Koch Leather Archives - BestLeather.org

August 16, 2017December 19, 2017

Koch Leather Custom Tote Review

Joshua and Jen Koch have been booming with new designs in their store lately. We’ve reviewed a few of their products before but never a custom one. Outside of BestLeather, I consider Koch Leather to be one of my go-to companies to contact when I want a custom piece made. One of the most recent products is this custom tote with a masculine edge to it. Josh and I spoke via emails to come up with a tote that had some risky modifications: side straps to cinch the bag, a drop-down key leash, d-rings for shoulder straps and a stitched bottom 1/4th of the way up. After carrying it over the last few months every day, I figured it would be a great showcase for review.

Koch Leather Custom Tote, breaking in nicely but still able to stand on its own due to reinforced bottom.

Construction

One thing I can always count on Koch (pronounced “coke”) leather for is quality leather and materials choice. This bag is fully made of Horween Chromexcel with plenty of pull-up and pretty decent resistance to scratches. The hardware used is mostly stainless steel, with a few hammered copper rivets that add a nice touch. For the side cinch straps, a stud closure is used as well as an optional stud closure at the top of the tote, which would help secure the contents.

I didn’t purchase a shoulder strap with this tote design, but could easily pick one up in matching leather from Koch leather, or use any of my straps from other bags. Exterior D rings accompany the sides of the bag, as well as the extended key latch inside the bag. A standard pouch that seems customary to all Koch totes was also included inside.

Detachable key strap also nicely finished with a logo and copper rivet.

Function

The tote has been a great secondary every day carry option for me. I believe that the design and function of a tote-style bag is underappreciated amongst men, and certainly underrated in terms of quick, no zipper/closure access to your goods. Typicallyy, I carry my DSLR camera, a small pouch with extra memory cards and batteries, and a light jacket. There is still plenty of room for a water bottle, wallet, keys etc. I mainly chose the tote design because I didn’t want to have to unbutton or unzip any closures to access my camera. There is that optional stud closure up top, but I find myself rarely using it, in fact tucking it behind the inside pocket often.

It is very useful however, on rainy days. I have also carried a full size notepad along with my regular set up with no issues or bending of the pad. As I stated previously, I didn’t order the optional shoulder strap with the bag, but for this review I did spend a few days carrying it via a shoulder strap. The less amount of bulky items in the tote, the more it will lean in towards your body. Even with my big camera inside, it did not bump up against my side enough to cause any discomfort.

Cinch straps on the side make it easier to increase or decrease the opening and capacity.

Fully packed for the next trip with room to spare.

Aesthetics

With Horween leather and copper rivets, what’s not to appreciate about the look? As this bag has been used, it has gained some floppiness, and scratches and scuffs have been kept at a minimum. I intend on utilizing a shoulder strap more, to add some shiny patina to the sides of the tote. The accent stitching and reinforced bottom also add to the overall beauty. Two small logos occupy the bag minimally and pleasantly, and I had to search for them to notice.

I believe the most masculine or gender-neutral feature is the shortened straps as opposed to traditional totes with a longer strap drop length. When I propositioned Josh to make the tote, I knew beforehand I didn’t want a bag to sling on my shoulder via the straps, so the design modification shines. In hindsight, the only modification I would add, which I could still do, is request a snap button handle wrap, to make carrying via the straps a little easier and more uniform looking.

Conclusion

As you can tell, I couldn’t quite find anything negative to say about this custom tote from Koch Leather. Custom designs are done by Koch on a made to order basis, so its best to figure out what design ques and functionality you’re looking for prior to purchasing. Costs may vary but I highly recommend Koch Leather Totes, and adding your own modifications to get a bag unique to you. Josh is also a great help at providing guidance if you are unsure and would like to ask questions prior to him putting the needle to leather.

November 11, 2016December 19, 2017

Koch Leather Company Horween Leather Sleeve Review – $58

Field notes have always been a part of my daily carry. Despite the advancement of cellphones and tablets, to me, nothing beats a hard pencil or pen and a notebook. From tracking spending, writing to remember or revisit, or to exchange information, the field notes journal is my go-to medium. When using covers to protect small notebooks such as Field Notes or Moleskine, there are plenty of options to choose from. Josh and Jen Koch of Koch Leather Company offer a Horween Leather Sleeve that provides a nice breakaway from traditional covers. By utilizing a design in which you insert the journal between the leather, the product provides dual functions and protection.

kochsleeve-1 — Koch leather goods come packaged nicely which adds to the overall presentation

The field notes sleeve is constructed of three pieces of Horween Natural Dublin. Koch Leather Company refers to this as their chestnut color. Natural Dublin is a vegetable tanned leather which gives a bit more toughness in feel compared to its Chromexcel counterpart in my opinion. Koch also offers Horween Chromexcel in burgundy, black, and brown, and a vegetable tanned leather from Hermann Oak. The sleeve is hand stitched with waxed thread and edges come in nicely burnished.

