How to tell if a glove is horween?

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ballglovegaller

New Member
So I saw this glove on the bay last week and I swear it looked just like horween. Problem is, it was a custom. The price was right so I bought it so I could do some investigating. I still have no idea whether it's horween or not so I'm going to pass this on to all those out there that are more experienced with horween!

Ask any questions you need, I have tons of photos on my photobucket but if you want more I can add more! I have the SBF horween exlusive in there for comparison. Date code EBBL29, made in Philippines.
http://s50.photobucket.com/user/ballglovegallery/library/?view=recent&page=1
 
Rous

Rous

Addicted to Softballfans
Not Horween glove leather simply because it is oil tanned. Made in 2012 and I don't think they offer the OT tan any more. I know the oil tanned black is from Horween, but I don't think this tan was. The oil tanned tan from the late 1990s was just as stiff as the current black OT Horween, but post 2000 the OT tan got a lot softer. How is this one from 2012?
 
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ballglovegaller

New Member
I know it wouldn't be the glove leather stuff (if only) but this just feels and looks too much like another oil tanned horween that I've encountered that I can't stop thinking it could be. I was surprised by the date code too but its whats on the glove! Its just a pretty confusing custom overall...
 
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ballglovegaller

New Member
Pretty stiff, not as stiff as I imagine a new DM horween exclusive would be (I had a used one once) but stiffer than the SPF exclusive was. Could be even stiffer if some person before me hadn't tried to force the glove closed o_O
 
Swinging Bunt

Swinging Bunt

Addicted to Softballfans
Send it to me. If it's not Horween, you'll have it back from me in a few days. If it is Horween, you'll never have it back. :D
 
David the Gnome

David the Gnome

The Veteran
ballglovegaller said:
Does anyone else have any input? I can't live without the answers (or at least the best answer we can get).
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The correct answer was given by Rous in the third post. It's not Horween because it's oil-tanned, it's still good leather though. Honestly Horween is more hype than anything, you're really not missing out. Enjoy it for what it is. :)
 
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ballglovegaller

New Member
David the Gnome said:
The correct answer was given by Rous in the third post. It's not Horween because it's oil-tanned, it's still good leather though. Honestly Horween is more hype than anything, you're really not missing out. Enjoy it for what it is. :)
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I was under the impression that oil tanned horween exists? unless people have been lying to me haha
 
DatDuke

DatDuke

Well-Known Member
It does. It's usually black with the code LT along with the model name. Actually I believe I asked this question b4. If the glove is black and OT, (with tbe oil tan leather marking) the chance is Horween supplied.
 

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David the Gnome

David the Gnome

The Veteran
ballglovegaller said:
I was under the impression that oil tanned horween exists? unless people have been lying to me haha
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So, let's be clear on what "Horween" means. Horween is a tannery in Chicago (https://www.horween.com/). When people on here say "Horween", what they are talking about is the dry Horween tan baseball glove leather found on old Rawlings gloves, specially made gloves for Don Morton's, and specially ordered gloves through here at Softballfans.

It may very well be that oil tanned leather in your glove rolled out of the Horween plant in Chicago, that does not mean it is what is colloquially known on here as "Horween". Horween does in fact produce an oil tanned black leather which is used by Rawlings. They do not, so far as I am aware of, or that any internet search can turn up, use an oil tanned tan leather from Horween.

I want to reiterate however, there is nothing magical about leather that comes from Horween. Their dry tan leather is really good quality and well loved on here, but it is not for everyone. It is probably the stiffest and thickest glove leather you'll ever find. It will last you many many years without fear of wearing out. It will however, take you a similar amount of time to break in.

I have owned three Horween dry tan gloves from Don Mortons and I have sold every one of them. I simply do not care for gloves that stiff, and while I do appreciate that there are those that do, it is not the be all end all of baseball gloves.

I'll get off my soapbox now. :)
 
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ballglovegaller

New Member
David the Gnome said:
So, let's be clear on what "Horween" means. Horween is a tannery in Chicago (https://www.horween.com/). When people on here say "Horween", what they are talking about is the dry Horween tan baseball glove leather found on old Rawlings gloves, specially made gloves for Don Morton's, and specially ordered gloves through here at Softballfans.

It may very well be that oil tanned leather in your glove rolled out of the Horween plant in Chicago, that does not mean it is what is colloquially known on here as "Horween". Horween does in fact produce an oil tanned black leather which is used by Rawlings. They do not, so far as I am aware of, or that any internet search can turn up, use an oil tanned tan leather from Horween.

I want to reiterate however, there is nothing magical about leather that comes from Horween. Their dry tan leather is really good quality and well loved on here, but it is not for everyone. It is probably the stiffest and thickest glove leather you'll ever find. It will last you many many years without fear of wearing out. It will however, take you a similar amount of time to break in.

I have owned three Horween dry tan gloves from Don Mortons and I have sold every one of them. I simply do not care for gloves that stiff, and while I do appreciate that there are those that do, it is not the be all end all of baseball gloves.

I'll get off my soapbox now. :)
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I'm well aware of who horween is, having been involved in leatherworking for almost a decade now, and also well aware of the difference between their glove leather and ot. Horween leather is pretty magical to me, both the dry and the ot, love the pocket they get, and the patina they develop. Love both because out of all the gloves I've had the pleasure of trying, the tan has the most "realistic" aging, closest to veg-tanned leather. Most chrome tanned leather does not develop nearly as deep a patina and some age by showing more and more of that sickly gray chrome tanned color. Of course, having a leatherworking background, I also just think it's cool to have a glove with a horween background.

Whether or not this glove is actually from horween won't make much of a difference to me, it's a great piece of leather either way, one of the best I've encountered. I just really want to get a better idea of whether or not it is horween (excuse me, from horween) both for my own sanity and for when I describe the glove to people.
 
Rous

Rous

Addicted to Softballfans
Since Rawlings advertises that the black OT and the Featherlite are both from Horween, but I have never heard that said of the OT tan leather. So it would surprise me if the tan you have was made by Horween. That being said, some of my favorite leather is the really stiff OT tan leather I have worked on. If you have a glove made of that stuff, enjoy it!
 
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Rous

Rous

Addicted to Softballfans
DatDuke said:
It does. It's usually black with the code LT along with the model name. Actually I believe I asked this question b4. If the glove is black and OT, (with tbe oil tan leather marking) the chance is Horween supplied.
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I am sure you meant to type TL.
 
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