seeCseas

YSK: The term "Genuine Leather", it is not to reassure you that their product is made of leather, rather its the name of the lowest grade of leather a company can use.

https://lemmy.world/post/252975

YSK: The term "Genuine Leather", it is not to reassure you that their product is made of leather, rather its the name of the lowest grade of leather a company can use. - Lemmy.world

The term “Genuine Leather” is a marketing term to sell the lowest quality leather possible. When purchasing a leather product, look for full grain leather or top grain leather instead. These will provide a much higher quality cut of leather that will look and feel much better and last for much longer.

Jun 18, 2023 at 5:38amWeb
Show threadMadWorksJun 18, 2023
It's like leather veneer, in most cases.
Show threadderf82Jun 18, 2023
That’s bonded leather.
Show threadwvenableJun 18, 2023

If you think about it, it makes sense. All they are saying it's that is actually real leather which is the least you could say about leather.

To add to the naming fun: Corinthian Leather.

Corinthian leather - Wikipedia

Show threadlunar_parkingJun 18, 2023
I had never heard of that, so that was a fun article to read lol
Show threadAreteJun 18, 2023
I thought "genuine" was the middle grade, with "bonded" being the lowest. Bob's Furniture used to market "genuine bonded leather" sofas which I found both clever and infuriating.
Show threadBlueDepth9279Jun 18, 2023
Bonded leather is less than 20% real leather and made from scraps and fibers of genuine leather combined with binders. It’s generally not as durable as genuine leather.
Show threaddarcyJun 18, 2023
Also known as "It's really leather, I promise."
Show threadRedMarsRepublicJun 18, 2023
Leather is murder anyways.
Show threadSoloJun 18, 2023
Agreed. I don't purchase leather anymore but when I did I still knew genuine leather is pretty much junk.
Show threadcorporateHippieJun 18, 2023
Wonder what the people who are downvoting this are thinking. Is it not murder, or is it only a restproduct of murder?
Show threadharkJun 18, 2023
I think it's because it's irrelevant for someone who would be interested in leather (and this YSK). I'm sure they're well aware of where leather comes from. I will say, though, that if cows are getting murdered for food, then they might as well use the whole animal instead of letting it go to waste.
Show threadgloriousspearfishJun 18, 2023
Not murder, per definition.
Show threadunsophisticatedJun 18, 2023
I wonder what people who upvote this are thinking, obviously the point is moot unless you are also vegan. And who upvotes someone going “meat is murder” in the comment section.
Show threadkakesJun 18, 2023

I'm not vegan, but I do personally agree that it's selfish and inhumane to eat meat and use leather - especially on an industrial scale. I eat meat, but I don't have any delusions about where it comes from.

Not meaning to argue, but just to say it's not only vegans that think about this stuff. Also, even if it was, that doesn't mean they're wrong or moot.

Show threadgloriousspearfishJun 18, 2023

Murder is killing a human.

Killing a cow is just part of eating.

Show threadJoeJun 18, 2023
You didn't need to kill the cow to eat, you chose to kill something that didn't want to die for the fleeting taste of it's dead body on your tongue
Show threadratz30 Jun 18, 2023
This is why I keep my animals alive and slice off bits as I need them.
Show threadhomesnatchJun 18, 2023
This here is my cow, Limpy...
Show threadgloriousspearfishJun 18, 2023

True, I really do like the way cows taste. 😋

It is still not murder though.

Show threadmitchie151Jun 18, 2023
In the right context, leather goods are much more durable and sustainable than synthetic alternatives. That said, leather is a co-product of the meat and dairy industry which is currently ridiculously unsustainable. Leather for leathers sake in designer goods and such is ridiculous.
Show threadNotAPenguinJun 18, 2023
Leather production is terrible for the environment, a shit ton of chemicals used.
Show threadlich_hegemonJun 18, 2023

It has its place.

For example, leather in second hand products it's great because it's durable and often high quality. And, whatever you do, the animal has already been killed and paid for.

I would also buy leather products if it's for something that I intend to use for many years. It sort of offsets the environmental damage from buying multiple synthetic products.

Then again, I'm not vegan.

Show threadc4Jun 18, 2023
All I can say is that it's still at least leather. Most things (e.x., belts) will say "manmade leather" or "manmade materials" and they are fake and break. The genuine leather belt I have has been working for 4 years without snapping.
Show threadSoloJun 18, 2023
Still better to get full grain leather. Guinie leather is to full grain leather as particle board is to solid wood.
Show threadFooSoloJun 18, 2023
So genuine leather is made of nutsacks, udders, and assholes pressed together with a veneer piece of taint stretched over it to make it look like full grain leather.
Show threadkultaJun 18, 2023
"Genuine manmade leather" 😂
Show threadDeceptichumJun 18, 2023
Also I highly recommend avoiding man leather.
Show thread_MoveSwiftlyJun 18, 2023
Could you please add a "Why YSK:"? It's rule #2. Thank you. :)
Show threadseeCseasJun 18, 2023
Sorry, fixed!
Show threadBigTrout75Jun 18, 2023
Can somebody explain why leather is better? It's it the smell? The feel? Tradition? I see it in car reviews where they complain about cloth.
Show threadYuzuDrinkJun 18, 2023
My best guess (not in the community or anything) is that leather does better at being durable—especially if you treat it well and condition it regularly?—than cloth and plastic-leather alternatives, which break down. I know leather is meant to be very durable and have good “properties,” but I can’t be specific.
Show threadDeceptichumJun 18, 2023

I’ve had a leather belt for about 25 years now that I bought for like $10, wear it multiple times a week. In all those years I’ve gone through multiple other belts that haven’t lasted.

