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April 23, 2014December 19, 2017

Ewing Dry Goods Minimalist Wallet – $60

Bear Fat and Beeswax. This got my attention. The Ewing Dry Goods store prides themselves on products Made in USA and burnishing the edges with a mixture of bear fat and beeswax. The mixture gives the leather that extra edge standing up to moisture and abusive elements. This is what you would expect from a leather crafter in Alaska.

If this has your attention too, you probably are not interested in ordinary, plain products you can purchase from your local big-box store. You enjoy merchandise that represents adventure, character and quality. This is a good time for you to learn about the Minimalist Wallet by Ewing Dry Goods. They call it the “perfect little wallet that holds only the essentials: your cards and some cash.”

CONSTRUCTION

The Minimalist Wallet is made from one piece of 7oz Horween Chromexcel. This is some of the finest leather made in America. It is folded in half and hand-sewn with artificial sinew and the edges are burnished and rubbed with bear fat and beeswax. This is heavy construction and build to last.

FUNCTION

Ewing claims the Minimalist Wallet is “the perfect little wallet” but if it were, it would be expandable to daily use. It is a great wallet for on-the-go; dashing out with just a driver license, a card or two and some cash. When Best Leather received the wallet, I stuffed five cards in it and some cash and was quite impressed.

The wallet is fun. It makes you rethink what you need to carry on a daily basis and it seems to be reshaping me into a true, if not reluctant, minimalist. But, then, in my pursuit to make the Minimalist into a daily wallet, rather than sacrifice entirely, I set out to see if it could carry more and found the wallet holds eight credit cards, gift cards and license and still has room for cash. This was amazing because even one or two cards by themselves remained snug in the wallet, yet when stuffed with eight, the cards could still move in and out with ease.

At this point, this reviewer was convinced. I have had several thin wallets but none that could hold eight cards. The Ewing Dry Goods Minimalist Wallet is, indeed, the perfect little wallet. But, then again, business cards. . . how do we get the wallet to hold eight cards and a dozen business cards, as well? Just wondering.

AESTHETIC

Seven ounces of Horween Chromexcel leather has a good look and feel and it is most assuredly durable, even if taking a lot of abuse. As mentioned before, the edges of the leather are burnished with bear fat and beeswax. This gives it a smooth, almost melted appearance and highlights the matte black color of the wallet we reviewed.

The Ewing Dry Goods Minimalist Wallet comes in Black, Burgundy, Brown and Dark Olive. This reviewer likes the black and it goes well with the black Survivor Clip.

All Ewing Dry Goods products are stamped with their logo – if size permits. The logo is handsome, featuring the horizontal portions of a large capital “E” set into the right side of a Spruce tree.

BESTLEATHER CONCLUSION

The product is good. This reviewer enjoys the look and feel – and the fact it holds enough cards to be a daily wallet. It is built of the finest leather and will last many years. It is a fine little wallet and is well worth the investment.

April 22, 2014December 19, 2017

The Leather Shop MacBook Pro Bag – $220

The Leather Shop is a small company of leather designers and craftsmen in the Georgetown District of Seattle, Washington. This is one of the oldest parts of town and, second only to the Fremont District, it is the hangout of the most creative. The craftsmen at this shop pride themselves on creativity and making long lasting products. All the leather, hardware and labor that go into any product manufactured by The Leather Shop are Made in USA. If you are looking for a slim way to transport your MacBook Pro, you will be pleased with what The Leather Shop has to offer.

CONSTRUCTION

The MacBook Pro Bag is unique among all brands. The Leather Shop makes the case out of one piece of Horween Chamois leather. The sides are woven together – no stitching; just woven leather. They call this their innovative, stitch-less design. The woven sides add cushion to the contents as well as give the bag its unique look.

The shoulder strap is made of dark brown chromexcel leather and stamped with their website URL (theLeatherShop.com). The stress points are reinforced with brass rivets. It is adjustable for purse length, man bag length and briefcase length. The brass hardware attachments are solid cast brass. If you want to use the bag as a cover and carry it in a briefcase or backpack, the strap is completely detachable.

