Wearing leather is more than just choosing a bag or jacket that looks good. Consumers should pay attention to the durability, flexibility, and actual orientation of the leather to determine for themselves whether The Mire product is worth the investment. Usually, one can gauge the quality of leather based on the price of the product. The saying “you get what you pay for” is true.

Yet, this is not necessarily the case. Higher ended products may have cheaper material but higher prices due to the name brand associated with that product or the accessories adorning the leather. The only real way in which a person can make a general calculation to the quality of the leather is to measure (after of course checking the basic elements of quality such as stitching) the thickness of the leather. Here is how you do so.

The basic feel test

Looks can be somewhat deceiving in leather products. While the first appearance of a product may appear thick, upon basic observation you may note that the product is layered with thin leather. While the layers do lend to a more durable product (given that the treads and the binding are properly constructed), it is always better to have a thicker leather for certain products then to try to make a weak product stronger by piling more layers on top of it. When measuring the thickness of leather use two fingers to “rub” the seams and check for layering. Additionally, looking for stitching of layers and visible variations in thickness should give an indication of the quality, flexibility, and durability of the product.

Understand the basic types of leather and why you should or should not buy it

There are a great many differences in leather from nubuck to bonded leather. Add to this the manner in which the leather has been dyed, whether that is from Aniline or Semi Aniline leather or natural tanning, there are a lot of variables to take into consideration. Just because a leather is labeled as being delicate or luxurious should not automatically render the thickness as being thin. Delicate only means that the owner will need to take careful measures to keep the integrity of the design and the durability of the product in order. A great parallel to this would be in stating that a woman is delicate and needs to have careful attention and care. Does this mean she does not have thick skin? Not necessarily. In the same way which a person should not jump to conclusions in this regard, they should not jump to conclusions based upon the “quality rating” of the material. Base your conclusions on type, thickness, stitching, dye, and the flexibility of the leather.

What does the tag tell you?

The first step in measuring leather it to take a good look at the tag of the product. While the mega store leather or fake leather is not apt to have detailed information about the thickness of the splitting of the leather, some of the more luxurious leathers may provide the ounce information or the distributor should be able to tell you the ounce range. For every ounce which a product gains 1/64th of an inch is added or 0.4mm thickness. So if you are comparing two nubuck jackets and one distributor claims that the product is made from 7oz leather and another measures at 9oz leather is quite a difference. The 7oz leather would be 2.8mm while a 9oz. would be 3.6mm.

An additional trick to determining the quality of leather is to look to see if a tag is a mixture of leather and synthetics. In many cases if a product is a mixture the leather will be thinly split (the more you can get out of a hide for cheap the higher the potential profit). While this works for the corporations looking to make a buck, it does little for the overall quality of wallet, handbag, jacket, etc.

Are there any standards to thickness?

Those which sew leather are familiar with the iron (a measuring tool typically reserved for shoe leather artisans). But consumers typically do not have this device sitting around in their wallets or purses. As such, understanding that certain products have a standardized thickness is important.

Shoes – Due to the need for a durable construction, shoes generally have a 12oz thickness. Where the toe and the upper portion of the shoe may be thinner, the main bulk of the shoe should be thick. Additionally, specialty luxury shoes may have thinner ounces than others while “working” boots will end to have a thicker ounce measurement.

Belts – Again, as the belt is a highly bent leather and requires a high level of durability, the thickness reflects such. Belts are usually 8 ounces.

Wallets and Bags – Leather handbags and thin wallets have perhaps the thinnest measurement out of common products. The luxurious leather bags and the wallets are about 2 to 5 ounces. The reason, of course, for this is to prevent the person who is carrying the bag or the wallet from having a boxy, cardboard looking product. Could you imagine having a leather handbag of ¼” thickness weighed down with contents upon your shoulder? First it would be impossible to carry for a long period. Secondly, there would be no bend to the leather resulting in damage to the inner lining.

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The best way to ensure quality leather measurements

The best way in which you can ensure that your product is created with quality in mind is to have a professional leather artisan make your product. The professional artisan understands the various thicknesses of leather and should be able to relate the importance of a certain ounce selection over another available selection. Furthermore, when a person opts for a machine split leather product, that person may or may not get the thickness portrayed. While the calibration of the machine should be accurate, 1/64” of an inch is rather small and fluctuations in a machines operation are very likely to shift from time to time.

