Best Leather Skiving Machine in 2023 (According to Reviews)

Skiving is a critical step for your leather projects. It makes your leather thinner at the edges to make it easier to work with. You can easily do this manually with a handheld skiver.

BUT what happens when you have an overwhelmingly large volume of leather pieces to skive? You’d want to save yourself time and energy by getting the best leather skiving machine to tackle the job faster and deliver consistently accurate results.

We have researched a lot about leather skivers to help you get the perfect machine for your needs. This guide will introduce you to the top 9 best-performing skiving machines on the market today and some basics you need to know before buying one.

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Our Top 9 Best Leather Skiving Machine in 2023

1. Gdrasuya SM-801 Industrial Leather Skiving Machine

This is one of the most powerful electrical leather skiving machines available on the market today. It features industrial-grade design and performance, making it a valuable investment for leather work business owners.

It comes equipped with a highly power-efficient servo motor that delivers up to 1200 revolutions per minute (RPM). This means it removes the leather backing at an extremely faster rate than what you can achieve with a hand skiver or manual skiver.

The electrical skiver boasts a Fortuna-type knife—built to thin leather with ultimate precision. It also features a separate clutch for engaging the knife sharpener to help prolong the life of your knife as well as sharpening stone.

The machine is set to deliver a skiving width of up to 2 inches. It’s a great choice for leather projects involving belts, shoe uppers, leather bags, leather upholstery buttons, watch straps, and so on.

This top-performing skiver is built with high-quality materials to increase its durability and longevity. It will easily outlast the cheaply made models and offer you real value for your money. Changing parts and maintenance is also hassle-free for this machine.

Highlighted Features

• Durable stainless steel parts
• Powerful 1200RPM motor
• Extremely sharp cutters
• Up to 2 inches skiving width

2. Eapmic Manual Leather Skiver

This is an affordably priced manual leather skiver that will help speed up your leather peeling process. The machine comes designed to work with all types of leather materials including hard leather, tanned leather, sheepskin leather, crazy horse leather.

One of the great things about this skiver is that it comes fully assembled and ready to use right out of the box. You don’t need to do any assembly. You also don’t need to grind the blade as it comes sharp and ready to cut.

The blade used for this Eapmic skiving machine is the common shaver blade and is readably available from your local outlets. The knife has multiple adjustment settings to let you attain your desired skiving results.

Another reason to choose this skiver is its high-quality constriction. It is made using quality materials like aluminum which makes it withstand various abuses and increases its durability.

Overall, this is a great tool for hobbyists who work on leather projects occasionally. It’s easy to use and operate. It works on multiple leather materials. And it comes with an affordable price point. It’s also a high-quality skiver that will last for years.

Highlighted Features

• Works with all leather materials
• Ready to use out of box
• Sturdy aluminum construction
• Features common shaver blade

3.YaeKoo Manual Leather Skiver

You also can’t go wrong with this manual leather skiver from YeaKoo. While it features the same manual operation design as our previous model, this skiver features a sturdier stainless steel construction—making it heavier and more stable to work with.

The stainless steel frame also holds up better to abuse and offers better durability compared to the aluminum in the Eapmic leather skiver above.

This YaeKoo comes fully assembled and ready to use out of the box. Just like the previous machine, this model also uses the common shaver blade which is sharp and ready to cut. This type of blade is also readily available in your local shops in case you need to do a replacement.

As one of the most versatile leather skivers available, this tool can work with ALL kinds of leather whether it’s hard leather, tanned leather, sheepskin, and so on. It’s simply a universal leather skiving machine!

Inside the package, you’ll get a handful of accessories inside to help you get the most out of your skiver. These include a wrench, 4 rollers, and a total of 15 replacement blades.

Highlighted Features

• Works with all kinds of leather
• Delivers high peeling precision
• Ready to use out of the box
• Sturdy stainless steel construction
• Includes 15 sharp blades

4. Innetoc Manual Leather Skiver

This is a great little manual leather skiving machine for trimming leather that balances great quality great skiving performance and a fair price tag.

Innetoc worked to simplify this skiver as much as possible. They eliminated the complicated mechanisms and motors, making this manual skiver straightforward to operate for absolute beginners.

This skiver makes parring leather a simple routine for you. It even lets you skive leather for high-precision demands, ego leather on-lays. The machine uses the shaver blade to offer clean and precise skiving results on your leather pieces. You can even use it to peel larger pieces of leather by simply running it several times.

While most of the manual skivers out there need you to keep making adjustments, this model is an exception. It features a patented mechanism that automatically makes the knife stay in the set position, eliminating the time-consuming adjustments.

Besides the 27mm roller, you’ll get up to 3 additional interchangeable rollers when you order this skiver. These include the 4mm, 8mm, and 12mm rollers and triple the machine’s versatility. The steel frame boosts the tool’s stability and durability for long-lasting use.