The front of the sleeve presents two pockets. One is for a pen, which I thus far have carried a variety of averaged sized pens in from Pilot G2’s to Parker Jotters and Fischer space pens. The secondary pocket fits a few cards, a single AAA flashlight, or a small to medium sized knife. The design protects both accessories in a way such that I was not worried about breaking a plastic pen while sitting on the sleeve. As you can see, the pull-up in the leather is great once flexed and reveals the lighter color as the oils are spread out. The color settles from the lightest color once items have been regularly stored.

I normally carry my field notes in a messenger bag, but for the purpose of this review, I also implemented carrying it in my back pants pockets. Though the Natural Dublin is vegetable tanned, it is soft enough to form to your backside, but not to an extreme bending degree. On a few occasions it also fit into the breast pocket of my suit jackets. The sleeve design allows the back of the sleeve to be used as a writing surface. This worked fairly well when making sketches wresting the sleeve on my knee.

With a lot of companies using Horween their leather of choice, products must rely on design and craftsmanship to separate themselves. While Koch Leather also offers more traditional notebook covers, this sleeve offers a nice separation from the pack. The finite details such as the thumb slit to remove the notebook is properly placed and adds a touch of ergonomics. The burnished edges have held up nicely over frequent use and it has done its standard job of protecting my Field Notes. The logo on the back end blends itself in with this particular leather finish, but can easily be felt.

The Koch Leather Company Horween Leather Sleeve offers solid protection for your journals with an alternative design and dual functions. I could easily see this piece being used with a passport and travel identification. Being able to carry a Swiss Army Knife or flashlight has led to me favoring this setup over a traditional cover. At the price of $58 it presents itself well, especially with the quality of materials used and overall craftsmanship. As it continues to darken and gather small scratches and abrasions, I can only see it becoming more beautiful.

October 29, 2014December 19, 2017

Koch Leather – Shipping Kickstarter Rewards While Maintaining Superior Quality

Koch Leather finished up a successful Kickstarter campaign back in the middle of August. Since that time, they’ve been working feverishly to hand craft and ship out the many assorted Kickstarter rewards. After reviewing two great Koch Leather pieces (their small Horween tote and a guitar strap) prior to their Kickstarter campaign, I decided to embark upon my own Kickstarter journey. I decided to back their campaign (my first Kickstarter campaign as a backer). I chose to back at the $50 level…wish it could have been more…but, oh well, which gave me the ability to receive one of their Field Notes Sleeves in Horween leather.

Recently I received my reward piece and it is stunning. It is just like their other products – attention to detail is over the top, stitching is immaculate, and the Horween leather is fantastic. I am very pleased with my decision to back Koch Leather. I look forward to watching this company continue to grow, refine their skills, expand their product line, and flourish.

The Koch Leather website is open and they are geared up to take orders. So, check ’em out and get a few things ordered…the holidays are approaching quickly!

August 8, 2014December 19, 2017

Koch Leather Guitar Strap – $60

Leather and music are an inseparable duo. It’s been that way for decades and there’s no reason to believe it will change any time in the near future. While we’re all thankful that parachute pants went the way of the Dodo, leather is an iconic piece of music’s past, present, and future.

Koch Leather is no stranger to the music scene. They’ve been making their guitar straps for the past couple of years and they have been well received. Not only are a few well-known Christian musicians sporting Koch Leather guitar straps – they also worked in collaboration to create a line of straps for Hogjim Guitar Gear.

About Koch Leather

This is the second piece Best Leather has reviewed for Koch Leather, which is owned and operated by Josh and Jen Koch in Pinetop, AZ. They’re just about to wrap up a successful Kickstarter program (congrats!) and we look forward to seeing this talented couple launch into their budding business full time.

Construction

Black Horween Chromexcel + Koch’s attention to fine detail = one awesome looking, perfectly functioning guitar strap. One of the things I appreciate about Koch Leather’s construction practices is clean lines and attention to detail. It’s evident in all of their products when looking at the way the leather is cut, the seams are sewn, the rivets are placed; it is easy to see they take pride in their workmanship.

Function

The Koch Leather Guitar Strap does its job well and feels great when you’re strapped into your guitar. The wide mid-section of the strap is comfortable across your neck and shoulder, which allows you to play comfortably while standing or sitting for long periods of time.

One thing that’s important to point out about the Koch Leather Guitar Strap is that it features two adjustment points. Many straps of this design usually only have one piece that is adjustable. Having both ends be adjustable allows the strap to be very customized to anyone’s guitar playing style. And, it’s a great feature for guitar players who are tall or who have additional girth in front of them…or those who have both of those situations to contend with.

Aesthetic

Again…it’s Horween Chromexcel and Koch Leather makes it. Beyond that, the color is spot on for a guitar strap. Black is always “in” – but, if you desire, it can be ordered in two other colors: chestnut or brown. It’s hard to go wrong with a nice, thick strap made of leather when you combine it with the eye pleasing wood tones on an acoustic guitar. If electric guitars are your thing, it will definitely compliment those as well.

