Buying a good quality original leather could be a difficult job with so many counterfeits and knock-offs now available in the market. Leather is that one material that can really enhance your look with just one small element. A leather belt can give you that classic look and yet be so casual or formal and so do leather shoes or just maybe a watch with leather belts. Leather accessories are classy, elegant, and sophisticated. There are so many elements involved in buying leather such as where to buy from, price, its thickness, cut, weight, size, uses, etc and all of these things need to be considered before buying leather. If you are a regular buyer of leather then you obviously are well versed with each element but if you are new to it then this guide for buying leather could be really helpful.
WHERE TO BUY LEATHER
Well, there are many options available when it comes to buying online and the most famous one these days is buying leather online. You might feel that there is a risk with buying leather online but if you buy from a reputable and reliable source that has valid originality reports. One of the main benefits of buying leather online is that it is present all around the world. You can get a leather product that might be out of stock in your state from somewhere else. Another option of buying is obviously by going to a store. It’s also a good option as you can touch the product which would help you to understand if the product is of good quality or not.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN BUYING A LEATHER
Some types of leathers are really expensive so you would like to do thorough research about different leathers. Once you get your research done you will understand what type of leather is good for you at what price. You should learn about the different types of leathers, quantity, cost, thickness, cuts, and uses. It will help you while buying a leather product.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT LEATHER TYPE
There are more different varieties of leather than you can believe in.
- Vegetable-tanned: leather tanned with tannins found in plants.
- Chrome tanned: chromium binds to the collagen in rawhides.
- Calfskin: comes from young cows.
- Sheepskin: often is made of one side leather and one side wool.
- Shell Cordova: made from butt section of horses.
- Exotic leathers: they are less common and hard to find.
- PU/bicast leather: split leather backing and a layer of vinyl on top.
- Vegan leather: made from plastic.
HOW TO DETERMINE THE LEATHER QUALITY
The quality of the leather is often mostly determined by how the leather has been split and the surface treated. Because of these variations, the overall performance of leather is also determined. This is called the grades of the leather. There are many different grades to leather such as full-grain leather, top grain leather, genuine or corrected leather, split-grain leather, bonded leather, and faux leather.
LEATHER THICKNESS
Leather is measured using different units all around the world. Leather thickness is often measured in ranges such as 3OZ- 4OZ or 1.20mm – 1.60mm. The thickness of leather could vary for different reasons such as the tanning processes, chemical processes used, types of drying, how the hides are split, or the finishing.
USES OF LEATHER DETERMINED BY WEIGHT
Leather with a weight of 1-2oz is used for small wallets or watch bands while leather weighing more than 15OZ is used for heavy Armor or thick belts and straps.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF LEATHER CUTS
Different leather cuts that are found are whole leather cut, side leather cut, shoulder leather cut, double shoulder leather cut, bend leather cut, double bend leather cut, belly leather cut, butt leather cut, double butt leather cut and double belly leather cut.
LEATHER COST
All of the things mentioned above determine the cost of the leather. This is probably one of the most important things to take care of while buying leather. The cost of leather largely depends on the type and quality of leather you are buying and on the hides and the cuts. The common cuts and hire come at a cheaper price whereas the less common ones come at a higher price.
Buying leather won’t be that difficult once you gain all the necessary knowledge regarding it.