The main difference between pure leather and genuine leather is that the label pure leather indicates that the product is made from real leather while the label genuine leather indicates a low-quality grade of leather.
Although most people assume that genuine leather is high-quality leather, the word genuine actually refers to the grade of leather. In fact, genuine leather is a low-quality leather that is not as durable or attractive as high-quality leather grades like full-grain leather or top-grain leather. However, genuine leather is real leather, made from animal hide.
Key Areas Covered
1. What is Pure Leather
– Definition, Features
2. What is Genuine Leather
– Definition, Features
3. Difference Between Pure Leather and Genuine Leather
– Comparison of Key Differences
Key Terms
Faux Leather, Full-grain Leather, Genuine Leather, Leather, Pure Leather, Real Leather, Top-grain Leather, Vegan Leather
What is Pure Leather
Leather is a durable material created by tanning animal rawhide and skins. However, there are two main types of leather in the market as real leather and faux leather/vegan leather. Pure leather or real leather is made from animal hides while vegan leather is made from synthetic materials like plastics. We can also divide real leather into several categories according to types of cuts, leather grades, leather qualities, leather finishes, etc.
When you are buying leather products, make sure to pay attention to the grade of leather. Full-grain leather, top-grain leather and genuine leather are three grades you’ll commonly find in the market. Experts consider full-grain leather as the best and highest quality leather. It contains the entire grain of hide, with all the imperfections and inherent toughness of the hide. It is also expensive and durable. Top-grain leather is created by splitting a piece of full-grain leather and sanding away imperfections in the hide and stamping a fake grain on it. You can find full-grain leather in fine leather goods. It’s of higher quality than genuine quality, but not as fine as full-grain leather.
What is Genuine Leather
The word ‘genuine’ in genuine leather does not just mean that product is made of real leather, but it marks the grade of the leather. Most of us simply assume the name genuine leather refers to a good quality of leather, but this is not so. In the grades of leather, genuine leather products are of low quality. As mentioned above, full-grain leather and top-grain leather are of higher quality than genuine leather.
Contrary to popular belief, genuine leather products do not look or feel as pleasing as high-quality leather. They are also not as durable as high-quality leather products. Most of us can afford genuine leather products since they are widely available and not highly expensive. Genuine leather is actually made from leftover leather after the manufacture of high-end products. There are many genuine leather products on the market, such as omen’s purses, men’s wallets, shoes, belts, and handbags.
Difference Between Pure Leather and Genuine Leather
Definition
Pure leather or real leather is a durable material created by tanning animal rawhide and skin while genuine leather is a low-quality grade of leather.
Indication
The label pure leather indicates that the product is made from real leather while the label genuine leather indicates that the product is made of a low-quality grade of leather.
Price
Pure leather is expensive than faux leather, but genuine leather is less expensive than top-grain or full-grain leather.
Conclusion
The label pure leather indicates that the product is made from real leather while the label genuine leather indicates that the product is made of a low-quality grade of leather. Thus, this is the main difference between pure leather and genuine leather.
Reference:
1. Green, Dennis. “Why Everything You Thought You Knew about Buying Quality Leather Is Wrong.” Business Insider, 20 Jan. 2016, Available here.
2. “Types of Leather: All Qualities, Grades, Finishes, & Cuts.” Liberty Leather Goods, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Leathertools” By Scott Bauer – released by the Agricultural Research Service, the research agency of the United States Department of Agriculture, with the ID K7224-2 (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “3262897” (CC0) via Pixabay
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