Let’s create a scenario.
You’ve gone to a marketplace to buy a leather product, be it a jacket, wallet, coat, or anything else. Now, while checking out the product, you’ll find a stamp with a label that categorizes it as – full-grain, top-grain, split-grain, or genuine leather.
So, what do these mean?
Well, in essence, these labels are used to create a grading system to help the buyer understand the overall quality of the leather. Each of the grades represents various attributes of the core product and, therefore, can contribute to wear resistance, durability, and much more.
Hence, depending on the item in question and the way you’re going to use it, you’ll have to make a few considerations before buying it. Here’s what you need to know about it!
How To Identify High-Quality Leather Efficiently?
Identifying high-quality leather amongst a wide array of options can be pretty challenging, even if you’re a leather manufacturer. Therefore, if you want to end up buying a defective material, you’ll have to consider the following aspects.
Let’s keep reading to find out more about it.
Tip – 1: Check The Smell Of The Leather
When it comes to differentiating genuine leather from a fake one, taking the smell of the product should be your primary concern.
Although it may sound a little corny, the natural leather will always have a top-notch “leather-y” scent. On the other hand, a fake material will smell like plastic. Hence, if you are getting this kind of aroma from the product, make sure to avoid it at any cost.
Tip – 2: “Full-Grain” Label
“Full-grain,” in essence, is the best kind of leather you can buy from the market. Nonetheless, in some cases, you might see the label saying “made with full-grain leather.” It might mean that the product is not made of pure full-grain material.
Meanwhile, “genuine” leather also does not mean that the product has been manufactured with a high-grade substance. The leather manufacturer may have used a low-quality material to curate the same as well.
Tip – 3: Leather’s Edging
In some cases, while checking the edges of the leather, you may find a blue-ish color instilled into it. It’s a sign of the tannery not allowing the leather to tan correctly. Due to this reason, you can sometimes also find the leather to be painted with brown color to hide the blemish.
Also, if you see the edges of the leather material to be soft and worn-out, make sure to avoid buying that as well.
Tip – 4: The Price Of The Leather
It might sound a little too obvious; however, the price of genuine leather tends to be pretty high. For example, a natural product may cost around USD 100, while a fake one can be bought by paying USD 25.
Yes, we know that the prospect of buying the latter will seem much more desirable than the first one. Nonetheless, if you want to buy a long-lasting model, make sure to opt for the pricier alternative.
Tip – 5: Rigidity
Leather is, in truth, a pretty tough material. However, when you’re buying a leather-made product, it will creak or wrinkle if you put too much pressure on it, just like natural skin.
Conversely, the synthetic material will not depress down much at all, no matter how much pressure you put into it. It will retain its rigidity and shape till the end.
If we’re being honest, technically, the latter circumstance sounds better than the former, primarily due to the prospect of non-wrinkling. However, in the long-term, this type of product will not be able to maintain its durability at all.
The Bottom Line
Due to the availability of too many fakes out there, it has become almost impossible for us to buy “real” leather-made products. However, if you follow these tips closely, we’re pretty sure that you’ll be able to find what you’re looking for.
Anyways, we’ll be concluding our article at this point. However, if you still have any queries regarding the subject, make sure to let us know in the comment section below. We’ll answer everything as quickly as possible.
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