Cowhide vs. Horween and Why Cowhide is Better
I’m dropping a hot take today that needs to be said. Horween leather is awesome. It was something new in the Bible world and it caught fire and people went crazy with it. I have a couple of Horween Bibles from Crossway and I really like them. I even said the Omega seemed like it was made for Horween leather. However, I’m just going to say it. Cowhide (whether you call it Badalassi or pull up) is better than Horween.
Don’t tune me out yet! Hear my argument. I’m going to talk about why I think this leather is better because if you’ve never experienced it then you truly don’t know what you’re missing. I have two Bibles rebound in this awesome leather from ICA Rebinding and I may like it even better than goatskin! Shocking, I know!
From the get go, I will say that I don’t think Badalassi Cowhide has been used on any “stock” Bibles from a big publisher so that would be possibly considered a strike against it. On the flip side, Crossway is the only publisher to use Horween and their prices for those Bibles were similar to a nice rebind so maybe at this point we can just call it even.
One thing people love about Horween is the patina it develops over time. Personally, I love a Bible that shows some use and develops character so I loved this about Horween as well. Cowhide does the same thing! It’s going to show some scratch marks and develop that patina with use. I’ve already got some marks on my Creeds and Confessions Bible as you can see.
Even more, cowhide just looks beautiful. Cowhide has this almost marble-like look to it that is so striking. You don’t get his look with goatskin or Horween. It’s deep, beautiful, and commands attention. In fact, it is probably my favorite thing about cowhide.
If I’m shooting you straight, brown is one of my least favorite Bible colors. I can like it, but I have to really talk myself into it. Taking that into account, Crossway only offered Horween in brown (although there are other colors), but with cowhide you can pick from a number of colors. You can see from the picture below that ICA did a bordeaux cowhide on my Creeds and Confessions Bible and it looks incredible! I also fell in love with the “mustard” cowhide that constrast well with the black sharkskin that he did for me on my ESV Verse-by-Verse Preaching Bible. Both of these are so striking and they’re not brown!
Horween, at least the Horween that I’ve handled, also seems thin compared to cowhide. I’ve not had a Horween rebind and I have been told that’s on another level (as most rebinds are), but the Horween on the Crossway Heirlooms seems thin and flimsy while the cowhide I’ve handled seems thick and robust. The cowhide seems more durable and like it truly could take a beating. There’s a quality feel to that thickness.
Cowhide has quickly jumped to one of my favorite leathers. Let me encourage you to think about what you want in a leather and choose accordingly. Cowhide is going to show use and wear, which I think is really cool. Goatskin will stay looking new for the most part. Horween will develop a patina, but won’t have that deep, marbled look you get from cowhide. Everyone has different likes and preferences, but I’ve quickly come to the opinion that cowhide is better than Horween.
