Calfskin refers to leather made from the skin of young cows that have not been weaned. Since calfskin usually has less imperfections such as scars and bites, as compared to cowhide, it is often used to make fullgrain leather.

Fullgrain leather is leather that displays the natural markings of the animal's skin rather than undergo a sanding process to remove the grain pattern of the skin. That's why fullgrain leather requires better quality skin with less imperfections. That makes calfskin a good choice.

Although some may argue that the skin of a young cow is too tender and hence not durable, my experiences with wallets and small leather goods made from calfskin have always been very pleasant. I have used wallets, belts and shoes made from calfskin and I find them as durable as those made from cowhide. I think durability depends a lot more on the workmanship rather than on whether calfskin or cowhide is used.

Click here to view our selection of calfskin wallets and small leather goods.

Posted by logan at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Lambskin, as the name implies, is leather derived from the skin of a young sheep. It is soft. It is supple. And it has a silky texture.

Because it's expensive (hence considered luxurious), it's usually reserved for making premium leather goods.

Unlike cowhide, lambskin is not such an easy material to work with. Because it's soft, it doesn't hold shapes well. Hence it's usually used to make fabric-like products such as leather jacket or gloves.

Lambskin wallets are one of those things I hate to love. A lambskin wallet is really comfortable and feels great. But unfortunately the leather looks quite dull. And lambskin's rather high maintenance. It's not as durable as cowhide and it scratches easily. So you'll need to handle with care.

Mont Blanc is one of those luxury brands that uses lambskin quite extensively. Their Platinium line and the newer Eastside line are made of full grain lambskin.

Click here to view our selection of lambskin wallets and small leather goods.

Posted by logan at 08:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Pigskin has always been regarded as the cheap alternative to cowhide and is commonly used to make bags, wallets and shoes. Because of its low price, pigskin is also used as the inner linings for bags and shoes.

Pigskin has very distinctive and visible pores and this is one way to determine if a product is made of pigskin. You may be wondering what's the fuss about distinguishing between cowhide and pigskin since they look quite the same.

First, it's always good to know what you're paying for. Second, Muslims do not carry or wear anything that's made from pigskin. So knowing which leather product is made from pigskin is very important to them.

And it's something you should be mindful of when you're buying a leather product as a gift for your Muslim friends. You really don't want to end up offending them when you're actually trying to make them happy.

Pigskin's status got elevated ever since Gucci used it extensively on its leather goods. Of course, when Gucci does it, they make sure it looks good. Afterall every Gucci sells for a few hundred bucks. The pores actually become like a pattern of the leather. And it's very scratch resistant.

Posted by logan at 05:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Simply put, cowhide is leather derived from the hide (skin) of a cow. It's thick. It's tough. It's coarse. Doesn't sound too appealing, does it?

However cowhide is one of the most commonly used material to make fine leather goods. And not without good reasons. When cowhide is properly processed, it can be used to make some of the finest leather goods while retaining its most endearing property - its durability.

And that means your cowhide wallet will stay in shape for a long time. And did I forget to mention that cowhide also ages well with use over time?

The popular Sidecar collection by dunhill is an example of fine leather goods that are made from cowhide. I like the fact that it is very scratch-resistant and the leather acquires a certain lustre after you use it.

Both the must de Cartier and Pasha de Cartier collections are also made from quality cowhide.

Click here to see our full collection of cowhide wallets for men.

Posted by logan at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)