Hancock and Moore - General Leather Question

16 years ago

I'm looking at buying a Hancock and Moore Sofa for the TV room.

I have a family with two kids (two teenagers). Due to the little kids, I've never had leather furniture.

I really like the Sofa outfitted in the nice leather (grade 1, unprotected), but I can't afford to have such expensive furniture trashed. However, I really like the look in the real nice, unprotected, leather.

How does the grade one buffalo type leather hold up in the real world? Does it age well in real use? Or I am better off biting the bullet and buying the shiny leather and being happy knowing that spills and life can be wiped off?

Is the shiny leather just as suceptible to tears, splits, and rips? Or even more so? Or does the "protection" also make the leather better suited for handing scratches and tearing? In my layperson mind, I'm thinking the Grade A (unprotected) leather may be thicker. Is this true or just an incorrect assumption?

The sofa won't be in the front of the house and it doesn't have to stay in museum condition, however, it needs to last a long time and I do have two kids.

Thanks in advance.

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Comments (2)

dcollie
16 years ago
Hi John, I think we spoke on the phone a couple times about this one. Just to clarify a few of your questions (then I'll step aside and let others answer):

Hancock and Moore Grades start at Grade 1 (least expensive) and then go up to Grade 5 (most expensive). They vast majority of hides sold are Grade 1 and 2, and then a few 3's. The grade has nothing to do with durability or protection, its strictly a pricing category. Any hide coming out of Europe will be a higher grade due to the strength of the Euro in relation to the US Dollar, and specialty leathers like Buffalo will always be a Grade 5 for the fact that there are not that many Buffalo hides to be sourced.

There is a Serviceability index on each H&M hide showing suitability of use. This is also a numeric index series of numbers and a 1 is commercial, a 2 is residential use, a 3 is limited durability and a 4 means you better not touch it except in your pajamas with no food, drink of newspapers within ten feet of it. 1's are pretty rough looking, plastic-feeling and not very handsome. 2's are where most people buy, its 'wipe and go'. 3's are suitable, but don't expect the piece to remain looking brand new, it may absorb some grease stains or show scratches. 4's are the Lambskins and Suedes .. be careful.

The Buffalo hides are priced at 5, and have a 3 Serviceability. They are very cool hides, a real treat.

Tears/splits/rips are really a non-issue for the most part. You have to have a knife or screwdriver etc. in your hand or pocket to rip the hides - they're tough. It should be noted that H&M to the best of my knowledge is the ONLY leather house that will accept a sofa back for repair in the event of a damaged hide, and they do not charge labor to repair - only the cost of the materials.

Thickness of the hide is really only a concern on tailoring. Thick hides like the Buffalo don't lent themselves going around tight, stylish corners as well as thinner hides.

Its all about your lifestyle and what you can accept as the piece ages. Everyone has a different tolerance for wear and tear. Regardless of the hide, the piece will easily go twenty + plus years in my experience, and it will just be the visuals of the furniture as it ages.

About 1 in 100 of my customers that buy a 'un-protected' leather (in reality, they all have a teflon coating on them so they're not totally unprotected) come back at a later date and tell me they wish they had gone with a protected hide. On the other hand, about 3 of 100 that went with the protected hide tell me later they wish they had gone with the more luxurious, more natural hides!

Hope that helps explain it some.

Duane Collie
oldskilodge
Original Author
16 years ago
I've been reading, talking to manufacturers, and speaking with owners of Hancock and Moore furniture - and Duane is right, as usual. He is quite the resource.

Thank you Duane!
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Hancock and Moore - General Leather Question

Comments (2)

dcollie

oldskilodge
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dcollie

oldskilodgeOriginal Author

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oldskilodge
Original Author