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We couldn’t be happier that Mike –  you might know him as indigoshrimp on Instagram or from his amazing blog – did a review for a brand a lot of you have been asking about: Pailot River. His original post about the Pailot River PR-SR01B – and other super informative reviews – can be found here. For your convenience, Mike gave us the green light to feature this piece on our blog. We didn’t edit it, this comes straight from the horse’s mouth. Enjoy:

 

PAILOT RIVER (REDMOON) – SHORT RIDER WALLET PR-SR01B REVIEW

 

My first piece of high-end leathercraft was a Red Moon cellphone holder from even before I started blogging, back when flip-phones were all the rage. I had very little understanding of leathers or their patination, but my Samurai Jeans dealer at the time recommended that I give Red Moon a try.

“I remember the first time I handled Red Moon’s natural vegetable tanned leather – so pale, yet so supple, with good thickness and a nice temper”

Little did I know at the time, that phone holder was the beginning of what would be a long-term obsession with leather.

I remember the first time I handled Red Moon’s natural vegetable tanned leather – so pale, yet so supple, with good thickness and a nice temper – it was dramatically different from the calfskin goods I had been using up until that point. The way the Red Moon holder changed over the first few weeks was dramatic too, and took on a beauty in grain development & patina that I have been fascinated with ever since.

After coming back to the hobby recently, I was glad to learn that Red Moon founder Keiichiro Goto had launched a high end leather brand in 2011 – Pailot River – with pieces handcrafted in the Village Works atelier, manned by Red Moon’s core group of young leather craftsmen.

Thanks to the folks at Denimio, an official stockist through whom the entire range of Pailot River’s collection is available for made-to-order, I’m excited to review this PR-SR01B short wallet from Pailot River’s “Street Rider” series of wallets.

Design

This is a short wallet, an uncommon size between a bifold and a mid-wallet.

“[Its] design is fairly layered, and you can see that it does not lack for compartments despite its size”

It measures 11 cm in vertical length, 9 cm in horizontal width, and 2.2 cm in thickness when compressed.

The outshell consists of two pieces of leather, with the inner piece trimmed and sewn to make the notes compartment. The ridge construction in the middle of the compartment allows for better folding.

The Pailot River logo is heat-embossed unto the outshell – nicely done, no cracks.

In design and shape it is a simplification of Red Moon’s iconic HR-01 ver. 2 pattern – the wallet being reviewed does not feature the classic concho clip or an internal zipper – which fits my personal preference of having no hardware in my smaller wallets.

The HR-01 ver, 2 design is fairly layered, and you can see that it does not lack for compartments despite its size. Given this is the zipper-less model, effectively we end up with 3 full-sized card compartments with one large notes compartment.

The compartments on the right and top left are made from one piece of leather, whilst the bottom left is made of two. These compartments will hold your cards securely, despite lacking any sealing mechanism; accessing the cards is pretty easy, although since you cannot see the cards when you open the wallet, you’ll have to start remembering which cards live in each compartment?

This model is unlined. The corium side of the leather is smoothly burnished.

You can also see in the photo below that the corners have small circles cut in, a clever way to minimize any distortions of the leather with use.

The notes compartment is spacious and not too tall. In the photo above you can see that Australian notes will sit approximately 1 cm below the border of the outshell. Despite being larger than traditional billfolds, this wallet is just as easy to use in terms of accessing money.

Leather

Before the founding of Pailot River, for many years Red Moon has been well known for their proprietary saddle leather – in many ways spearheading the natural leather hobby within vintage and workwear circles. Since then, enthusiasts have been guessing as to where and how this leather is produced.

Village Works, for the first time ever, has agreed to disclose some factual details about this leather for me to share with you: First, the steer hides used are mostly North America in origin, with 30% being domestic Japanese hides. Second, the hides are tanned in Himeji – the traditional epicentre of Japanese leather tanning, famous for Himekawa (“white leather”). Thirdly, the leather is vegetable tanned in tanning pits, with a recipe unchanged from the early days of Red Moon’s founding – this tannage takes a minimum of 3 months, and may extend up to 6 months depending on factors such as temperature and humidity.

In addition to the above information, I am also guessing that this leather has been further processed once the basic tanning is finished – this is inferred through two observations: One, this leather is a shade darker compared with dry, unfinished natural leather which usually looks almost white. Two, the leather is very slippery and shiny on the surface, to a degree I have never encountered on unfinished leathers.

“The leather also seems to be glazed or waxed, and is much more slippery & shiny compared with most natural leathers.”

My theory is that this leather has been further stuffed with oils once dried – which then further modifies the temper and the patina potential of the grain – all without altering the pale, fleshy-pink colour too much. Japanese tanners often call this type of leather “extra lipid”. I have heard that neatsfoot oil and cod oil are commonly used for this purpose, but I cannot confirm the use of this technique for the saddle leather we are seeing here.

Whatever the actual process, the end result is that Pailot River’s natural leather is not like the usual saddle leather that you might find at your local leather supply store. What I notice is a smoother grain, a colour that is slightly darker compared with true natural, a tone tending towards pink, a more flexible temper, a ‘wet’ handfeel, and an increase in ‘responsiveness” that I can only explain by assuming the extra oil content leads to quicker oxidation.

You can also see on the macro photo above that this saddle leather has much more ‘growth’ compared with other veg tanned leathers, and is more akin to Baker’s oak bark leather in grain texture and definition.

The reasons? Gentle pit tannage of course?

“…like all Pailot River pieces, it is made by one craftsman from cutting to finishing. This is not a production line wallet.”

The leather also seems to be glazed or waxed, and is much more slippery & shiny compared with most natural leathers. This is best appreciated in the photo below, when the leather is illuminated with LED lighting.

The backside of the leather is hand burnished with a glass instrument.

This natural saddle leather is 4 oz (1.6mm).

Construction

This wallet was made in the Village Works atelier, though like all Pailot River pieces, it is made by one craftsman from cutting to finishing. This is not a production line wallet. The craftsman’s signature stamp in Chinese characters feature on the certificate of authenticity.

The layer construction is quite remarkable, especially considering the minimised stitching and clever folding – this is a smart, optimised design. Each layer is individually stitched on the other, then closed, then attached with another layer, and so on. Indeed, what you see here is the refinement of Red Moon’s first wallet design back in 1993.

“The advantage of using such specialist machinery is that the resulting lock-stitch is more durable over time compared with similar stitching done with regular single-needle sewing.”

The lock-stitching is sewn with vintage needle & awl machines Seiko cylinder stitcher (Singer Roller Foot reproduction; many thanks for the correction to Ray Lansburg). Examining the stitching closely, they appear straight & well-spaced, with a density of around 7 SPI. A point of difference in the machine work here is the stitch tension & tightness; notice how the thread sits flat against the grain without any use of grooves, but at the same time does not cut into the leather excessively. The stitch holes produced by Village Work’s machines punches through the leather very cleanly, and does not flare out the leather grain around the holes in any way.

“A little known but interesting feature of this wallet is that no leather glue has been used in putting it together and the wallet relies on the precise cutting & sewing of the pieces”

The advantage of using such specialist machinery is that the resulting lock-stitch is more durable over time compared with similar stitching done with regular single-needle sewing machines, as a tighter stitch is produced in a smaller hole.

Here is the stitching process on a similar wallet at Village Works, explained by Goto:

Village Works states that different circumstances call for either machine or hand stitch. While a few leather craftsmen I know would say a saddle-stitch sewn by experienced hands would be superior in any given circumstance, I am no where near expert enough to contradict Goto, so I will leave this up to you to debate! Nevertheless, a hand-stitched version of the HR-01 is available, at a premium of 5000 yen compared with the machine stitched version, accounting extra time required for hand-stitching.

A little known but interesting feature of this wallet is that no leather glue has been used in putting it together and the wallet relies on the precise cutting & sewing of the pieces to keep the sum of the whole intact & aligned. This has the advantage of allowing the wallet to better mold to the user through small movements of the different layers, and also allows for complete repairs by restitching and re-burnishing the individual pieces after a few years of use. I am quite impressed by how well all the many individual pieces come together without the use of glue, especially on what is a fairly complicated and multilayered short wallet. This well-matched alignment is most evident when observing the wallet from the sides.

Unlike Red Moon wallets where only the outer edges are burnished, Pailot River’s pieces have all edges of each component piece fully burnished by hand. Even the backsides of the leather is burnished using a glass tool.

“Both Keiichiro Goto and his Red Moon wallets are legendary among leather circles, and, through Pailot River, Mr. RedMoon manages to raise the bar again.”

The burnish work here is slightly better compared with most Red Moon pieces I have handled over the years.

Opinion

At 33,000 yen, this is not the cheapest short wallet out there. However, comparing this wallet to other made in Japan workshop leathercrafts, it can be considered to be pretty good value given the precise make, the “one craftsman” approach, the tested & refined design, and the aging potential of their proprietary saddle leather.

The level of craftsmanship and detailing is fairly high, one tier above most other workshop productions, and in finer details are a step above even Red Moon’s regular offerings. A few people have asked how I would compare Red Moon to Kawatako: after handling this Pailot River wallet, I would say that although Kawatako offers interesting bridle and coloured leathers, Pailot River’s construction is better within the same price bracket. Here, I am considering the clean stitch-work, precise cutting, decent all-round burnishing and a multi-layered but very functional & tested design.

“To me, Pailot River feels like a step upwards from workshop crafting, offering products that are somewhere in between workshop MTO and true bespoke crafting.”

Further, if you are a fan of growing your own grain patina on natural leather, Red Moon / Pailot River’s saddle leather is one of the best for this purpose, made with a tanning recipe that was established 20 years ago, able to produce fantastic dark tones and superb lustre over time.

On aspects such as burnishing, hand-stitching and metal composition of hardware, Pailot River may not reach the the absolute highest standards of a master craftsman, for which you might expect edges that feel like glass & reflect like mirrors, dense hand-sewing, or conchos made of fine silver…but keep in mind this type of craftsmanship in Japan could very well cost you a minimum of 50% more than what you’d expect to pay for a Pailot River wallet.

Red Moon wallets have always had a distinct and unmistakable southwestern Americana aesthetic, and Pailot River’s offerings don’t deviate too much from this rugged, Native American inspired look.

Although sized nicely in between a bifold and a midwallet, don’t mistake this wallet for fashion carry piece. Consider the decent thickness at 2.2 cm, the result of several layers of 4 oz leather…this wallet was very much made for denimheads and heritage clothing enthusiasts.

All in all, would I recommend this Pailot River wallet?   Yes!

Both Keiichiro Goto and his Red Moon wallets are legendary among leather circles, and, through Pailot River, Mr. RedMoon manages to raise the bar again.

For people just starting their leather journey, a Red Moon piece could be an ideal beginning. Those with a higher budget should definitely consider Pailot River’s offerings. To me, Pailot River feels like a step upwards from workshop crafting, offering products that are somewhere in between workshop MTO and true bespoke crafting.

All in all, I’m very happy to own another product from the Village Works atelier.

—

Pailot River leathercrafts are made-to-order by Village Works when purchased through Denimio, with a make-time of approximately 2 weeks. With free shipping worldwide, full Village Works warranty and options for repairs & servicing, Denimio is by far the most convenient and economical way of purchasing Village Works’ crafts. Check them out here.

For other amazing wallets, including Red Moon, check out Denimio’s broad selection here.

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Kami sangat senang karena Mike –  yang Anda kenal sebagai indigoshrimp pada Instagram ataupun dari blog menariknya – berbagi review mengenai merek yang membuat banyak dari Anda penasaran: Pailot River. Post sebelumnya mengenai Pailot River PR-SR01B – dan review informatif lainnya – dapat Anda temukan di sini. Kabar baiknya, kami memfiturkan Mike dalam blog Denimio. Tanpa diedit, konten ini merupakan konten original dari Mike sendiri. Silahkan nikmati:

REVIEW PAILOT RIVER (REDMOON) – SHORT RIDER WALLET PR-SR01B

Koleksi produk kerajinan kulit berkualitas tinggi pertama saya yaitu sarung ponsel Red Moon jauh sebelum saya mulai melakukan blogging, ketika ponsel lipat sangat populer. Saya kurang memahami mengenai produk kulit, lalu agen Samurai Jeans saya pada saat itu merekomendasikan saya untuk mencoba Red Moon.

“Saya ingat pertama kali saya menerima produk kulit alami yang dijemur dengan bahan nabati hingga berwarna kecokelatan dari Red Moon – pucat namun fleksibel, dengan ketebalan yang sesuai dan tampilan yang indah”

Saya tidak sadar bahwa sarung ponsel tersebut merupakan awal dari obsesi saya dengan produk kulit.

Saya ingat ketika saya pertama kali menerima produk kulit alami yang dijemur dengan bahan nabati hingga berwarna kecokelatan dari Red Moon ini – pucat namun fleksibel, dengan ketebalan yang sesuai dan tampilan yang indah – ia sangat berbeda dari produk kulit sapi yang saya selalu miliki pada saat itu. Perubahan sarung Red Moon ini juga sangat dramatis setelah penggunaan selama beberapa minggu pertama, yang membuat saya terpesona dengan keindahan dan perkembangan kulit & patinanya.

Setelah memiliki hobi baru ini, saya terlebih-lebih senang mengetahui bahwa Keiichiro Goto , pendiri Red Moon mulai memproduksi Pailot River sebagai produk kulit berkualitas tinggi sejak tahun 2011 – dimana setiap produk dibuat tangan di studio Village Works, oleh kelompok inti  pengrajin Red Moon.

Berkat rekan-rekan Denimio, sebuah stockist resmi yang menawarkan koleksi Pailot River terlengkap untuk dipesan, saya sangat bersemangat untuk meninjau dompet PR-SR01B ini dari seri dompet “Street Rider” Pailot River.

Desain

Ini adalah dompet pendek, dengan ukuran yang berbeda di antara dompet lipatan ganda dan dompet berukuran sedang.

“[Ia] memiliki desain berlapis, dan Anda dapat melihat bahwa ia memiliki kompartemen yang cukup meskipun berukuran kecil”

Ia memiliki ukuran panjang vertikal 11 cm, lebar horizontal 9 cm, dan ketebalan 2.2 cm ketika dikompres.

Kulit luar terdiri dari dua potongan kulit, dengan potongan bagian dalam dirapikan dan dijahit untuk kompartemen uang kertas. Konstruksi di bagian tengah kompartemen memungkinkan lipatan yang lebih baik.

Logo Pailot River dicetak dengan teknik pemanasan pada bagian luar kulit dengan sangat sempurna.

Desain dan bentuknya merupakan hail penyederhanaan model ikonik Red Moon versi 2 HR-01 ver. 2 – review dompet ini tidak memiliki klip concho klasik ataupun zipper internal – yang sesuai dengan referensi pribadi saya tanpa hardware pada dompet berukuran kecil.

Desain Versi 2 HR-01 cukup berlapis, dan Anda dapat melihat bahwa ia memiliki kompartemen yang cukup meskipun berukuran kecil. Mengingat bahwa dompet ini merupakan model tanpa zipper, ia dilengkapi dengan 3 kompartemen seukuran kartu Anda dengan satu kompartemen uang kertas.

Kompartemen pada bagian kanan dan kiri atas terbuat dari sebuah potongan kulit, sementara bagian kiri bawah terbuat dari dua potongan kulit. Kompartemen ini akan menyimpan kartu Anda secara aman, meskipun tidak memiliki segel: pengaksesan kartu akan sangat mudah namun ketika Anda tidak dapat melihat kartu Anda di saat Anda membuka dompet, Anda akan mulai mengingat kartu apa yang Anda simpan di setiap compartment?

Pada model ini, bagian sisi corium kulit mulus mengilap.

Seperti foto di bawah ini,  Anda dapat menyimak bahwa pada bagian sudut memiliki potongan lingkaran kecil, cara terbaik untuk meminimalkan distorsi penggunaan produk kulit.

Kompartemen uang kertas berukuran luas dan tidak terlalu tinggi. Pada foto di atas, Anda dapat melihat bahwa uang kertas Australia memiliki ruang sekitar 1 cm di bawah perbatasan dompet tersebut. Meskipun berukuran lebih besar dari billfolds tradisional, dompet ini juga efektif digunakan dalam hal pengaksesan uang.

Kulit

Sebelum mendirikan Pailot River, Red Moon telah terkenal selama bertahun-tahun atas produk pelana kulitnya – dalam sisi mana pun, popularitas ini berkembang pesat di antara dunia hobi produk kulit alami untuk melengkapi pakaian gaya vintage dan pekerja. Sejak saat itu, para penggemar produk kulit sangat penasaran mengenai cara dan asal produk kulit ini diproduksi.

Untuk pertama kalinya, Village Works bersepakat untuk mengungkapkan beberapa detail faktual tentang produk kulit yang akan saya ceritakan kepada Anda ini: Pertama, sebagian besar bahan kulit sapi yang digunakan berasal dari Amerika Utara, dengan 30% darinya merupakan kulit domestik Jepang. Kedua, kulit dijemur kecokelatan di Himeji – pusat penjemuran bahan kulit Jepang secara tradisional, yang terkenal akan Himekawa (“bahan kulit putih”). Ketiga, kulit dijemur dengan bahan nabati hingga warna kecokelatan di gelanggang penjemuran, dengan tradisi kuno Red Moon – penjemuran ini membutuhkan waktu minimal 3 bulan, dan mungkin mencapai 6 bulan tergantung kepada faktor-faktor seperti suhu dan kelembaban.

