Chevy VS Cadillac…In The Saddle World

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“Quality in a service or product is not what you put into it. It is what the client or customer gets out of it.”Peter Drucker

We’ve all heard it before…

“I don’t want to ride a ‘trophy saddle'”.

“I want the Tod Slone…like, the actual Tod Slone saddle!”

There are so many misconceptions and questions regarding the differences between our Diamond S line and our TS Tod Slone Series. Let’s debunk the myths and get these two different saddle series straight.

I like to describe the difference between our Diamond S and TS Series as the difference between a Chevy versus a Cadillac. They both get the job done and have many of the same features, but one is considered more of a “luxury” than the other. It’s the same with our Diamond S and TS Series saddles.

The Diamond S trees fit similarly to the TS Series. The difference is the TS Series trees are cut with a CNC router, so they are more precise than the trees used in the Diamond S line. They are on different trees, but both come with 10 Year Tree Warranties.

Click here to see the different trees used in each line.

We believe that both lines are the best for the money, but there is a difference. We often tell people who are anxious for their saddle to arrive that faster is not better – quality takes times. Our Diamond S series is BUILT TO RIDE because, quite frankly, we wouldn’t have wasted 20 years honing our trees and specs for saddles that are meant to sit in a living room and not be on a horse in the arena. In fact, Tod Slone rode a Diamond S saddle at the 1994 NFR ~ the year that he won the average!

In our Diamond S series, the trees are built immediately before we begin the saddle building process so we can change any specs very easily and it doesn’t slow the process down. In the TS Series, when a tree is ordered, it can take about 3 months for us to get the tree in before the saddle building even gets underway…which leads me to one of the biggest differences between the two lines…. TIME!!

Our Diamond S Series takes approximately three months (on average) from start to finish. This is because we have lots of people working on lots of saddles at the same time in more of an assembly type fashion. For example, one person may put on the saddle horn while another one is working on the ground seat. Our TS Series is a much more custom process (and believe me..you want it to be!). Only one person tools and one person builds each saddle from start to finish. It’s the “CADILLAC” of saddles! So, because of this…a TS Series saddle typically takes about 6 months to build from the time we get the tree….but it’s worth the wait!!
You can customize both lines to your hearts content – from the tree fit to the tooling, seat color or wild print, to buck stitching, conchos…you name it…you can pretty much do it. (I’m pretty sure we are currently putting leather FRINGE on a TS Series saddle that was ordered at the NFR! That will be a first and exciting to see how it turns out!).. I’m sure you’ll be seeing pictures when it’s finished.
Just like with the truck you drive…it’s up to you to figure out which of our saddle lines best suites your needs! I will tell you, just like a Chevy or a Cadillac….they will both get the job done and do it well!

So…WHAT WILL YOU RIDE?


Click here down below to check out our saddle galleries for both the Diamond S & TS Series.

2 Comments on “Chevy VS Cadillac…In The Saddle World”

  1. I’ve never own a TS but live the look. Id be real interested in tree descriptions and what fits what…what do the Bs mean in your description of your saddles. how much do your barrel saddles weigh? I have a horse that a lotta saddles bridge on him…any thing you could enlighten me on would be appreciated.

    1. Debby,
      Our barrel saddles weigh approximately between 28-30 lbs. Feel free to give us a call at 361-275-6768 and we can discuss the specifics of you and your horse. We’ll also need a couple of pictures of your horse to get him properly fitted. You can find more description of our saddle-building process here, as well as what type of photos to send to fit your horse https://slonesaddles.com/saddle-design-options/

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