In English “Genuine Leather” is poor quality. Is “本革” the same?
Or does this not translate over?
Brilliant answer from u/Sendagi -> CAVEAT EMPTOR
>From experience, 本革 can be anything from poor quality, bonded leather that falls apart and even peels, to full grain decent leather. There’s also a lot of PVC leather mislabeled as 本革, whether deliberately or mistakenly. Confusingly, PVC and other synthetic leathers are also often just called レザー.
>Full grain (and other versions like top grain, etc.) that mention the quality of grain tend to be better as the copywriters tend to have at least partially researched what they are talking about.
>Unfortunately, the standards are pretty loose and there’s very little to stop companies claiming their leather is top quality. There are brands I trust, and I’ve stuck with them. My advice is to actually see and feel an item you’re interested in before you buy it. If you have any experience, you’ll be able to tell the quality right away.
>Leather is extremely expensive in Japan compared to Europe or the US. Quality leather will cost a lot, so if you see a deal that looks too good to be true, it very often is. It’s often cheaper to import.
6 comments
Genuine leather 【ジェニュインレザー】 は、本革の意味です。
So it is crap bonded leather?
https://www.heddels.com/2014/06/overview-guide-leather-grades/
I want ”フルグレイン”や”トップグレイン”?
what are you buying the leather for?
if leatherwork try [here](https://leathermania.jp/view/category/leather)
*Waiting for the cross-section of Japan-lifer / leather-expert / reddit-nerd to come along and answer this question…*
本革 is akin to Genuine Leather. It’s the cheapest and lowest kind of “real” leather. Lower than that and you get into 合皮 and 合成.
From experience, 本革 can be anything from poor quality, bonded leather that falls apart and even peels, to full grain decent leather. There’s also a lot of PVC leather mislabeled as 本革, whether deliberately or mistakenly. Confusingly, PVC and other synthetic leathers are also often just called レザー.
Full grain (and other versions like top grain, etc.) that mention the quality of grain tend to be better as the copywriters tend to have at least partially researched what they are talking about.
Unfortunately, the standards are pretty loose and there’s very little to stop companies claiming their leather is top quality. There are brands I trust, and I’ve stuck with them. My advice is to actually see and feel an item you’re interested in before you buy it. If you have any experience, you’ll be able to tell the quality right away.
Leather is extremely expensive in Japan compared to Europe or the US. Quality leather will cost a lot, so if you see a deal that looks too good to be true, it very often is. It’s often cheaper to import.
On this topic, I really want to buy a fancy leather belt. Like one that will last for along time.