Learning about the various types of leather is important because it is a way for you to find what you truly needed and at the same time implement the right course of decisions that could help you along the way as you improve your homes, your offices and personal spaces.

In the eyes of many, leather is always the same but you might be surprised that there are different types of leather. Don’t you want to know what is bonded leather and what is not?

It is irrefutable that technology and development of leather has captivated the world with such style and urgency. It has dominated the homes, the offices and even the public places where gatherings are often made and done.

Since it is already known that there are different types of leather, you can first be acquainted with the elements that makes the leather fall under the category of “bonded leather.” If you want to know what is bonded leather, you need to understand the simplest definitions about it and why it is called as such.

According to Consumer Affairs, it falls under the category of bonded leather if it has “reconstituted” leather or just plain “vinyl” and it is made together to form a seamless piece of leather material.

In comparison to genuine leather, the genuine leather is made entirely from the pieces of animal hide and cost more in comparison to the bonded leather. As cited by the same post, the bonded leather is granting its consumers the chance to enjoy the comfort and look of a leather material without having to worry over its price and value.

However, surprisingly, making a bonded leather is easier said than done. It is like finding a needle in the haystack because the means to collect and gather these leathers are not easy to do and often times difficult to integrate.

At some point, people usually take bonded leathers for granted, but we see bonded leathers when we use accessories made from it. For one, bonded leathers are used in belts and although some could not differentiate bonded from genuine, it is often depicted and seen when you use it.

Bonded leathers don’t last longer than the genuine ones. It is a fact that genuine leathers could last for years and years and it would not even broken in halves because it was created as a whole and not in pieces.

Also, in terms of accessories, it is better to be aware of the differences that bonded leathers could render. For clothing and accessories such as belts and jackets, it is ideal to determine if the accessories or clothing are made from pure leather or bonded ones because its longevity lies on it.

In a post from Live Science, it relayed explicit details regarding the elements regarding bonded leather. According to the post, the bonded leather is basically made from scraps of real leather hides that are mixed with polyurethane, which is mainly a type of plastic material.

Moreover, the material features 60 to 100 percent of pure leather such as the leather from the cowhide, and based on the manufacturing gauges, the durability and strong features of the product is dependent on the actual proportion set forth by the manufacturer.

However, often people mistook the difference of what is bonded leather and what is genuine leather. It is sometimes misdirected and you could be misinformed about the type of leather displayed right before you.

To prove the latter, bonded leather is basically integrated in things such as the furniture, the office supplies and even books and other reading materials are using bonded leather as well.

Here are some of the processes that you need to know pertaining to how bonded leathers are made.

How Bonded Leathers Are Made

• The manufacturers would gather scraps of leathers and fibers.
• The manufacturers would then use the gathered scraps and fibers that were left behind while making pure leather elements such as sofa, beds, chairs, belts, clothing and accessories.
• The scraps would then be used and formed with hard-fiber backing.
• Manufacturers would also use coats and polishes the finished product to make it look like a real and pure leather.

It does not imply that bonded leathers are not durable nor are the things made from it are of low quality. There are advantages of bonded leathers as well.

Advantages Of Bonded Leathers

• Bonded leather is priced at a lower cost.
• It promotes awareness for the environment. It promotes environmental friendliness, since the bonded leather is recycled, made and reclaimed from used materials.

Despite having positive elements and advantages for bonded leather, it is undeniable that it has its own sets of shortcomings as well.

Sets Of Shortcomings

• Bonded leather has durability concerns.
• For one, bonded-leather furniture usually does not last longer in comparison to those made from pure leather.
• It is easily strained and destroyed.

This You Tube video relays the difference genuine and bonded leather and how furniture such as the sofa made from bonded leather tears easily. This is precisely the reason why you need to be aware of the elements along with the possible scenario that could happen to you when you buy things made from bonded leather.

You also need to know the different leather grades along with the tanning methods, and the varying different between saddleback full grain and top grain. It is also important that you are aware of the different between high and low grade leather so that you can make a decision on what and which product you will choose or buy.

It is not a bad thing to know what is bonded leather and what is not. It is a way for you to prepare yourself and be aware of the elements that could help you make a choice in the present and in your future endeavors.

Sometimes being aware of something and knowing something are helpful for you and in your upcoming decisions. Also, knowing the different types of leather and its uses along with its disadvantages will surely help you to prevent forthcoming complaints and possible issues regarding pure leather and bonded leather.