The cover is held shut with two solid-cast brass snap locks. The cover is held in place by brass grommets fitted between the internal and external sides of the snap locks.

The MacBook Pro Bag comes in three sizes:
13″ MacBook Pro is 13.5 x 9.5 inches and weighs approximately one pound.
13″ MacBook Pro Retina display is 13 x 9 inches and weighs less than one pound.
15″ MacBook Pro Retina display is 15 x 10.25 inches and weighs just over one pound.

FUNCTION

The computer slides in and out with ease, yet it is snuggly fit in the bag. I am able to slide in a manila folder that holds a dozen papers and a note pad, also. With the added load, the snap locks are still able to function well and I don’t need to apply any extra effort to make it so. The whole package, bag, and load are slim and trim and I am able to carry the basic essentials.

The carrying strap is adjustable to three lengths (as described previously). I have the strap set to briefcase length. This length seems to carry the computer most comfortably – and, I am not into purses – male or female. If you find you need to slide the carrying handle over your head so you can have your hands free, you will find the briefcase length is the best setting.

AESTHETIC

The Chamois leather has a comfortable, casual appearance and wears to a nice patina in time. Mine is already developing a nice tone and is very pleasant to look at. The braiding is the highlight of the MacBook Pro Bag and The Leather Shop says it is reminiscent of Native American style art.

The MacBook Pro Bag reviewed for this story is Tobacco, but it is also available in Maroon, Dark Olive and Tan. I like the look of the contrasting brass against the Tobacco, but they all are good colors.

Here the MacBook Pro Bag is shown with the Rivet Wallet by The Leather Shop and my dog, Miles. Miles enjoys quality leather products and approves of this review.

BESTLEATHER CONCLUSION

The product is good, and this reviewer is very pleased with the MacBook Pro Bag by The Leather Shop. I will be using this bag for many years – or at least as long as I have a MacBook that fits this bag. It holds the computer snuggly, yet it is easy to insert or remove – and it holds additional papers and notepads, too. It is rugged and durable, yet it wears well and is stylish. I use it in a professional environment and it blends right in with business. The braids look good and receive a lot of comments. If you are looking for an affordable way to transport your MacBook Pro, the MacBook Pro Bag by The Leather Shop will serve you well.

April 22, 2014December 19, 2017

Vagabond Traveler L38 Messenger Laptop Bag – $189

Vagabond Traveler is a leather goods seller based in Oviedo, Florida. They sell briefcases, bags, wallets, backpacks, and even fanny packs, which are all made of leather (of course). They have a wide assortment of leather goods, and their website is easy to navigate and search for different bags and products. Vagabond Traveler is a seller of leather goods, but does not produce or manufacture the bags themselves. Their bags and goods are made in China, which helps to fulfill Vagabond’s goal of selling products that are affordable, but of a good quality.

BestLeather’s experience with Vagabond has been a little bit different from our normal relationships with leather goods providers. Vagabond sent us a bag to review a few months ago, but we decided to return it because of some manufacturing defects, and also because the bag was very similar to a well-known competitor. Long, our contact at Vagabond, was very responsive and sent us another bag promptly. This bag, called the L38 Messenger Laptop Bag on their website, is a messenger bag made for a 15” laptop and the bag that we will look at in this review.

LEATHER

The L38 is made from soft, full grain, four to five ounce cowhide that has been vegetable tanned. The color is struck through, which is admirable considering that many well known and reputable tanneries do not dye their leather all of the way through. Leather that has been struck through has been tanned and drum dyed until the color of the leather penetrates to the middle of the hide. If you were to ever gouge the leather, the color in the middle will be the same as on the outside.

Vegetable tanning is also a process that requires significantly more time in the tanning process and normally results in a leather that is a little stiffer than chrome or oil tanned leather. The leather used for the L38 is unusually soft and nice to the touch. It has sort of a fibrous feel to it, similar to suede. The color of the leather is “natural brown” according to Vagabond, but really is a light tan.

DESIGN

The L38 is meant to be a laptop bag. The bag is 15” wide, by 13” tall, by 3” wide. Because the sidewall is riveted to both the front and back panels, you lose about ½” of width on each end, so the bag’s useable width is really closer to 2”. This means you have room for a 15” or 13” laptop, and perhaps a book or two, or large notebook cover and that is about it, at least for the inside. The inside also has a small pouch for a phone, as well as a couple of pen sleeves.

