Beginner with questions about belt straps

[alpha2]

On 11/26/2021 at 8:19 AM, alpha2 said:

I had to return a number of belt blanks to Buckleguy recently. Worst pieces of leather I'd seen, was supposedly water buffalo. The surface looked like plastic (it wasn't, just the way they finished it). I made one belt, just to see if it was salvageable, it wasn't. 

This was one order, of one type of leather, can't speak to their other offerings. 

Update, I got an advert from Ohio Travel Bag just now. It turns out it was Ohio Travel Bag that I got the bad blanks from. I can't apologize enough for this. I couldn't remember this at the time, apparently. They're running a sale on those straps again. Hard to believe they're still trying to get rid of them. The ones I tried were the water buffalo in the middle of the pic below. They were absolutely atrocious. Makes the others suspect in my book. I've never had any problems with anything I got from Buckleguy. 

 

 

[Spyros]

8 hours ago, alpha2 said:

Update, I got an advert from Ohio Travel Bag just now. It turns out it was Ohio Travel Bag that I got the bad blanks from. I can't apologize enough for this. I couldn't remember this at the time, apparently. They're running a sale on those straps again. Hard to believe they're still trying to get rid of them. The ones I tried were the water buffalo in the middle of the pic below. They were absolutely atrocious. Makes the others suspect in my book. I've never had any problems with anything I got from Buckleguy. 

 

 

I think it's fair for a merchant to try and get rid of a poor leather, as long as they set the price low enough.  Someone will buy and put it to good use, because "bad" leather still has its uses.  A lady's fashion bag for example or a toiletry bag is typically light as a feather, the strap doesn't need to be great and strong, it just needs to match a design/colour/aesthetic.