Ace of Clubs Golf Co. Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 What is Genuine Leather? We all see it everyday, a company claims that it only uses "genuine leather" in the manufacturing process of their goods. Of we notice the stamp on our leather goods that state that the item is genuine leather, top-grain leather, or full-grain leather. But what do these stampings actually mean? And is there that a difference between the quality of each leather type. Whether you're buying a golf club head covers, a scorecard holder, or belt, you should know exactly what to look for in your leather: FULL GRAIN LEATHER Considered the most durable, expensive and highest quality grade of real leather is Full Grain. Full Grain is the top layer of the hide, and the only layer to posses the grain appearance. TOP GRAIN LEATHER The second highest quality grade of leather is Top Grain. Top Grain has been split from the top layer of blemished hide, sanded and refinished. Sanding is a common process that tanners use to rid the hide of scars, scrapes and imperfections. GENUINE LEATHER The third highest quality grade is Genuine Leather. Genuine Leather is produced from the layers of hide that remain after the top is split off for the better grades. The surface is usually refinished to resemble a higher grade leather. BONDED LEATHER The fourth quality grade of leather is Bonded. Bonded is referred to as such because it is made from the dust and shavings of other hide layers. These remnants are then collected, glued and pressed together to form a single piece of hide. The hide is then sanded, refinished and often times painted to resemble a piece higher grade leather. But no matter what quality grade, you can be certain that any item made with real leather is made from the hide of an animal, and will produce a durable and long lasting item. Now it's no secret that OEM manufactures in the golf industry almost exclusively use synthetic leather for their golf clubs headcovers, and other "leather" items. The reason for this is purely economical. Synthetic leather is much less expensive than real leather. However, this results in sub-par quality items. SYNTHETIC LEATHER Synthetic Leather is an artificial (man-made) leather. While this leather type may appear to look and feel like real leather, synthetic leather is of much lower quality than real leather. However, it is often used as a substitute for real leather because it is less expensive: POLYURETHANE "PU" LEATHER Polyurethane Leather is made by coating a backing fabric such as cotton, polyester or shredded leather with a flexible polymer and then treating it to look more like animal hide. Polyurethane upholstery is the most realistic imitation of genuine leather, with respect to look and feel. VINYL LEATHER Vinyl upholstery is made from two separate synthetic materials. The fibers of the upholstery are constructed from strong polyester fibers. The fibers are then coated with vinyl, and then melted onto the surface of the fibers, sealing them closed and making a virtually waterproof surface that is still flexible and tough. CONCLUSION Regardless of what material quality is claimed by the manufacturer, or stamped on the item, we hope that this article has provided you with some facts that will make you a better informed consumer. Or, the very least, be better equipped for your next leather purchase. CLICK HERE to view the original article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fozcycle Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 Great info Ace, I gave been buying belts lately and they offer full grain & top grain leathers. Now I know the difference. Driver: 0311 XF 10.5* w/Project X Cypher 40 gram Senior shaft or 0811 XF 12* w/Evenflo Riptide CB Senior shaft Fairways: 0211 5W & 7W w/ Evenflo Riptide CB regular shaft and Tour Edge E521 9W w/Fubuki HD50 regular shaft Hybrid: None in bag at the moment Irons: Titleist T300 5-PW w/Fubuki MV Senior graphite shafts w/Golf Pride Tour Wedges: Edison forged 49*, 53* and 57* wedges with KB PGI Senior shafts(80 grm). Putter: 33” Evnroll ER6R or ER2 or Bellum Winmore Model 707, or Nike Method Core Drone w/Evnroll Gravity Grip Bag: Vice cart bag(Black/Lime). Ball: Snell MTB Prime X, Maxfli Tour/S/X CG, Titleist Pro V1x or Titleist TruFeel Using Shot Scope X5 and Pinned Rangefinder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPY VIP GolfSpy Dave Posted December 10, 2015 SPY VIP Share Posted December 10, 2015 Great stuff. Thanks! Volvo Intorqueo All the cool kids follow me on twitter: @GolfspyDave If you are not a cool kid, following me on twitter will make you cool... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace of Clubs Golf Co. Posted December 10, 2015 Author Share Posted December 10, 2015 Great info Ace, I gave been buying belts lately and they offer full grain & top grain leathers. Now I know the difference. Glad we could help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny B Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 Nice information Daniel. Thanks. Reminds me of Green Acres when Mr. Haney says: “Mr. Douglas….have I got a deal for you. What I have here is a genuine imitation…(insert noun here)â€. “We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace of Clubs Golf Co. Posted December 11, 2015 Author Share Posted December 11, 2015 Nice information Daniel. Thanks. Reminds me of Green Acres when Mr. Haney says: “Mr. Douglas….have I got a deal for you. What I have here is a genuine imitation…(insert noun here)â€. Thanks Plano! I will be putting up some more articles in the near future, and I hope that you find them interesting. DP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny B Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 Thanks Plano! I will be putting up some more articles in the near future, and I hope that you find them interesting. DP I hope you didn't take my post wrong. You certainly have great products. The Mr. Haney quote was just the first thing that popped into my head. “We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace of Clubs Golf Co. Posted December 12, 2015 Author Share Posted December 12, 2015 I hope you didn't take my post wrong. You certainly have great products. The Mr. Haney quote was just the first thing that popped into my head. I certainly did not. I thought your post was very funny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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