The strap for the L38 is approximately 1 ¼” wide and is a single strap of leather, sewn to an equally wide strap of nylon. Though many people (myself included) prefer all leather straps, this is a smart idea because, unlike leather, nylon has virtually no stretch. This makes the strap significantly more durable than if it was just the single strap of leather.

The L38 is also equipped with two zippered outside pockets. They are 8” deep by 4.5” wide and will fit a myriad of items or accessories such as car keys, cell phone, mini tablet, etc. The back of the bag also has a zippered compartment that you could stuff a folded newspaper or magazine. With these additional compartments, the L38 has adequate storage for a day at the office or a day of meetings. If you are not of the minimalist camp though, and have to haul more gear to and from work, you might be better off with a wider bag.

CONSTRUCTION

The L38 is made to be durable. It is made with full grain, vegetable tanned leather. It is stitched with strong and durable nylon thread. A number of leather bag manufacturers use polyester because it is UV resistant and two to three times stronger than nylon thread. For those of us who are not planning on using our bag to compete in a tug-a-war, nylon is probably an adequate thread to hold the bag together, and one in which many quality manufacturers still use.

Where I feel Vagabond skimped on making this bag was the use of multiple pieces of leather. Many of the highest quality bag manufacturers try to use as few pieces of leather as possible in constructing a bag. The seams are the weakest link, and therefore, the fewer seams the better.

For example, in a very high quality bag, the leather for the back panel continues all of the way to the front flap of the bag, in one long piece. On the L38, the back panel is actually two pieces of leather sewn together, and then the top flap is sewn to that. The side walls are also separate pieces from the bottom, as opposed to one long strip from side to bottom to side. Again, this does not mean that the bag is going to fall apart, especially since it is sewn with nylon thread, but it does still reduce the durability of the bag.

Overall, the L38 is constructed well. It has rivets were they are needed the most–to support the stitching and areas of potential weakness. The sewing is straight and even, buckles and handle are centered, and the bag has an aesthetic pleasantness to it. I did notice several places where marks were made with fabric ink by the craftsman, and the ink was still there. This lack of attention to detail is a shame considering that the L38 is a good bag overall. Perhaps it was just an oversight on the bag we received.

HARDWARE

The L38 is made with all metal, chrome plated hardware, including the zippers. One interesting feature with the L38 is how the main compartment is secured. The bag has two straps that are secured to a buckle, which is fastened to a push button snap that you can slide in to its closure and snap shut. As a result, you can keep the straps secured to the buckle, but still pop open the buttons and slide out the strap. Should you undo the strap from the buckle, and lose the snap button though, you would not be able to secure the bag closed. My preference would be to lose the snap button and just stick with a traditional strap and buckle closure. When I showed this design to my wife, she really liked it and even preferred it that way. Like most things, it is a matter of preference. Just do not lose the snap buttons.

PRICE

One of the biggest advantages to many of the items that Vagabond Traveler sells is their price. The bags and goods they sell are less expensive than their competitors. This is due in large part to where the goods are made. The tradeoff is that you are buying an item that is not quite the best. It is good for sure, but not the quality that one lusts for. Knowing what I now know about high quality leather goods, I would save my duckets until I had enough money for the best and go with that. If you just don’t have the money though, the L38 or other bags from Vagabond Traveler will provide you with a good product that will last you many years.

BESTLEATHER CONCLUSION

The L38 Messenger Laptop Bag from Vagabond Traveler is a well-made bag, especially for the price. There are a number of details that could make the bag much better (i.e. using fewer pieces of leather to construct the bag, using polyester instead of nylon thread, etc.), but for the price it is a good bag that will provide years of service.

April 17, 2014December 19, 2017

Piero Tucci Toscanella Leather Messenger Bag – $462

Florence, Italy is a romantic city where you can behold Michelangelo’s David, visit the famous Il Duomo, or stroll through the Piazza del Signoria with its many sculptures and works of art. Florence also is home to Piero Tucci, an Italian workshop that specializes in high quality leather bags, handbags, jackets, and other small leather goods.

