How to Tell Quality Leather
Have you ever found yourself wondering how to spot real deal leather products, made of the highest quality leather to guarantee durability and longevity? You're in the right place. We're going to break down the essentials so you can become a discerning buyer: understanding the various grades of leather, exploring tanning processes, and a four-step guide to determining quality leather goods.
Leather Grades Explained
How to tell quality leather
- Full Grain Leather: The highest quality leather, full grain keeps the full texture of the hide, showing off its natural scars and marks. It’s highly durable, ages gracefully, and becomes darker over time through use and exposure to the elements.
- Top Grain Leather: Slightly thinner than full grain leather yet more refined, top grain has been sanded down and smoothed out to fix the rough edges, giving it a cleaner look while maintaining a soft, flexible feel.
- Genuine Leather: Often made from the remaining layers of hide after the top is split off for higher grades, genuine leather is treated to create a smooth, uniform surface, making it more affordable but less durable than higher grades.
- Bonded Leather: Crafted from the scraps and fibers and bonded together with adhesives, bonded leather is all about giving the scraps a second chance. It’s the most affordable and has a unique look, but is less durable.
Full and top grain leather is the way to go. It's best to stay away from genuine leather or bonded leather, because lower-quality bits of leather can slip in, making for a less durable product.
How is leather tanned?
Vegetable tanned leather is all about the traditional, environmentally-friendly process, using natural tannins from tree bark, leaves, and fruits to create a leather that ages with a distinct, natural color that deepens and improves with age. Vegetable tanned leather is known for its durability, strength, and the ability to mold and shape it for various artisanal crafts. Sure, it might take longer and cost a bit more, but quality is something you can't rush. Our signature Teton Steerhide is vegetable tanned leather.
On the flip side, chrome tanned leather uses a concoction of chemicals, acids, and salts to tan the hide. It cuts down the tanning process from weeks to days, making it more cost-effective and allowing for a variety of fun colors instead of the natural leather color. It's often softer and more pliable, which can make it easier to work with. The use of chromium and other chemicals raises environmental concerns due to the potential for pollution and harm to both workers and ecosystems, reminding us that sometimes speed comes at a cost. Exotic leather, such as crocodile and alligator, is typically tanned with this method.
Compare the chrome tanned leather goods in the first row of images to the vegetable tanned leather goods in the second row.
On the flip side, chrome tanned leather uses a concoction of chemicals, acids, and salts to tan the hide. It cuts down the tanning process from weeks to days, making it more cost-effective and allowing for a variety of fun colors instead of the natural leather color. It's often softer and more pliable, which can make it easier to work with. The use of chromium and other chemicals raises environmental concerns due to the potential for pollution and harm to both workers and ecosystems, reminding us that sometimes speed comes at a cost. Exotic leather, such as crocodile and alligator, is typically tanned with this method.
Compare the chrome tanned leather goods in the first row of images to the vegetable tanned leather goods in the second row.
4 Steps to Determine Quality Leather Goods
1. Visual Imperfections
High-quality leather will have a natural, unique grain pattern that varies across the piece, showcasing the genuine beauty of the material. This texture should feel supple and rich, showing that the leather has been well-tanned and properly finished. A high quality piece of genuine leather isn't going to be perfect, it will include slight variations in the grain, color, and texture. This reflects the life of the hide before it was processed. Quality leather goods tell a story.
In contrast to synthetic or heavily processed leathers, which may appear overly uniform and flawless, premium leather will have natural markings such as scars, wrinkles, or stretch marks. These features show the authenticity of the leather and are hints that your leather goods will last a long time.
2. Smell Test
The smell of leather can give you just as much information as its appearance. Genuine leather carries a distinct, rich scent that's hard to mimic. This unmistakable aroma comes from the natural tanning processes and the oils used in finishing the leather. It's a subtle hint that screams quality, showing what's true leather and what is just an imitation.
Now if you take a whiff of leather goods and get a load of chemical or plastic smells, chances are that you have synthetic leather on your hands. This odor is usually a result of the manufacturing process and the materials used, which lack the natural base of animal hides. While some high-quality faux leathers might attempt to fool you with the look of genuine leather, the chemical scent is a giveaway. Trusting your nose can help you ensure you're investing in a piece that not only looks but also feels and smells like quality.
3. Feel the Difference
When you're on the hunt for genuine, high-quality leather goods, don't just rely on your eyes and nose—let your hands lead the way. Pay attention to the leather's flexibility and softness. Genuine leather should feel supple, bending and folding without any stiffness or brittleness. This is a sign of well-tanned leather that maintains the strength of the hide and always returns to its original shape without warping or cracking.
