Materials
If you’re reading this, you are concerned with the quality of materials that goes into your holsters and belts. Good! It matters, and we take it very seriously. It seems like every holster maker or belt builder around claims to use only the best materials. Sometimes that’s true, some of the time it’s a stretch. Here is what I can tell you about ours.
Vegetable Tanned Cowhide Leather
We really do only use the best leather money can buy, and we don’t stop there. We have our leather put through several processes beyond the normal tooling or skirting leather commonly used for belts and holsters.
First, we start with leather from U.S. tanneries that utilize native steers for their hides. Second, we only use backs because it is firmer and tighter grained than the rest of the hide. Then we have our hides drum dyed for a deep rich color that wont bleed or transfer off the holster and onto your clothes when it gets soaked with sweat after a hard day’s work.
Next we have the side split to just the right thickness for its intended job. After being split, the flesh side of the hide is sanded and pasted to provide a smoother, more consistent surface that gives your holster’s interior a superior look and feel (even where nobody is looking… or feeling…). Finally, depending on the product the leather is intended for, we will have the leather put through a proprietary process to stiffen and condense the grain even more to end up with the best holster and belt leather around.
Quote from Wickett & Craig about our leather.
John Doe, Wickett & Craig Leather
Chrome Tanned Leather
Some of our hybrid products utilize chrome tanned leather in their construction. We only use full grain premium cowhides that are treated to be resistant to wear and tear while retaining the natural beauty of fine leather. Because it is supple, light weight, and less susceptible to stains and heat, it is the perfect choice for combining with rigid thermo-formed plastics like kydex or boltaron.
Suede Leather
Suede has traditionally been used to line holsters for many years. With the right care and maintenance it is a very effective lining material that helps prolong the life of a handgun’s finish and allow a smooth draw. We use premium cow suede that is treated to achieve a soft, uniform grain.
Vegetable Tanned Kangaroo Leather
We use vegetable tanned kangaroo because it is a very strong, naturally slick leather that makes an excellent liner. While it is more expensive than most other vegetable tanned leather, it also gives the smoothest, fastest draw we’ve found. For legal reasons we can not ship kangaroo lined holsters to the state of California.
Exotic Leather
Exotic leathers are often used on belts and holsters for their beauty and rarity, but many of them also provide better wear resistance than cowhide as well. We go the extra mile to make sure all of our exotic leathers are obtained legally and ethically. Due to restrictive laws, we do not sell or ship any products made with the following materials to the state of California: kangaroo, cobra, python or elephant.
Thread
We only use heavy weight bonded nylon thread made according to the highest quality standards. This means our products are made to last with a super strong thread that will not rot or stretch.
Hardware
All of our hardware is made from solid brass, stainless or black oxide coated steel. Everything we use to make our products is high quality, period. This includes the screws, washers, eyelets, snaps and buckles. No cheap cast iron parts or plated pot metal, ever! Any products that differ in finish or materials are described that way so you know what you are getting.