me.