To the uninformed consumer, either of these terms might lead you to believe you’re getting the best of the best, regardless if you buy full-grain or genuine leather. In fact, the term “genuine” is used in the leather industry to make you feel like you’re getting the very best quality possible, even though it’s anything but.
The term genuine is used everywhere. General Motors insists the people who drive their cars only use “Genuine GM parts” to repair their cars with. Many in the fake gold and silver industry insist their products to be “genuine” – the real deal – when in fact they’re fake knockoffs. In the leather industry, the word is used to sell you the roughest cuts of leather in a pretty package, even though genuine leather is literally the second, third, or even fourth cut.
Just think: In sports, your first line is always your best. As you work down to the second, third, and fourth lines, performance drops significantly.
Full-Grain or Genuine Leather: What’s the Difference?
Full-Grain:
Full grain leather is the top layer of an animal hide. The layer that the fur once grew out of. It’s the toughest layer of the hide, and also contains the natural markings of the animal – the textures, colors, and natural creases that differentiate high quality leather from lesser quality products.
Genuine:
Extra thick hides, such as those found on cow and buffalo hides, need to be split (see types of leather) into two or more separate layers so the leather can be shaped into the flexible, form-fitting products consumers expect. The top-most layer of leather is used to make full-grain or top-grain leather; respectively the best and second best cuts of leather. The bottom layers are used to make genuine leather; which has no natural markings and needs to be painted or dyed with fake full-grain markings to make it marketable.
Here is a list of the key differences between full-grain and genuine leather:
Price
Full-grain leather is hard for some to justify the price. It can be very pricey.
Genuine leather can be up to half the cost of full-grain leather, making it seem better to frugal buyers.
Material
As you learned above, full-grain leather is the top outer layer of the hide, bearing the animal’s natural look.
Genuine leather is “split” from the hide using a razor, sanded, then painted to look like a full-grain product.
Texture
There’s no mistaking the texture difference between these two leathers. Full-grain has the natural lines, creases, and bumps that were present on the animal that the original hide came from. It darkens as is ages (called a “Patina”), adding more and more character as time goes on.
Genuine leather is often smooth and even as glass, as it had to be sanded to smooth out all the rough edges left from the splitting process.
Burn Test
Real full-grain leather is the go-to material for motorcyclists. This is because full-grain leather won’t melt or burn. It chars, meaning you won’t go up in a ball of flames after a big crash or while sliding on the pavement.
Genuine leather will burn, largely because of the synthetic layer covering it, and low-grade leather on the underside.
Durability
Full-grain leather often gets stronger with age, and typically doesn’t degrade when well cared for. Though when you scratch full-grain leather, those scratches are often permanent (remember it’s essentially skin that no longer has healing abilities).
Genuine leather products wear quickly. The top synthetic layer will start to peel off after a couple of years, even just a few months of regular use. The leather underneath quickly becomes weak and will eventually tear. Genuine leather doesn’t scratch as easily as long as the synthetic top layer is in-tact.
Which should you choose?
There is really no easy answer to this question. By now, you obviously understand that full-grain leather is of much higher quality.
For all the many reasons full-grain is revered as the best available, it’s also going to be the most expensive option. And, that’s if you’re dealing with an honorable manufacturer and/or retailer. Some will price their genuine leather products much closer to full-grain products. Making them look exotic, hoping to make a bigger profit from uneducated consumers.
In the long run, full-grain looks better and lasts longer. If those are the traits you’re looking for in a leather product, then the answer is obvious. If budget is the concern and you’re not worried about having necessarily the best-looking or longest lasting leather, a low-price genuine leather product might be just what the doctor ordered – that is, unless you’re buying a motorcycle jacket!
