John has another site that specialises in leather wear, it'll go great with all the fine leather cases. He doesn't advertise on this site since he has another forum that he frequents. http://www.leatherxdesigns.com/index.php 
Quality of leather in cases
- Thread starter ronscuba
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As the thread starter, I'd like to request to keep things on topic. There is a lot of very good information in this thread. It would be a shame if posts turned to side topics over labor costs, economics and personal differences.
I know this is a public discussion board and threads can take a life of there own, so I can only respectfully ask.
I know this is a public discussion board and threads can take a life of there own, so I can only respectfully ask.
If I have offended you with my posts I am sorry. However, I only referenced a site that was presented by one of the forum Case Makers and in my opinion an expert on Leather.
I'm not offended, but I think everyone can agree there is good valuable information in this thread that will be accessible to all in the future via the search function.
It would be a shame for all the good info to get lost if the thread turns toward off topic stuff.
It would be a shame for all the good info to get lost if the thread turns toward off topic stuff.
Haha it's AZ and it would be abnormal if a thread doesn't go off topic. Anyway good thread and like you said, loads of great info here.
Gee and earlier you told us twice that you don't know much about leather. Suddenly you are an expert on tanning in China. So mr expert how long should it take for my cases to fall apart? I think you can embarrass yourself all day trying to find a customer of mine whose case is falling apart.
Are you suffering from dementia? I have no other explanation for the outright lies you are making up. The secret to my success is delivering a case that the customer feels is a great investment. Reverse engineering? Dude these are cue cases not computers. I think that my record of innovation is clear baby Huey.
I think you are a liar. I don't think you have done a tenth of what you claim to have done. But no one here knows the difference do they? On here you can be whoever you want to be.
Well sure. If you are a liar then there is no end to what you can lie about.
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It is guys dressed in leather outfits. Some good info about leather there. I bet Hu is placing his order right now.
jb & shootingarts... and ronscuba
would you two - stop please?
jb fwiw: during liming the hide swells greatly, the fibers open like a sponge does. i guess this is what someone may think of as being an inch thick because it looks so unusual but from memory i would guess it can be over 1/2 inch+ on the high side [not an inch to my experience]
shooter: please trust me when i say you do not really know china. this thread is about cases so i do not want to make it about china. that's for another day, another thread
ronscuba, i suggest you find a case that you buy in person. i think you will be happiest that way. and it is not just the quality of leather either, that is not necessarily what will make you love your case imo
rusty makes the most beautiful tooled cases, check them out. i hope to buy one because they are pure art. jb also makes great cases and he will make me one of his 'mason' cases soon
and just so you know, the most recent cases i bought were 2 sterling cases; a 2x3 and a 4x8 that jb worked with sterling on and are not even leather and they are great cases none the less
many folks love their jack justice case and also whitten's cases, both are great cases and there are many other options available to you. check jb's website; he lists a lot of case makers on his links page [in case you did not know, but i assume you did]
anyway, keep us posted on what you end up with and Good Luck!
and, Enjoy your new case!
all the best,
smokey
would you two - stop please?
jb fwiw: during liming the hide swells greatly, the fibers open like a sponge does. i guess this is what someone may think of as being an inch thick because it looks so unusual but from memory i would guess it can be over 1/2 inch+ on the high side [not an inch to my experience]
shooter: please trust me when i say you do not really know china. this thread is about cases so i do not want to make it about china. that's for another day, another thread
ronscuba, i suggest you find a case that you buy in person. i think you will be happiest that way. and it is not just the quality of leather either, that is not necessarily what will make you love your case imo
rusty makes the most beautiful tooled cases, check them out. i hope to buy one because they are pure art. jb also makes great cases and he will make me one of his 'mason' cases soon
and just so you know, the most recent cases i bought were 2 sterling cases; a 2x3 and a 4x8 that jb worked with sterling on and are not even leather and they are great cases none the less
many folks love their jack justice case and also whitten's cases, both are great cases and there are many other options available to you. check jb's website; he lists a lot of case makers on his links page [in case you did not know, but i assume you did]
anyway, keep us posted on what you end up with and Good Luck!
and, Enjoy your new case!
all the best,
smokey
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I am new to AZ and pool, but a regular on other boards. I know well how threads always go off topic and often lead to debate and drama that have nothing to do with the topic. It's almost guaranteed, but at least I can try to prevent it. Some will say resistance is futile.
Funny you mention Whitten, Justis and JB cases. They were the 3 that stuck in my mind. My wife liked the sleek unique Whitten look. The Justis had clean lines with unmistakeable class and quality. The JB cases had variety of styles and the quality was clear.
