Help with leather choice / understanding

[gtrplyr]

I am getting a custom leather jacket made by Johnson Leathers. I have narrowed the leather choices down to either their 3.25 - 3.5oz SFPD leather, or 4oz CXL over-dye (not sure if it comes from Horween or another tannery). I have the sample of SFPD and the CXL is coming with my fit jacket. The problem is that seeing a 2"x3" sample doesn't always translate to a good perception for an entire jacket.

Is anyone familiar with Johnson's SFPD leather? How does it wear? How does it hold up to rain? How does it age? How does it look (let's be honest, some leathers look nicer than others)? Alan said it is an Aniline leather (not exactly sure what that is or how that compares to CXL).

I owned a CXL FQHH from Aero in the past and the chemical smell got to me so I sold it, but I liked the look of the jacket (was really stiff though). I owned a Langlitz in heavy cowhide which I really liked the leather but the fit was off (Langlitz took it back). I have owned many Vansons in competition weight which I was thinking was some sort of CXL, but I could be wrong. My Model B's comp weight leather is very nice and soft while being thick and has a beautiful finish.

One thing I know I want is a smooth leather (little to no grain), and while it may sound strange I like a creaky jacket. Right now I'm leaning towards the SFPD, but am open to suggestions.

Thoughts?

 

[ton312]

The overdye I have is super grainy. I

I am getting a custom leather jacket made by Johnson Leathers. I have narrowed the leather choices down to either their 3.25 - 3.5oz SFPD leather, or 4oz CXL over-dye (not sure if it comes from Horween or another tannery). I have the sample of SFPD and the CXL is coming with my fit jacket. The problem is that seeing a 2"x3" sample doesn't always translate to a good perception for an entire jacket.

Is anyone familiar with Johnson's SFPD leather? How does it wear? How does it hold up to rain? How does it age? How does it look (let's be honest, some leathers look nicer than others)? Alan said it is an Aniline leather (not exactly sure what that is or how that compares to CXL).

I owned a CXL FQHH from Aero in the past and the chemical smell got to me so I sold it, but I liked the look of the jacket (was really stiff though). I owned a Langlitz in heavy cowhide which I really liked the leather but the fit was off (Langlitz took it back). I have owned many Vansons in competition weight which I was thinking was some sort of CXL, but I could be wrong. My Model B's comp weight leather is very nice and soft while being thick and has a beautiful finish.

One thing I know I want is a smooth leather (little to no grain), and while it may sound strange I like a creaky jacket. Right now I'm leaning towards the SFPD, but am open to suggestions.

Thoughts?

The CXL overdye is very similar to the CXL FQHH you had but the batch I have (at least in the sleeves) is quite grainy. CXL is exclusive to Horween Tannery. Vanson's comp weight is exclusive to Vanson, they don't use CXL. Is the SFPD the "house" leather Alan makes his jackets from? I had a fit jacket from him and if it's the same stuff it's very soft, nice heft but certainly not smooth. I think you'll have a bit of difficulty with the uniform smoothness. The leather panels that your jacket is constructed of will have their own plans and there is nothing that can be done to predict how it will break-in and what type of grain will develop. Just my experience...

 

[gtrplyr]

The overdye I have is super grainy. I

The CXL overdye is very similar to the CXL FQHH you had but the batch I have (at least in the sleeves) is quite grainy. CXL is exclusive to Horween Tannery. Vanson's comp weight is exclusive to Vanson, they don't use CXL. Is the SFPD the "house" leather Alan makes his jackets from? I had a fit jacket from him and if it's the same stuff it's very soft, nice heft but certainly not smooth. I think you'll have a bit of difficulty with the uniform smoothness. The leather panels that your jacket is constructed of will have their own plans and there is nothing that can be done to predict how it will break-in and what type of grain will develop. Just my experience...