The finish of Horween’s Chromexcel combined with the clean lines of Koch’s construction combine to create an aesthetically pleasing piece of leather. And, it’s extremely functional to boot.

It’s a piece that gets noticed too. Every guitar player has a strap of some sort…so, it’s not something that gets noticed much most of the time. However, several different guys immediately noticed this strap – and they quickly pointed out the dual adjustability feature too.

Conclusion

Ditch the conventional, run of the mill straps at the music store and get yourself a quality piece of leather from Josh and Jen. The Koch Leather Guitar Strap is well worth the $60 investment. It’s a piece of equipment that will last as long or longer than your guitar and will age well year after year while giving you the ability to comfortably play your guitar from any position.

**Act quickly and you can get in on the tail end of Koch Leather’s Kickstarter, which ends on August 17th. If they hit their stretch goal, there may be an additional color available for the guitar strap and their other products. So go support their Kickstarter – inquiring minds want to know what that other color is going to be!

July 26, 2014December 19, 2017

Koch Leather Small Horween Tote Review – $165

Personable, pleasant, hard working, with a desire to create items that will last and last – that’s my impression of Josh and Jen Koch. Oh, and those items they’re making? Why, they’re beautiful, functional leather goods.

About Koch Leather

The genesis of Koch Leather (Koch is pronounced like “Coke”, not “cah-ch” for clarification) was their personal search for a good wallet. After an unsuccessful search for what they were looking for, they embarked on the process of making their own. That little foray turned into a small, part time business, which has steadily grown due to the popularity of their items, their stunning customer service, and of course, their high quality products. In fact, Koch Leather is gearing up to become a full time operation. They just launched a Kickstarter campaign to help them launch this new effort for their business. We wish them much success in this endeavor!

Construction

After speaking with Josh about Koch Leather, we determined it would be a good idea to review one of their popular tote bags. They offer two sizes, small and large, in their totes. The small tote measures 12″H x 10″W x 4″D while the large tote measures 15″H x 13″W x 5″D. The straps on the small tote feature a 10” drop while the larger model has a drop of 12″ to the top of the bag. These totes feature an interior pocket that’s perfect for keys, your smartphone, and a couple of other small items. Copper rivets and a silver stud flap closure keep it held together tight.

The Koch Leather Small Horween Tote sent to me was hand crafted using Horween Chromexcel in a rich brown color. The copper rivets are set off nicely with this color combination. The straps are constructed of Horween Chromexcel Double Shoulder in the same color, providing a little more substance and thickness to them that’s just right. All of the stitching, expertly done, just further enhances the bag’s appearance. This combination creates a very luxurious, high-end look and feel. Needless to say, upon seeing this bag, my wife immediately took possession of it and “claimed” it. Now she’s very happy with being able to use the Koch Small Leather Tote for whatever she wishes.

Function

The small interior pocket is really a nice feature on the tote. Out of everything on the bag, this little feature excited my wife the most. “I don’t have to fish around in it for my phone or keys…this is great!” she said right after commandeering the bag from me. The second feature she made positive note of was the strap length. For her, it’s the ideal length for shoulder carry as well as having it easily be carried down at her side.

As far as storage capacity, it has plenty of room. For test purposes, she stuck her keys, phone, and a couple of pens in the side pocket with room to spare. Then she loaded up her camera and her iPad Mini. It will contain several more items with ease and still close with the attractive strap and post closure setup. It even holds two Canon dSLR bodies side by side.

It seems to me that this is an ideally sized tote for one person – whether it’s used to transport personal electronics, for a quick trip to the farmer’s market, or even used as a stylish diaper bag for an evening out with your infant or toddler. It’s not big, cumbersome, or over the top in its style. In fact, it’s quite the opposite; it just does its prescribed job and looks really, really nice while doing it.

Aesthetic

Personally, I think Koch Small Leather Tote is very attractive. Josh and Jen offer their totes in several different color combinations and all of them look great. I think the dark brown Horween Chromexcel is extremely eye pleasing. As I mentioned earlier, this color really sets off the copper rivets and creates a very classy look.

I also don’t see how it’s possible to break this thing while using it in a reasonable fashion. Sure, you could probably rig it in-between a couple of Clydesdales and let them do a marvelous job of tearing it apart. But, is that really an accurate way to measure the durability of something like this tote? Of course not. I’m positive that you will be able to load this thing up day in and day out for years to come and it’s just going to continue looking better and better. Horween leather, copper rivets, and heavy gauge stitching…it’ll just improve over time. I have a feeling that you’ll wear out before the Koch Small Leather Tote.

Conclusion

The Koch Leather Small Horween Tote definitely falls into BestLeather.org’s Buy It For Life category. The price of $165, which includes standard domestic shipping, is not prohibitive at all given the materials used and the expertly hand crafted construction. The high aesthetic value and functionality of the tote just adds to that decision. Couple all of that with the bulletproof construction and materials and you’ve got yourself a tote that will easily be handed down to your kids and probably their kids too.

Be sure to check out their Kickstarter, which runs until August 17th. After that, you can always order the tote or other marvelous items created by them on their website.