Super leather is not cordovan. I don't know exactly what it is, however.

Black Widow tabs also use super leather. Looks like a black, smooth shooting surface with a suede-like backside on the BW tabs.

 

It's a mystery. I called up Horween http://horween.com and even they had no idea what this is. So obviously some marketing hype to make an in inexpensive leather sound good.

 

super leather, I have been told, is cowhide of some sort. I am buying CARTEL copies of the AAE tabs now since they still have cordovan which is far better than the SL
Zambia's leather is the best on the market based on my experience BTW (black Mamba)

 

Just making sure. I thought Lancaster used to have the aae elite finger tab with cordovan. Guess I'll get a tab and the replacement cordovan. But I am interested in that black mamba

 

26 -

While cordovan is still king of the hill in most respects, I just bought a new "super leather" AAE tab. I also have no idea what super leather is, but I gotta tell ya, it ain't all that bad.

I would try the super leather and see how you like it, if you're compelled to try cordovan, LAS sells cordovan replacement faces for the AAE tabs. Just make sure you're sitting down when you look at the price ...

Viper1 out.

 

I've been using the AAE super leather Elite tab for a while now, and it's ok, lasts quite long too. Only thing I wish it were a 1/64-1/32" thicker but you can get a extra backing if you want.

 

IIRC Super Leather isn't real leather, it's synthetic. I'm sure I remember several years ago claiming it was leather and then being corrected by gt in this forum.

 

Talk of cordovan makes me cry. About 40 years ago I knew a custom upholsterer and fellow flyfisherman. When he retired he offered me rolls and rolls of cordovan, appeared to be 24" wide, 6" dia. rolls, free. I thought what the h was I going to do with a bunch of leather. Refused it.

 

I wonder when the cordovan shortage is going to ease up. It seems to have been going on for a long time. Meanwhile, I purchased the Cartel tab in cordovan and it is pretty good. It must drive AAE nuts to see such a blatant copy of their product, but it is the best way to get that tab in cordovan these days.

The super leather is OK but seems a bit thick to me. The Cartel cordovan also seems a bit thicker than the old AAE cordovan.

 

It will ease up when boot/shoe companies, baseball glove mfgr's, etc stop selling items

 

http://www.lancasterarchery.com/replacement-cordovan-tab-face-for-elite-tabs.html

Not sure what the issue is, they seem to be back in stock, went up a little in price, but... c'est la vie

 

I have an old AAE cavalier with cordovan -- 10 years old. The leather was paper thin. I got a Black Mamba Venom II with cordovan and used it for a while but never could get a good "hook" with it -- the spacer, or the palm plate,, or maybe I got the wrong size. I did not want to throw down another $40-$60 on a finger tab, or even the $30 for a cordovan face, so I cannibalized the cordovan face from the Black Maba and put it on the old AAE. Wasn't keen on THAT spacer either so I used piece of artist's kneaded eraser and some medical tape.

The only PITA was punching the little holes in the cordovan so they would match the little holes in the AAE so I could bolt the thing together.

 

Hi To All;
When AAE had trouble getting Cordovan and discontinued any use of it in their tabs, we had to find a reliable source for top quality, genuine cordovan to have tab faces made from. We have a great source and have paid for dies to precision cut them to match the KSL and Elite tabs. The fit is perfect and as with any natural leather product, the thickness will vary slightly depending on where on the horses butt leather the tab face was cut from... Cordovan is extremely labor intensive to produce with a very specialized tanning, scraping, dying and polishing process. As labor costs have risen along with greatly increased demand for the very limited supply of cordovan leather, it's costs have gone up dramatically. I've asked for our team to begin publishing the thickness range of the cordovan leather that we have in stock so that archers can compare that measurement to the tab face that they are currently using. If ordering via telephone, please tell our CSR whether you prefer a thin, thick or medium thickness tab face and we will do our best to meet that request.

On a side note, Super Leather is a quality tab face material that is man-made of synthetic materials... it looks and feels very similar to leather, works well as a tab face, but won't match the durability or smoothness of cordovan... IMO

Thanks so much,
Rob

 

Thanks Rob. Knowing the thickness would be a big help, as it is, it's take your chances. If the Super Leather came in different thicknesses too, that'll be good.

 

Interesting to know about the thickness thing. I have a micrometer and will measure the cordovan on my tab so I can have it on file

 

Rob,

Thanks for the reply. I'm assuming your supplier isn't Horween, otherwise the "genuine Horween shell cordovan" angle would likely be played up a bit more. Given that there's very few companies able to invest in such a labor intensive hide, I'm curious about the source of your cordovan, and their process.