I thought CXL (chromoexcel) was a type of dying and not exclusive to one tannery...? I could be wrong. As for Johnson's SFPD leather it is an "aniline" leather which I'm not familiar with and is made especially for Johnson Leather for their police jackets (hence the name SFPD). Alan said the fit jacket he is sending me is in brown cowhide, not the SFPD so I'm not sure if it is their standard leather. If the CXL overdye is from Horween I'll likely have to pass as my Aero was a CXL FQHH from Horween and the smell was terrible (burned my throat to wear it)... but I could be sensitive to smells.

 

[El Marro]

Chromexcel is a registered trademark of the Horween tannery. I actually find the smell of these jackets to be quite pleasant and intoxicating, but I understand that everyone has different reactions to different odors. I love the look and feel of CXL as well, so for me it would be an easy choice. It may be an easy choice for you as well, because nobody wants a jacket that provokes an allergic reaction.
Good luck, and please keep us posted as the jacket comes along.

 

[Fanch]

Why not pose your original question to Alan at JL and look for direction from him as to your final selection?

 

[Montero]

I am getting a custom leather jacket made by Johnson Leathers. I have narrowed the leather choices down to either their 3.25 - 3.5oz SFPD leather, or 4oz CXL over-dye (not sure if it comes from Horween or another tannery).

Is the CXL overdye back in stock? When I called around the beginning of the year Alan said he didn't have it anymore, and wasn't sure if his clients in Japan were going to place another order for it.

 

[Peacoat]

I thought CXL (chromoexcel) was a type of dying and not exclusive to one tannery...? I could be wrong. As for Johnson's SFPD leather it is an "aniline" leather which I'm not familiar with and is made especially for Johnson Leather for their police jackets (hence the name SFPD). Alan said the fit jacket he is sending me is in brown cowhide, not the SFPD so I'm not sure if it is their standard leather. If the CXL overdye is from Horween I'll likely have to pass as my Aero was a CXL FQHH from Horween and the smell was terrible (burned my throat to wear it)... but I could be sensitive to smells.

CXL is a method of tanning the leather, not just a dyeing process. I have three CXL jackets from Aero; not one has had any chemical smell. All have had the standard "leather" smell which I have never heard described as a chemical odor. Most on the Lounge describe it as "intoxicating." I did have one leather jacket that had a chemical odor, which went away after a month or so.

 

[Mark Ricketts]

I have one of Alan's jackets in a very generous 4 oz CXL. Great jacket, but it is built like a brick outhouse and as heavy as hell.

 

[gtrplyr]

CXL is a method of tanning the leather, not just a dyeing process. I have three CXL jackets from Aero; not one has had any chemical smell. All have had the standard "leather" smell which I have never heard described as a chemical odor. Most on the Lounge describe it as "intoxicating." I did have one leather jacket that had a chemical odor, which went away after a month or so.

My mistake... after some more research it appears that I was using "Chrome" or "Chromium" interchangeably with "Chromoexcel (cxl)." It appears that chromoexcel is Horween's unique method of chrome tanning leather. For example, Vanson's competition weight leather is chrome tanned, not chromoexcel. I like chrome tanned leather... not cxl.

I can't say that I'm an expert with CXL but there is no denying that my FQHH Aero smelled so bad that my wife made me keep it in the basement, and when I wore it everything smelled like it (clothes, furniture, vehicle). Honestly, when sitting with the jacket on it made it hard to breath (my lungs and throat would burn). My wife hated when I wore it in the car. I contacted Thurston Bros about the smell and was told that is what cxl leather smells like.

 

[SkyTurtle]

Why not pose your original question to Alan at JL and look for direction from him as to your final selection?

I'm with Fanch. We can tell you what we like and don't like in leather but if you want hard information go to the experts.

 

[gtrplyr]

I'm with Fanch. We can tell you what we like and don't like in leather but if you want hard information go to the experts.

