For thousands of years, people have used leather because it is both durable and versatile. Today however, few appreciate the value that quality leather provides. Most everyone has something made with “genuine” leather, yet because of deceptive marketing, so few people really know how to tell the difference between what is quality and what is junk. Because of this, most “leather” items on the market begin to deteriorate within only a few months.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR?
When you are ready to buy a new belt, what characteristics should you be looking for? Let’s say you find a belt made with genuine leather, is that a good belt? That’s a loaded question. To illustrate, let me ask you, what would you pay for a genuine diamond? Well, you would probably say that all depends. You would probably want to know some of the properties of the diamond. Jewelers have even created methods to evaluate diamond quality so that a potential buyer can get a better idea how a particular diamond compares to others. (One of the most is the 4 C’s of diamonds: Cut, Color, Clarity and Carat).
If you buy an inexpensive diamond, you shouldn’t be surprised that it ranks poorly in terms of quality and beauty. In the same way if you wonder “Why do my belts always break?” The answer: it isn’t quality leather. Leather is the foundation of a belt. If you get the foundation wrong, the entire building is worthless. As you have likely learned from experience, it’s easy to get a bad belt. But, what is it that separates a good belt from a bad one? Glad you asked.
In leather, we can use the 3 T’s to help get an idea of leather belt quality. The criteria for quality are: Thickness, Tan, and Type.
THICKNESS
Thickness refers to how thick the leather is (not very complicated). As a general rule, the thicker the leather, the more durable it is. Of course, if it is too thick, the belt will be uncomfortable and stiff. So, you need to find a balance between thick/durable and thin/flexible. Many cheap belts that are available in stores only have a super thin piece of leather on the frontside for appearance. Yes, the belt has some genuine leather, but because the majority of the belt is other (less durable) material, you will notice the belt starts falling apart rather quickly. I WANT A BELT crafts belt straps from a single piece of leather. After examining well over 50 varieties of leather, I WANT A BELT finally found a thickness that balances comfort and durability.
TAN
Leather is made using a variety of tanning techniques. The precise technique used to convert rawhide into the final usable leather is what gives leather its unique qualities. Vegetable tan and chrome tan are the two most popular techniques for processing leather. The difference is all about what chemical or extract is added to the rawhide to get it to its final state. First, let’s look at chrome tan. Chrome tan is a tanning process for leather that uses chemicals such as chromium sulfate to quickly prepare leather for end use. Chrome tanned leather is the most widely used tanning technique in the world. This is due to the fact that it is quick and inexpensive to produce.
Vegetable tan (aka veg tan) on the other hand is a centuries old process that uses plant-derived extracts instead of chromium salts. Veg tan takes significantly longer to produce, but the end result is a much more durable leather. Chrome tan leather is generally softer and more pliable then vegetable tan. The end use determines which kind of leather is better. If you want a soft leather for something like leather gloves, chrome tan would probably be a better choice. However, if you want a product to have durability and strength, vegetable tan is the way to go. As a bonus, veg tan leather has more of the characteristic leather smell… something we think all good leather needs. So, as you can see, veg tan leather has some really great properties. As a result, I WANT A BELT has chosen premium veg tan leather as the foundation for every custom belt we make.
TYPE
Now let’s examine various types of leather. The hide on a cow is very thick. In order to get the most out of it, tanneries will cut leather into various layers. As a rule of thumb, the further away from the outside of hide you go down, the less durable the leather. The top layer of leather is the one of the strongest parts of the hide. This is called full-grain leather. Being one of the outermost layers of the hide, full-grain leather is not perfectly smooth, and each piece of leather will vary slightly in appearance. If the tannery wants to make a leather that is smooth and uniform, they will create top grain leather. This basically removes a thin layer of the top of the leather. This not only takes away some of the character of the leather, it also takes away some of the leather’s strength. Below that, is the layer of leather that is used for suede. Additionally, any part of the cowhide can be used to make what is know as “genuine leather”. Genuine leather is not a grade of leather, but rather it just says that some part of a animal’s leather was used. Because this is a catchall/vague term, “genuine leather” more often than not will be used when the manufacturer used a cheap, low-grade leather.
I WANT A BELT has chosen to use full-grain leather in our belts. It adds to the durability and character of our quality leather belts. Full-grain leather is normally more expensive than other leathers, but we use it because it is “the best and highest-quality leather money can buy.”
TOGETHER
Each of these three T’s (Thickness, Tan, and Type) must be considered together. When deciding what he wanted from a belt, our founder was very particular about the qualities the leather must possess. He wanted to offer a belt that would be durable, flexible, and fashionable. This was not an easy task. After searching out and testing over 50 different varieties of leather, he finally found the perfect leather. It was a full-grain, vegetable-tanned leather with just the right thickness to balance durability and flexibility. Not only that, but it is also produced in Italy, a country that is well respected for its reputation of producing some of the world’s best leathers. Yes, as simple as a belt may look at times, there is a significant amount of care that has gone into every detail of the belt. This is just a taste of what makes a quality leather belt!