Realeather Veg Tan Double Shoulder Review: Buying a Hide Online
A 7 to 8 oz craft-store shoulder, sold by the box, judged by the people who opened one.
The Realeather Veg Tan Double Shoulder in 7 to 8 oz is one of the easiest pieces of heavy vegetable-tanned leather to buy without leaving the house: a whole cowhide shoulder, unfinished, shipped in a box from a craft brand stocked by chain stores and Amazon. The question for anyone ordering it is the one every online hide purchase raises, which is how much of what arrives can actually be cut. This review works from the retailers’ specifications, independent reporting on the company, forum advice from leatherworkers and customer reports, not hands-on testing.
Video: Unpacking natural vegetable tanned leather bends, from Marcellino NY Briefcase Maker on YouTube.
Who sells it, and what the listings claim
A cutting and packaging operation in Indiana, not a tannery.
Realeather is the retail brand of Silver Creek Leather Co. in Jeffersonville, Indiana. A profile in Shop Talk magazine by Lynn Ascrizzi traces the company to 2002, when Greg Sartor set it up after the Caldwell/Moser Tannery in nearby New Albany closed, and describes a 30,000-square-foot building on the Ohio River selling to chains such as Michaels, Hobby Lobby and Jo-Ann. The Indianapolis Business Journal reported in January 2024 that Silver Creek sources hides worldwide and receives them “already tanned,” then cuts and packages leather for crafters under the Realeather name, with about 50 employees.
That distinction matters to a buyer. Neither article names the tannery behind the vegetable-tanned shoulders, and no retail listing fetched for this review names one either. Anyone who cares where a hide was tanned, the way bridle-leather buyers care about Sedgwick or Hermann Oak, will not find that answer here.
The listings agree on the basics. Blick Art Materials sells the piece as item 62569-1001, a 7 to 8 oz shoulder of 8 to 11 square feet, and describes it as “This unfinished cowhide shoulder can be stamped, carved, molded, dyed, and finished.” A Walmart marketplace listing, sold by the third-party seller Hour Loop, gives the same weight and square footage and suggests uses from purses and straps to cosplay parts. Its feature text is labelled “Generated by AI,” which is reason to lean on Blick’s wording instead.
On Amazon, the listing for the 7 to 8 oz shoulder showed 4.5 out of 5 from 625 ratings in October 2026, at $62.46.
Ounces, square feet and the shape of a shoulder
Two numbers on the box, and both are ranges for a reason.
Leather thickness is sold in ounces, and the unit is older than it looks. Weaver Leather Supply’s terminology page defines one ounce as 1/64 inch of thickness, roughly 0.4 mm, so a 7 to 8 oz piece should sit somewhere around 2.8 to 3.2 mm. Tandy’s Economy shoulder page converts its 7 to 9 oz pieces to 2.8 to 3.6 mm. Hides vary across their surface, which is why every supplier sells a range instead of a single figure.
A double shoulder is a particular part of that hide. Miriam Schlabach’s cuts of leather guide for Weaver, dated February 2021, describes it as the cut that “has both of the shoulder blades on the hide,” measuring about 14 square feet, and notes that belt makers like it because straps can be cut across the width. Weaver’s longer explainer on double shoulders lists bags, belts, wallets and journal covers among its uses.
At 8 to 11 square feet, the Realeather piece runs smaller than Weaver’s 14-foot average. A shoulder also carries some of the belly at its far edges; in a 2009 forum thread on economical double shoulders, ChuckBurrows warned that “you will still have some belly on the far outer edges.” This journal’s guide to which cut of the hide to order sets the shoulder against bends and bellies for anyone still deciding.
Grade is the number missing from the 7 to 8 oz listings. Walmart’s 4 to 5 oz Realeather shoulder listing does state one: “Leather is grade B/C, the leather will only have slight/minor defects.” Whether the heavier piece is graded the same way, no fetched page says.
What buyers reported when the box was opened
Weight is the complaint that shows up, and it cuts both ways.
The written reviews found for the Realeather shoulder outside Amazon are few, so they carry limited weight. On the Walmart marketplace page, one verified buyer named Mark, writing in August 2025, said the “Weight is as described” and that “every inch is usable.” On eBay’s product page for the Realeather double shoulder, a September 2021 buyer gave three stars and wrote that everything was fine except the thickness: “Rating wasn’t even close.” That buyer reported receiving roughly 4 oz leather against a 6/7 oz listing and suggested it might have been a packing error. Blick’s page showed a 5.0 rating with no count or review text visible.
A wrong weight is the most expensive surprise in an online hide order. A 4 oz piece and a 7 oz piece are not interchangeable for a strap, a holster or a briefcase gusset, and the difference is hard to judge by eye through a photograph. The cheapest insurance is a thickness gauge on the bench the day the box arrives, measured at several points across the hide, not only at the edge.
The 625 Amazon ratings and their 4.5 average say the majority of buyers were satisfied. They do not say what those buyers made, which matters: a crafter cutting keychains and small patches can work around marks that would sink a long belt blank. For the size of a marketplace like that, the scarcity of detailed written reports on other retailers’ pages is itself worth keeping in mind.
Priced against Weaver, Tandy and Montana Leather
Per square foot, the Realeather shoulder sits in the middle of the pack.