Piero Tucci was established in 1972 and currently operates on the outskirts of Florence, which is in the heart of Tuscany. Mr. Piero Tucci himself formed the company and gathered a small group of highly trained craftsman to provide high quality leather goods to local retailers and shops. The Piero Tucci name and reputation grew over the ensuing years, as did its product line and popularity, especially in Europe.

Today, the company has two retail shops, retail connections throughout the world, and a beautifully designed website that is both functional and a pleasure to peruse. Piero Tucci also has guided tours of their workshop, which would be a fascinating stop if in the area for a vacation. Piero Tucci sent BestLeather their Toscanella Leather Messenger Bag for us to review, which is in their Toscanella collection. This collection centers around the use of vegetable dyed Florentine Vacchetta Leather.

LEATHER

For those of us who have purchased a quality leather good recently, you may recall the aroma you are exposed to when you first open the box to pull out your anticipated item. There is something satisfying and pleasant to that leather scent, a scent saying, “Herein lies something really great.” It was no different when I first opened the box containing the Toscanella Messenger Bag from Piero Tucci. The smell of the leather was terrific, reminiscent of stepping into a brand new Italian sports car, but without the sky high price.

Perhaps this particular scent is indicative of the Vacchetta leather that Piero Tucci uses. Vacchetta leather is calfskin leather that has been vegetable tanned. Vegetable tanning is the process of tanning leather with bark and similar organic extracts and takes significantly longer than chrome tanning. Calf skin is known for having a tighter grain than cowhide. It is commonly used in high end shoes and similar products, because using calf skin leather allows for using slightly thinner leather while still maintaining durability. The leather for this bag is approximately three ounces thick. The combination of the thinner calfskin leather means that the bag is both durable and lightweight for a mostly leather bag.

Piero Tucci uses top-grain leather for this bag, which means that the outermost layer of the hide is removed and sanded down to provide a more even appearance. Top-grain leather is technically not as strong as full grain leather (which is not sanded down or altered in any way), but it is still commonly used in higher end bags and furniture and will still last many years. The leather used for this messenger bag feels solid, yet supple. It also has a subtle pebbled feel, which just lends to its European style.

STYLE AND UTILITY

As is common with many high end Italian goods, the Toscanella Messenger Bag has lots of style. This particular bag is made with Piero Tucci’s tobacco colored Vacchetta leather, but they also have seven other colors to choose from (including safron, ivory, navy blue, etc.). The color is beautiful and the design of the bag is simple and elegant. You open the tall flap to get inside the bag, which has a zippered pocket for your phone, keys, and other goods. There is no buckle or snaps to fasten the top flap down, but after using the bag I do not feel that it is necessary.

When the bag is empty, it is actually completely flat by design. There is no side panel that increases the width of the bag, which means that the back and front pannels come together into a single leather bead. At first, I thought that this design would not allow me to carry much in the bag, but it surprisingly large. I was able to get my 13” Macbook Air, with leather sleeve, large, thick notebook cover, and my smaller moleskine notebook cover in without a problem. It easily fits enough for a day at the office or a day around town, but still maintains a slim profile. If you have large files or binders to haul around, you may want to consider one of their larger messenger bags or totes.

The bag also has two exterior pockets. The back pocket has no zipper and is about 12” deep. It allows for easy access to items you need while on the go. There is no lining to this pocket, just the nice vegetable tanned leather. The front pocket does have a zipper that is tethered with a strip of leather, so that when you open the zipper, the strip folds out. This is a nice bit of styling that I enjoyed.

The main compartment has a cotton lining that is fun, vertically striped, and multi-colored. This pattern gives the bag a bit of a stylish edge. Both the interior and the front exterior pockets share this same lining.

HARDWARE AND STITCHING

The hardware that Piero Tucci uses is all metal, from the zippers, to the “D” rings, to the rivets. The rivets in fact are stamped with Piero Tucci’s logo, as is the base of the two “D” rings, that the strap is attached to. The strap itself is made from strong nylon, with a colorful orange strip woven in. Similar to the strap, the thread used to sew the bag together is also nylon. While not quite as durable as polyester thread, it is still the thread of choice for many high-end leather producers.

