[REVIEW] The Original Leather Skiver by Chartermade

The very first tool all leather-workers grab every time is a knife. Cutting leather to size, trimming edges and skiving may be some of the most critical steps at making good products.

Today lets take a look and review the Original Leather Skiver by Chartermade.

Skiving: one of the hardest skills?

As a hobbyist leather-worker I cannot afford a professional skiving machine (known as a bell skiver for the bell shape of the blade), nor do I have the space for one for that matter. Instead I had to rely on using the skiving knife or Japanese knife that came in the basic Amazon kit I had ordered to get me started.

While I still think those early knives are crucial as a way of getting you into the craft on the cheap, and this enabling you to quickly see if this is a hobby you want to invest more into, it’s undeniable that the quality of those early tools leaves a lot to be desired. That first skiving knife for example was a classic piece of nondescript steel, and to say it held any edge at all would be a huge overstatement.

This meant that any skiving I attempted would invariably be a slow and frustrating experience, punctuated by intermittent bouts of sharpening.

This would simply not do… I needed to up my game!

Welcome Chartermade!

There are many great knife makers out there but only a few who specialize in making tools for leatherwork, and Chartermade was one of the first I had stumbled upon during my early leatherwork days. The brand offers premium tools with some distinctive designs that had caught my eye but, the price being quite high, it was hard for me to justify such a purchase considering I was still learning this craft (still more of a hobby really for me).

So for a long time I didn’t purchase anything from them … until I did!

As part of a collaboration in which I promised Terrick (the maker behind Chartermade) a review video, I was sent one of their replacement blades for the Indispensable knife by Vergez Blanchard. This new blade, made from hardened D2 steel, proved to be of such high quality that I was soon convinced I needed to get one of their leather skiving knives (read the review of the Indispensable replacement blade HERE).

So I bit the bullet and placed an order.

Original Leather Skiver knife by Chartermade

The Original Leather Skiver by Chartermade REVIEW

The Original Skiving Knife by Chartermade arrived fast through international UPS shipping and was very safely packed. The blade came cased in an elegant box with the Chartermade logo on the top which is the perfect size for the blade, keeping it snug and safe - no harm will come to it during transit.

Inside the box, along with a short welcome note, Terrick (the maker) had included a piece of vegetable tanned leather with the logo embossed on the grain side and some jewelers rouge (or white in this case) pre-applied on the flesh side to act as a strop. This is a wonderful bonus addition that I simply love and I have been using this premium improvised strop ever since, finding the quality of the leather much better than the larger strop I had acquired previously.

Build quality

Blade

The blade is by far one of the sharpest and hardest blades I own, made of Bohler N690 steel and hardened by Chartermade. It comes razor sharp and is easy to keep sharp if you strop it before you use it.

The polish on the blade is clean, with the side edges being clean and deburred. The steel looks great and the etched logo is sharp, elegant and discreet.

The main particularity on this blade is the slight curve it has on one side: this is to help you in your cutting motion and it does indeed work perfectly as intended.

The Bohler N690 steel has a really unique texture to it

Cutting edge seen up close

Handle

The handle is made of Kiaate wood, a type of rare wood that is closely related to African Padauk. It is relatively hard with tight grain and its heartwood color can vary from light golden brown to a medium brown with a reddish or purplish tint. This wood is also known for its bug and termite resistance.

As you edge towards the blade the handle is finished with a copper ferrel which has been ground down with the handle, ensuring a perfect fit up against the wood. This is here to keep the wood handle from splitting as the blade is pushed into it and one mark of a botched job is often the appearance of a space between blade and handle where these two meet… In this case the blade fits perfectly in the handle and the transition from one to the other is near seamless.

The blade meets the handle perfectly

The Kiaate wood handle and copper ferrel on the Chartermade Original Skiver

Comfort and Cutting power

The size and length of the blade is perfect, long enough to give you room for precise cuts, while not so long as to be awkward in your hand. Moreover, the blade is ground on one side only, meaning it is sharper and more precise when cutting.

Undeniably gorgeous to look at, this handle feels great in the hand, with a slight tapering down towards the blade. It fits nicely in my medium-sized hands, though may feel big for someone with smaller hands. This choice of wood works well here as the natural grain of the wood provides a firm grip, while being very comfortable to the touch, smooth and silky.

The edge seems to retain great cutting power over time an certainly is the sharpest edge in my shop to date. It will easily cut through the thickest leathers and does a superb job at skiving down edges, belt ends and straps, and can even be used as a cutting knife when needed (though if used like a Japanese cutting knife the length of the blade is a bit on the long side).

Conclusion

This blade proves to be a quality tool indeed, made by a master-craftsman for professionals looking for the best tool available.

At nearly $200 USD, this is the most expensive tool in my shop. It is also the tool that I get the most pleasure using every single time I pick it up, and I will sometimes even go out of my way for a chance to use it, skiving down edges that didn’t really need it, or playing the how-thin-can-I-skive-this game!

If you’re wondering if the Original Leather Skiver by Chartermade is worth the money, the answer is yes.

That being said, if you are only a hobbyist or your finances are limited, then this knife may not be the right tool for you considering the plethora of great knives you can find for a fraction of the cost. But if you’re a professional or want to blow some pocket-money on the best skiving knife available, then this gem may be the perfect fit!

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