Equus Leather - English Handstitched Bridle Leather Belts - Official Affiliate and Review Thread

[OzzyJones]

Oh I know. And when you rotate them with other lovely belts they last even longer! I don't have sons to hand these things down to!!

 

[Dave13]



We aim to tempt!

If you want to justify lovely things economically remember they will last a very long time. A £168 Rentetsu will still be lovely in 10 years time, maybe more so than when new and will have only cost you £17/year, thats maybe half the cost of buying rubbish belts and throwing them away when they look awful over the same periodl. Real luxury goods should be economic over their lifetime, just a brief wince when you buy them

Charlie

Good point, Charlie.

High quality leather, properly looked after, ages really well.

From my 1990 pre-Prada Churches, to my 1996 (£1,200!) custom leather motorcycle suit; I expect the same from the belts I've bought from you in the past year

To get really obsessive (what? Here on SF? ;-) , the creases on the elbows of an old motorcycle jacket are IMO the finest examples of leather ageing and conforming to the wearer.

 

[IdleRover]

That is a great looking belt! I had been toying around with the thought of getting the Wakugi belt over the last few days. But the striations on the Rentetsu won me over immediately.

 

[MSchapiro]

Yup. They are being made at the moment and I hope will be here next month. Again they are being made by a single craftsman in Japan, this time a knife maker, so they've taken a while

Charlie

Can you PM me when those come in? Thanks.

 

[Equus Leather]

Well, all the Rentetsus sold out in a little over 12 hours, thank you everyone as ever. We'll try and get a few slipped in to our Damascus order for those that missed out!

Good point, Charlie.

High quality leather, properly looked after, ages really well.

From my 1990 pre-Prada Churches, to my 1996 (£1,200!) custom leather motorcycle suit; I expect the same from the belts I've bought from you in the past year

To get really obsessive (what? Here on SF? ;-) , the creases on the elbows of an old motorcycle jacket are IMO the finest examples of leather ageing and conforming to the wearer.

Yes, I agree, leather that has conformed to you really can't be beaten. Riding boots that have had a few years use are my own favourite example I think. On an every day basis I love how my Barenia watch strap has formed to the shape of my wrist. Its completely smooth on your wrist and you only realise how much its conformed when you lie the strap flat.

That is a great looking belt! I had been toying around with the thought of getting the Wakugi belt over the last few days. But the striations on the Rentetsu won me over immediately.

Likewise!

Can you PM me when those come in? Thanks.

Of course! As ever we'll announce them here as well

Thanks all,

Charlie

 

[Equus Leather]

I suspect there are probably some classic car fans here so thought this would be of interest. We're making a custom bonnet strap for this for a friend, its a 1934 Singer Nine thats a regular hill climb, rally and trial competitor. Strap not fitted but I'll repost a photo of the finished article!

Charlie

 

[jssdc]

British racing green in action:

Paired with these:

 

[Equus Leather]

BRG and Nickel West Ends are one of my favourite combinations, I have one myself

Thanks for the photos!

Charlie

 

[Equus Leather]

For the car fans again!

Completed custom bonnet strap finished, fitted and currently driving 250 miles to a hill climb competition in Gloucestershire. It just goes to show how versatile bridle leather is - smart, comfortable and tactile enough to be a suit belt, robust enough to deal with the heat and weather for this but without damaging the paintwork. I love it, not many leathers could do both well

Before

After

Fingers crossed it gets there!

Charlie

 

[NativeTxn]

So I got my swatches for the Baker's leathers and the Sedgwicks leathers. I'm super glad I waited to place an order until I received them.

I was wavering between Dark Havana and Australian Nut, and while the Dark Havana would work, as others have mentioned (and as it says on the website) it is nearly black (at least to my eye).

The burgundy is (again, to my eye) very similar to the Australian nut.

The sample of Baker's Oak Brown appears quite a bit darker than it does on the website (http://www.equusleather.co.uk/belts...lts/oak-brown-bakers-bridle-leather-belt.html). Based on the website, I was thinking that a belt of that color might work well with my AE Fifth Aves in Bourbon, but after getting the sample, there is no way, as it seems to be much more toward the dark brown side of things (at least with the sample I received).

