felloffthetruck Report post Posted December 10, 2019 Leather guys please let me know your opinion if this is "Top Grain Leather" as UAG states in their marketing fluff or something else? These are two pictures of the case where a friend tore one apart to look at the so called leather and still can't decide if it's leather or not. Thank You for the help. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
felloffthetruck Report post Posted December 10, 2019 65 views and not one opinion. Come on guys, what do you think? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wizard of tragacanth Report post Posted December 10, 2019 (edited) Not being sarcastic or rude... what difference does it make if it is real leather or not? Looks like it could be "real" leather, probably a reconstituted leather as is frequently used for upholstery. nick Edited December 10, 2019 by wizard of tragacanth Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
felloffthetruck Report post Posted December 10, 2019 (edited) 38 minutes ago, wizard of tragacanth said: Not being sarcastic or rude... what difference does it make if it is real leather or not? Looks like it could be "real" leather, probably a reconstituted leather as is frequently used for upholstery. nick It's an expensive case and it's just something we were wondering. Hoping to get a couple of opinions from some "real" leather guys. Looks more like Bonded Leather rather than Top Grain Leather? Edited December 10, 2019 by felloffthetruck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
felloffthetruck Report post Posted December 13, 2019 Why is everyone snubbing me? I'm only looking for a couple of opinions. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DJole Report post Posted December 14, 2019 I don't claim to be a leather expert, but I'll share the little bit that I know: The word "top grain" is really a marketing blurb, as you suspect, rather than a description of leather quality. For example, look at this <https://duckduckgo.com/?q=what+does+top+grain+leather+mean&ia=web> You can see that it only describes the kind of leather, rather than the durability or quality. For leather to strip away in layers like that is not a good indicator that this is solid, good-quality leather. It could indeed be bonded, as you suspect. If that's the case, then the price point should indicate this. For somebody to create mass produced phone case, like what you show there, at a price that won't make people gulp in shock (what was the price, by the way?), that can't be high quality leather. Or, they could raise the price to what high quality leather goods should cost, yet use cheaper leather to increase the profit margin. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YinTx Report post Posted December 14, 2019 7 hours ago, felloffthetruck said: Why is everyone snubbing me? I'm only looking for a couple of opinions. Not sure everyone is snubbing you. This corner of the forum isn't highly trafficked, only 220 views or so on your question, and not all of the folks here will be able to have an opinion on this. Not to mention, it is a bit of a tender spot for most of us that spend good money on good leather, and have to compete with marketing $$ selling not so good stuff. Thin leather can pull apart like that, belly leather can pull apart like that, cheap leather can pull apart like that, bonded leather probably also, tho I don't have any bonded stuff in my shop to tell you if it is bonded. Also, splits that are coated can do that. How much tension was required to separate it? Even really good leather will give with enough force. Whatever that is, it looks like it is there for show, so probably doesn't need to be high end high strength leather? YinTx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billybopp Report post Posted December 14, 2019 To my eye, that looks like chrome-tanned top grain embossed leather, but it can be very hard to tell for sure. There is a blue tinge to the center of the leather which points to chrome tanned. Leather doesn't usually have that pebble grain finish naturally, so it is most likely embossed (very common). The grain looks to be relatively loose, so as @YinTx mentioned that could indicate belly leather, but again it's hard to tell. As @DJole points out, marketing terms for leather can be pretty misleading. Check out this blog by @nstarleather - He KNOWS leather, and his family have been in leather manufacturing for 50 years. There is some GREAT information here - https://nstarleather.wordpress.com/2018/05/31/the-grades-of-leather-hierarchy-youve-probably-read-about-is-a-myth/ My take on this is that it doesn't really matter too much what the leather is on this case. It doesn't need to be top quality since it is not structural, and is really just there to look nice! - Bill Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
felloffthetruck Report post Posted December 14, 2019 Thanks for the replies everyone. By the way this phone case sells for $60.00 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