Selain informasi di atas, saya menduga bahwa kulit ini telah diproses secara lanjut setelah proses dasar penyamakan selesai – hal ini dipertimbangkan melalui dua observasi: Pertama, material kulit ini berwarna lebih gelap dibandingkan dengan material kulit alami kering yang belum selesai diproses dan biasanya terlihat hampir berwarna putih. Kedua, material kulit ini sangat mulus dan mengkilap pada permukaannya, hingga kualitas tinggi yang sangat jarang ditemukan pada material kulit yang belum selesai diproses lainnya.

“Material kulit ini juga tampaknya mengkilap atau di-wax, dan akan jauh lebih mulus & mengkilap dibandingkan material produk kulit alami lainnya.”

Teori saya yaitu bahwa material kulit ini telah diproses dengan minyak setelah dikeringkan – yang kemudian dimodifikasi lebih lanjut akan potensi patinanya – semua tanpa banyak mempengaruhi warna kepucatan dan warna merah muda pada bahan ini. Penyamak Jepang sering menyebut jenis kulit ini sebagai “ekstra lipid”. Saya mendengar bahwa minyak neatsfoot dan minyak ikan cod umumnya digunakan untuk mencapai hasil ini, namun saya tidak dapat memastikan bahwa teknik ini digunakan untuk produk kulit pelana yang dapat kita simak di sini.

Apapun prosesnya, hasil akhirnya sangat jelas dan meyakinkan bahwa produk kulit alami Pailot River tidak seperti produk kulit pelana yang umumnya mungkin Anda temukan di toko produk kulit lokal di sekitar Anda. Yang saya perhatikan yaitu struktur halus, warna yang sedikit lebih gelap dibandingkan dengan warna asli alami, cenderung berwarna merah muda, temperamen yang lebih fleksibel, kesan ‘lembab’, dan lebih “mulus” dengan mengasumsikan kandungan minyak ekstra yang menyebabkan proses oksidasi yang cepat.

Anda juga dapat menyimak foto makro di atas dimana produk kulit pelana ini lebih unggul dibanding dengan produk kulit yang dijemur dengan bahan nabati lainnya, dan ia menyerupai tekstur dan detail bahan kulit Baker.

Alasannya? Tentu saja penanganan penyamakan yang ditangani dengan hati-hati ?

“…seperti semua produk Pailot River lainnya, ia diproduksi oleh  satu pengrajin dari proses pemotongan hingga penyelesaian. Ini lebih dari hasil karya dompet biasa.”

Produk kulit ini juga tampaknya mengkilap atau di-wax, dan jauh akan lebih mulus & mengkilap dibandingkan dengan sebagian besar produk kulit alami lainnya. Berikut adalah foto indah dari produk kulit ini yang disinari dengan lampu LED.

Bagian belakang produk kulit ini dikilapkan tangan menggunakan peralatan kaca.

Berat produk kulit pelana alami ini yaitu 4 oz (1.6mm).

Konstruksi

Dompet ini dibuat di studio Village Works, seperti semua hasil karya Pailot River, ia diproduksi oleh satu pengrajin dari proses pemotongan hingga penyelesaian. Ini lebih dari hasil karya dompet biasa. Stempel khas pengrajin dalam aksara Cina difiturkan pada sertifikat keaslian produk.

Konstruksi lapisan produk ini sangat menakjubkan, terutama jahitan minimal dan ide kesempurnaan lipatan – ini merupakan hasil karya cerdas dengan desain yang optimal. Setiap lapisan dijahit secara individual pada satu sisi, kemudian ditutup, lalu dilekatkan dengan lapisan lainnya, dan seterusnya. Yang Anda dapat lihat di sini yaitu penyempurnaan dari desain dompet Red Moon pertama yang berasal dari tahun 1993.

“Keuntungan utama penggunaan mesin khusus tersebut yaitu hasil lock-stitch yang lebih tahan lama dibandingkan dengan teknik penjahitan yang konsisten sama pada  penjahitan regular jarum tunggal.”

Jahitan teknik lock-stitching dijahit dengan jarum vintage & mesin penjahit silinder Seiko (reproduksi Singer Roller Foot; berkat pemodifikasian Ray Lansburg). Jika kita simak hasil jahitan dengan mendetail, mereka terlihat lurus & berspasi, dengan kepadatan sekitar 7 SPI. Perbedaan dalam kinerja mesin di sini yaitu ketegangan & keketatan jahitan; perhatikan bagaimana benang dijahit datar berbeda dengan alur, namun pada saat yang sama tidak memotong ke dalam bahan kulit tersebut secara berlebihan. Lubang jahitan yang dihasilkan oleh mesin Village Work ini dibuat dengan mulus, dan sama sekali tidak menyisakan bahan kulit di sekitar lubang.

“Sebuah fitur yang kurang terkenal namun menarik yaitu tidak adanya lem kulit yang digunakan dalam penyatuan dan dompet dilekatkan dengan pemotongan dan penjahitan yang sempurna”

Keuntungan utama penggunaan mesin khusus tersebut yaitu hasil lock-stitch yang lebih tahan lama dibandingkan dengan teknik penjahitan yang konsisten sama pada  penjahitan regular jarum tunggal, ketika jahitan ketat dihasilkan dengan lubang yang lebih kecil.

Berikut ini merupakan proses penjahitan pada dompet yang serupa di Village Works dan dijelaskan oleh Goto:

Village Works menyatakan bahwa banyak perbedaan di antara proses mesin dibandingkan dengan proses jahitan tangan. Ketika beberapa pengrajin kulit yang saya kenal mengatakan bahwa jahitan pelana oleh pengrajin yang profesional akan menghasilkan kualitas yang lebih unggul, saya tinggalkan kepada Anda mengenai pernyataan ini! Namun, versi jahitan tangan dari HR-01 juga tersedia dengan harga premium 5000 yen dibandingkan dengan produk yang dijahit mesin, mempertimbangkan waktu ekstra yang dibutuhkan untuk proses jahitan tangan.

Sebuah fitur kurang terkenal namun menarik dari dompet ini yaitu tidak ada lem kulit yang digunakan dalam menempatkan bahan kulit tersebut dan dompet bergantung kepada ketepatan dan kesempurnaan teknik pemotongan & penjahitan untuk menjaga keutuhan secara menyeluruh. Hal ini menguntungkan penyesuaian dompet yang lebih baik mengikuti penggunanya, dan juga memungkinkan kesempurnaan penjahitan dan pemulusan kembali setelah beberapa tahun penggunaan. Saya cukup terkesan dengan tidak dipergunakannya lem pada hasil karya ini, terutama pada dompet pendek yang cukup rumit dan berlapis. Keselarasan ini dapat diamati dari secara jelas pada bagian sisi dompet ini.

Berbeda dari dompet Red Moon lainnya yang hanya mengkilap pada bagian tepi luar, produk Pailot River memiliki setiap komponen yang mengkilap diproses tangan. Bahkan bagian belakang dari material kulit ini dikilapkan menggunakan peralatan kaca.

“Keiichiro Goto dan dompet Red Moon ini merupakan legendaris di kalangan industri produk kulit, dan, melalui Pailot River, Tuan Redmoon berhasil lagi untuk meningkatkan status ini.”

Proses pengkilapan ini lebih baik dibandingkan dengan sebagian besar produk Red Moon yang saya miliki dalam tahun belakangan ini.

Pendapat Pribadi

Pada harga 33.000 yen, dompet ini bukanlah dompet pendek yang tergolong murah. Namun, ketika membandingkan dompet ini dengan dompet lainnya yang dihasilkan di studio kerajinan kulit Jepang, dompet ini dianggap bernilai cukup sesuai dengan kesempurnaan, konsep “satu pengrajin”, desain mulus dan teruji, dengan potensi pendewasaan bahan pelana kulit ini.

Tingkat teknik kerajinan dan kedetailan sangatlah tinggi, satu tingkat lebih unggul dibanding sebagian besar hasil produksi studio lainnya, dengan detail yang lebih mulus dan terperinci yang lebih unggul dari penawaran Red Moon lainnya. Beberapa orang telah mempertanyakan bagaimana cara saya membandingkan Red Moon dengan Kawatako: setelah memiliki dompet Pailot River ini, saya dapat mengatakan bahwa meskipun Kawatako menawarkan produk kulit berwarna yang menarik, konstruksi Pailot River ini dinilai lebih baik dengan harga yang serupa. Di sini, saya mempertimbangkan hasil jahitan yang mendetail, pemotongan yang tepat, pemulusan yang sempurna dan desain berlapis yang sangat fungsional & teruji.

“Bagi saya, Pailot River tampil selangkah lebih maju lebih terampil, menawarkan berbagai produk MTO dengan kualitas kerajinan profesional.”

Ditambah lagi, apabila Anda seorang penggemar patina pada produk kulit alami, produk kulit pelana dari Red Moon / Pailot River merupakan salah satu yang produk terbaik untuk Anda pertimbangkan, diproduksi dengan teknik penyamakan tradisional berusia 20 tahun yang mampu menghasilkan corak gelap luar biasa yang akan tambah berkilau dari waktu ke waktu.

Pada aspek pemulusan, teknik jahitan tangan dan komposisi, Pailot River mungkin tidak mencapai standar tertinggi dalam dunia kerajinan, seperti yang Anda ekspetasikan dengan bagian sisi yang mulus seperti kaca ataupun cermin, kepadatan hasil penjahitan tangan, atau conchos yang terbuat dari perak … namun perlu diingat bahwa teknik pengrajinan Jepang ini biasanya berharga minimal 50% lebih mahal dari apa yang Anda ekspetasikan dalam pembelian  dompet Pailot River .

Dompet Red Moon selalu memiliki estetika Americana tersendiri, dan penawaran dari Pailot River tidak terlalu berbeda dari tampilan yang berinspirasikan Amerika asli.

Meskipun berukuran sesuai di antara dompet berlipat ganda dan dompet berukuran sedang, jangan berasumsi bahwa dompet ini hanya digunakan sebagai mode fashion. Pertimbangkan ketebalan 2,2 cm, yang merupakan hasil dari beberapa lapisan 4 oz kulit … dompet ini dipersembahkan untuk denimheads dan penggemar gaya vintage.

Kesimpulannya, saya sangat merekomendasikan dompet Pailot River ini!

Keiichiro Goto dan dompet Red Moon ini merupakan legendaris di kalangan industri produk kulit, dan, melalui Pailot River, Tuan Redmoon berhasil lagi untuk meningkatkan status ini.

Bagi setiap dari Anda yang baru memulai kegemaran produk kulit, Red Moon bisa saja menjadi awal yang ideal untuk perjalanan ini. Beberapa dari Anda dengan anggaran yang lebih tinggi seharusnya mempertimbangkan penawaran Pailot River. Bagi saya, Pailot River dinilai lebih unggul di antara hasil kerajinan lokakarya, dengan penawaran produk di antara studio MTO dan kerajinan yang sempurna.

Kesimpulannya, ini merupakan sebuah kebanggaan bagi saya untuk memiliki hasil karya dari studio Village Works.

—

Produk kulit Pailot River merupakan produk yang diproduksi setelah pemesanan oleh Village Works melalui Denimio, dengan memerlukan waktu sekitar 2 minggu. Dengan gratis biaya pengiriman ke seluruh dunia, dengan jaminan Village Works dan opsi perbaikan & servis, Denimio memberikan kenyamanan dan kemudahan dalam pembelian produk hasil kerajinan Village Works. Simak produk terlengkap lainnya di sini.

Untuk dompet menakjubkan lainnya, termasuk Red Moon, silahkan cek Berbagai koleksi Denimio lainnya di sini.

[:zh]

我们很高兴 Mike 能够在这里分享  Pailot River PR-SR01B 的博客。我们并没有删改，只是忠实的搬运工哦，所有文字都是Mike诉说的，请欣赏！

PAILOT RIVER (REDMOON) – SHORT RIDER WALLET PR-SR01B 评析

我的第一件皮具是 Red Moon 的手机外套，拥有时间还在我博客开始之前。那是我还非常不了解手工皮具，但是我的牛仔经销商告诉我这值得一试。

“我还记得第一次接触redmoon的手工皮具，是如此的细腻手感”

从那时开始，我就深深迷恋上了手工植鞣革制品

我记得我第一次使用Red Moon的天然植鞣革制品，是如此的洁白，柔软，有着极好的触感和温度。这是和我之前接触到的皮具品截然不同的。在持有的前几天里，逐渐的色落变化也是不曾体验过的。

后来我发现 Red Moon 的建立者 Keiichiro Goto 创立了一个更高质量的皮具品牌 Pailot River – 由 Red Moon 的年轻核心工匠完成制作。

感谢 Denimio代理了Pailot River’s 的全线品牌, 我很快就收到了 PR-SR01B 短夹 来自 Pailot River 的“Street Rider”系列

设计

这是一个介于小钱夹和中财布之间的尺寸

“它设计了很多的夹层，尽管小，但是容量很大”

高 ：11 cm  宽：9 cm  厚：2.2 cm

最外层用一整块皮革组成，有着良好的折叠性

Pailot River 的logo 直接印在皮面上

设计和Red Moon’s 标志性的 HR-01 几乎一样，只是缺少了拉链

有三个卡槽，分别是左边2个，右边一个，左边的2个卡槽取卡更加的方便，当然，右边的卡槽也能让你储存大量的卡?

通过这个圆孔来防止皮革使用过程中的扭曲

开口比传统皮夹更深，便于纸币的拿取。

皮革

在成立 Pailot River之前， Red Moon 就以其独家鞍革而闻名。

也许是首次披露Red Moon的皮革来源及细节。第一，皮革原料主要是来自北美，同时有30%是来自日本国内. 第二，皮革会在 Himeji –日本传统制皮古镇进行加工,Himeji 保留着非常传统而熟练的原色植鞣革技艺.。第三，皮革还是遵循早期的Red Moon配方进行植鞣，视温度和湿度变化，植鞣过程长达3-6个月

“相比其他原色植鞣革，PR的皮质更加的油润光泽”

此类皮革一出场就充满了油脂，日本制革厂商通常把这类皮革称为多脂革，有着无与伦比的包浆和变色潜力，皮革闻起来有一股淡淡的鱼腥味，这是厂家用了深海鱼油进行鞣制的结果，也是redmoon和Pailot River 的独家气息。

无论如何使用，一旦时间后，PR的皮制物会获得更大的变色潜力，和寻常的植鞣革相比颜色会更深更红，我认为是皮革内饱满而独特的油脂，加快了皮革本身的氧化。

“…这像是一个工匠的艺术品，而不是一个普通的商品皮夹”

在LED灯光下，你可以看到皮革油润的反光

忘了说，单层皮革的厚度是1.6mm

制造

和所有Pailot River 的产品一样，这不是一个生产线的钱包，而是一个工匠，从切割到皮革的制作，最后附上自己的签名证书。

考虑到最小化缝合和巧妙的折叠，设计极其重要。每一层的单独缝合再到拼接，都蕴含折匠人的心血和设计者的一片苦心。不过这个结构创立于1993年。

“使用专业器械缝纫的优势是，能让财布表面更平整更耐用。”

打孔和缝线非常平整，没有出现不均匀的皮纹

“钱包整体的牢固是依靠精确的走线，而不是胶水的粘贴”

放大后仍然平整的打孔和走线

大家可以观看这个视频了解短财的制造过程:

PR表示，不同的情况需要机器或手缝，你也可以购买外部全手缝的版本，但是会有5000日元的额外工时费。

在如此复杂的钱包中，几乎所有部分的牢固都不是靠胶水构成的，你可以通过不同角度的观察，发现其结构似乎分散，却又通过缝线紧紧结合在一起。

和 Red Moon产品不同的是， PR的所有产品都是抛光边缘的，

“Red Moon已经是皮中传奇了，但是 Keiichiro Goto希望通过Pailot River 将自己的产品更上一层楼”

细观打磨工艺.

观点

33,000日元，这对于一个短财布而言并不便宜，但是考虑到其的工艺和质感，在奢侈品肆行的当下，是极具性价比的

“T我认为，Pailot River 已经脱离的车间制作的层次，但又略低于真正的定制级别”

Pailot River 可能没有到达大师级别的工艺，但是在日本，你可能要付出1.5倍以上的价格，才能买到类似 Pailot River 同级别的产品.

本款财布的尺寸略小于原牛后袋，非常合适养牛的朋友。

最后你问我是否推荐购买，我的回答是 YES！

—通过 DENIMIO 购买Pailot River 系列产品，是您可以想到的最便捷的方式，我们不但全球包邮，而且确保后期的服务和保修，点击这里购买~ here.

更多超棒的财布（包括 Red Moon）点击这里进入~Denimio’s broad selection here.

[:de]

We couldn’t be happier that Mike –  you might know him as indigoshrimp on Instagram or from his amazing blog – did a review for a brand a lot of you have been asking about: Pailot River. His original post about the Pailot River PR-SR01B – and other super informative reviews – can be found here. For your convenience, Mike gave us the green light to feature this piece on our blog. We didn’t edit it, this comes straight from the horse’s mouth. Enjoy:

 

PAILOT RIVER (REDMOON) – SHORT RIDER WALLET PR-SR01B REVIEW

 

My first piece of high-end leathercraft was a Red Moon cellphone holder from even before I started blogging, back when flip-phones were all the rage. I had very little understanding of leathers or their patination, but my Samurai Jeans dealer at the time recommended that I give Red Moon a try.