BESTLEATHER CONCLUSION

If you are looking for a bag that has a flare of European style, made with beautiful, durable leather, and that you can take to the office, to church, or around town with plenty of panache, then you’d be happy with the Toscanella Leather Messenger Bag from Piero Tucci.

April 14, 2014December 19, 2017

And The Winner Of The Saddleback Leather Side Pocket Duffel Is Nick S. in Columbus, OH!

Congratulations to Nick S. for winning this beautiful Saddleback Leather bag out of 13,000 entries. He told me he would be using the bag for traveling and overnight trips.

Nick, the bag is shipping today! Enjoy!

We are grateful for the 13,000+ entries and to Saddleback Leather for providing this excellent giveaway!

Our next giveaway will be for several sets of Bickmore’s Leather Conditioners.

April 11, 2014May 9, 2020

Two Days Left To Enter The Saddleback Leather Duffel Giveaway

The Saddleback Leather Side Pocket Duffle is a redesigned weekender bag from Saddleback Leather. The very first thing I noticed when opened up the box was the rich, beautiful color. I own several SBL pieces in chestnut, but when I saw this one, my jaw dropped. It is positively gorgeous. I thought my other pieces were great looking, but it shocked me to see an exemplar of this idyllic hue in the real world. My other chestnut pieces are beautiful, but the color on SBL’s updated chestnut is somehow even richer…

Go here to enter to giveaway: http://bestleather.org/saddleback-leather-side-pocket-duffel-giveaway/

The giveaway will end on April 12th at 12PM. A winner will be selected at random and emailed.

April 11, 2014December 19, 2017

Coronado Leather Swiss Military Saddlebag – $599

The Coronado Leather Company was formed in 1981 in San Diego, California. Born of a small assortment of craftsman committed to producing high quality leather bags, the company has grown to offer a wide assortment of quality goods, but they have kept their focus on leather bags for both men and women. In particular, Coronado has created a niche for itself in the concealed carry leather goods industry (as in: a really cool, high quality leather item to conceal your firearm) for the responsible citizen and for law enforcement officers.

In addition to the aforementioned niche, Coronado Leather is also a company devoted to producing the highest quality goods with the highest quality raw materials. Coronado recently sent to BestLeather their Swiss Military Saddlebag as well as their Americana Large Duffel. This commitment to quality was immediately apparent after examining these two bags. For the purpose of this article, we’ll be taking a look at the Swiss Military Saddlebag, with a review of the Large Duffel to follow-up in a week or two.

DESIGN

The Swiss Military Saddlebag from Coronado is a replica of the same named saddlebags from the 1920’s to 1940’s. A snippet from Coronado’s site explains, “Originally used by the Swiss Army as saddle bags for donkeys and horses, they were later converted as functional briefcase/saddle bags by adding a leather strap (something that was not originally included). In wanting to maintain the authenticity of the original saddlebags, Coronado has designed the bag with almost 100% accuracy to the original.

In learning this, I took to the internet to see if I could find some of these original saddlebags, and sure enough, what I found were bags that looked exactly the same as the one we were sent by Coronado, albeit in a little rougher shape. I was amazed at how good some of these bags appeared, despite being almost as old as my grandparents. This is a testament to an excellent design and the use of high quality leather.

The design of the saddlebag is somewhat unique in that it consists of one compartment only, which can be expanded or contracted by cinching or loosening the side straps. There are also two 1¼” straps sewn to the inside of the bag, which can be used for securing notepads, a small tablet, or something similar. The bag also has sloped side panels, which lowers the front panel about 2” from the back of the bag. This was a smart design, especially if you were reaching into the bag while sitting on your horse or your ass (pun intended). Even though most of us would not be using it that way today, I still like the ease of accessing the contents of the bag with a lowered front flap, while you are walking and wearing the bag over your shoulder.