Price per square foot is the honest way to compare whole hides, because the pieces differ in size. Using the low and high ends of each seller’s stated range:
| Shoulder | Price on page | Stated size | Roughly per sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Realeather 7-8 oz (Amazon price, Blick size) | $62.46 | 8-11 sq ft | $5.68-$7.81 |
| Weaver Veg Tanned Double Shoulder | $99.10 | 11-15 sq ft | $6.61-$9.01 |
| Tandy Economy Dyed Double Shoulder 7-9 oz | $79.99 | 7-12 sq ft | $6.67-$11.43 |
| Montana Leather Economy Double Shoulder | $104.25 | 12-15 sq ft | $6.95-$8.69 |
The comparison pieces each come with something the Realeather listings lack. Weaver’s double shoulder is sold as Tannery Run grade, which Weaver’s glossary defines as a mix of 25 percent A, 50 percent B and 25 percent C, and gives dimensions of roughly 25 to 29 inches by 55 to 60 inches. It carried 4.76 out of 5 from 308 reviews on the page, though one four-star buyer noted “quite a few marks and blemishes from being mashed against things.” Tandy’s Economy shoulder is pre-dyed and openly warns of imperfections “such as discoloration and some holes.” Montana Leather’s Economy double shoulder describes a firm temper and a rough 5 by 3 foot shape; its reviews ran from “nice quality clean with no scars” to one buyer calling it “a little stiff.”
Those are snapshots of prices on the day each page was read. They move. The pattern is more durable than the numbers: Realeather wins on availability and a low entry price, while the leather suppliers tell the buyer more about grade, dimensions and defects before the money changes hands.
Checking a hide on arrival, and who it suits
Lay it flat, measure it, look for the rectangle inside it.
Forum advice on buying a first double shoulder is practical and consistent. In a February 2018 thread on buying a first double shoulder, JLSleather advised: “Look for a piece fairly rectangular, which will give you the least waste.” He suggested trimming off the top section with its irregular edge and cutting a V-notch at the bottom to get a straight line for strap cutting. alpha2, in the same thread, argued that paying a little more for less waste could be worth it: “Just bite the bullet and get something good.”
Expect some loss. In a 2009 thread on A/B graded leather, a poster named Art put normal waste on a hide at about 10 percent and said discounted shoulders can run to 20 percent or more. The same thread records what to do when a piece falls short: the buyer called the supplier, described the deep scratches running through the centre, and had the hide replaced. Art’s advice was that the supplier matters as much as the maker’s skill, and that telling the seller what the leather is for helps. With a marketplace seller, that conversation is harder to have than with a leather house that grades its own stock, so returns policy belongs on the checklist before ordering.
The checks themselves are simple. Unroll the shoulder flat in daylight, grain side up. Gauge the thickness at the neck, the centre and both edges. Mark scars, brands and holes with chalk on the flesh side, then see how many strap-length runs or panel shapes fit between them. This journal’s piece on reading a bend before you pay for it goes further into reading grain and firmness on heavier cuts.
What the sources imply about fit follows from all this. The Realeather shoulder suits a hobbyist or beginner who wants a whole piece of tooling-weight vegetable-tanned leather quickly, at a modest price, for stamping, carving, small goods and practice, and who can work around marks. Buyers who need a known tannery, a stated grade, consistent thickness for straps, or long clean runs for belts will find those details more fully stated by the leather suppliers in the table, at a somewhat higher price per foot.
Realeather Veg Tan Double Shoulder, 7-8 oz: The listing this review covers, showing 4.5 stars from 625 ratings at $62.46 when checked on October 19, 2026. See it on Amazon (affiliate link).
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. A commission may be earned if you buy through this link, at no extra cost to you.
Sources
- Blick Art Materials, Realeather Veg-Tan Double Shoulder Leather: https://www.dickblick.com/products/realeather-veg-tan-double-shoulder-leather/
- Walmart (seller Hour Loop), Realeather Veg-Tan Double Shoulder Leather, 7-8 oz: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Realeather-Veg-Tan-Double-Shoulder-Leather/3447191230
- Walmart, Realeather Veg-Tan Double Shoulder Leather, 4-5 oz: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Realeather-Veg-Tan-Double-Shoulder-Tooling-Leather-for-Crafting-4-5oz-Natural/729609472
- eBay, Realeather Veg-tan Double Shoulder Leather product page: https://www.ebay.com/p/4043884982
- Shop Talk magazine, Lynn Ascrizzi, “Flowing and Growing”: https://shoptalk-magazine.com/2019/11/07/flowing-and-growing/
- Indianapolis Business Journal, Lesley Weidenbener, Made in Indiana: Craft leather by Silver Creek Leather Co. (January 19, 2024): https://www.ibj.com/articles/made-in-indiana-craft-leather-by-silver-creek-leather-co
- Weaver Leather Supply, Leather Terminology: https://weaverleathersupply.com/pages/leather-terminology
- Weaver Leather Supply, Miriam Schlabach, Cuts of Leather (February 9, 2021): https://weaverleathersupply.com/blogs/leathercrafting/cuts-of-leather
- Weaver Leather Supply, Exploring Double Shoulder Leather: https://www.weaverleathersupply.com/pages/exploring-double-shoulder-leather
- Weaver Leather Supply, Veg Tanned Double Shoulders: https://weaverleathersupply.com/products/veg-tanned-double-shoulders
- Tandy Leather, Economy Dyed Veg-Tan Double Shoulder Special: https://tandyleather.com/products/economy-dyed-veg-tan-double-shoulder-special
- Montana Leather Company, Economy Veg Tan Double Shoulder: https://www.montanaleather.com/product/economy-veg-tan-double-shoulder-8-10-oz/
- leatherworker.net, Buying My First Double Shoulders: https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/79719-buying-my-first-double-shoulders
- leatherworker.net, What to Expect From A/B Graded Leather: https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/18157-what-to-expect-from-ab-graded-leather
- leatherworker.net, Economical Double Shoulders: https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/18247-economical-double-shoulders
- Amazon, Realeather Veg Tan Double Shoulder, 7-8 oz listing (price and rating, October 2026): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B33K5Q1N
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