“I remember the first time I handled Red Moon’s natural vegetable tanned leather – so pale, yet so supple, with good thickness and a nice temper”

Little did I know at the time, that phone holder was the beginning of what would be a long-term obsession with leather.

I remember the first time I handled Red Moon’s natural vegetable tanned leather – so pale, yet so supple, with good thickness and a nice temper – it was dramatically different from the calfskin goods I had been using up until that point. The way the Red Moon holder changed over the first few weeks was dramatic too, and took on a beauty in grain development & patina that I have been fascinated with ever since.

After coming back to the hobby recently, I was glad to learn that Red Moon founder Keiichiro Goto had launched a high end leather brand in 2011 – Pailot River – with pieces handcrafted in the Village Works atelier, manned by Red Moon’s core group of young leather craftsmen.

Thanks to the folks at Denimio, an official stockist through whom the entire range of Pailot River’s collection is available for made-to-order, I’m excited to review this PR-SR01B short wallet from Pailot River’s “Street Rider” series of wallets.

Design

This is a short wallet, an uncommon size between a bifold and a mid-wallet.

“[Its] design is fairly layered, and you can see that it does not lack for compartments despite its size”

It measures 11 cm in vertical length, 9 cm in horizontal width, and 2.2 cm in thickness when compressed.

The outshell consists of two pieces of leather, with the inner piece trimmed and sewn to make the notes compartment. The ridge construction in the middle of the compartment allows for better folding.

The Pailot River logo is heat-embossed unto the outshell – nicely done, no cracks.

In design and shape it is a simplification of Red Moon’s iconic HR-01 ver. 2 pattern – the wallet being reviewed does not feature the classic concho clip or an internal zipper – which fits my personal preference of having no hardware in my smaller wallets.

The HR-01 ver, 2 design is fairly layered, and you can see that it does not lack for compartments despite its size. Given this is the zipper-less model, effectively we end up with 3 full-sized card compartments with one large notes compartment.

The compartments on the right and top left are made from one piece of leather, whilst the bottom left is made of two. These compartments will hold your cards securely, despite lacking any sealing mechanism; accessing the cards is pretty easy, although since you cannot see the cards when you open the wallet, you’ll have to start remembering which cards live in each compartment?

This model is unlined. The corium side of the leather is smoothly burnished.

You can also see in the photo below that the corners have small circles cut in, a clever way to minimize any distortions of the leather with use.

The notes compartment is spacious and not too tall. In the photo above you can see that Australian notes will sit approximately 1 cm below the border of the outshell. Despite being larger than traditional billfolds, this wallet is just as easy to use in terms of accessing money.

Leather

Before the founding of Pailot River, for many years Red Moon has been well known for their proprietary saddle leather – in many ways spearheading the natural leather hobby within vintage and workwear circles. Since then, enthusiasts have been guessing as to where and how this leather is produced.

Village Works, for the first time ever, has agreed to disclose some factual details about this leather for me to share with you: First, the steer hides used are mostly North America in origin, with 30% being domestic Japanese hides. Second, the hides are tanned in Himeji – the traditional epicentre of Japanese leather tanning, famous for Himekawa (“white leather”). Thirdly, the leather is vegetable tanned in tanning pits, with a recipe unchanged from the early days of Red Moon’s founding – this tannage takes a minimum of 3 months, and may extend up to 6 months depending on factors such as temperature and humidity.

In addition to the above information, I am also guessing that this leather has been further processed once the basic tanning is finished – this is inferred through two observations: One, this leather is a shade darker compared with dry, unfinished natural leather which usually looks almost white. Two, the leather is very slippery and shiny on the surface, to a degree I have never encountered on unfinished leathers.

“The leather also seems to be glazed or waxed, and is much more slippery & shiny compared with most natural leathers.”

My theory is that this leather has been further stuffed with oils once dried – which then further modifies the temper and the patina potential of the grain – all without altering the pale, fleshy-pink colour too much. Japanese tanners often call this type of leather “extra lipid”. I have heard that neatsfoot oil and cod oil are commonly used for this purpose, but I cannot confirm the use of this technique for the saddle leather we are seeing here.

Whatever the actual process, the end result is that Pailot River’s natural leather is not like the usual saddle leather that you might find at your local leather supply store. What I notice is a smoother grain, a colour that is slightly darker compared with true natural, a tone tending towards pink, a more flexible temper, a ‘wet’ handfeel, and an increase in ‘responsiveness” that I can only explain by assuming the extra oil content leads to quicker oxidation.

You can also see on the macro photo above that this saddle leather has much more ‘growth’ compared with other veg tanned leathers, and is more akin to Baker’s oak bark leather in grain texture and definition.

The reasons? Gentle pit tannage of course?

“…like all Pailot River pieces, it is made by one craftsman from cutting to finishing. This is not a production line wallet.”

The leather also seems to be glazed or waxed, and is much more slippery & shiny compared with most natural leathers. This is best appreciated in the photo below, when the leather is illuminated with LED lighting.

The backside of the leather is hand burnished with a glass instrument.

This natural saddle leather is 4 oz (1.6mm).

Construction

This wallet was made in the Village Works atelier, though like all Pailot River pieces, it is made by one craftsman from cutting to finishing. This is not a production line wallet. The craftsman’s signature stamp in Chinese characters feature on the certificate of authenticity.

The layer construction is quite remarkable, especially considering the minimised stitching and clever folding – this is a smart, optimised design. Each layer is individually stitched on the other, then closed, then attached with another layer, and so on. Indeed, what you see here is the refinement of Red Moon’s first wallet design back in 1993.

“The advantage of using such specialist machinery is that the resulting lock-stitch is more durable over time compared with similar stitching done with regular single-needle sewing.”

The lock-stitching is sewn with vintage needle & awl machines Seiko cylinder stitcher (Singer Roller Foot reproduction; many thanks for the correction to Ray Lansburg). Examining the stitching closely, they appear straight & well-spaced, with a density of around 7 SPI. A point of difference in the machine work here is the stitch tension & tightness; notice how the thread sits flat against the grain without any use of grooves, but at the same time does not cut into the leather excessively. The stitch holes produced by Village Work’s machines punches through the leather very cleanly, and does not flare out the leather grain around the holes in any way.

“A little known but interesting feature of this wallet is that no leather glue has been used in putting it together and the wallet relies on the precise cutting & sewing of the pieces”

The advantage of using such specialist machinery is that the resulting lock-stitch is more durable over time compared with similar stitching done with regular single-needle sewing machines, as a tighter stitch is produced in a smaller hole.

Here is the stitching process on a similar wallet at Village Works, explained by Goto:

Village Works states that different circumstances call for either machine or hand stitch. While a few leather craftsmen I know would say a saddle-stitch sewn by experienced hands would be superior in any given circumstance, I am no where near expert enough to contradict Goto, so I will leave this up to you to debate! Nevertheless, a hand-stitched version of the HR-01 is available, at a premium of 5000 yen compared with the machine stitched version, accounting extra time required for hand-stitching.

A little known but interesting feature of this wallet is that no leather glue has been used in putting it together and the wallet relies on the precise cutting & sewing of the pieces to keep the sum of the whole intact & aligned. This has the advantage of allowing the wallet to better mold to the user through small movements of the different layers, and also allows for complete repairs by restitching and re-burnishing the individual pieces after a few years of use. I am quite impressed by how well all the many individual pieces come together without the use of glue, especially on what is a fairly complicated and multilayered short wallet. This well-matched alignment is most evident when observing the wallet from the sides.

Unlike Red Moon wallets where only the outer edges are burnished, Pailot River’s pieces have all edges of each component piece fully burnished by hand. Even the backsides of the leather is burnished using a glass tool.

“Both Keiichiro Goto and his Red Moon wallets are legendary among leather circles, and, through Pailot River, Mr. RedMoon manages to raise the bar again.”

The burnish work here is slightly better compared with most Red Moon pieces I have handled over the years.

Opinion

At 33,000 yen, this is not the cheapest short wallet out there. However, comparing this wallet to other made in Japan workshop leathercrafts, it can be considered to be pretty good value given the precise make, the “one craftsman” approach, the tested & refined design, and the aging potential of their proprietary saddle leather.

The level of craftsmanship and detailing is fairly high, one tier above most other workshop productions, and in finer details are a step above even Red Moon’s regular offerings. A few people have asked how I would compare Red Moon to Kawatako: after handling this Pailot River wallet, I would say that although Kawatako offers interesting bridle and coloured leathers, Pailot River’s construction is better within the same price bracket. Here, I am considering the clean stitch-work, precise cutting, decent all-round burnishing and a multi-layered but very functional & tested design.

“To me, Pailot River feels like a step upwards from workshop crafting, offering products that are somewhere in between workshop MTO and true bespoke crafting.”

Further, if you are a fan of growing your own grain patina on natural leather, Red Moon / Pailot River’s saddle leather is one of the best for this purpose, made with a tanning recipe that was established 20 years ago, able to produce fantastic dark tones and superb lustre over time.

On aspects such as burnishing, hand-stitching and metal composition of hardware, Pailot River may not reach the the absolute highest standards of a master craftsman, for which you might expect edges that feel like glass & reflect like mirrors, dense hand-sewing, or conchos made of fine silver…but keep in mind this type of craftsmanship in Japan could very well cost you a minimum of 50% more than what you’d expect to pay for a Pailot River wallet.

Red Moon wallets have always had a distinct and unmistakable southwestern Americana aesthetic, and Pailot River’s offerings don’t deviate too much from this rugged, Native American inspired look.

Although sized nicely in between a bifold and a midwallet, don’t mistake this wallet for fashion carry piece. Consider the decent thickness at 2.2 cm, the result of several layers of 4 oz leather…this wallet was very much made for denimheads and heritage clothing enthusiasts.

All in all, would I recommend this Pailot River wallet?   Yes!

Both Keiichiro Goto and his Red Moon wallets are legendary among leather circles, and, through Pailot River, Mr. RedMoon manages to raise the bar again.

For people just starting their leather journey, a Red Moon piece could be an ideal beginning. Those with a higher budget should definitely consider Pailot River’s offerings. To me, Pailot River feels like a step upwards from workshop crafting, offering products that are somewhere in between workshop MTO and true bespoke crafting.

All in all, I’m very happy to own another product from the Village Works atelier.

—

Pailot River leathercrafts are made-to-order by Village Works when purchased through Denimio, with a make-time of approximately 2 weeks. With free shipping worldwide, full Village Works warranty and options for repairs & servicing, Denimio is by far the most convenient and economical way of purchasing Village Works’ crafts. Check them out here.

For other amazing wallets, including Red Moon, check out Denimio’s broad selection here.

[:es]

We couldn’t be happier that Mike –  you might know him as indigoshrimp on Instagram or from his amazing blog – did a review for a brand a lot of you have been asking about: Pailot River. His original post about the Pailot River PR-SR01B – and other super informative reviews – can be found here. For your convenience, Mike gave us the green light to feature this piece on our blog. We didn’t edit it, this comes straight from the horse’s mouth. Enjoy:

 

PAILOT RIVER (REDMOON) – SHORT RIDER WALLET PR-SR01B REVIEW

 

My first piece of high-end leathercraft was a Red Moon cellphone holder from even before I started blogging, back when flip-phones were all the rage. I had very little understanding of leathers or their patination, but my Samurai Jeans dealer at the time recommended that I give Red Moon a try.

“I remember the first time I handled Red Moon’s natural vegetable tanned leather – so pale, yet so supple, with good thickness and a nice temper”

Little did I know at the time, that phone holder was the beginning of what would be a long-term obsession with leather.

I remember the first time I handled Red Moon’s natural vegetable tanned leather – so pale, yet so supple, with good thickness and a nice temper – it was dramatically different from the calfskin goods I had been using up until that point. The way the Red Moon holder changed over the first few weeks was dramatic too, and took on a beauty in grain development & patina that I have been fascinated with ever since.

After coming back to the hobby recently, I was glad to learn that Red Moon founder Keiichiro Goto had launched a high end leather brand in 2011 – Pailot River – with pieces handcrafted in the Village Works atelier, manned by Red Moon’s core group of young leather craftsmen.

Thanks to the folks at Denimio, an official stockist through whom the entire range of Pailot River’s collection is available for made-to-order, I’m excited to review this PR-SR01B short wallet from Pailot River’s “Street Rider” series of wallets.

Design

This is a short wallet, an uncommon size between a bifold and a mid-wallet.

“[Its] design is fairly layered, and you can see that it does not lack for compartments despite its size”

It measures 11 cm in vertical length, 9 cm in horizontal width, and 2.2 cm in thickness when compressed.

The outshell consists of two pieces of leather, with the inner piece trimmed and sewn to make the notes compartment. The ridge construction in the middle of the compartment allows for better folding.

The Pailot River logo is heat-embossed unto the outshell – nicely done, no cracks.

In design and shape it is a simplification of Red Moon’s iconic HR-01 ver. 2 pattern – the wallet being reviewed does not feature the classic concho clip or an internal zipper – which fits my personal preference of having no hardware in my smaller wallets.

The HR-01 ver, 2 design is fairly layered, and you can see that it does not lack for compartments despite its size. Given this is the zipper-less model, effectively we end up with 3 full-sized card compartments with one large notes compartment.

The compartments on the right and top left are made from one piece of leather, whilst the bottom left is made of two. These compartments will hold your cards securely, despite lacking any sealing mechanism; accessing the cards is pretty easy, although since you cannot see the cards when you open the wallet, you’ll have to start remembering which cards live in each compartment?

This model is unlined. The corium side of the leather is smoothly burnished.

You can also see in the photo below that the corners have small circles cut in, a clever way to minimize any distortions of the leather with use.

The notes compartment is spacious and not too tall. In the photo above you can see that Australian notes will sit approximately 1 cm below the border of the outshell. Despite being larger than traditional billfolds, this wallet is just as easy to use in terms of accessing money.

Leather

Before the founding of Pailot River, for many years Red Moon has been well known for their proprietary saddle leather – in many ways spearheading the natural leather hobby within vintage and workwear circles. Since then, enthusiasts have been guessing as to where and how this leather is produced.

Village Works, for the first time ever, has agreed to disclose some factual details about this leather for me to share with you: First, the steer hides used are mostly North America in origin, with 30% being domestic Japanese hides. Second, the hides are tanned in Himeji – the traditional epicentre of Japanese leather tanning, famous for Himekawa (“white leather”). Thirdly, the leather is vegetable tanned in tanning pits, with a recipe unchanged from the early days of Red Moon’s founding – this tannage takes a minimum of 3 months, and may extend up to 6 months depending on factors such as temperature and humidity.

In addition to the above information, I am also guessing that this leather has been further processed once the basic tanning is finished – this is inferred through two observations: One, this leather is a shade darker compared with dry, unfinished natural leather which usually looks almost white. Two, the leather is very slippery and shiny on the surface, to a degree I have never encountered on unfinished leathers.

“The leather also seems to be glazed or waxed, and is much more slippery & shiny compared with most natural leathers.”

My theory is that this leather has been further stuffed with oils once dried – which then further modifies the temper and the patina potential of the grain – all without altering the pale, fleshy-pink colour too much. Japanese tanners often call this type of leather “extra lipid”. I have heard that neatsfoot oil and cod oil are commonly used for this purpose, but I cannot confirm the use of this technique for the saddle leather we are seeing here.

Whatever the actual process, the end result is that Pailot River’s natural leather is not like the usual saddle leather that you might find at your local leather supply store. What I notice is a smoother grain, a colour that is slightly darker compared with true natural, a tone tending towards pink, a more flexible temper, a ‘wet’ handfeel, and an increase in ‘responsiveness” that I can only explain by assuming the extra oil content leads to quicker oxidation.

You can also see on the macro photo above that this saddle leather has much more ‘growth’ compared with other veg tanned leathers, and is more akin to Baker’s oak bark leather in grain texture and definition.

The reasons? Gentle pit tannage of course?

“…like all Pailot River pieces, it is made by one craftsman from cutting to finishing. This is not a production line wallet.”

The leather also seems to be glazed or waxed, and is much more slippery & shiny compared with most natural leathers. This is best appreciated in the photo below, when the leather is illuminated with LED lighting.

The backside of the leather is hand burnished with a glass instrument.

This natural saddle leather is 4 oz (1.6mm).

Construction

This wallet was made in the Village Works atelier, though like all Pailot River pieces, it is made by one craftsman from cutting to finishing. This is not a production line wallet. The craftsman’s signature stamp in Chinese characters feature on the certificate of authenticity.

The layer construction is quite remarkable, especially considering the minimised stitching and clever folding – this is a smart, optimised design. Each layer is individually stitched on the other, then closed, then attached with another layer, and so on. Indeed, what you see here is the refinement of Red Moon’s first wallet design back in 1993.

“The advantage of using such specialist machinery is that the resulting lock-stitch is more durable over time compared with similar stitching done with regular single-needle sewing.”

The lock-stitching is sewn with vintage needle & awl machines Seiko cylinder stitcher (Singer Roller Foot reproduction; many thanks for the correction to Ray Lansburg). Examining the stitching closely, they appear straight & well-spaced, with a density of around 7 SPI. A point of difference in the machine work here is the stitch tension & tightness; notice how the thread sits flat against the grain without any use of grooves, but at the same time does not cut into the leather excessively. The stitch holes produced by Village Work’s machines punches through the leather very cleanly, and does not flare out the leather grain around the holes in any way.

“A little known but interesting feature of this wallet is that no leather glue has been used in putting it together and the wallet relies on the precise cutting & sewing of the pieces”

The advantage of using such specialist machinery is that the resulting lock-stitch is more durable over time compared with similar stitching done with regular single-needle sewing machines, as a tighter stitch is produced in a smaller hole.