Another interesting feature of the bag is the top flap. Instead of using one single piece of leather from the back of the bag all of the way to the top flap, Coronado’s Saddlebag uses two pieces that are stitched to a third, 1” strap. Durability buffs may cringe at this, suggesting that this design makes the flap weaker–a complaint that does have some merit–but it does make the bag more flexible at the top and also allows the flap to fold completely back and lay flat against the back of the bag. This design allows for slightly greater function and is worth the incremental decrease in durability. The fact that many of these original Swiss military saddlebags are still around, and are even resold completely intact, suggests that there is no need to worry about the top flap coming apart.

SIMPLICITY

Leonardo Da Vinci once said, “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”. In creating high-quality leather goods, this maxim certainly holds true, and it is no exception for Coronado’s Swiss Military Saddlebag. If there was only one word allowed to describe the utility of this bag, it would be simple. It is meant to hold several things in one compartment and be incredibly durable. It does just that. It has no zippers or snaps, which are some of the more common items that can break on a bag, which increases the chance of the bag lasting generations.

The bag has two ¾” straps used to close and secure the bag, which you can quickly unbuckle and undo. In fact, I was able to buckle up and then undo the straps with just my right hand, while the bag was slung over my shoulder, which is very useful for somebody on the go.

LEATHER

One of the most, if not the most, beautiful aspects of the bag is the leather itself. This bag has been in my office for about a month now and I find myself glancing at it every once in a while and admiring it. The bag is made from ten ounce Horween Chromexcel leather. This is the thickest Chromexcel leather you can buy and is significantly thicker leather than most full leather bags are made from.

Chromexcel has been produced by the Horween Leather Company for nearly one hundred years, with a very similar recipe over its existence. With that type of pedigree, you can safely assume a high quality leather that lasts. Chromexcel is combination tanned, meaning it is both chrome and vegetable tanned. This produces a leather that has some of the more supple aspects of a chrome tanned leather, but the durability of a vegetable tanned leather.

Straight vegetable tanned leather that is ten ounces thick will generally be extremely rigid and very difficult to work. It is not something that you would typically make a bag that you walk around with. The combination tanning allows for a bag that has very thick leather, which I still cannot take my eyes off of, but is also very functional and supple. To boot, the leather is also “struck through”, which means the color of the bag is dyed through to the middle of the leather. Most tanneries do not take this extra step and when you cut into their leather you see the color on the top and bottom of the hide, but a blue or tan center. This is another reason that Chromexcel is a classy choice of leather for this bag.

HARDWARE AND THREAD

All of the hardware on Coronado’s Swiss Military Saddlebag is solid brass and is nickel plated. Like the bag itself, the hardware is somewhat subtle and is not oversized or overbearing. The buckles are ¾”, as are the strap rings. True to the original design, Coronado uses a rivet where the back flap and the side panel meet, as a measure of durability and strength. There are a few places that an additional rivet would be useful, namely to help fasten the front or the back straps. Instead, Coronado uses thick #270 polyester thread in these places, as well as wherever stitching is required. I would imagine that a rivet would be used in normal circumstances, but in wanting to stay true to the original design, they were not. And again, who can argue with a design that has already stood the test of time.

BESTLEATHER CONCLUSION

The Swiss Military Saddlebag from Coronado Leather is a beautiful bag based on a classic design. The design is simple, true to its ancestors, and is made with some of the most durable, high quality leather you can find. It is built to last generations, just like its namesake. It is also made by a company that stands behind its products with a lifetime guarantee, making the decision of buying this bag a much easier one. If Leonardo were still around, I would not be surprised to see him toting the Swiss Military Saddlebag from Coronado Leather.

April 7, 2014December 19, 2017

Avund Goods – Changer Review – $22

Once in a while you come across a product that is handier than it initially seems. One such product is the Changer, by Avund Goods. Meant to hold some spare change, the Changer can actually be used for many other things, as will be pointed out. Avund Goods designs and produces fine leather products. Avund was created by Mika Bektor and Tom Hays, who both graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design. They pooled their collective passion for art and design knowledge and formed Avund Goods in 2012.

We recently reviewed their Forsta V Wallet and Marine Shackle and enjoyed the opportunity of spending time with some of their goods. It has also been a pleasure to use and test the Changer, which is actually a by-product of producing their Forsta and Andra Wallet series.