Far as I see it, leather belts are the most economical and better for the environment than constantly manufacturing lesser lasting belts.

Show threadMiddleWeighJun 18, 2023
It's been designed by time. Why manufacture something that has been provided? Seems like an unnecessary step, and a large reason for much of our problems. My s.o. works leather as a hobby, and it's really cool. All the stuff she's made me is better than anything I've had before.
Show threadwotsit_sandwichJun 18, 2023
I bought a leather belt in Prague as a nice souvenir. Stil wearing it almost daily over 20 years later. I replaced the stitching but the leather is still rock solid.
Show threadRedMarsRepublicJun 18, 2023
Mostly people like it because it's expensive and it makes them feel rich. It is more durable than cloth but that hardly matters for most of the things it's used for.
Show threaddarcyJun 18, 2023
It is very useful for furniture and car seats and things like that. Waterproof and easy to maintain without absorbing too much scents or liquids from your body.
Show threadRedCloudsJun 18, 2023

Hardly matters? Try having kids and a dog for 5 years with a cloth couch. The permanent stains and smell will be impossible to get out.

Real leather? Will hold up to everything and go for 10 more years.

Garbage leather? Will crack and tear the firs time your dog gets on it.

Leather has issues (Ethical issues with how we treat cows. Elitists issues putting leather on every surface of their car whether it needs it or not, etc). But quality leather matters, and does make a difference in durability.

Show threadRedMarsRepublicJun 18, 2023
I dunno, we have had a non leather sofa in my family home for like over 5 years and it's fine. Nothing wrong with it to me.
Show threadSentielJun 18, 2023
It's breathable but works in both warm and cold weather. This makes it ideal for spring and autumn. It's easy to clean although it's also hard to maintain (you have to oil it and protect it against rain). It lasts for very long if you care for it unlike fabric or fake leather, so a leather jacket can be worn for decades and still look and feel great.
Show threaddavidJun 18, 2023
Surely leather is skin and skin is very definitely non porous? Secrete oils from tiny glands? Yes. Let water through? Very much nope.
Show threadSentielJun 18, 2023

There's various types of leather, some of which are actually porous. I'm no expert but you can Google it.

The point about rain protection isn't related to the water getting through but because rain can contain chemicals and salt which can stain the leather and also make the leather brittle and vulnerable to mechanical damage, like getting cracks on it because it loses some of it's natural elasticity.

This is usually prevented by oiling it and putting various rain protection products on it.

Show threadDdhuudJun 18, 2023
Leather is usually processed at a tannery. This process, besides stopping decomposition almost entirely, makes it waterproof.
Show threadw2tpmfJun 18, 2023
Most cars that advertise leather interior aren't even real leather, they are vinyl.
Show threadRonnoJun 18, 2023
@BigTrout75 many people are sensitive to dust. A car with a leather interior is easier to clean. The dust cannot stick in the seats.
Show threadokilokiJun 18, 2023
Let's be honest here. The amount of people this applies to is miniscule.
Show threadRonnoJun 18, 2023
@okiloki well, yes and no. The air feels cleaner when stepping into a warm car with leather interior, opposed to cloth
Show threaddavidJun 18, 2023
Isn't house dust mainly skin and leather also skin? Admittedly leather is dead skin that's not being replaced any more, so perhaps without a process of replacement it also somehow lacks the shedding?
Show threaddecadentrebelJun 18, 2023
I like how leather feels like and the unique look when it's aged or beaten up. Works great with wallets, belts, shoes... but not so much your couch, especially when it's hot and humid.
Show threadkcdaguyJun 18, 2023
It is something people think they want because it is more expensive and in higher trim levels in cars. But when your car is parked in the hot sun the leather feels like it burns and in the winter is freezing to the touch. Leather also doesn't breath so you end up sweating more and if your are not wearing long pants your leg will stick to the seat. Cloth is so much better functionally. Cloth also lasts longer than the fake leather they put in cars. Cloth won't peel like the fake leather.
Show threadniktemadurJun 18, 2023
In one of those 70s Fat Albert episodes, I think it was Rudy who one day showed up wearing a jacket of "genuine imitation leather". That term has stuck with me for decades.
Show threadChickenLadyLovesLifeJun 18, 2023
I forget what product this was, but there was a supplement once that bragged about its "genuine placebo effect".
Show threadMrScottyTayJun 18, 2023
Leather's gross anyway. Who wants to be like buffalo Bill? Haha
Show threadratz30 Jun 18, 2023
Me! I'd fuck me!
Show threadThe1MorriganJun 18, 2023
Not to be all hyper pagan or anything but maybe just don't buy skin?
Show threadseeCseasJun 18, 2023
It has its uses.
Show threadraspberriesareyummyJun 18, 2023
"It puts the lotion on its skin." Come again? :D
Show threadKowowowJun 18, 2023
Not sure about the pagan part I'll be happy to switch once something can really take its place, might have to be lab grown or something, but I'm really looking forward to the open source spider silk yeast being worked on.
Show threadZednixJun 18, 2023
Ah yes, the Pagans, who invented polyester clothing
Show threadZorroJun 18, 2023
Well yes but my wallet is cool and on a chain
Show threadseeCseasJun 19, 2023
is it a genuine metal chain?