Here is the stitching process on a similar wallet at Village Works, explained by Goto:

Village Works states that different circumstances call for either machine or hand stitch. While a few leather craftsmen I know would say a saddle-stitch sewn by experienced hands would be superior in any given circumstance, I am no where near expert enough to contradict Goto, so I will leave this up to you to debate! Nevertheless, a hand-stitched version of the HR-01 is available, at a premium of 5000 yen compared with the machine stitched version, accounting extra time required for hand-stitching.

A little known but interesting feature of this wallet is that no leather glue has been used in putting it together and the wallet relies on the precise cutting & sewing of the pieces to keep the sum of the whole intact & aligned. This has the advantage of allowing the wallet to better mold to the user through small movements of the different layers, and also allows for complete repairs by restitching and re-burnishing the individual pieces after a few years of use. I am quite impressed by how well all the many individual pieces come together without the use of glue, especially on what is a fairly complicated and multilayered short wallet. This well-matched alignment is most evident when observing the wallet from the sides.

Unlike Red Moon wallets where only the outer edges are burnished, Pailot River’s pieces have all edges of each component piece fully burnished by hand. Even the backsides of the leather is burnished using a glass tool.

“Both Keiichiro Goto and his Red Moon wallets are legendary among leather circles, and, through Pailot River, Mr. RedMoon manages to raise the bar again.”

The burnish work here is slightly better compared with most Red Moon pieces I have handled over the years.

Opinion

At 33,000 yen, this is not the cheapest short wallet out there. However, comparing this wallet to other made in Japan workshop leathercrafts, it can be considered to be pretty good value given the precise make, the “one craftsman” approach, the tested & refined design, and the aging potential of their proprietary saddle leather.

The level of craftsmanship and detailing is fairly high, one tier above most other workshop productions, and in finer details are a step above even Red Moon’s regular offerings. A few people have asked how I would compare Red Moon to Kawatako: after handling this Pailot River wallet, I would say that although Kawatako offers interesting bridle and coloured leathers, Pailot River’s construction is better within the same price bracket. Here, I am considering the clean stitch-work, precise cutting, decent all-round burnishing and a multi-layered but very functional & tested design.

“To me, Pailot River feels like a step upwards from workshop crafting, offering products that are somewhere in between workshop MTO and true bespoke crafting.”

Further, if you are a fan of growing your own grain patina on natural leather, Red Moon / Pailot River’s saddle leather is one of the best for this purpose, made with a tanning recipe that was established 20 years ago, able to produce fantastic dark tones and superb lustre over time.

On aspects such as burnishing, hand-stitching and metal composition of hardware, Pailot River may not reach the the absolute highest standards of a master craftsman, for which you might expect edges that feel like glass & reflect like mirrors, dense hand-sewing, or conchos made of fine silver…but keep in mind this type of craftsmanship in Japan could very well cost you a minimum of 50% more than what you’d expect to pay for a Pailot River wallet.

Red Moon wallets have always had a distinct and unmistakable southwestern Americana aesthetic, and Pailot River’s offerings don’t deviate too much from this rugged, Native American inspired look.

Although sized nicely in between a bifold and a midwallet, don’t mistake this wallet for fashion carry piece. Consider the decent thickness at 2.2 cm, the result of several layers of 4 oz leather…this wallet was very much made for denimheads and heritage clothing enthusiasts.

All in all, would I recommend this Pailot River wallet?   Yes!

Both Keiichiro Goto and his Red Moon wallets are legendary among leather circles, and, through Pailot River, Mr. RedMoon manages to raise the bar again.

For people just starting their leather journey, a Red Moon piece could be an ideal beginning. Those with a higher budget should definitely consider Pailot River’s offerings. To me, Pailot River feels like a step upwards from workshop crafting, offering products that are somewhere in between workshop MTO and true bespoke crafting.

All in all, I’m very happy to own another product from the Village Works atelier.

—

Pailot River leathercrafts are made-to-order by Village Works when purchased through Denimio, with a make-time of approximately 2 weeks. With free shipping worldwide, full Village Works warranty and options for repairs & servicing, Denimio is by far the most convenient and economical way of purchasing Village Works’ crafts. Check them out here.

For other amazing wallets, including Red Moon, check out Denimio’s broad selection here.

[:fr]

We couldn’t be happier that Mike –  you might know him as indigoshrimp on Instagram or from his amazing blog – did a review for a brand a lot of you have been asking about: Pailot River. His original post about the Pailot River PR-SR01B – and other super informative reviews – can be found here. For your convenience, Mike gave us the green light to feature this piece on our blog. We didn’t edit it, this comes straight from the horse’s mouth. Enjoy:

 

PAILOT RIVER (REDMOON) – SHORT RIDER WALLET PR-SR01B REVIEW

 

My first piece of high-end leathercraft was a Red Moon cellphone holder from even before I started blogging, back when flip-phones were all the rage. I had very little understanding of leathers or their patination, but my Samurai Jeans dealer at the time recommended that I give Red Moon a try.

“I remember the first time I handled Red Moon’s natural vegetable tanned leather – so pale, yet so supple, with good thickness and a nice temper”

Little did I know at the time, that phone holder was the beginning of what would be a long-term obsession with leather.

I remember the first time I handled Red Moon’s natural vegetable tanned leather – so pale, yet so supple, with good thickness and a nice temper – it was dramatically different from the calfskin goods I had been using up until that point. The way the Red Moon holder changed over the first few weeks was dramatic too, and took on a beauty in grain development & patina that I have been fascinated with ever since.

After coming back to the hobby recently, I was glad to learn that Red Moon founder Keiichiro Goto had launched a high end leather brand in 2011 – Pailot River – with pieces handcrafted in the Village Works atelier, manned by Red Moon’s core group of young leather craftsmen.

Thanks to the folks at Denimio, an official stockist through whom the entire range of Pailot River’s collection is available for made-to-order, I’m excited to review this PR-SR01B short wallet from Pailot River’s “Street Rider” series of wallets.

Design

This is a short wallet, an uncommon size between a bifold and a mid-wallet.

“[Its] design is fairly layered, and you can see that it does not lack for compartments despite its size”

It measures 11 cm in vertical length, 9 cm in horizontal width, and 2.2 cm in thickness when compressed.

The outshell consists of two pieces of leather, with the inner piece trimmed and sewn to make the notes compartment. The ridge construction in the middle of the compartment allows for better folding.

The Pailot River logo is heat-embossed unto the outshell – nicely done, no cracks.

In design and shape it is a simplification of Red Moon’s iconic HR-01 ver. 2 pattern – the wallet being reviewed does not feature the classic concho clip or an internal zipper – which fits my personal preference of having no hardware in my smaller wallets.

The HR-01 ver, 2 design is fairly layered, and you can see that it does not lack for compartments despite its size. Given this is the zipper-less model, effectively we end up with 3 full-sized card compartments with one large notes compartment.

The compartments on the right and top left are made from one piece of leather, whilst the bottom left is made of two. These compartments will hold your cards securely, despite lacking any sealing mechanism; accessing the cards is pretty easy, although since you cannot see the cards when you open the wallet, you’ll have to start remembering which cards live in each compartment?

This model is unlined. The corium side of the leather is smoothly burnished.

You can also see in the photo below that the corners have small circles cut in, a clever way to minimize any distortions of the leather with use.

The notes compartment is spacious and not too tall. In the photo above you can see that Australian notes will sit approximately 1 cm below the border of the outshell. Despite being larger than traditional billfolds, this wallet is just as easy to use in terms of accessing money.

Leather

Before the founding of Pailot River, for many years Red Moon has been well known for their proprietary saddle leather – in many ways spearheading the natural leather hobby within vintage and workwear circles. Since then, enthusiasts have been guessing as to where and how this leather is produced.

Village Works, for the first time ever, has agreed to disclose some factual details about this leather for me to share with you: First, the steer hides used are mostly North America in origin, with 30% being domestic Japanese hides. Second, the hides are tanned in Himeji – the traditional epicentre of Japanese leather tanning, famous for Himekawa (“white leather”). Thirdly, the leather is vegetable tanned in tanning pits, with a recipe unchanged from the early days of Red Moon’s founding – this tannage takes a minimum of 3 months, and may extend up to 6 months depending on factors such as temperature and humidity.

In addition to the above information, I am also guessing that this leather has been further processed once the basic tanning is finished – this is inferred through two observations: One, this leather is a shade darker compared with dry, unfinished natural leather which usually looks almost white. Two, the leather is very slippery and shiny on the surface, to a degree I have never encountered on unfinished leathers.

“The leather also seems to be glazed or waxed, and is much more slippery & shiny compared with most natural leathers.”

My theory is that this leather has been further stuffed with oils once dried – which then further modifies the temper and the patina potential of the grain – all without altering the pale, fleshy-pink colour too much. Japanese tanners often call this type of leather “extra lipid”. I have heard that neatsfoot oil and cod oil are commonly used for this purpose, but I cannot confirm the use of this technique for the saddle leather we are seeing here.

Whatever the actual process, the end result is that Pailot River’s natural leather is not like the usual saddle leather that you might find at your local leather supply store. What I notice is a smoother grain, a colour that is slightly darker compared with true natural, a tone tending towards pink, a more flexible temper, a ‘wet’ handfeel, and an increase in ‘responsiveness” that I can only explain by assuming the extra oil content leads to quicker oxidation.

You can also see on the macro photo above that this saddle leather has much more ‘growth’ compared with other veg tanned leathers, and is more akin to Baker’s oak bark leather in grain texture and definition.

The reasons? Gentle pit tannage of course?

“…like all Pailot River pieces, it is made by one craftsman from cutting to finishing. This is not a production line wallet.”

The leather also seems to be glazed or waxed, and is much more slippery & shiny compared with most natural leathers. This is best appreciated in the photo below, when the leather is illuminated with LED lighting.

The backside of the leather is hand burnished with a glass instrument.

This natural saddle leather is 4 oz (1.6mm).

Construction

This wallet was made in the Village Works atelier, though like all Pailot River pieces, it is made by one craftsman from cutting to finishing. This is not a production line wallet. The craftsman’s signature stamp in Chinese characters feature on the certificate of authenticity.

The layer construction is quite remarkable, especially considering the minimised stitching and clever folding – this is a smart, optimised design. Each layer is individually stitched on the other, then closed, then attached with another layer, and so on. Indeed, what you see here is the refinement of Red Moon’s first wallet design back in 1993.

“The advantage of using such specialist machinery is that the resulting lock-stitch is more durable over time compared with similar stitching done with regular single-needle sewing.”

The lock-stitching is sewn with vintage needle & awl machines Seiko cylinder stitcher (Singer Roller Foot reproduction; many thanks for the correction to Ray Lansburg). Examining the stitching closely, they appear straight & well-spaced, with a density of around 7 SPI. A point of difference in the machine work here is the stitch tension & tightness; notice how the thread sits flat against the grain without any use of grooves, but at the same time does not cut into the leather excessively. The stitch holes produced by Village Work’s machines punches through the leather very cleanly, and does not flare out the leather grain around the holes in any way.

“A little known but interesting feature of this wallet is that no leather glue has been used in putting it together and the wallet relies on the precise cutting & sewing of the pieces”

The advantage of using such specialist machinery is that the resulting lock-stitch is more durable over time compared with similar stitching done with regular single-needle sewing machines, as a tighter stitch is produced in a smaller hole.

Here is the stitching process on a similar wallet at Village Works, explained by Goto:

Village Works states that different circumstances call for either machine or hand stitch. While a few leather craftsmen I know would say a saddle-stitch sewn by experienced hands would be superior in any given circumstance, I am no where near expert enough to contradict Goto, so I will leave this up to you to debate! Nevertheless, a hand-stitched version of the HR-01 is available, at a premium of 5000 yen compared with the machine stitched version, accounting extra time required for hand-stitching.

A little known but interesting feature of this wallet is that no leather glue has been used in putting it together and the wallet relies on the precise cutting & sewing of the pieces to keep the sum of the whole intact & aligned. This has the advantage of allowing the wallet to better mold to the user through small movements of the different layers, and also allows for complete repairs by restitching and re-burnishing the individual pieces after a few years of use. I am quite impressed by how well all the many individual pieces come together without the use of glue, especially on what is a fairly complicated and multilayered short wallet. This well-matched alignment is most evident when observing the wallet from the sides.

Unlike Red Moon wallets where only the outer edges are burnished, Pailot River’s pieces have all edges of each component piece fully burnished by hand. Even the backsides of the leather is burnished using a glass tool.

“Both Keiichiro Goto and his Red Moon wallets are legendary among leather circles, and, through Pailot River, Mr. RedMoon manages to raise the bar again.”

The burnish work here is slightly better compared with most Red Moon pieces I have handled over the years.

Opinion

At 33,000 yen, this is not the cheapest short wallet out there. However, comparing this wallet to other made in Japan workshop leathercrafts, it can be considered to be pretty good value given the precise make, the “one craftsman” approach, the tested & refined design, and the aging potential of their proprietary saddle leather.

The level of craftsmanship and detailing is fairly high, one tier above most other workshop productions, and in finer details are a step above even Red Moon’s regular offerings. A few people have asked how I would compare Red Moon to Kawatako: after handling this Pailot River wallet, I would say that although Kawatako offers interesting bridle and coloured leathers, Pailot River’s construction is better within the same price bracket. Here, I am considering the clean stitch-work, precise cutting, decent all-round burnishing and a multi-layered but very functional & tested design.

“To me, Pailot River feels like a step upwards from workshop crafting, offering products that are somewhere in between workshop MTO and true bespoke crafting.”

Further, if you are a fan of growing your own grain patina on natural leather, Red Moon / Pailot River’s saddle leather is one of the best for this purpose, made with a tanning recipe that was established 20 years ago, able to produce fantastic dark tones and superb lustre over time.

On aspects such as burnishing, hand-stitching and metal composition of hardware, Pailot River may not reach the the absolute highest standards of a master craftsman, for which you might expect edges that feel like glass & reflect like mirrors, dense hand-sewing, or conchos made of fine silver…but keep in mind this type of craftsmanship in Japan could very well cost you a minimum of 50% more than what you’d expect to pay for a Pailot River wallet.

Red Moon wallets have always had a distinct and unmistakable southwestern Americana aesthetic, and Pailot River’s offerings don’t deviate too much from this rugged, Native American inspired look.

Although sized nicely in between a bifold and a midwallet, don’t mistake this wallet for fashion carry piece. Consider the decent thickness at 2.2 cm, the result of several layers of 4 oz leather…this wallet was very much made for denimheads and heritage clothing enthusiasts.

All in all, would I recommend this Pailot River wallet?   Yes!

Both Keiichiro Goto and his Red Moon wallets are legendary among leather circles, and, through Pailot River, Mr. RedMoon manages to raise the bar again.

For people just starting their leather journey, a Red Moon piece could be an ideal beginning. Those with a higher budget should definitely consider Pailot River’s offerings. To me, Pailot River feels like a step upwards from workshop crafting, offering products that are somewhere in between workshop MTO and true bespoke crafting.

All in all, I’m very happy to own another product from the Village Works atelier.

—

Pailot River leathercrafts are made-to-order by Village Works when purchased through Denimio, with a make-time of approximately 2 weeks. With free shipping worldwide, full Village Works warranty and options for repairs & servicing, Denimio is by far the most convenient and economical way of purchasing Village Works’ crafts. Check them out here.

For other amazing wallets, including Red Moon, check out Denimio’s broad selection here.

[:it]

We couldn’t be happier that Mike –  you might know him as indigoshrimp on Instagram or from his amazing blog – did a review for a brand a lot of you have been asking about: Pailot River. His original post about the Pailot River PR-SR01B – and other super informative reviews – can be found here. For your convenience, Mike gave us the green light to feature this piece on our blog. We didn’t edit it, this comes straight from the horse’s mouth. Enjoy:

 

PAILOT RIVER (REDMOON) – SHORT RIDER WALLET PR-SR01B REVIEW

 

My first piece of high-end leathercraft was a Red Moon cellphone holder from even before I started blogging, back when flip-phones were all the rage. I had very little understanding of leathers or their patination, but my Samurai Jeans dealer at the time recommended that I give Red Moon a try.

“I remember the first time I handled Red Moon’s natural vegetable tanned leather – so pale, yet so supple, with good thickness and a nice temper”

Little did I know at the time, that phone holder was the beginning of what would be a long-term obsession with leather.

I remember the first time I handled Red Moon’s natural vegetable tanned leather – so pale, yet so supple, with good thickness and a nice temper – it was dramatically different from the calfskin goods I had been using up until that point. The way the Red Moon holder changed over the first few weeks was dramatic too, and took on a beauty in grain development & patina that I have been fascinated with ever since.

After coming back to the hobby recently, I was glad to learn that Red Moon founder Keiichiro Goto had launched a high end leather brand in 2011 – Pailot River – with pieces handcrafted in the Village Works atelier, manned by Red Moon’s core group of young leather craftsmen.

Thanks to the folks at Denimio, an official stockist through whom the entire range of Pailot River’s collection is available for made-to-order, I’m excited to review this PR-SR01B short wallet from Pailot River’s “Street Rider” series of wallets.

Design

This is a short wallet, an uncommon size between a bifold and a mid-wallet.

“[Its] design is fairly layered, and you can see that it does not lack for compartments despite its size”

It measures 11 cm in vertical length, 9 cm in horizontal width, and 2.2 cm in thickness when compressed.

