ZA Leather OTAN Review....
Welcome to another strap review. Yes the oh so coveted leather OTAN strap by ZA. Branded with "Fuck Em". If that doesn't tell you what you need to know I'm not sure what will. Let me start out by saying how excited I was for this strap to come in. I already owned four ZA straps prior to this one showing up. And besides the blatant issue of fraying, I enjoyed the straps.
They are what I like to call a "Fabric Bracelet" if you will. They can be secured using one hand, simply by sliding over the hand like a tourniquet and then cinching down on it. Its simple and easy. Only two downsides being that the buckles are straighter than a first year detective straight out of detective school. And the fact of the matter is human arms are curved. Not straight. So this leads to the buckle pressing uncomfortably into your arm.
But now that that's out of the way. Lets talk about this leather OTAN.
Lets start out with the good. The stitching on this thing is spot on. ZA has got those sewing machines dialed in there in Liverpool. The buckle end is double stitched at the loop. Followed by the first keeper, then a beautiful square stitch with an x through it. Then the last keeper followed by another double stitched line. The buckle is nicely done with the ZA logo placed off to the left of the tang. The two keepers are a nice SS not too wide, not too skinny. Perfectly sized. That's about it for the good.
Now to the fun part. Im not sure how any strap manufacture can send this out with out either not caring at all. Or just pushing products that were never researched or tested. Because the leather is absolutely horrendous. It feels like something I would find in the shanty markets of Kuwait on deployment. Yes I can hear them now..." Buddy. Buddy. For you I have Best Deal".....on the fake Chinese leather goods. Its absolute shit. And for 130 GBP or 165 USD before tax and shipping.
Makes this bad boy feel like a kick in the nutts from a used car salesman who only wishes your car breaks down as soon as you leave the lot.
The next silly thing is that there are way too many holes on the strap. This once again leads me to believe that the maker has no idea what they are doing. And a laughable thought is that someone would use this for "Diving".... Ahhhh yes when I get ready to go diving I reach for the leather strap in my bag so that it can soak in the water and deteriorate. 200 IQ.
The thinness of the shit leather means it has memory. This may be a new concept to many but leather will hold a shape depending on the grade and thickness. The thinness paired with the too many holes has led the strap to break down right where my back feed loop is. This is absolutely un acceptable for a strap of the "caliber" or maybe that's just the wind talking.
This was a disaster and an absolute joke. I "tested" this strap for one day. ONE DAY. And that was my findings. Its shit.
Save your hard earned money and spend it with respectable brands who care about you and your money. We all dont have the luxury of buying shitty stuff at astronomical prices.
I hope that this saves you some money and a headache in the future.
Here is a list of some good brands to look at in the future. And they wont rake you over the coals to make a quick buck.
chesapeakebay_leathercraft