If I was a case collector I would buy all three and a few others. But for my 1st custom case, it will be a JB because of the variety of styles to choose from. I just have to save the money and decide on the design. The info in this thread is helping with the decisions. I am very happy to know I can have deep carving without a glossy plastic look.
Funny you mention Whitten, Justis and JB cases. They were the 3 that stuck in my mind. My wife liked the sleek unique Whitten look. The Justis had clean lines with unmistakeable class and quality. The JB cases had variety of styles and the quality was clear.
If I was a case collector I would buy all three and a few others. But for my 1st custom case, it will be a JB because of the variety of styles to choose from. I just have to save the money and decide on the design. The info in this thread is helping with the decisions. I am very happy to know I can have deep carving without a glossy plastic look.
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My case of choice is the Instroke - built like a German tank, compared to those cases you just mentioned.
The Instroke is not built stronger than JB Cases. I took everything I learned from developing Instroke cases and went much farther to build the JB cases.
Just wanted to clarify that.
The leather Instroke tube cases looked good. JB cases were built very very well. As good as or better than the Instroke.
I am looking for a unique carved butterfly case. The Instroke Butterfly looked and felt like vinyl.
I love the oiled leather on my Tough Love case...and it smells soooooo good. Perfect for everyday carry.
What John can do with a Butterfly case might just amaze you.
I am using a vinyl Lucasi butterfly right now. It's a great case for the money. I've been experimenting putting various cheap sticker/decals on the Lucasi to decide on the carving design I want when I order a leather butterfly from John.
My 2 cents
The thinner leathers are less expensive. Not too much, but less. What they mean by the thinner leathers will be split at no extra charge is that they will make it the weight (Thickness) you want without charging you an extra amount. It doesn't have anything to do with the price of the thinner leather.
The interesting thing is what they do with the part that is cut away.(don't know if anyone else explained this yet) So you have 10 oz. leather and the
top grain is the most valuable part of the leather, that is what everyone uses to carve and that is where the feel is when you touch it. So now, after you have split off a 4 oz. thickness with the top grain on it, you have a 6 oz. piece of leather with no top grain. What they do with it is refinish it. In other words, they will work on the top of the split and put a fake top on it. They will even print a new grain in it and sometimes it is very hard to tell if it is the original top grain. This is where the price drops dramatically and people who produce junk are able to say that it is genuine leather, which it is.
Usually things that feel like they have been painted and stiff are this type of leather.
Don't know of any case makers that use split and refinished leather, but I would assume some of the cheap cases do.
I would say, just go by the feel of it. If you like it, and you like the way it feels and looks, it is a good deal for you.
Thanks,
Jim
The thinner leathers are less expensive. Not too much, but less. What they mean by the thinner leathers will be split at no extra charge is that they will make it the weight (Thickness) you want without charging you an extra amount. It doesn't have anything to do with the price of the thinner leather.
The interesting thing is what they do with the part that is cut away.(don't know if anyone else explained this yet) So you have 10 oz. leather and the
top grain is the most valuable part of the leather, that is what everyone uses to carve and that is where the feel is when you touch it. So now, after you have split off a 4 oz. thickness with the top grain on it, you have a 6 oz. piece of leather with no top grain. What they do with it is refinish it. In other words, they will work on the top of the split and put a fake top on it. They will even print a new grain in it and sometimes it is very hard to tell if it is the original top grain. This is where the price drops dramatically and people who produce junk are able to say that it is genuine leather, which it is.
Usually things that feel like they have been painted and stiff are this type of leather.
Don't know of any case makers that use split and refinished leather, but I would assume some of the cheap cases do.
I would say, just go by the feel of it. If you like it, and you like the way it feels and looks, it is a good deal for you.
Thanks,
Jim
Hi Jim, Thanks for the info on what they do with what they split off.
I just got off the phone with Wicket & Craig and all of the tooling leather from 8-10 oz and down is the same price, no price difference at all. So the 8-10 is priced the same as 2-4 oz., 4-6oz., 6-8oz. They told me the only price break is they split it for free. I thought that was how it read but I'm usually wrong, so I just called and got the information straight from them.
Rusty
Just an FYI.
Had to delete a couple messages from this thread due to a request from the site that the photo was taken from.
Mike
Had to delete a couple messages from this thread due to a request from the site that the photo was taken from.
Mike
both
Well, I called W&C and I have been paying the same for my 9-10 oz. and the 3-4, but there is a difference in cost if the leather is thicker than 9-10. The price goes up after that. Well, I was wrong and right. I just didn't know where.
Thanks,
Jim
Well, I called W&C and I have been paying the same for my 9-10 oz. and the 3-4, but there is a difference in cost if the leather is thicker than 9-10. The price goes up after that. Well, I was wrong and right. I just didn't know where.
Thanks,
Jim
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