The outshell consists of two pieces of leather, with the inner piece trimmed and sewn to make the notes compartment. The ridge construction in the middle of the compartment allows for better folding.

The Pailot River logo is heat-embossed unto the outshell – nicely done, no cracks.

In design and shape it is a simplification of Red Moon’s iconic HR-01 ver. 2 pattern – the wallet being reviewed does not feature the classic concho clip or an internal zipper – which fits my personal preference of having no hardware in my smaller wallets.

The HR-01 ver, 2 design is fairly layered, and you can see that it does not lack for compartments despite its size. Given this is the zipper-less model, effectively we end up with 3 full-sized card compartments with one large notes compartment.

The compartments on the right and top left are made from one piece of leather, whilst the bottom left is made of two. These compartments will hold your cards securely, despite lacking any sealing mechanism; accessing the cards is pretty easy, although since you cannot see the cards when you open the wallet, you’ll have to start remembering which cards live in each compartment?

This model is unlined. The corium side of the leather is smoothly burnished.

You can also see in the photo below that the corners have small circles cut in, a clever way to minimize any distortions of the leather with use.

The notes compartment is spacious and not too tall. In the photo above you can see that Australian notes will sit approximately 1 cm below the border of the outshell. Despite being larger than traditional billfolds, this wallet is just as easy to use in terms of accessing money.

Leather

Before the founding of Pailot River, for many years Red Moon has been well known for their proprietary saddle leather – in many ways spearheading the natural leather hobby within vintage and workwear circles. Since then, enthusiasts have been guessing as to where and how this leather is produced.

Village Works, for the first time ever, has agreed to disclose some factual details about this leather for me to share with you: First, the steer hides used are mostly North America in origin, with 30% being domestic Japanese hides. Second, the hides are tanned in Himeji – the traditional epicentre of Japanese leather tanning, famous for Himekawa (“white leather”). Thirdly, the leather is vegetable tanned in tanning pits, with a recipe unchanged from the early days of Red Moon’s founding – this tannage takes a minimum of 3 months, and may extend up to 6 months depending on factors such as temperature and humidity.

In addition to the above information, I am also guessing that this leather has been further processed once the basic tanning is finished – this is inferred through two observations: One, this leather is a shade darker compared with dry, unfinished natural leather which usually looks almost white. Two, the leather is very slippery and shiny on the surface, to a degree I have never encountered on unfinished leathers.

“The leather also seems to be glazed or waxed, and is much more slippery & shiny compared with most natural leathers.”

My theory is that this leather has been further stuffed with oils once dried – which then further modifies the temper and the patina potential of the grain – all without altering the pale, fleshy-pink colour too much. Japanese tanners often call this type of leather “extra lipid”. I have heard that neatsfoot oil and cod oil are commonly used for this purpose, but I cannot confirm the use of this technique for the saddle leather we are seeing here.

Whatever the actual process, the end result is that Pailot River’s natural leather is not like the usual saddle leather that you might find at your local leather supply store. What I notice is a smoother grain, a colour that is slightly darker compared with true natural, a tone tending towards pink, a more flexible temper, a ‘wet’ handfeel, and an increase in ‘responsiveness” that I can only explain by assuming the extra oil content leads to quicker oxidation.

You can also see on the macro photo above that this saddle leather has much more ‘growth’ compared with other veg tanned leathers, and is more akin to Baker’s oak bark leather in grain texture and definition.

The reasons? Gentle pit tannage of course?

“…like all Pailot River pieces, it is made by one craftsman from cutting to finishing. This is not a production line wallet.”

The leather also seems to be glazed or waxed, and is much more slippery & shiny compared with most natural leathers. This is best appreciated in the photo below, when the leather is illuminated with LED lighting.

The backside of the leather is hand burnished with a glass instrument.

This natural saddle leather is 4 oz (1.6mm).

Construction

This wallet was made in the Village Works atelier, though like all Pailot River pieces, it is made by one craftsman from cutting to finishing. This is not a production line wallet. The craftsman’s signature stamp in Chinese characters feature on the certificate of authenticity.

The layer construction is quite remarkable, especially considering the minimised stitching and clever folding – this is a smart, optimised design. Each layer is individually stitched on the other, then closed, then attached with another layer, and so on. Indeed, what you see here is the refinement of Red Moon’s first wallet design back in 1993.

“The advantage of using such specialist machinery is that the resulting lock-stitch is more durable over time compared with similar stitching done with regular single-needle sewing.”

The lock-stitching is sewn with vintage needle & awl machines Seiko cylinder stitcher (Singer Roller Foot reproduction; many thanks for the correction to Ray Lansburg). Examining the stitching closely, they appear straight & well-spaced, with a density of around 7 SPI. A point of difference in the machine work here is the stitch tension & tightness; notice how the thread sits flat against the grain without any use of grooves, but at the same time does not cut into the leather excessively. The stitch holes produced by Village Work’s machines punches through the leather very cleanly, and does not flare out the leather grain around the holes in any way.

“A little known but interesting feature of this wallet is that no leather glue has been used in putting it together and the wallet relies on the precise cutting & sewing of the pieces”

The advantage of using such specialist machinery is that the resulting lock-stitch is more durable over time compared with similar stitching done with regular single-needle sewing machines, as a tighter stitch is produced in a smaller hole.

Here is the stitching process on a similar wallet at Village Works, explained by Goto:

Village Works states that different circumstances call for either machine or hand stitch. While a few leather craftsmen I know would say a saddle-stitch sewn by experienced hands would be superior in any given circumstance, I am no where near expert enough to contradict Goto, so I will leave this up to you to debate! Nevertheless, a hand-stitched version of the HR-01 is available, at a premium of 5000 yen compared with the machine stitched version, accounting extra time required for hand-stitching.

A little known but interesting feature of this wallet is that no leather glue has been used in putting it together and the wallet relies on the precise cutting & sewing of the pieces to keep the sum of the whole intact & aligned. This has the advantage of allowing the wallet to better mold to the user through small movements of the different layers, and also allows for complete repairs by restitching and re-burnishing the individual pieces after a few years of use. I am quite impressed by how well all the many individual pieces come together without the use of glue, especially on what is a fairly complicated and multilayered short wallet. This well-matched alignment is most evident when observing the wallet from the sides.

Unlike Red Moon wallets where only the outer edges are burnished, Pailot River’s pieces have all edges of each component piece fully burnished by hand. Even the backsides of the leather is burnished using a glass tool.

“Both Keiichiro Goto and his Red Moon wallets are legendary among leather circles, and, through Pailot River, Mr. RedMoon manages to raise the bar again.”

The burnish work here is slightly better compared with most Red Moon pieces I have handled over the years.

Opinion

At 33,000 yen, this is not the cheapest short wallet out there. However, comparing this wallet to other made in Japan workshop leathercrafts, it can be considered to be pretty good value given the precise make, the “one craftsman” approach, the tested & refined design, and the aging potential of their proprietary saddle leather.

The level of craftsmanship and detailing is fairly high, one tier above most other workshop productions, and in finer details are a step above even Red Moon’s regular offerings. A few people have asked how I would compare Red Moon to Kawatako: after handling this Pailot River wallet, I would say that although Kawatako offers interesting bridle and coloured leathers, Pailot River’s construction is better within the same price bracket. Here, I am considering the clean stitch-work, precise cutting, decent all-round burnishing and a multi-layered but very functional & tested design.

“To me, Pailot River feels like a step upwards from workshop crafting, offering products that are somewhere in between workshop MTO and true bespoke crafting.”

Further, if you are a fan of growing your own grain patina on natural leather, Red Moon / Pailot River’s saddle leather is one of the best for this purpose, made with a tanning recipe that was established 20 years ago, able to produce fantastic dark tones and superb lustre over time.

On aspects such as burnishing, hand-stitching and metal composition of hardware, Pailot River may not reach the the absolute highest standards of a master craftsman, for which you might expect edges that feel like glass & reflect like mirrors, dense hand-sewing, or conchos made of fine silver…but keep in mind this type of craftsmanship in Japan could very well cost you a minimum of 50% more than what you’d expect to pay for a Pailot River wallet.

Red Moon wallets have always had a distinct and unmistakable southwestern Americana aesthetic, and Pailot River’s offerings don’t deviate too much from this rugged, Native American inspired look.

Although sized nicely in between a bifold and a midwallet, don’t mistake this wallet for fashion carry piece. Consider the decent thickness at 2.2 cm, the result of several layers of 4 oz leather…this wallet was very much made for denimheads and heritage clothing enthusiasts.

All in all, would I recommend this Pailot River wallet?   Yes!

Both Keiichiro Goto and his Red Moon wallets are legendary among leather circles, and, through Pailot River, Mr. RedMoon manages to raise the bar again.

For people just starting their leather journey, a Red Moon piece could be an ideal beginning. Those with a higher budget should definitely consider Pailot River’s offerings. To me, Pailot River feels like a step upwards from workshop crafting, offering products that are somewhere in between workshop MTO and true bespoke crafting.

All in all, I’m very happy to own another product from the Village Works atelier.

—

Pailot River leathercrafts are made-to-order by Village Works when purchased through Denimio, with a make-time of approximately 2 weeks. With free shipping worldwide, full Village Works warranty and options for repairs & servicing, Denimio is by far the most convenient and economical way of purchasing Village Works’ crafts. Check them out here.

For other amazing wallets, including Red Moon, check out Denimio’s broad selection here.

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We couldn’t be happier that Mike –  you might know him as indigoshrimp on Instagram or from his amazing blog – did a review for a brand a lot of you have been asking about: Pailot River. His original post about the Pailot River PR-SR01B – and other super informative reviews – can be found here. For your convenience, Mike gave us the green light to feature this piece on our blog. We didn’t edit it, this comes straight from the horse’s mouth. Enjoy:

 

PAILOT RIVER (REDMOON) – SHORT RIDER WALLET PR-SR01B REVIEW

 

My first piece of high-end leathercraft was a Red Moon cellphone holder from even before I started blogging, back when flip-phones were all the rage. I had very little understanding of leathers or their patination, but my Samurai Jeans dealer at the time recommended that I give Red Moon a try.

“I remember the first time I handled Red Moon’s natural vegetable tanned leather – so pale, yet so supple, with good thickness and a nice temper”

Little did I know at the time, that phone holder was the beginning of what would be a long-term obsession with leather.

I remember the first time I handled Red Moon’s natural vegetable tanned leather – so pale, yet so supple, with good thickness and a nice temper – it was dramatically different from the calfskin goods I had been using up until that point. The way the Red Moon holder changed over the first few weeks was dramatic too, and took on a beauty in grain development & patina that I have been fascinated with ever since.

After coming back to the hobby recently, I was glad to learn that Red Moon founder Keiichiro Goto had launched a high end leather brand in 2011 – Pailot River – with pieces handcrafted in the Village Works atelier, manned by Red Moon’s core group of young leather craftsmen.

Thanks to the folks at Denimio, an official stockist through whom the entire range of Pailot River’s collection is available for made-to-order, I’m excited to review this PR-SR01B short wallet from Pailot River’s “Street Rider” series of wallets.

Design

This is a short wallet, an uncommon size between a bifold and a mid-wallet.

“[Its] design is fairly layered, and you can see that it does not lack for compartments despite its size”

It measures 11 cm in vertical length, 9 cm in horizontal width, and 2.2 cm in thickness when compressed.

The outshell consists of two pieces of leather, with the inner piece trimmed and sewn to make the notes compartment. The ridge construction in the middle of the compartment allows for better folding.

The Pailot River logo is heat-embossed unto the outshell – nicely done, no cracks.

In design and shape it is a simplification of Red Moon’s iconic HR-01 ver. 2 pattern – the wallet being reviewed does not feature the classic concho clip or an internal zipper – which fits my personal preference of having no hardware in my smaller wallets.

The HR-01 ver, 2 design is fairly layered, and you can see that it does not lack for compartments despite its size. Given this is the zipper-less model, effectively we end up with 3 full-sized card compartments with one large notes compartment.

The compartments on the right and top left are made from one piece of leather, whilst the bottom left is made of two. These compartments will hold your cards securely, despite lacking any sealing mechanism; accessing the cards is pretty easy, although since you cannot see the cards when you open the wallet, you’ll have to start remembering which cards live in each compartment?

This model is unlined. The corium side of the leather is smoothly burnished.

You can also see in the photo below that the corners have small circles cut in, a clever way to minimize any distortions of the leather with use.

The notes compartment is spacious and not too tall. In the photo above you can see that Australian notes will sit approximately 1 cm below the border of the outshell. Despite being larger than traditional billfolds, this wallet is just as easy to use in terms of accessing money.

Leather

Before the founding of Pailot River, for many years Red Moon has been well known for their proprietary saddle leather – in many ways spearheading the natural leather hobby within vintage and workwear circles. Since then, enthusiasts have been guessing as to where and how this leather is produced.

Village Works, for the first time ever, has agreed to disclose some factual details about this leather for me to share with you: First, the steer hides used are mostly North America in origin, with 30% being domestic Japanese hides. Second, the hides are tanned in Himeji – the traditional epicentre of Japanese leather tanning, famous for Himekawa (“white leather”). Thirdly, the leather is vegetable tanned in tanning pits, with a recipe unchanged from the early days of Red Moon’s founding – this tannage takes a minimum of 3 months, and may extend up to 6 months depending on factors such as temperature and humidity.

In addition to the above information, I am also guessing that this leather has been further processed once the basic tanning is finished – this is inferred through two observations: One, this leather is a shade darker compared with dry, unfinished natural leather which usually looks almost white. Two, the leather is very slippery and shiny on the surface, to a degree I have never encountered on unfinished leathers.

“The leather also seems to be glazed or waxed, and is much more slippery & shiny compared with most natural leathers.”

My theory is that this leather has been further stuffed with oils once dried – which then further modifies the temper and the patina potential of the grain – all without altering the pale, fleshy-pink colour too much. Japanese tanners often call this type of leather “extra lipid”. I have heard that neatsfoot oil and cod oil are commonly used for this purpose, but I cannot confirm the use of this technique for the saddle leather we are seeing here.

Whatever the actual process, the end result is that Pailot River’s natural leather is not like the usual saddle leather that you might find at your local leather supply store. What I notice is a smoother grain, a colour that is slightly darker compared with true natural, a tone tending towards pink, a more flexible temper, a ‘wet’ handfeel, and an increase in ‘responsiveness” that I can only explain by assuming the extra oil content leads to quicker oxidation.

You can also see on the macro photo above that this saddle leather has much more ‘growth’ compared with other veg tanned leathers, and is more akin to Baker’s oak bark leather in grain texture and definition.

The reasons? Gentle pit tannage of course?

“…like all Pailot River pieces, it is made by one craftsman from cutting to finishing. This is not a production line wallet.”

The leather also seems to be glazed or waxed, and is much more slippery & shiny compared with most natural leathers. This is best appreciated in the photo below, when the leather is illuminated with LED lighting.

The backside of the leather is hand burnished with a glass instrument.

This natural saddle leather is 4 oz (1.6mm).

Construction

This wallet was made in the Village Works atelier, though like all Pailot River pieces, it is made by one craftsman from cutting to finishing. This is not a production line wallet. The craftsman’s signature stamp in Chinese characters feature on the certificate of authenticity.

The layer construction is quite remarkable, especially considering the minimised stitching and clever folding – this is a smart, optimised design. Each layer is individually stitched on the other, then closed, then attached with another layer, and so on. Indeed, what you see here is the refinement of Red Moon’s first wallet design back in 1993.

“The advantage of using such specialist machinery is that the resulting lock-stitch is more durable over time compared with similar stitching done with regular single-needle sewing.”

The lock-stitching is sewn with vintage needle & awl machines Seiko cylinder stitcher (Singer Roller Foot reproduction; many thanks for the correction to Ray Lansburg). Examining the stitching closely, they appear straight & well-spaced, with a density of around 7 SPI. A point of difference in the machine work here is the stitch tension & tightness; notice how the thread sits flat against the grain without any use of grooves, but at the same time does not cut into the leather excessively. The stitch holes produced by Village Work’s machines punches through the leather very cleanly, and does not flare out the leather grain around the holes in any way.

“A little known but interesting feature of this wallet is that no leather glue has been used in putting it together and the wallet relies on the precise cutting & sewing of the pieces”

The advantage of using such specialist machinery is that the resulting lock-stitch is more durable over time compared with similar stitching done with regular single-needle sewing machines, as a tighter stitch is produced in a smaller hole.

Here is the stitching process on a similar wallet at Village Works, explained by Goto:

Village Works states that different circumstances call for either machine or hand stitch. While a few leather craftsmen I know would say a saddle-stitch sewn by experienced hands would be superior in any given circumstance, I am no where near expert enough to contradict Goto, so I will leave this up to you to debate! Nevertheless, a hand-stitched version of the HR-01 is available, at a premium of 5000 yen compared with the machine stitched version, accounting extra time required for hand-stitching.

A little known but interesting feature of this wallet is that no leather glue has been used in putting it together and the wallet relies on the precise cutting & sewing of the pieces to keep the sum of the whole intact & aligned. This has the advantage of allowing the wallet to better mold to the user through small movements of the different layers, and also allows for complete repairs by restitching and re-burnishing the individual pieces after a few years of use. I am quite impressed by how well all the many individual pieces come together without the use of glue, especially on what is a fairly complicated and multilayered short wallet. This well-matched alignment is most evident when observing the wallet from the sides.