In any event, if you are wavering about which color to get for anything, I STRONGLY recommend ordering the swatches. They are free, and they arrived in 9 days from the date of order (I live in Dallas as a frame of reference). I know the belts already take 5-8 weeks to arrive to the US, but I would argue it is worth the extra 10 days or so to make sure you get the color you want.

Thanks, Charlie, for offering the samples as an option. I can't speak for anyone else, but I certainly appreciate them.

 

[Equus Leather]



So I got my swatches for the Baker's leathers and the Sedgwicks leathers. I'm super glad I waited to place an order until I received them.

I was wavering between Dark Havana and Australian Nut, and while the Dark Havana would work, as others have mentioned (and as it says on the website) it is nearly black (at least to my eye).

The burgundy is (again, to my eye) very similar to the Australian nut.

The sample of Baker's Oak Brown appears quite a bit darker than it does on the website (http://www.equusleather.co.uk/belts...lts/oak-brown-bakers-bridle-leather-belt.html). Based on the website, I was thinking that a belt of that color might work well with my AE Fifth Aves in Bourbon, but after getting the sample, there is no way, as it seems to be much more toward the dark brown side of things (at least with the sample I received).

In any event, if you are wavering about which color to get for anything, I STRONGLY recommend ordering the swatches. They are free, and they arrived in 9 days from the date of order (I live in Dallas as a frame of reference). I know the belts already take 5-8 weeks to arrive to the US, but I would argue it is worth the extra 10 days or so to make sure you get the color you want.

Thanks, Charlie, for offering the samples as an option. I can't speak for anyone else, but I certainly appreciate them.

Pleased to help! This is exactly why we do offer the service. All our photos are taken under 5000k lights to try to represent the colour perfectly and they're pretty accurate but they still look a little different on each of the MacBooks Dawn and I use and Im sure even more different on other machines. You can never beat seeing things in the flesh. More than that though leathergoods are tactile, you can touch and smell a sample, we haven't quite got the website to that point yet

The only other thing i would say is to remember the Bakers colours are quite variable, a Bakers sample will give you a good idea of the touch, smell, look, colour family and character of the leather but it won't be a perfect representation of what a belt made from it will look like. The colours can gradually change across a single strap and definitely vary between each butt of leather. The tanning and finishing processes are very traditional and develop lovely rich colours in the leather but without the complete consistency modern high tech tannery will produce. Thats not a criticism, I love their leathers and rarely wear anything else myself, but something to remember if you're looking to match shoes for e.g..

For those who haven't seen it this is a photo essay the BBC did about Bakers a little while ago, it shows you the tanning and finishing processes your Bakers belt will have gone through. Its really interesting, well worth a look. It takes around 2 years from start to finish, its as far removed really from a modern chrome tannery as you could get. We're very lucky to be able to work with them

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-14442109

Charlie

 

[patrick_b]

Upon opening the small package of leather swatches, you are overcome with the aroma that to me conjures an image of a turn of the century shoe and bootmaker. Since they've come from Great Britain, I imagine the Midlands, like Northampton.

 

[Equus Leather]



Upon opening the small package of leather swatches, you are overcome with the aroma that to me conjures an image of a turn of the century shoe and bootmaker. Since they've come from Great Britain, I imagine the Midlands, like Northampton.

Exactly the desired effect - there is nothing like the smell of really good leather.

The Sedgwick leather is from the West Midlands, Walsall specifically. This is home of the UK saddlery trade, where as Northampton is the home of the shoe makers so different leather types, we source the goatskin we use from there though. The Bakers leather is from Colyton in Devon, they are on a site that uses the water from the river Coly and has been there since Roman times

Charlie

 

[Shoeliker]

Just want to acknowledge that, after delaying of a while, I requested and received a packet of samples. Thank you, Charlie. At first I thought the samples, surprisingly, had served to reinforce my Web-based preferences. After further looking, feeling, and, yes, smelling , I'm reassessing once again. The color variation and richness of the Bakers (mentioned above) is very appealing, and it appears that it would complement a wide range of other clothing colours. Don't know exactly when I'll order, but I will, and I'll keep the samples for a long time for when I feel the need for another belt.

 

[Riva]

Exactly the desired effect - there is nothing like the smell of really good leather.

I must say the prominent smell of the Equus belts was a bit overpowering to my old subtle fragrance. So I had to look for a scent that would complement while wearing an Equus and found this