Highlighted Features

• Fully adjustable and easy to use
• 3 additional interchangeable rollers
• Durable steel construction
• Position locked knife needs no adjustments
• Can skive larger pieces of leather

5. HYYKJ-USElectric Leather Skiver

If you’re upgrading from a manual skiving machine to a more powerful heavy-duty unit, this HYYKJ-US Electric Leather Skiver is for you. This is an industrial-grade machine built with top-quality materials for maximum sturdiness and longevity.

It boasts a high 1400RPM motor performance and has up to 40 Watts of power running through it. Such a powerful skiving performance makes it suited for tackling a large volume of work in a shorter time. Whether you’re working on mass production of leather wallets, bags, belts, shoes, artwork, PVC, etc., this machine will get the job done!

Thanks to the adjustable cutting speed, you can easily optimize this machine according to your desired cutting needs.

The skiver uses steel bearings, unlike other models that use copper bearings. The main benefit of using steel over copper bearings is that the former is more resistant to tear and wear and is maintenance-free, unlike copper bearings which require regular oiling.

Overall, this is a great electric leather skiving machine for you if you usually find yourself overwhelmed with a large volume of work. It has a powerful and fast-rate skiving performance that makes your work much easier than manual skiving.

Highlighted Features

• Durable industrial-grade build quality
• Delivers 1400 revolutions per minute
• Ideal for all types of leather
• Adjustable cutting speed
• Offers 0'' to3.15' cutting width

6. Maxmartt Leather Craft Edge Skiving Machine

Looking for a great edge skiving machine for the money? You just found this Maxmartt leather skiving machine. This machine is constructed from high-quality aluminum with excellent anti-corrosion, strength, and sturdiness. This makes it a highly durable skiver for you.

The affordably priced edge skiver can work with either the three-hole industrial blade or traditional double-sided blade, making it a versatile model. You can easily replace any of these blades on the machine to use the blade of your choice.

You’ll definitely appreciate that Maxmartt sends this skiving machine to you with up to 4 different sizes of rollers to pick from. The benefit of having multiple rollers for your leather skiving machine is that you can use one that offers you a specific skiving width.

You can also easily adjust the roller height up and down to achieve the thinness you need in your leather pieces. This machine is easy and straightforward to operate. Additional items you get in the box include 5 blades, 3 wrenches, and up to 3 rollers.

Highlighted Features

• Adjustable roller height
• Made from high-quality aluminum
• Equipped with 4 different rollers
• Packed with sharp blades
• Low maintenance, simple operation tool

7. TBVECHI Manual Leather Skiving Machine

This machine is suitable for working with all types of leather materials, including hard leather, crazy horse leather, tanned leather, sheepskin leather, and all the other common leather materials you might be using for your project. It’s a multi-purpose machine offering skiving and splitting functions.

The manual leather skiver comes fully assembled and doesn’t require any additional setups. It comes ready to use right out of the box.

It features a strong and durable aluminum structure which makes it corrosion-free and long-lasting. You’d be surprised that this machine will serve you for decades without breaking apart!

Since it involves manual operation, this machine will not produce any noise like in the electric machines. It is pretty easy to use and operate. Anybody, including beginner hobbyists, can easily work with it.

Whatever type of leather you’re using for your project, this TBVECHI manual skiver is a great choice for you. Whether you want to peel the edge or the entire leather surface, this machine will do it for you. For projects like leather belts, leather shoes, purses, leather jackets, etc., this is your go-to skiver.

Highlighted Features

• Strong and durable aluminum construction
• Simple to operate
• Suitable for all leather materials
• Works with zero noise interference
• Includes 15 extra double sharping blades
• Includes 3 extra rollers

8. BOYU-SHITAI Leather Paring Machine

If you’re still looking for a skiver that can work with all types of leather materials, you might consider this BOYU-SHITAI leather parring machine. This unit can work with hard, tanned, sheepskin, crazy horse, and other traditional leather materials.

As we have seen in other manual models on this list, this leather skiver also comes fully assembled and doesn’t require any assembly. You get it out of the box and start using it right away.

It offers you multiple adjustments to let you easily set it for various tasks like edge skiving, splitting, and peeling natural leather pieces. It’s also armed with extremely sharp blades that deliver clean and consistent cuts for your leather pieces.

Don’t forget that this machine also comes with sturdy aluminum construction. It has a solid feel and will hold up to various abuse and still serve you for generations to come.

If you want a great machine for working on your hobby leather projects, get this machine today. It’s simple to use and maintain. It works on all leather materials and you can use it to thin leather belts, wallets, card folds, etc. you can use it for edge skiving.

Highlighted Features

• Factory-assembled; no installation required
• Offers multiple adjustment options
• Durable aluminum construction
• Low maintenance costs
• Armed with extremely sharp blades

9. BoTaiDaHong Skiving Machine

The last model on our list is also a top-performer when it comes to thinning your leather to make it less bulker, neater, and easier to work with. Though it exhibits simplicity in its design, this is a great multi-functional machine that can peel, pare, and even split leather.