Unlike Red Moon wallets where only the outer edges are burnished, Pailot River’s pieces have all edges of each component piece fully burnished by hand. Even the backsides of the leather is burnished using a glass tool.

“Both Keiichiro Goto and his Red Moon wallets are legendary among leather circles, and, through Pailot River, Mr. RedMoon manages to raise the bar again.”

The burnish work here is slightly better compared with most Red Moon pieces I have handled over the years.

Opinion

At 33,000 yen, this is not the cheapest short wallet out there. However, comparing this wallet to other made in Japan workshop leathercrafts, it can be considered to be pretty good value given the precise make, the “one craftsman” approach, the tested & refined design, and the aging potential of their proprietary saddle leather.

The level of craftsmanship and detailing is fairly high, one tier above most other workshop productions, and in finer details are a step above even Red Moon’s regular offerings. A few people have asked how I would compare Red Moon to Kawatako: after handling this Pailot River wallet, I would say that although Kawatako offers interesting bridle and coloured leathers, Pailot River’s construction is better within the same price bracket. Here, I am considering the clean stitch-work, precise cutting, decent all-round burnishing and a multi-layered but very functional & tested design.

“To me, Pailot River feels like a step upwards from workshop crafting, offering products that are somewhere in between workshop MTO and true bespoke crafting.”

Further, if you are a fan of growing your own grain patina on natural leather, Red Moon / Pailot River’s saddle leather is one of the best for this purpose, made with a tanning recipe that was established 20 years ago, able to produce fantastic dark tones and superb lustre over time.

On aspects such as burnishing, hand-stitching and metal composition of hardware, Pailot River may not reach the the absolute highest standards of a master craftsman, for which you might expect edges that feel like glass & reflect like mirrors, dense hand-sewing, or conchos made of fine silver…but keep in mind this type of craftsmanship in Japan could very well cost you a minimum of 50% more than what you’d expect to pay for a Pailot River wallet.

Red Moon wallets have always had a distinct and unmistakable southwestern Americana aesthetic, and Pailot River’s offerings don’t deviate too much from this rugged, Native American inspired look.

Although sized nicely in between a bifold and a midwallet, don’t mistake this wallet for fashion carry piece. Consider the decent thickness at 2.2 cm, the result of several layers of 4 oz leather…this wallet was very much made for denimheads and heritage clothing enthusiasts.

All in all, would I recommend this Pailot River wallet?   Yes!

Both Keiichiro Goto and his Red Moon wallets are legendary among leather circles, and, through Pailot River, Mr. RedMoon manages to raise the bar again.

For people just starting their leather journey, a Red Moon piece could be an ideal beginning. Those with a higher budget should definitely consider Pailot River’s offerings. To me, Pailot River feels like a step upwards from workshop crafting, offering products that are somewhere in between workshop MTO and true bespoke crafting.

All in all, I’m very happy to own another product from the Village Works atelier.

—

Pailot River leathercrafts are made-to-order by Village Works when purchased through Denimio, with a make-time of approximately 2 weeks. With free shipping worldwide, full Village Works warranty and options for repairs & servicing, Denimio is by far the most convenient and economical way of purchasing Village Works’ crafts. Check them out here.

For other amazing wallets, including Red Moon, check out Denimio’s broad selection here.

[:ru]

Мы очень рады, что Майк – Вы можете его знать, как indigoshrimp в Instagram, или по его прекрасному блогу – сделал обзор на бренд, о котором Вы много спрашивали: Pailot River. Его пост про Pailot River PR-SR01B  и другие информативные обзоры можно найти здесь. Майк разрешил нам выложить этот пост в нашем блоге. Наслаждайтесь:

ОБЗОР НА PAILOT RIVER (REDMOON) – SHORT RIDER WALLET PR-SR01B

Моим первым изделием из высококачественной кожи стал чехол на телефон от Red Moon еще до того, как я начал вести блог.  Я мало понимал о коже, но мой поставщик джинсов Samurai порекомендовал мне этот бренд.

“Я помню первый раз, когда я взял в руки кожу Red Moon – такую бледную, но гибкую, с хорошей плотностью и характером”

Я еще не знал в то время, что этот чехол для телефона перерастет в любовь к коже.

Я помню первый раз, когда я взял в руки кожу Red Moon  – такую бледную, но гибкую, с хорошей плотностью и характером – она кардинально отличалась от изделий из телячьей кожи, которые я раньше использовал. То, как изменился чехол Red Moon после нескольких недель, поразило меня, как и развитие на нем зернистости и патины.

Вернувшись недавно к своему хобби, я был рад узнать, что создатель Red Moon, Keiichiro Goto, запустил в 2011 году  Pailot River , чьи изделия производятся в ателье Village Works группой молодых мастеров Red Moon.

Благодаря ребятам из Denimio, у которых можно купить всю коллекцию Pailot River, я могу сделать обзор на кошелек PR-SR01B от Pailot River из серии “Street Rider”.

Дизайн

Это короткий кошелек с нераспространенным размером.

“[Его] дизайн имеет наслоение, и можно заметить, что у него есть несколько отсеков”

Его измерения: 11 см по вертикали, 9 см по горизонтали и 2.2 см в толщине в сжатом состоянии.

Внешняя сторона состоит из двух кусков кожи. Край конструкции в середине отсека позволяет легче складывать кошелек.

Логотип Pailot River помещен на внешнюю сторону с помощью теплового тиснения.

Дизайн и форма кошелька – это упрощенная версия легендарного Red Moon HR-01 ver. 2. 

Дизайн HR-01 ver. 2 имеет наслоение, и можно заметить, что у него есть несколько отсеков. Здесь нет молнии, так что у нас есть 3 полноценных отделения с одним большим.

Отсеки справа и слева сделаны из одного куска кожи, в то время, как нижний слева – из двух. Эти отделения сохранят Ваши карточки в безопасности. Так как Вы не можете видеть карточки в закрытом кошельке, Вам придется запомнить, в каком отсеке какие ?

Эта модель беспрокладочная, а кожа гладко отполирована.

Можно заметить на фото внизу, что на углах есть небольшие вырезанные круги для предотвращения искажений кожи при использовании.

Отделение для записей просторное и не слишком высокое.

Кожа

До основания Pailot River,  Red Moon был многие годы известен седельной кожей, многими способами распространяя увлечение натуральной кожей в винтажных и рабочих кругах. С того времени энтузиасты гадают, где и как производится кожа.

Впервые Village Works согласились поделиться несколькими деталями: во первых, большая часть кожи приходит из Северной Америки, а 30% из Японии. Во вторых, дубление происходит в Himeji – эпицентр дубления в Японии, известный своей Himekawa (“белой кожей”). В третьих, кожа проходит через растительное дубление в дубильных ямах по рецепту, который не менялся с ранних дней основания Red Moon – дубление занимает минимум 3 месяца и может продлиться до 6 месяцев в зависимости от температуры и влажности.

Я думаю, что кожа и дальше обрабатывается после дубления. Я сделал этот вывод по двум причинам: темная сторона кожи темнее, чем природная кожа с незаконченной обработкой, и сама кожа очень гладкая и блестящая.

“Кожа выглядит очень блестящей по сравнению с натуральной кожей.”

Думаю, что эта кожа после сушки обрабатывается маслами, что увеличивает потенциал патины. Я слышал, что чаще всего для этого используется костяное и рыбье масла, но не уверен, применялась ли данная техника для этого изделия.

Каким бы ни был процесс, в результате кожа Pailot River отличается от обычной седельной кожи, которую можно найти во многих магазинах. Я заметил более гладкую  и темную зернистость по сравнению с более розовой натуральной кожей и “мокрым” ощущением на руках, что можно объяснить дополнительно добавленным маслом.

Эта седельная кожа прошла через нежный процесс дубления.

“…как и все изделия Pailot River, кошелек производится одним мастером от начала до конца.”

Кожа выглядит очень блестящей по сравнению с натуральной кожей. Это хорошо видно на фото внизу, когда кожа освещается светом LED.

Задняя сторона кожи отполирована вручную стеклянным инструментом.

Эта натуральная седельная кожа имеет плотность 4 oz (1.6 мм).

Конструкция

Этот кошелек был сделан в ателье Village Works и, как и все изделия Pailot River, он производится одним мастером от начала до конца. Печать мастера, выполненная китайскими иероглифами, присутствует на сертификате подлинности.

Следует отметить конструкцию с наслоением, особенно учитывая минимизированные швы и продуманный дизайн. Каждый слой индивидуально подшивается к другому. Это утонченность первого дизайна кошелька Red Moon 1993 года.

“Преимущество использования такого специального оборудования в том, что это приводит к увеличению гибкости со временем.”

Замочный стежок прошивается винтажной иглой и машинкой с шилом цилиндрическим строчильщиком Seiko (репродукция Singer Roller Foot; благодарность за исправление Рэю Лэнсбургу). Внимательно изучив шов, видно, что он прямой и отлично расположен с плотностью около 7 SPI.

“Мало известно об интересной детали этого кошелька: клей не используется для объединения деталей, вместо этого производится тщательное вырезание и сшивание деталей”

Преимущество использования такого специального оборудования в том, что это приводит к увеличению гибкости со временем.

Здесь показан процесс сшивания на похожем кошельке в Village Works с объяснением от Гото:

Village Works утверждают, что в зависимости от обстоятельств может использоваться машинный или ручной шов.

Мало известно об интересной особенности этого кошелька: клей не используется для объединения деталей, вместо этого производится тщательное вырезание и сшивание деталей. Благодаря этому кошелек лучше подстраивается под владельца через небольшие движения различных слоев и позволяет переделывать стежок и заново осуществлять полировку. Я впечатлен тем, как прекрасно все эти детали объединяются в одно целое без клея.

В отличие от кошельков Red Moon, где полируются только внешние края, изделия Pailot River имеют полировку на каждой детали. Даже задние стороны кожи отполированы стеклянным инструментом.

“Keiichiro Goto и его кошельки Red Moon являются легендарными в кожаных кругах, с помощью Pailot River, Mr. RedMoon снова поднимает планку.”

Отполированная работа здесь немного лучше по сравнению с большинством изделий Red Moon, которые я держал в руках за много лет.

Мнение

За 33,000 yen это не самый дешевый из коротких кошельков. Но, по сравнению с другими японскими изделиями, это хорошая цена за прекрасный подход мастеров, точную работу, проверенный & утонченный дизайн и потенциал “старения”.

Уровень мастерства и деталей очень высокий, а прекрасные детали намного превосходят даже некоторые изделия Red Moon. Некоторые просили меня сравнить Red Moon с Kawatako: подержав в руках этот кошелек Pailot River, я бы сказал, что, хоть Kawatako и предлагает интересную окрашенную кожу, конструкция Pailot River лучше в той же ценовой категории. Я рассматриваю чистое выполнение стежка, тщательную полировку и функциональный и проверенный дизайн.

“Для меня Pailot River – это шаг вперед в мастерстве.”

Если Вам нравится выращивать зернистую патину на натуральной коже, то Red Moon / Pailot River отлично подойдут для этой цели и образуют прекрасные темные тона со временем.

Что касается полировки, ручного стежка и сборки, Pailot River возможно не соответствует высочайшим стандартам мастерства, где края бы казались стеклом и отражали бы, как зеркала, где был бы плотный ручной шов и кончо из серебра…но Вам следует принять во внимание, что такое мастерство в Японии стоило бы Вам минимум на 50% больше, чем кошелек Pailot River.

Кошельки Red Moon всегда обладали ярко выраженной юго-западной американской эстетикой, а изделия Pailot River не слишком отклоняются от этого американского стиля.

Учитывая толщину в 2.2 см, результат наслаивания из кожи плотностью 4 oz…этот кошелек создан для денимхедов.

Порекомендовал бы я кошелек Pailot River ?   Да!

Keiichiro Goto и его кошельки Red Moon являются легендарными в кожаных кругах, с помощью Pailot River, Mr. RedMoon снова поднимает планку.

Для тех, кто только начинает свой кожаный путь, изделие от Red Moon станет прекрасным началом. Те, у кого бюджет побольше, могут рассмотреть Pailot River. Для меня Pailot River – это шаг вперед в мастерстве.

Я счастлив, что у меня есть еще одно изделие из ателье Village Works.

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Кожаные изделия от Pailot River производятся по предварительному заказу в течение 2 недель. С бесплатной доставкой по всему миру, полной гарантией Village Works и сервисом, Denimio является удобным и экономичным способом купить изделия Village Works. Посмотрите их здесь.

Чтобы посмотреть другие прекрасные кошельки, включая Red Moon, посмотрите широкий выбор Denimio.

[:th]หลังจากที่ได้รับสินค้า Pailot River ไป Mike จาก indigoshrimp (IG: @indigoshrimp)   ได้เขียนรีวิวเกี่ยวกับกระเป๋าใบใหม่ Pailot River PR-SR01B ของเขา สามารถอ่านบทความจากบล๊อคอื่นอีกมากมายของ Mike ได้ตามตามนี่

PAILOT RIVER (REDMOON) – SHORT RIDER WALLET PR-SR01B REVIEW

เครื่องหนัง High-End ชิ้นแรกของผมคือที่ใส่โทรศัพท์จาก Redmoon ซึ่งผมได้มาตั้งแต่ก่อนที่ผมจะเริ่มเขียนบล๊อคเสียอีก เมื่อตอนนั้นผมยังไม่ค่อยเข้าใจเรื่องของหนังหรือการเฟดของหนังมากสักเท่าไหร่ โดยหลักๆแล้วที่ผมซื้อก็เพราะว่าร้านขาย Samurai Jeans   ที่ผมซื้อประจำได้แนะนำผมว่าดีมาก อยากผมให้ลอง Redmoon

“ผมจำได้เมื่อตอนที่ผมได้สัมผัสหนังฟอกฝาดที่ Redmoon ใช้ครั้งแรก – สีอ่อนบาง หนังนุ่ม แต่หนาและทนทานพอสมควร”

หารู้ไม่ เครื่องหนังชิ้นแรกชิ้นนี้ จะทำให้ผมหันมาชอบเครื่องหนังอยากแท้จริงในเวลาต่อๆมา

ผมจำได้เมื่อตอนที่ผมได้สัมผัสหนังฟอกฝาดที่ Redmoon ใช้ครั้งแรก – สีอ่อนบาง หนังนุ่ม แต่หนาและทนทานพอสมควร หลังจากที่ใช้ไปไม่กี่อาทิตย์ สีของหนังฟอกฝาดก็เริ่มเข้มขึ้นอย่างหัดได้ชัด ถือว่าสวยมากจาก Patina ที่เกิดขึ้นจากที่ใส่โทรศัพท์จาก Redmoon

หลังจากที่ผมไม่ค่อยได้ติดตามเครื่องหนังมาสักพัก ผมดีใจที่ได้เรียนรู้ว่าทางเจ้าของ Redmoon คุณ Keiichiro Goto ทำแบรนด์ใหม่ Pailot River ขึ้นมาโดยทุกชื้นจะผลิตขึ้นด้วยมือที่สตูดิโอ Village Works ของเขา

ต้องขอบคุณทาง Denimio ที่ทำให้ผมมีโอกาสได้ลองเครื่องหนังจาก Pailot River โดยสามารถสั่งกระเป๋าตังได้แบบ Made-to-Order โดยที่ผมได้สั่งกระเป๋า PR-SR01B Short Wallet ซึ่งอยู่ใน Series “Street Rider” ของทางแบรนด์นั้นเอง

Design

กระเป๋าตังรุ่นนี้จะเป็นทรง Short Wallet ซึ่งไซส์จะอยู่ตรงกลางระหว่วง Mid Wallet และ Bifold

มีสัดส่วน 11 cm x 9 cm x 2.2cm

Design สำหรับกระเป๋าตังรุ่นนี้จะคล้ายเคียงกับ Red Moon รุ่น HR-01 โดยจะไม่มีตราเครื่องประดับหรือซิปใน ถือว่าเหมาะสมกับกระเป๋าตังขนาดเล็ก

โดยชิ้นส่วนตรงด้านขวาและซ้ายบนจะเป็นหนังชิ้นเดียวกัน ในขนาดที่ชิ้นด้านซ้ายจะทำจากหนังสองชิ้น สามารถใส่บัตรต่างๆได้อย่างดี โดยมีช่องใส่บัตรถึง 3 ช่อง และช่องใส่ธนบัตรเต็ม

รุ่นนี้จะไม่มีซับใน ทำจากหนังล้วนๆ โดยการเก็บชอบได้อย่างดีเยี่ยม

จากรู้ด้านล่าง สามารถเห็นได้เลยว่าทางแบรนด์ได้ตัดวงกลมเล็กๆ เพื่อให้หนังไม่บิดเบี้ยว

ช่องใส่ธนบัตรนั้นมีที่มากมายและไม่สูงมากเกินไป สามารถใส่แบงค์ได้อย่างง่ายดาย

Leather

ก่อนที่ทางคุณ Keiichiro ได้ก่อตั้ง Pailot River.. ทางแบรนด์ Red Moon นั้นมีที่รู้จักกันว่าใช้หนัง Saddle Leather ที่ดีสุดๆ – ไม่ว่าจะเป็นการใช้หนังฟอกฝาดทำเครื่องหนังต่างๆสำหรับทั้งสไตล์ Vintage และ Workwear