High-quality leather tends to be thicker, which contributes to its durability and longevity. This doesn't mean you should go for the heaviest or thickest leather all the time, but look for a balance that fits with the intended use of the item. A thick, heavy leather might be ideal for a belt, but you may want a finer, more lightweight leather for a wallet. The thickness and weight should feel proportional to the type of good you're examining.
Synthetic, faux, or lower-grade leathers don't typically have the natural, rich feel of top or full-grain leathers. They may feel too smooth or plastic-like, missing all the texture that makes quality leather feel just as good as it looks. If it feels like it was made by a machine, then it probably was.
4. Stitching and Craftsmanship
High quality leather goods doesn't start and end with the hide, it also includes how the product is made. Well-crafted stitching is a clear indicator of quality workmanship. A hand-stitched item increases durability and allows for greater control, showing the care that goes into a piece and allowing for mistakes to be caught and corrected immediately. A hand-stitched item is easier to repair, so even if something happens, you don't have to worry about replacing your leather goods.
Machine sewn items don't always mean a sacrifice in quality. Afterall, the machines are still operated by real humans that are checking the quality of work being done. However, because machine sewing uses a separate piece of thread on each side of the item, it's always a good idea to check that both sides of the stitching are uniform and that there's no messy side. You can learn more about the differences between machine and hand stitching in this article.
High-quality leather will have a natural, unique grain pattern that varies across the piece, showcasing the genuine beauty of the material. This texture should feel supple and rich, showing that the leather has been well-tanned and properly finished. A high quality piece of genuine leather isn't going to be perfect, it will include slight variations in the grain, color, and texture. This reflects the life of the hide before it was processed. Quality leather goods tell a story.
In contrast to synthetic or heavily processed leathers, which may appear overly uniform and flawless, premium leather will have natural markings such as scars, wrinkles, or stretch marks. These features show the authenticity of the leather and are hints that your leather goods will last a long time.
2. Smell Test
The smell of leather can give you just as much information as its appearance. Genuine leather carries a distinct, rich scent that's hard to mimic. This unmistakable aroma comes from the natural tanning processes and the oils used in finishing the leather. It's a subtle hint that screams quality, showing what's true leather and what is just an imitation.
Now if you take a whiff of leather goods and get a load of chemical or plastic smells, chances are that you have synthetic leather on your hands. This odor is usually a result of the manufacturing process and the materials used, which lack the natural base of animal hides. While some high-quality faux leathers might attempt to fool you with the look of genuine leather, the chemical scent is a giveaway. Trusting your nose can help you ensure you're investing in a piece that not only looks but also feels and smells like quality.
3. Feel the Difference
When you're on the hunt for genuine, high-quality leather goods, don't just rely on your eyes and nose—let your hands lead the way. Pay attention to the leather's flexibility and softness. Genuine leather should feel supple, bending and folding without any stiffness or brittleness. This is a sign of well-tanned leather that maintains the strength of the hide and always returns to its original shape without warping or cracking.
High-quality leather tends to be thicker, which contributes to its durability and longevity. This doesn't mean you should go for the heaviest or thickest leather all the time, but look for a balance that fits with the intended use of the item. A thick, heavy leather might be ideal for a belt, but you may want a finer, more lightweight leather for a wallet. The thickness and weight should feel proportional to the type of good you're examining.
Synthetic, faux, or lower-grade leathers don't typically have the natural, rich feel of top or full-grain leathers. They may feel too smooth or plastic-like, missing all the texture that makes quality leather feel just as good as it looks. If it feels like it was made by a machine, then it probably was.
4. Stitching and Craftsmanship
High quality leather goods doesn't start and end with the hide, it also includes how the product is made. Well-crafted stitching is a clear indicator of quality workmanship. A hand-stitched item increases durability and allows for greater control, showing the care that goes into a piece and allowing for mistakes to be caught and corrected immediately. A hand-stitched item is easier to repair, so even if something happens, you don't have to worry about replacing your leather goods.
Machine sewn items don't always mean a sacrifice in quality. Afterall, the machines are still operated by real humans that are checking the quality of work being done. However, because machine sewing uses a separate piece of thread on each side of the item, it's always a good idea to check that both sides of the stitching are uniform and that there's no messy side. You can learn more about the differences between machine and hand stitching in this article.
The Bottom Line
What is the best quality leather item going to look like? Hand stitched, full grain leather products are top of the line. However, you can't go wrong with top grain leather that's machine sewn by a company that knows what they're doing and prioritizes quality over anything else. Just remember, something labeled "genuine leather" doesn't always mean real, best-of-the-best leather. So before making a purchase, it's always good to make sure that product looks, smells, and feels like a quality leather good.
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