Our shipment for genuine leather belt and semi-full grain belt arrived last Friday~! I call it “semi” full grain because the front/black portion is full grain leather, but the back/brown portion is genuine leather. Even though we've seen a sample belt before placing an order, we were still anxious about the quality of the product we will be getting. It was an exciting moment, the moment of truth, to see the actual stocks we paid for.
We started with the boxes containing the genuine leather belts, and the quality was not bad at all! Well, we sent the actual product of a popular belt brand to our supplier for reference, so the outcome is that the belts we ordered are definitely comparable to major brands in department stores.
When we opened the boxes containing the semi-full grain leather belts, we were not really prepared for what we were about to see. There was no uniform texture, some of the belts had scratches (which we later realized were actually “healed scars”), and some parts of the belts were “wrinkly”. We nearly fainted, because these belts cost 50% more than genuine leather belts! How is it possible that they had delivered the quality for genuine leather belts, but messed up for this batch of belts which is supposed to be more premium?
We decided to read up more about full grain leather online, and came across the definition of full-grain leather from Wikipedia:
“Full-grain leather refers to the leather which has not had the upper "top grain" and "split" layers separated. The upper section of a hide that previously contained the epidermis and hair, but were removed from the hide/skin. Full-grain refers to hides that have not been sanded, buffed, or snuffed (as opposed to top-grain or corrected leather) to remove imperfections (or natural marks) on the surface of the hide. The grain remains allowing the fiber strength and durability. The grain also has breathability, resulting in less moisture from prolonged contact. Rather than wearing out, it will develop a patina over time.”
The “imperfections” we saw were actually insect bites, healed scars, wrinkles, and worn pitted spots from the original hide, which form the “natural beauty” of the leather. There was no uniform texture among the belts due to grain differences between each hide. In fact, each belt is truly unique~! I’ve taken some pictures to illustrate my point.
Surface of Full Grain Leather 
Surface of Genuine Leather Belt
After reading up and having a deeper understanding about full grain leather, at least we are assured that the full grain leather belts we received are genuine! We painstakingly inspected and wiped every single piece of belt. Not unexpectedly, there are some belts with minor scratches and stains, so these belts are put aside for price markdown in the future.
We have launched our leather belts~! Smooth and sleek genuine leather belt, or all-natural and super-durable semi-full grain leather belt, it’s your choice.
Note: Your satisfaction is our priority. If you would like to get our semi-full grain leather belt, but do not fancy the “natural beauty” of the leather, please email us at order@greatvaluebuys.com after you submit your order online. We will try our best to find a “smooth” belt for you. J