ทาง Workshop ที่ผลิตเครื่องหนัง Pailot River และ Red Moon – Village Works นั้นใช้หนังส่วนใหญ่จาก America และอีกประมาณ 30% หนังญี่ปุ่น โดยส่วนใหญ่แล้วจะเป็นหนังฟอกฝาดจากโรงฟอก Himeji โดยการฟอกหนังจะใช้เวลาอย่างน้อย 3 เดือนถึง 6 เดือนถึงจะได้หนังที่นุ่ม และมีความหนาที่ใช้ผลิตเครื่องหนังให้แบรนด์ต่างๆที่เขาใช้

โดยหนังฟอกฝาดที่ใช้นั้น มีสีที่เข้มกว่าหนังฟอกฝาดส่วนใหญ่ที่จะมีสีอ่อน เกือบๆจะสีขาว ถือว่าใยของหนังนั้นแน่นพอสมควรอย่างที่ผมไม่เคยเห็นมาก่อน

ไม่ว่าจะเป็นวิธีไหนก็ตาม ผลผลิตที่ก่อให้เกิดกระเป๋า Pailot River อาจจะไม่เหมือนหนัง Saddle Leather ทั่วๆไปอย่างที่เคยเห็น สีจะเข้มกว่าทั่วไปโดยจะออกโทนสีชมพูก็ว่าได้ มีความแข็งแรงและรู้สึกมีความชุ่มชื่นกว่าหนังทั่วๆไปที่ผมได้สัมผัสมา

ที่เขาใช้สำหรับกระเป๋าใบนี้มีความหนาถึง 4oz (1.6mm) เลยทีเดียว

Construction

โครงสร้างกระเป๋าจากแบรนด์ Pailot River นั้น ถือว่าเนียบสุดๆ โดยกระเป๋าหนึ่งใบจะมีช่างฝีมือเพียงหนึ่งคนเท่านั้นที่ทำจากเริ่มจนจบ ไม่ว่าจะเป็นตั้งแต่ขั้นตอนตัดหนัง ถึงขั้นตอนเย็บและเก็บเนื้องานต่างๆ

โดยการเย็บกระเป๋าจะใช้เครื่องจักรเข็มเดี่ยว Seiko Cylinder Stitcher (เป็นจักร Reproduction อิงจากจักร Singer Roller Foot) งานเย็บถือว่าเนียบมากโดยจะมีความเย็บถี่อยู่ที่ 7 SPI ดูจากรูปแล้ว เนื้องานฝีเย็บถือว่าแน่นพอสมควรโดยที่ไม่ทำให้หนังยืด ดูมีความสวยงามพอสมควร

สามารถดูตัวอย่างการเย็บจากช่างฝีมือจาก Village Works ได้ตามนี้ โดยคำอธิบายจากคุณ Goto

ทาง Village Works จะใช้ทั้งจักรเย็บแล้วมือเย็บ แล้วแต่โอกาส แต่โดยรวมแล้ว ทางคุณ Goto บอกว่าสำหรับกระเป๋าที่เขาผลิตอาจจะไม่ต่างกันมากเท่าไหร่ หลายคนอาจจะโต้เถียงว่าเย็บมือจะแข็งแรงกว่า แต่ผมคงไม่เถียงอะไรเพราะผลผลิตออกมาถือว่าดีงามจริงๆ หากคุณต้องการรุ่นที่ใช้ฝีมือเย็บแทนเครื่องจักร สามารถสั่งซื้อรุ่น HR-01 แบบฝีมือเย็บได้เพียงราคาเพิ่มอีก 5000 JPY เท่านั้น โดยราคาจะสูงขึ้นจากการที่ใช้เวลานานขึ้นในการเย็บด้วยมือ

Unlike Red Moon wallets where only the outer edges are burnished, Pailot River’s pieces have all edges of each component piece fully burnished by hand. Even the backsides of the leather is burnished using a glass tool.

“Both Keiichiro Goto and his Red Moon wallets are legendary among leather circles, and, through Pailot River, Mr. RedMoon manages to raise the bar again.”

The burnish work here is slightly better compared with most Red Moon pieces I have handled over the years.

Opinion

ที่ราคา 33,000JPY อาจจะไม่ใช่ราคาถูกๆสำหรับกระเป๋าแนว Short Wallet แต่โดยคุณภาพของวัตถุดิบ เนื้องาน ฝีมือ เวลาและแรงที่ลงมือในการผลิตเครื่องหนังญี่ปุ่นชิ้นนี้คุณมา ผมบอกเลยว่าผมคิดว่าคุ้มกับราคามากๆ โดยเฉพราะเมื่อได้รู้ว่ากระเป๋าหนึ่งใบจะมีเพียงช่างฝีมือคนเดียวเท่านั้นที่ทำทุกขั้นตอน

โดยรวมแล้ว ผมแนะนำกระเป๋า Pailot River ไหม?? แน่นอน!

สำหรับท่านใดที่ชอบกระเป๋าหนังฟอกฝาดคุณภาพสูง.. Red Moon ถือว่าเป็นแบรนด์ชั้นดีสำหรับก่อนเริ่มต้น แต่หากคุณมีงบที่สูงขึ้นอีกหน่อย ลองดู Pailot River เลยครับ ไม่ว่าจะเป็นเนื้องานและคุณภาพ ความคุ้มค่าคงไม่มีที่ตำหนิ

โดยรวมแล้ว ผมดีใจมากและหวังว่าจะได้เครื่องหนังชื้นใหม่จากทาง Village Works ในอนาคต

—

เครื่องหนัง Pailot River จะใช้การผลิตแบบ Made-to-Order จาก Village Works หลังจากที่สั่งซื้อจาก Denimio แล้ว จะใช้เวลาโดยประมาณ 2 อาทิตย์ก่อนที่ผลิตเสร็จพร้อมส่ง โดยมีบริการจัดส่งฟรีทั่วโลก พร้อม Warranty เต็มจาก Village Works และ Option การดูแลและซ่อมแซมอีกมากมาย สามารถดูสินค้าต่างๆได้ที่นี้

สำหรับสินค้าเครื่องหนังต่างๆรวมถีง Redmoon สามารถติดตามได้ตามนี้

[:ms]

Kami sangat senang kerana Mike – yang anda kenal sebagai indigoshrimp pada Instagram ataupun dari blog menariknya – berkongsi ulasan tentang jenama yang membuat banyak daripada anda tertanya-tanya: Pailot River. Post sebelumnya mengenai Pailot River PR-SR01B – dan ulasan bermaklumat lain – boleh anda dapati di sini. Berita baiknya, kami memfiturkan Mike dalam blog Denimio. Tanpa disunting, artikel ini merupakan artikel original dari Mike sendiri. Sila nikmati:

REVIEW PAILOT RIVER (REDMOON) – SHORT RIDER WALLET PR-SR01B

Koleksi produk kraf kulit berkualiti tinggi pertama saya iaitu sarung telefon bimbit Red Moon jauh sebelum saya mula melakukan blogging, ketika telefon bimbit lipat sangat popular. Saya kurang memahami mengenai produk kulit, lalu agen Samurai Jeans saya pada masa itu mengesyorkan saya untuk mencuba Red Moon.

“Saya ingat pertama kali saya menerima produk kulit alami yang dijemur dengan bahan nabati hingga berwarna kecoklatan dari Red Moon – pucat namun fleksibel, dengan ketebalan yang sesuai dan pandangan yang indah”

Saya tidak sedar bahawa sarung telefon bimbit tersebut merupakan awal dari obsesi saya dengan produk kulit.

Saya ingat pertama kali saya menerima produk kulit alami yang dijemur dengan bahan nabati hingga berwarna kecoklatan dari Red Moon ini – pucat namun fleksibel, dengan ketebalan yang sesuai dan pandangan yang indah – ia sangat berbeza daripada produk kulit lembu yang saya selalu ada pada masa itu. Perubahan sarung Red Moon ini juga sangat dramatik selepas penggunaan selama beberapa minggu pertama, yang membuat saya terpesona dengan keindahan dan perkembangan kulit & patinanya.

Setelah mempunyai hobi baru ini, saya terlebih-lebih senang mengetahui bahawa Keiichiro Goto, pengasas Red Moon mula menghasilkan Pailot River sebagai produk kulit berkualiti tinggi sejak tahun 2011 – di mana setiap produk yang dibuat tangan di studio Village Works, oleh kumpulan teras tukang Red Moon.

Terima kasih kepada rakan-rakan Denimio, sebuah stokis rasmi yang menawarkan koleksi Pailot River lengkap untuk ditempah, saya sangat bersemangat untuk mengkaji semula dompet PR-SR01B ini dari siri dompet “Street Rider” Pailot River.

Reka Bentuk

Ini adalah dompet pendek, dengan saiz yang berbeza di antara dompet lipatan ganda dan dompet berukuran sedang.

“”[Ia] mempunyai reka bentuk berlapis, dan anda boleh melihat bahawa ia mempunyai ruang yang cukup walaupun bersaiz kecil”

Ia mempunyai ukuran panjang menegak 11 cm, lebar mendatar 9 cm, dan ketebalan 2.2 cm apabila didedahkan.

Kulit luar terdiri dari dua potongan kulit, dengan potongan bahagian dalam dirapikan dan dijahit untuk petak wang kertas. Pembinaan di bahagian tengah petak membolehkan lipatan yang lebih baik.

Logo Pailot River dicetak dengan teknik pemanasan pada bahagian luar kulit dengan sangat sempurna.

Reka bentuk dan bentuknya merupakan hail penyederhanaan model ikonik Red Moon versi 2 HR-01 ver. 2 – review dompet ini tidak mempunyai klip concho klasik ataupun zipper dalaman – yang sesuai dengan rujukan peribadi saya tanpa perkakasan pada dompet bersaiz kecil.

Reka bentuk versi 2 HR-01 cukup berlapis, dan anda boleh melihat bahawa ia mempunyai ruang yang cukup walaupun bersaiz kecil. Memandangkan bahawa dompet ini merupakan model tanpa zipper, ia dilengkapi dengan 3 petak bersaiz kad anda dengan satu petak wang kertas.

Petak pada bahagian kanan dan kiri atas terbuat dari sebuah potongan kulit, manakala bahagian kiri bawah diperbuat daripada dua keping kulit. Petak ini akan menyimpan kad anda secara aman, walaupun tidak mempunyai meterai: pengaksesan kad akan sangat mudah namun ketika anda tidak boleh melihat kad anda di saat anda membuka dompet, anda akan mula mengingat kad apa yang anda simpan di setiap compartment?

Pada model ini, bahagian sisi corium kulit mulus berkilat.

Seperti gambar di bawah ini, anda boleh menyemak bahawa pada bahagian sudut mempunyai potongan lingkaran kecil, cara terbaik untuk meminimumkan penyelewengan penggunaan produk kulit.

Ruang wang kertas berukuran luas dan tidak terlalu tinggi. Pada gambar di atas, anda boleh melihat bahawa wang kertas Australia mempunyai ruang kira-kira 1 cm di bawah sempadan dompet tersebut. Walaupun bersaiz lebih besar dari billfolds tradisional, dompet ini juga berkesan digunakan dalam hal pengaksesan wang.

Kulit

Sebelum mendirikan Pailot River, Red Moon telah terkenal selama bertahun-tahun atas produk pelana kulitnya – dalam sisi mana pun, populariti ini berkembang pesat di antara dunia hobi produk kulit alami untuk melengkapkan pakaian gaya vintage dan pekerja. Sejak saat itu, para peminat produk kulit sangat penasaran mengenai cara dan asal produk kulit ini dihasilkan.

Untuk pertama kalinya, Village Works bersepakat untuk mendedahkan beberapa detail fakta tentang produk kulit yang akan saya ceritakan kepada anda ini: Pertama, sebahagian besar bahan kulit lembu yang digunakan berasal dari Amerika Utara, dengan 30% daripadanya merupakan kulit domestik Jepun. Kedua, kulit dijemur kecokelatan di Himeji – pusat penjemuran bahan kulit Jepun secara tradisional, yang terkenal akan Himekawa (“bahan kulit putih”). Ketiga, kulit dijemur dengan bahan nabati sehingga warna kecoklatan di gelanggang penjemuran, dengan tradisi kuno Red Moon – penjemuran ini memerlukan masa sekurang-kurangnya 3 bulan, dan mungkin mencapai 6 bulan bergantung kepada faktor-faktor seperti suhu dan kelembapan.

Di samping maklumat di atas, saya mengesyaki bahawa kulit ini telah diproses secara lanjut setelah proses asas penyamakan selesai – hal ini dipertimbangkan melalui dua pemerhatian: Pertama, material kulit ini berwarna lebih gelap berbanding dengan material kulit semula jadi kering yang belum selesai diproses dan biasanya kelihatan hampir berwarna putih. Kedua, material kulit ini sangat mulus dan berkilat pada permukaannya, sehingga kualiti tinggi yang sangat jarang ditemui pada material kulit yang belum selesai diproses lain.

“Bahan kulit ini juga seolah-olah berkilat atau di-wax, dan akan jauh lebih mulus & berkilat berbanding material produk kulit semulajadi lain.”

Teori saya iaitu bahawa material kulit ini telah diproses dengan minyak selepas dikeringkan – yang kemudian diubahsuai lebih lanjut akan potensi patinanya – semua tanpa banyak mempengaruhi warna kepucatan dan warna merah muda pada bahan ini. Penyamak Jepun sering menyebut jenis kulit ini sebagai “tambahan lipid”. Saya mendengar bahawa minyak neatsfoot dan minyak ikan cod umumnya digunakan untuk mencapai keputusan ini, tetapi saya tidak dapat memastikan bahawa teknik ini digunakan untuk produk kulit pelana yang dapat kita simak di sini.

Apapun prosesnya, hasil akhirnya sangat jelas dan meyakinkan bahawa produk kulit semulajadi Pailot River tidak seperti produk kulit pelana yang umumnya mungkin anda dapati di kedai produk kulit tempatan di sekitar anda. Yang saya perhatikan iaitu struktur halus, warna yang sedikit lebih gelap berbanding dengan warna asal semulajadi, cenderung berwarna merah muda, perangai yang lebih fleksibel, kesan ‘lembab’, dan lebih “lancar” dengan menganggap kandungan minyak tambahan yang menyebabkan proses pengoksidaan yang cepat.

Anda juga boleh menyemak gambar makro di atas di mana produk kulit pelana ini lebih unggul berbanding dengan produk kulit yang dijemur dengan bahan sayuran lain, dan ia menyerupai bentuk dan detail bahan kulit Baker.

Alasannya? Tentu saja pengendalian penyamakan yang ditangani dengan hati-hati ?

“…seperti semua produk Pailot River lain, ia dihasilkan oleh satu pengrajin dari proses pemotongan hingga penyelesaian. Ini lebih dari hasil karya dompet biasa.”

Produk kulit ini juga seolah-olah berkilat atau di-wax, dan jauh akan lebih mulus & berkilat berbanding dengan sebahagian besar produk kulit semulajadi lain. Berikut adalah foto indah dari produk kulit ini yang disinari dengan lampu LED.

Bahagian belakang produk kulit ini dikilapkan tangan menggunakan peralatan kaca.

Berat produk kulit pelana alami ini iaitu 4 oz (1.6mm).

Pembinaan

Dompet ini dibuat di studio Village Works, seperti semua hasil karya Pailot River, ia dihasilkan oleh satu pengrajin dari proses pemotongan hingga penyelesaian. Ini lebih dari hasil karya dompet biasa. Stempel khas pengrajin dalam aksara China difiturkan pada sijil keaslian produk.

Pembinaan lapisan produk ini sangat menakjubkan, terutama jahitan minimum dan idea kesempurnaan lipatan – ini merupakan hasil karya pintar dengan reka bentuk yang optimum. Setiap lapisan dijahit secara individu pada satu sisi, kemudian ditutup, lalu dilekatkan dengan lapisan lain, dan seterusnya. Yang anda boleh lihat di sini iaitu penyempurnaan dari reka bentuk dompet Red Moon pertama yang berasal dari tahun 1993.

“Keuntungan utama penggunaan mesin khas tersebut iaitu hasil lock-stitch yang lebih tahan lama berbanding dengan teknik penjahitan yang konsisten sama pada penjahitan regular jarum tunggal. “

Jahitan teknik lock-stitching dijahit dengan jarum vintage & mesin penjahit silinder Seiko (pembiakan Singer Roller Foot; berkat pemodifikasian Ray Lansburg). Jika kita semak hasil jahitan dengan mendetail, mereka kelihatan lurus & penjarakan, dengan kepadatan kira-kira 7 SPI. Perbezaan dalam prestasi enjin di sini iaitu ketegangan & keketatan jahitan; perhatikan bagaimana benang dijahit rata berbeza dengan alur, namun pada masa yang sama tidak memotong ke dalam bahan kulit tersebut secara berlebihan. Lubang jahitan yang dihasilkan oleh mesin Village Work ini dibuat dengan lancar, dan sama sekali tidak meninggalkan bahan kulit di sekitar lubang.

“Sebuah ciri yang kurang terkenal tetapi menarik iaitu tidak adanya lem kulit yang digunakan dalam penyatuan dan dompet dilekatkan dengan pemotongan dan penjahitan yang sempurna”

Keuntungan utama penggunaan mesin khas tersebut iaitu hasil lock-stitch yang lebih tahan lama berbanding dengan teknik penjahitan yang konsisten sama pada penjahitan regular jarum tunggal, ketika jahitan ketat dihasilkan dengan lubang yang lebih kecil.