I was trying to get customer feedback. It's the same reason we read reviews on Tripadvisor before booking a hotel and not just asking the manager of the hotel. If you look at my original question it was "Is anyone familiar with Johnson's SFPD leather?" I want to know how this leather holds up in real life. I shared what I like in a leather and then the conversation got sidetracked with "is CXL unique to Horween" (which it turns out it is), and "does it smell." I have been in contact with JL (great customer service), but want customer reviews. I don't believe anyone has chimed in who owns SFPD leather yet.

 

[Peacoat]

I was trying to get customer feedback. It's the same reason we read reviews on Tripadvisor before booking a hotel and not just asking the manager of the hotel. If you look at my original question it was "Is anyone familiar with Johnson's SFPD leather?" I want to know how this leather holds up in real life. I shared what I like in a leather and then the conversation got sidetracked with "is CXL unique to Horween" (which it turns out it is), and "does it smell." I have been in contact with JL (great customer service), but want customer reviews. I don't believe anyone has chimed in who owns SFPD leather yet.

I would love to chime in and tell you my opinion about the SFPD leather, but I'm not sure which hide that is. A poster above asked if that was the standard leather used by JL. I was waiting for you to respond yay or nay, If the response had been a yay, I would have told you it is a soft and supple hide which is broken in straight from the box. The jacket I have in the standard JL hide is about 3 oz., at least that is the weight of the leather in my jacket. It is several years old and Allen may be using a different hide by now.

 

[gtrplyr]

I would love to chime in and tell you my opinion about the SFPD leather, but I'm not sure which hide that is. A poster above asked if that was the standard leather used by JL. I was waiting for you to respond yay or nay, If the response had been a yay, I would have told you it is a soft and supple hide which is broken in straight from the box. The jacket I have in the standard JL hide is about 3 oz., at least that is the weight of the leather in my jacket. It is several years old and Allen may be using a different hide by now.

I'm not sure if the SFPD is JL's "house leather." From what I understand the SFPD is what they use on their police jackets and is 3.25oz - 3.5oz. I have a small swatch of it (about 2"x3") and to me it looks very similar to the leather Schott uses. It is soft, which makes me think it won't crease up. Would you by chance have a pic?
Thanks!

 

[Montero]

I think JL's "house" leather is a 3.5oz naked cow hide, which is different from the SFPD. A friend of mine had a jacket from JL that he claimed was the SFPD. He has since sold it, but from what I remember it was relatively smooth with a little bit of a grain. One thing that stood out to me when I tried it on was how "squeaky" it was when I moved around in it. At the time the jacket was about a year old, and he said it was taking forever to break in. There were some creases on the jacket, but it definitely still looked relatively "new" to me. The jacket had a nice heft to it (I think it was the M-200 model) and I considered having a jacket made of it, but I wanted something that "aged" a little more and wasn't quite so loud when I wore it .

Not much to go on, but hope it helps a little.

 

[gtrplyr]

I think JL's "house" leather is a 3.5oz naked cow hide, which is different from the SFPD. A friend of mine had a jacket from JL that he claimed was the SFPD. He has since sold it, but from what I remember it was relatively smooth with a little bit of a grain. One thing that stood out to me when I tried it on was how "squeaky" it was when I moved around in it. At the time the jacket was about a year old, and he said it was taking forever to break in. There were some creases on the jacket, but it definitely still looked relatively "new" to me. The jacket had a nice heft to it (I think it was the M-200 model) and I considered having a jacket made of it, but I wanted something that "aged" a little more and wasn't quite so loud when I wore it .

Not much to go on, but hope it helps a little.

Thank you! I appreciate your feedback.

 

[Peacoat]

My jacket must not be the SFPD hide as it is a 3 oz. leather. It isn't creaky. It is very soft and has no creases and no graining up as one would expect in most HH and steer hides. I think it is the "house" leather. I got it for a non motorcycle jacket and wanted it comfortable for around town wear. For riding I prefer a heavier leather in the 3 1/2 to 4+ oz. range. Allan's heavy duty leather fits that criteria as it is at least a 4 oz. leather.

 

[SkyTurtle]

Yup, I read your original question. Just adding my two cents once I saw the VOC conversation turning technical.