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American Bison Leather vs Traditional Cowhide Leather

There can sometimes be some confusion between "buffalo leather" and "bison leather" which are two different things! Buffalo is a species found in Asian and Africa, most commonly water buffalo. Bison refers to the North American species, "American Bison" as seen here in our limited edition Horween Leather bison leather MacBook Sleeve.

Both are fairly common in leather, though not as much as cowhide. Bison is a much larger animal that lives a very different lifestyle than typical cattle so you can imagine their hide is much different as well. It's thicker, and with a heavier grain that stands out when compared to standard cowhide. To preserve the look of that grain, the hides are not stretched out during the tanning process. This means that the hides are typically thicker and more durable as a finished product.

Cowhide, Water Buffalo, and American Bison can all produce hides that make excellent finished leathers and excellent leather products that will be enjoyed for a lifetime and continue to get better with age. A majority of our products are made with full grain cowhide leather, including our very popular Leather MacBook Sleeve available here for purchase in a variety of sizes and leather colors to fit and help you customize your specific MacBook model.