Berikut ini merupakan proses penjahitan pada dompet yang sama di Village Works dan dijelaskan oleh Goto:

Village Works menyatakan bahawa banyak perbezaan di antara proses mesin berbanding dengan proses jahitan tangan. Ketika beberapa pengrajin kulit yang saya kenal mengatakan bahawa jahitan pelana oleh tukang yang profesional akan menghasilkan kualiti yang lebih unggul, saya tinggalkan kepada anda mengenai pernyataan ini! Namun, versi jahitan tangan dari HR-01 juga boleh didapati dengan harga premium 5000 yen berbanding dengan produk yang dijahit mesin, mempertimbangkan masa tambahan yang diperlukan untuk proses jahitan tangan.

Sebuah ciri kurang terkenal tetapi menarik dari dompet ini iaitu tidak ada lem kulit yang digunakan dalam meletakkan bahan kulit tersebut dan dompet bergantung kepada ketepatan dan kesempurnaan teknik pemotongan & penjahitan untuk menjaga keutuhan secara menyeluruh. Hal ini menguntungkan penyesuaian dompet yang lebih baik mengikuti penggunanya, dan juga membolehkan kesempurnaan penjahitan dan pemulusan kembali selepas beberapa tahun penggunaan. Saya cukup terkesan dengan tidak dipergunakannya lem pada hasil karya ini, terutama pada dompet pendek yang cukup rumit dan berlapis. Keselarasan ini dapat diperhatikan daripada secara jelas pada bahagian sisi dompet ini.

Berbeza dari dompet Red Moon lain yang hanya berkilat pada bahagian tepi luar, produk Pailot River mempunyai setiap komponen yang berkilat diproses tangan. Bahkan bahagian belakang dari material kulit ini dikilapkan menggunakan peralatan kaca.

“Keiichiro Goto dan dompet Red Moon ini merupakan legenda di kalangan industri produk kulit, dan, melalui Pailot River, Tuan Redmoon berjaya lagi untuk meningkatkan status ini.”

Proses pengkilapan ini lebih baik berbanding dengan sebahagian besar produk Red Moon yang saya miliki dalam tahun kebelakangan ini.

Pendapat Peribadi

Pada harga 33,000 yen, dompet ini bukanlah dompet pendek yang tergolong murah. Namun, ketika membandingkan dompet ini dengan dompet lain yang dihasilkan di studio kerajinan kulit Jepun, dompet ini dianggap bernilai cukup sesuai dengan kesempurnaan, konsep “satu pengrajin”, reka bentuk mulus dan teruji, dengan potensi pendewasaan bahan pelana kulit ini.

Tahap teknik kerajinan dan kedetailan sangatlah tinggi, satu tahap lebih unggul berbanding sebahagian besar hasil pengeluaran studio lain, dengan detail yang lebih lancar dan terperinci yang lebih unggul daripada tawaran Red Moon lain. Beberapa orang telah mempersoalkan bagaimana cara saya membandingkan Red Moon dengan Kawatako: setelah mempunyai dompet Pailot River ini, saya boleh mengatakan bahawa walaupun Kawatako menawarkan produk kulit berwarna yang menarik, pembinaan Pailot River ini dinilai lebih baik dengan harga yang sama. Di sini, saya mempertimbangkan hasil jahitan yang mendetail, pemotongan yang tepat, pemulusan yang sempurna dan reka bentuk berlapis yang sangat fungsional & teruji.

“Bagi saya, Pilot River tampil selangkah lebih maju lebih mahir, menawarkan pelbagai produk MTO dengan kualiti kerajinan profesional.”

Ditambah lagi, apabila anda seorang peminat patina pada produk kulit alami, produk kulit pelana dari Red Moon / Pailot River merupakan salah satu yang produk terbaik untuk anda pertimbangkan, dihasilkan dengan teknik penyamakan tradisional berusia 20 tahun yang mampu menghasilkan corak gelap luar biasa yang akan tambah berkilau dari masa ke masa.

Pada aspek pemulusan, teknik jahitan tangan dan komposisi, Pailot River mungkin tidak mencapai standard tertinggi dalam dunia kerajinan, seperti yang anda ekspetasikan dengan bahagian sisi yang mulus seperti kaca ataupun cermin, kepadatan hasil penjahitan tangan, atau conchos yang terbuat dari perak … namun perlu diingat bahawa teknik pengrajinan Jepun ini biasanya berharga sekurang-kurangnya 50% lebih mahal daripada apa yang anda ekspetasikan dalam pembelian dompet Pailot River.

Dompet Red Moon selalu mempunyai estetika Americana tersendiri, dan tawaran dari Pailot River tidak terlalu berbeza daripada pandangan yang berinspirasikan Amerika asli.

Walaupun bersaiz sesuai di antara dompet berlipat ganda dan dompet bersaiz sedang, jangan menganggap bahawa dompet ini hanya digunakan sebagai mode fashion. Pertimbangkan ketebalan 2.2 cm, yang merupakan hasil daripada beberapa lapisan 4 oz kulit … dompet ini dipersembahkan untuk denimheads dan peminat gaya vintage.

Kesimpulannya, saya sangat mengesyorkan dompet Pailot River ini!

Keiichiro Goto dan dompet Red Moon ini merupakan legenda di kalangan industri produk kulit, dan, melalui Pailot River, Tuan Red Moon berjaya lagi untuk meningkatkan status ini.

Bagi setiap daripada anda yang baru memulakan kegemaran produk kulit, Red Moon boleh saja menjadi permulaan yang ideal untuk perjalanan ini. Beberapa dari anda dengan anggaran yang lebih tinggi seharusnya mempertimbangkan tawaran Pailot River. Bagi saya, Pailot River dinilai lebih unggul di antara hasil kraf bengkel, dengan tawaran produk di antara studio MTO dan kerajinan yang sempurna.

Kesimpulannya, ini merupakan satu kebanggaan bagi saya untuk mempunyai hasil karya dari studio Village Works.

—

Produk kulit Pailot River merupakan produk yang dihasilkan selepas tempahan oleh Village Works melalui Denimio, dengan memerlukan masa kira-kira 2 minggu. Dengan percuma kos penghantaran ke seluruh dunia, dengan jaminan Village Works dan opsyen pembaikan & servis, Denimio memberikan keselesaan dan kemudahan dalam pembelian produk hasil kerajinan Village Works. Simak produk lengkap lain di sini.

Untuk dompet menakjubkan lain, termasuk Red Moon, sila cek pelbagai koleksi Denimio lain di sini.[:ko]

We couldn’t be happier that Mike –  you might know him as indigoshrimp on Instagram or from his amazing blog – did a review for a brand a lot of you have been asking about: Pailot River. His original post about the Pailot River PR-SR01B – and other super informative reviews – can be found here. For your convenience, Mike gave us the green light to feature this piece on our blog. We didn’t edit it, this comes straight from the horse’s mouth. Enjoy:

 

PAILOT RIVER (REDMOON) – SHORT RIDER WALLET PR-SR01B REVIEW

 

My first piece of high-end leathercraft was a Red Moon cellphone holder from even before I started blogging, back when flip-phones were all the rage. I had very little understanding of leathers or their patination, but my Samurai Jeans dealer at the time recommended that I give Red Moon a try.

“I remember the first time I handled Red Moon’s natural vegetable tanned leather – so pale, yet so supple, with good thickness and a nice temper”

Little did I know at the time, that phone holder was the beginning of what would be a long-term obsession with leather.

I remember the first time I handled Red Moon’s natural vegetable tanned leather – so pale, yet so supple, with good thickness and a nice temper – it was dramatically different from the calfskin goods I had been using up until that point. The way the Red Moon holder changed over the first few weeks was dramatic too, and took on a beauty in grain development & patina that I have been fascinated with ever since.

After coming back to the hobby recently, I was glad to learn that Red Moon founder Keiichiro Goto had launched a high end leather brand in 2011 – Pailot River – with pieces handcrafted in the Village Works atelier, manned by Red Moon’s core group of young leather craftsmen.

Thanks to the folks at Denimio, an official stockist through whom the entire range of Pailot River’s collection is available for made-to-order, I’m excited to review this PR-SR01B short wallet from Pailot River’s “Street Rider” series of wallets.

Design

This is a short wallet, an uncommon size between a bifold and a mid-wallet.

“[Its] design is fairly layered, and you can see that it does not lack for compartments despite its size”

It measures 11 cm in vertical length, 9 cm in horizontal width, and 2.2 cm in thickness when compressed.

The outshell consists of two pieces of leather, with the inner piece trimmed and sewn to make the notes compartment. The ridge construction in the middle of the compartment allows for better folding.

The Pailot River logo is heat-embossed unto the outshell – nicely done, no cracks.

In design and shape it is a simplification of Red Moon’s iconic HR-01 ver. 2 pattern – the wallet being reviewed does not feature the classic concho clip or an internal zipper – which fits my personal preference of having no hardware in my smaller wallets.

The HR-01 ver, 2 design is fairly layered, and you can see that it does not lack for compartments despite its size. Given this is the zipper-less model, effectively we end up with 3 full-sized card compartments with one large notes compartment.

The compartments on the right and top left are made from one piece of leather, whilst the bottom left is made of two. These compartments will hold your cards securely, despite lacking any sealing mechanism; accessing the cards is pretty easy, although since you cannot see the cards when you open the wallet, you’ll have to start remembering which cards live in each compartment?

This model is unlined. The corium side of the leather is smoothly burnished.

You can also see in the photo below that the corners have small circles cut in, a clever way to minimize any distortions of the leather with use.

The notes compartment is spacious and not too tall. In the photo above you can see that Australian notes will sit approximately 1 cm below the border of the outshell. Despite being larger than traditional billfolds, this wallet is just as easy to use in terms of accessing money.

Leather

Before the founding of Pailot River, for many years Red Moon has been well known for their proprietary saddle leather – in many ways spearheading the natural leather hobby within vintage and workwear circles. Since then, enthusiasts have been guessing as to where and how this leather is produced.

Village Works, for the first time ever, has agreed to disclose some factual details about this leather for me to share with you: First, the steer hides used are mostly North America in origin, with 30% being domestic Japanese hides. Second, the hides are tanned in Himeji – the traditional epicentre of Japanese leather tanning, famous for Himekawa (“white leather”). Thirdly, the leather is vegetable tanned in tanning pits, with a recipe unchanged from the early days of Red Moon’s founding – this tannage takes a minimum of 3 months, and may extend up to 6 months depending on factors such as temperature and humidity.

In addition to the above information, I am also guessing that this leather has been further processed once the basic tanning is finished – this is inferred through two observations: One, this leather is a shade darker compared with dry, unfinished natural leather which usually looks almost white. Two, the leather is very slippery and shiny on the surface, to a degree I have never encountered on unfinished leathers.

“The leather also seems to be glazed or waxed, and is much more slippery & shiny compared with most natural leathers.”

My theory is that this leather has been further stuffed with oils once dried – which then further modifies the temper and the patina potential of the grain – all without altering the pale, fleshy-pink colour too much. Japanese tanners often call this type of leather “extra lipid”. I have heard that neatsfoot oil and cod oil are commonly used for this purpose, but I cannot confirm the use of this technique for the saddle leather we are seeing here.

Whatever the actual process, the end result is that Pailot River’s natural leather is not like the usual saddle leather that you might find at your local leather supply store. What I notice is a smoother grain, a colour that is slightly darker compared with true natural, a tone tending towards pink, a more flexible temper, a ‘wet’ handfeel, and an increase in ‘responsiveness” that I can only explain by assuming the extra oil content leads to quicker oxidation.

You can also see on the macro photo above that this saddle leather has much more ‘growth’ compared with other veg tanned leathers, and is more akin to Baker’s oak bark leather in grain texture and definition.

The reasons? Gentle pit tannage of course?

“…like all Pailot River pieces, it is made by one craftsman from cutting to finishing. This is not a production line wallet.”

The leather also seems to be glazed or waxed, and is much more slippery & shiny compared with most natural leathers. This is best appreciated in the photo below, when the leather is illuminated with LED lighting.

The backside of the leather is hand burnished with a glass instrument.

This natural saddle leather is 4 oz (1.6mm).

Construction

This wallet was made in the Village Works atelier, though like all Pailot River pieces, it is made by one craftsman from cutting to finishing. This is not a production line wallet. The craftsman’s signature stamp in Chinese characters feature on the certificate of authenticity.

The layer construction is quite remarkable, especially considering the minimised stitching and clever folding – this is a smart, optimised design. Each layer is individually stitched on the other, then closed, then attached with another layer, and so on. Indeed, what you see here is the refinement of Red Moon’s first wallet design back in 1993.

“The advantage of using such specialist machinery is that the resulting lock-stitch is more durable over time compared with similar stitching done with regular single-needle sewing.”

The lock-stitching is sewn with vintage needle & awl machines Seiko cylinder stitcher (Singer Roller Foot reproduction; many thanks for the correction to Ray Lansburg). Examining the stitching closely, they appear straight & well-spaced, with a density of around 7 SPI. A point of difference in the machine work here is the stitch tension & tightness; notice how the thread sits flat against the grain without any use of grooves, but at the same time does not cut into the leather excessively. The stitch holes produced by Village Work’s machines punches through the leather very cleanly, and does not flare out the leather grain around the holes in any way.

“A little known but interesting feature of this wallet is that no leather glue has been used in putting it together and the wallet relies on the precise cutting & sewing of the pieces”

The advantage of using such specialist machinery is that the resulting lock-stitch is more durable over time compared with similar stitching done with regular single-needle sewing machines, as a tighter stitch is produced in a smaller hole.

Here is the stitching process on a similar wallet at Village Works, explained by Goto:

Village Works states that different circumstances call for either machine or hand stitch. While a few leather craftsmen I know would say a saddle-stitch sewn by experienced hands would be superior in any given circumstance, I am no where near expert enough to contradict Goto, so I will leave this up to you to debate! Nevertheless, a hand-stitched version of the HR-01 is available, at a premium of 5000 yen compared with the machine stitched version, accounting extra time required for hand-stitching.

A little known but interesting feature of this wallet is that no leather glue has been used in putting it together and the wallet relies on the precise cutting & sewing of the pieces to keep the sum of the whole intact & aligned. This has the advantage of allowing the wallet to better mold to the user through small movements of the different layers, and also allows for complete repairs by restitching and re-burnishing the individual pieces after a few years of use. I am quite impressed by how well all the many individual pieces come together without the use of glue, especially on what is a fairly complicated and multilayered short wallet. This well-matched alignment is most evident when observing the wallet from the sides.

Unlike Red Moon wallets where only the outer edges are burnished, Pailot River’s pieces have all edges of each component piece fully burnished by hand. Even the backsides of the leather is burnished using a glass tool.

“Both Keiichiro Goto and his Red Moon wallets are legendary among leather circles, and, through Pailot River, Mr. RedMoon manages to raise the bar again.”

The burnish work here is slightly better compared with most Red Moon pieces I have handled over the years.

Opinion

At 33,000 yen, this is not the cheapest short wallet out there. However, comparing this wallet to other made in Japan workshop leathercrafts, it can be considered to be pretty good value given the precise make, the “one craftsman” approach, the tested & refined design, and the aging potential of their proprietary saddle leather.

The level of craftsmanship and detailing is fairly high, one tier above most other workshop productions, and in finer details are a step above even Red Moon’s regular offerings. A few people have asked how I would compare Red Moon to Kawatako: after handling this Pailot River wallet, I would say that although Kawatako offers interesting bridle and coloured leathers, Pailot River’s construction is better within the same price bracket. Here, I am considering the clean stitch-work, precise cutting, decent all-round burnishing and a multi-layered but very functional & tested design.

“To me, Pailot River feels like a step upwards from workshop crafting, offering products that are somewhere in between workshop MTO and true bespoke crafting.”

Further, if you are a fan of growing your own grain patina on natural leather, Red Moon / Pailot River’s saddle leather is one of the best for this purpose, made with a tanning recipe that was established 20 years ago, able to produce fantastic dark tones and superb lustre over time.

On aspects such as burnishing, hand-stitching and metal composition of hardware, Pailot River may not reach the the absolute highest standards of a master craftsman, for which you might expect edges that feel like glass & reflect like mirrors, dense hand-sewing, or conchos made of fine silver…but keep in mind this type of craftsmanship in Japan could very well cost you a minimum of 50% more than what you’d expect to pay for a Pailot River wallet.

Red Moon wallets have always had a distinct and unmistakable southwestern Americana aesthetic, and Pailot River’s offerings don’t deviate too much from this rugged, Native American inspired look.

Although sized nicely in between a bifold and a midwallet, don’t mistake this wallet for fashion carry piece. Consider the decent thickness at 2.2 cm, the result of several layers of 4 oz leather…this wallet was very much made for denimheads and heritage clothing enthusiasts.

All in all, would I recommend this Pailot River wallet?   Yes!

Both Keiichiro Goto and his Red Moon wallets are legendary among leather circles, and, through Pailot River, Mr. RedMoon manages to raise the bar again.

For people just starting their leather journey, a Red Moon piece could be an ideal beginning. Those with a higher budget should definitely consider Pailot River’s offerings. To me, Pailot River feels like a step upwards from workshop crafting, offering products that are somewhere in between workshop MTO and true bespoke crafting.

All in all, I’m very happy to own another product from the Village Works atelier.

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Pailot River leathercrafts are made-to-order by Village Works when purchased through Denimio, with a make-time of approximately 2 weeks. With free shipping worldwide, full Village Works warranty and options for repairs & servicing, Denimio is by far the most convenient and economical way of purchasing Village Works’ crafts. Check them out here.

For other amazing wallets, including Red Moon, check out Denimio’s broad selection here.

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