First — What Is PVC Coated Webbing?

PVC coated webbing is exactly what it sounds like: a core of woven fibre — usually polyester or nylon — with a coating of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) bonded over the top.

The result is a collar material built for tough conditions:

• 100% waterproof — the PVC coating is non-porous, meaning water, mud, and salt water bead off the surface rather than soaking in
• Odour resistant — because it doesn't absorb moisture, it doesn't harbour the bacteria that cause smell
• Easy to clean — wipe it down, rinse it off, done
• Resistant to rot and mould — unlike leather, it won't degrade with repeated exposure to wet conditions
• Colour-fast — the pigment is locked into the PVC coating, not a surface dye

It's used across industries that need tough, weatherproof strapping — safety harnesses, horse tack, military equipment, and of course, dog collars and leads.

Jacaranda Collars — handmade in Orange, NSW. 16 colours, zero returns.

So What Is Biothane?

Here's where it gets interesting — and where a lot of online information is misleading.

Biothane® is a brand name. It is the registered trademark of BioThane Coated Webbing Corp, a company based in North Ridgeville, Ohio, USA. They've been manufacturing coated webbing since 1977.

And what is their product made of? Polyester webbing with a coating of — you guessed it — TPU or PVC.

Biothane is a type of PVC coated webbing. It's the same fundamental category of material. The difference is that Biothane is a specific, patented, quality-certified version of that material, manufactured under ISO 9001:2015 standards with published tensile strength ratings.

Is Biothane Better Than PVC Coated Webbing?

Honestly — it depends entirely on what you're comparing it to.

Genuine Biothane® is an excellent product. It has verified break strength testing, consistent manufacturing tolerances, good UV resistance, and a softer, more leather-like feel.

But here's what most online comparisons miss: "PVC coated webbing" is not a single product. It's a category that spans from cheap, mass-produced bulk webbing from low-grade manufacturers all the way to high-quality webbing used by serious working dog and equestrian suppliers.

Where Quality Actually Comes From

Here's something that matters far more than the brand name on the raw material: how the collar is made.

The webbing core

The strength of any coated webbing collar is in the fibre underneath, not the coating. A tightly woven, high-grade polyester core is what holds under load. Loose, low-grade weaving is what fails.

The coating thickness and adhesion

A thin or poorly bonded coating will crack, peel, and separate over time — especially in Australian UV conditions. Quality webbing uses a proper extrusion process that bonds the coating uniformly and deeply into the weave.

How the holes are punched

Every adjustment hole in a collar is a potential weak point. A sharp, correctly sized punch cuts cleanly through the webbing without disturbing the surrounding fibres. A blunt or cheap punch tears rather than cuts — leaving frayed fibres at the hole edge that will continue to pull apart under use. At Jacaranda Collars, every hole is inspected for clean edges before a collar goes into stock. If it's not clean, it doesn't leave.

The top and tail

The cut ends of the webbing need to be finished cleanly. A rough or uneven cut frays. A precise cut, finished correctly, holds indefinitely.

Hardware

The best webbing in the world is only as good as the buckle holding it. Cheap pressed metal buckles corrode, weaken, and fail. Quality hardware matters.

How Jacaranda Collars Are Made

Jacaranda Collars are made by Sarah and Adam in Orange, NSW — by hand, one collar at a time.

We use imported PVC coated webbing — the same category of material used by quality collar makers across Australia and around the world. Every roll is inspected before use. We don't buy the cheapest option available. We buy what performs.

Every collar goes through a two-person quality process before it enters stock:

• Each collar is measured, cut, and aligned precisely — including the adjustable martingale design developed in-house
• Every rivet and buckle is checked during assembly
• Every hole is inspected for a clean punch — no fraying at the edges
• A final check is completed before the collar is packed and sent

That's not a claim about our raw material. It's a claim about our process, our attention, and our standards.

Why Did We Choose PVC for Jacaranda Collars?

That's a fair question — and one worth answering separately from the material comparison above.

The short version: we tested what worked for real Australian dogs in real Australian conditions, and PVC coated webbing came out on top every time. Waterproof, odour-resistant, easy to clean, colour-fast, and tough enough for everything from beach dogs to working dogs on the ute tray.

We've written about that thinking in full — what the material choice actually means for your dog day to day, and why we're not going to change it.

A Word on Those "Biothane vs PVC" Tests

You may have come across blog posts or social media content where someone tests Biothane against PVC coated webbing — leaving samples in the sun, dunking them in water, comparing degradation over time. Some of these tests look convincing.

Look closer at what they're actually comparing.

In almost every case, the "PVC" being tested is the cheapest possible product — bulk webbing sourced from low-grade suppliers, the kind that retails for a dollar or two and has no manufacturer standing behind it. The kind that genuinely does harden, go brittle, and degrade under UV and repeated wetting. That product is real, it exists, and it is genuinely inferior.

But comparing that to Biothane and concluding "PVC is worse than Biothane" is like buying the cheapest possible no-name tyre from a market stall, blowing it out, and concluding that all non-Michelin tyres are dangerous. It's a false comparison dressed up as a fair test.

What a genuine test looks like

Our collars have been worn by real dogs in real Australian conditions — not for a few weeks in a controlled test, but continuously since 2024. Paddock dogs. Working dogs. Beach dogs. Dogs that swim, roll in mud, sit in the back of utes in 40-degree heat and sleep outside in the Orange winter.

Zero returns. Zero failures. No complaints about cracking, hardening, colour loss, or structural failure.

That's not a lab result. That's a two-year field test conducted by over 110 Australian dog owners who trusted us with their animals — and came back with five stars.

So Which Should You Choose?

We'd encourage you to do your own research on this — read the forums, talk to other dog owners, handle both products if you can. Don't take our word for it. Come to your own conclusion.

What we can tell you honestly is this: if you're weighing up a Jacaranda collar against a genuine Biothane® collar, here's a straight comparison.

What we'd steer you away from is the bulk, no-name, pre-made PVC collars sold cheaply online with no clear maker behind them. No quality control, no accountability, no one to call if something goes wrong. That's the product that gives PVC a bad name — and it has nothing to do with what we make.

Whether you choose Biothane or quality PVC, choose something made by someone who stands behind it.

The Bottom Line

Biothane is a genuinely good product — and it's a type of PVC coated webbing. Quality PVC coated webbing, made properly, performs just as well for Australian dogs.

We're not here to tell you Biothane isn't worth it. It is. But we are here to tell you that if you're looking for a tough, reviewed, handmade Australian collar that won't lighten your wallet as hard — Jacaranda Collars is a genuine option that shouldn't be walked past.

Do your research. Read the reviews. Handle the product. Then decide.