NOT JUST A BY-PRODUCT

You can read on Avund’s site that their “products are designed for minimal material waste and efficient assembly”. The evidence of this is the Changer. Below is a picture showing the template for their Forsta Wallet and the Changer. You can see that the Changer is simply the triangular cutout of the wallet, which allows access to the wallet’s card slots. I love this ingenuity and focus on efficiency.

I can imagine the conversation between Mika and Tom, “What should we do with this triangular piece of left-over leather? Throw it away? No, one of our goals is to be efficient. How about a cool little holder for change that we fold over and fasten with a button rivet, which will also be used to keep it closed? Yes, that would be awesome!” Whether it happened that way, I’m not sure, but I know that I like the result.

LEATHER

One of the first things I noticed about the Changer was how stiff the leather is. This is due in part to the leather being vegetable tanned, which typically results in a stiffer leather. The leather is four to five ounce horse hide. The leather comes from what is called “North of Cordovan”. It is the section of horse hide that is just outside what is used for Shell Cordovan, some of the best and most expensive leather you can buy. It is tanned with the same processes that Shell Cordovan is tanned, and it yields a tight grain and unique pattern.

The majority of the pictures you see in this review are of the Changer after I’ve used it for about eight weeks. The leather is still very stiff and holds it’s shape very well. The color of the leather is natural (which is essentially a light tan color). This color of leather darkens over time and develops a beautiful, golden patina. You can see from the pictures that the leather is already darkening a bit.

Like all of Avund’s products, the edges of the Changer are beveled and then the fine tip is burnished. This attention to detail is commendable. Very few of the products that we review receive that level of detail. It makes the Changer feel more sophisticated and certainly makes your keyring a little more refined.

HARDWARE

The hardware for the Changer is quite simple. There is a single, stainless steel eyelet, which the heavy duty key ring is affixed to. There is a nickel plated, steel button rivet that holds together the two “wings” of the Changer. A hole is punched into the “nose” of the Changer, which is used to fasten the Changer onto the button. It really is a simple, but inventive design.

FUNCTION

Initially, I looked at the Changer as simply a small pouch for a few coins. It holds up to five quarters in fact, enough to purchase a can of soda from a vending machine, or enough for a really cheap do-it-yourself car wash. The Changer is big enough to hold enough cash to buy a candy bar, but does not hold enough cash to take your wife out on a date, so you will want to consider it’s size if you think it is something worthy of acquiring. It is meant to be a keychain accessory though, so you really do not want it to be too big.

Avund’s site also indicates that it is useful for holding a few guitar picks. That got me thinking. Coins, guitar picks, what else could the Changer hold? It did not take me long to come up with a list of ten items that would fit in the 1.5” by 1.5” by .5” space (these are the external dimensions, the useable space is smaller). Below is the list I came up with. You will have to let us know if you can think of other uses.

TOP TEN:

10 – Pencil Sharpener – Nobody likes writing with a dull pencil. Why not keep your sharpener close by.

9 – High Powered Magnets – Because they are just plain cool to play with.

8 – Earbuds – Not everybody wants to hear your music. This way you can plug in anytime.

7 – Crushed Red Pepper – You like heat. Make sure your next meal has enough.

6 – Stool Softener Pills- Need I say more?

5 – Legos – Need a quick distraction from work. A Gold Ninjago Ninja is the perfect playful distraction.

4 – Bandaids – for the construction worker who is all too familiar with cuts and abrasions.

3 – Starburst – You never know when you’ll need a quick sugar fix.

2 – 2032 Batteries – In case your garage door opener suddenly stops working.

1 – Coins – Hey, isn’t this what it was made for in the first place?

I tried to stuff a Dum Dum sucker into the Changer, but it would not quite close. It was worth a try.

BESTLEATHER CONCLUSION

The Changer by Avund Goods is a clever use of some left-over leather. It certainly does not feel like a “left-over” product when you get your hands on it. It is designed for a beneficial purpose, and as I came to realize, it has many more uses than initially considered. It would look great and serve a useful purpose on any person’s keychain.

April 4, 2014December 19, 2017