Free worldwide shipping · Free monogramming on every bag
Buffalo leather is full grain hide with a deeper, more open natural grain than cowhide and a pull-up finish that lightens where it bends. It is thick, supple and hard to hurt, which makes it the leather for bags that get thrown around. Hand stitched, solid brass hardware, initials free.
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The Grasmere
The Coniston
The Hawes
The Leyburn
The Durham
The Masham
The Grasmere
The Coniston
The Hawes
The Leyburn
The Durham
The MashamA buffalo hide has a looser, more pronounced grain than cowhide, so the surface shows natural pebbling and creases that no plate could reproduce. It is used full grain, with nothing sanded off, so it keeps the strength of the top layer. The finish is a pull-up: oils and waxes worked into the leather, which move when the hide is flexed. Fold a corner and it lightens; rub it with your thumb and the color comes back.
Buffalo leather ages faster and more visibly than smooth cowhide. Within weeks the grain opens up at the folds and the handles take on a darker polish. Scratches lighten at first and then rub back into the surface. After a few years it is soft, deep in color and looks like it has done something, which is exactly why people choose it.
Choose buffalo if you are hard on bags, if you want a rugged rather than polished look, or if you want a work bag that looks better battered. Choose smooth full grain cowhide if you want a cleaner, dressier finish. Cognac and tan show the pull-up effect most; black stays the most even.
Wipe it dry, keep it out of long direct sun and condition it once a year with a neutral cream. Most scuffs disappear when you rub them with a warm hand, because the oils in the finish move back into the mark. More detail is in how to care for a leather bag.
Three initials are pressed free; a blind press looks especially good on buffalo's deep grain. Bags leave the workshop in 3 to 5 working days, plus one with a monogram. Stitching is covered for life and hardware for five years, and any bag can come back within 30 days.
It is tougher and thicker with a more pronounced grain, so it suits rugged bags. Cowhide is smoother and dressier. Both are full grain in our bags.
Oils and waxes worked into the leather that move when it bends, so folds lighten and then darken again. It makes the leather look lived-in quickly.
Scratches lighten at first and usually rub back in with a warm hand, because the oils in the finish move into the mark.
It is a little heavier than cowhide of the same size, because the hide is thicker. That thickness is where its toughness comes from.
Yes, up to three initials free. A blind press suits the deep grain best.
If something is wrong, the reply comes from the workshop rather than a call center, and the repair is done by the person who made the bag.
Talk to usNothing we sell is bonded, corrected or finished with a plastic film, which is what makes a cheap bag flake at the corners.
Full grain explainedCut when you order and dispatched in 3 to 5 working days, or 4 to 6 for the hand woven Wren. A monogram adds one working day.
Shipping and deliveryThree letters in gold foil, silver foil or a blind press, set by hand before the bag is boxed, on every bag we make.
Personalization