You’ll need to assemble this machine for you to start using it. But that’s no big deal given that the process is easy and quick. All the necessary installation hardware parts come included in the package. A set of easy-to-understand instructions are also included for hassle-free setup.

It comes equipped with super-sharp blades that make your skiving work easy and quick. Replacing the blades is an easy DIY task that anyone can do.

Quality construction makes this skiving machine extremely durable and long-lasting. Its screws and holder are made of stainless steel for rust-free and maximum longevity. And the brackets are made of sturdy aluminum. This combination of quality materials results in a solid machine that you can enjoy using forever.

Highlighted F eatures

• Versatile tool: it pares, peels, or splits leather
• Easy and fast assembly
• Made of high-quality materials
• Includes a semicircle measuring tape
• Easy, one-step blade replacement

Best Leather Skiving Machine Buying Guide

Leather skiving machines are NOT the same. They exhibit variation in performance, design, functions, and even price.

This explains why it’s important for you to know what exactly to look for when looking for the best leather skiving machine for your leatherworks.

The MOST important factors to consider:

Intended use

One of the factors to keep in mind when looking for a skiving machine is what you intend to use it for.

If you plan to use your machine lightly for smaller tasks, then a simple manual leather skiver will pretty much meet your needs.

For heavy-duty, commercial work, however, you’d want to invest in a more powerful skiving machine. The electric machines are the surest bet for handling commercial leather skiving.

Durability

Another important thing to consider is the overall build quality that comes with the machine. Ideally, you’d want to get a skiver that lasts for exceptionally long and not something that breaks down after a few uses and sends you back to the stores for a new model.

That said, the two most common materials used for skiving machines include stainless steel and aluminum. While both materials make strong and durable skivers, steel is better than aluminum. Some machines feature parts made from both materials for great durability and service life.

Blades

Blades are a crucial part of your leather skiving machine. They’re the ones responsible for thinning the leather by peeling the outer part. With this in mind, you should ensure a skiver comes with super-sharp blades that make consistently accurate and clean cuts.

Since the blades will eventually dull, or break with time, they should also be easy to replace. Make sure the blade in use is readily available. As you have seen from our list above, a handful of machines uses the common shaver blades. These are readily available at your local outlets, so you shouldn’t struggle to find them.

Adjustability options

For any machine to deliver your desired output, you should be able to easily control its operations. This is the same case with a leather skiving machine. The best leather skiver should give you adjustability options to let you easily set how you want it to work on your leather pieces. This is the surest way to get your desired skiving results.

The key adjustments to look out for:

-roller height adjustability: by adjusting the height of the roller on your skiver, you get to control how thin or thick you want your leather to become.

Operating speed

If you decide to go with an electrical skiving machine, then you should make sure you check the operating speed. Look at its motor power. The more powerful the motor is, the more RPMs (revolutions per minute) it can make. If you usually encounter heavy workloads of leather pieces to skive, you should look for anything from 1000RPM or higher.

Cost

You shouldn’t buy a skiver just because you think you can afford it. Don’t go for a high-end model with features you don’t really need if all you want for your leather skiving needs is a basic machine.

And don’t fall into the trap of thinking that higher-priced machines offer better service than the lower-priced models. You can get a well-engineered, high-performance machine on a budget that meets all your skiving needs.

Additional features:

FAQs:

What is skiving?

Ans: Skiving means reducing the thickness of leather. Skiving is also referred to as parring and involves peeling leather material to remove its outer edges. The goal is to make the leather less bulky, easier to work with, and ensure professional-looking results in your leather projects.

Skiving vs splitting: what’s the difference?

Ans: while skiving involves thinning leather by working on its outer edges, splitting involves evenly reducing the thickness of leather on its entire surface. Some skiving machines are multi-functional and handle both skiving and splitting functions on leather.

When do you need to skive leather?

Ans: You need to skive leather if it gets challenging to work with. In other words, you need to thin leather pieces at the edges to make them easy to sew or join together, or to make folding easy.

Does skiving reduce the quality or durability of the leather?

Ans: Skiving doesn’t alter the quality or durability of your leather material. The practice has been used for many years and only makes your leather pieces easier to work with.

How do you thin leather without a skiver?

Ans: You can easily thin leather without a skiver machine by using tried alternatives like slicing the leather edge with an Exacto knife. Sanding the leather with sandpaper can also help. Some people use a putty knife or sharp kitchen knife to slice the edges which also works well. For the best skiving results, however, we strongly suggest that you get a skiving machine.

Final Verdict

A leather skiving machine makes your work a lot easier and faster, especially when you have a huge workload. Different machines come with varying performance levels and functionalities, so it’s important that you carefully choose which model will meet your needs.

Having offered you our ultimate list of the best-performing leather skiving machines today, we have no doubt that now you can easily pick the best leather skiving machine for your specific leather skiving needs.