Top Grain Reversible Leather Belts are back... Better than ever~!

We have re-launched our top grain leather belts and they are now better than ever! The new stocks are no longer semi-full grain but top grain on both sides!

Made with genuine cow-hide leather, our top grain leather belt is affordable and durable. Unlike genuine leather belts with synthetic coating, top grain leather will not peel or crack. One side is black and the flip side is dark brown. Both sides are made from high-quality top grain leather. A reversible belt saves space in your wardrobe, and you can choose to wear either the black or brown side to match your style and shoes.

It's the best time to get your replacement leather belt strap~!

Dimension: 2.8cm (width) and 120cm (length) - Fits waists up to 41 inches.

Each belt has 5 buckle holes.

Removable buckle sold separately @ $3.

Tips on Caring for Your Semi-Full Grain Leather Belt

1. Remove it from the plastic bag and keep it in a well-ventilated place. Do not expose to direct sunlight.
2. The best way to store a belt is to hang it from its buckle. Avoid folding it up in a drawer.
3. Wear it often, but avoid wearing it daily (or wearing it too tightly) to prevent stretching the belt. Giving it a break every other day will help to retain its original shape.
4. Condition the belt with a soft cloth and leather balm once every 3-6 months.
5. To remove dust or dirt, brush the belt gently with a soft-bristled toothbrush or shoe brush.

Full Grain Leather vs. Genuine Leather

Ever wondered what exactly is a “Genuine Leather” belt, and how is it different from a “Real Leather” belt? Want to know how to differentiate synthetic leather from real leather?

We'll try to shed some light on this mystery through evaluating the difference in Price, Material, Texture, and Appearance, as well as performing a Scratch Test and Fire Test (don’t try this at home~!) to distinguish synthetic leather from real leather.

It's almost impossible to create a table in blogger, so I've done it in Excel and saved the comparison table as a picture. Pardon the blurry text:



We believe in educating our consumers so that they can make informed decisions.

Hope you learnt something new today~!

Video Guide on How to Alter the Length of Your Leather Belt Yourself

This video will show you a step-by-step guide on how to alter the length of your leather belt yourself.

I’ll be introducing to you 2 methods of alteration suitable for belts with removable buckles. The first method can be used if you have an existing belt that fits you, while the second method can be used if you need to get a new fitting for your belt.

Here’s what you need for Method One: Your existing belt, your new belt, a removable buckle, and a pair of pruning shears or a pair of sharp kitchen scissors. For ease of illustration, we will use a brown belt to represent your existing belt, and a black belt to represent your new unaltered belt. 

Lay your new belt flat on the floor, alongside your existing belt. Decide which buckle hole you will be using for your new belt, and match your preferred hole to the one you are currently using for your existing belt. In this example, my preferred buckle hole for my new belt is the middle one, while the hole I’m using for my existing belt, is the second one. Ensure that the length from your buckle hole to the end of the belt is the same for both belts, and use your fingernails to create a marking on your new belt to indicate the cutting point. Just to be safe, you can add 1cm to the cutting point before cutting.

Try on the belt with your buckle. If you feel that it’s too loose, you can always remove the buckle and trim away the additional 1cm. An ideal length will be when the prong fits the third or middle hole of the belt, so that there is some leeway for weight gain and loss.

For Method Two, you’ll need to put on your business shirt and pants to get a good fit for your new belt. Slot your leather belt through the belt slots of your pants. Fix the buckle on the preferred buckle hole on your belt. Adjust your belt such that it fits snugly on your waist. Bring the end of the belt to be cut close to the buckle. Use your fingernails to create a marking on your belt to indicate the cutting point. Do note that the cutting point should not be at the tip of the buckle. Rather, it should be somewhere towards the end of the belt slot. Again, to be safe, add 1cm to the cutting point before cutting.

Try on the belt with your buckle. If you feel that it’s too loose, you can always remove the buckle and trim away the additional 1cm. Please note that there might be minor differences in fitting when you use the same leather belt for different designs of removable buckles. Ideally, each removable buckle should have a leather belt that is fit for it.

Launch of Leather Belts

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

The Story Behind GreatValueBuys

GreatValueBuys was founded because we were unable to find what we need at a reasonable price in the market. Like many of you, we shopped for office wear and accessories in departmental stores.

Major brands of belts sold in department stores offer the buckle together with your belt purchase. However, any guy who uses leather belt will know that belt buckles usually outlive its leather belts due to wear and tear. Obviously, brands that sell packages containing 1 belt and 2 buckles are not putting themselves in the shoes of consumers! It was almost impossible to find cheap replacement belts for removable buckles, so we were “forced” to buy belt+buckle bundles and ended up having a growing collection of removable buckles. One fine day, we decided to stop paying for more buckles which we do not need, and the concept of GreatValueBuys.com came up: an online shop offering belts and buckles separately, so that you can pay only for what you need - for many of you, a replacement belt for your existing buckle.

While we started preparations for GreatValueBuys, we realized that we could help people to save on more items rather than just on belts. It is common to find cufflinks priced in the range of $39.90 to $69.90, even though they are not exactly “branded” items. It is an accessory we find to be grossly over-priced, probably because it was priced to match its status as an accessory for the elite. In recent years, cufflinks have become a common accessory for men, and cufflink shirts under $100 are now easily available. However, the prices of cufflinks have not dropped to become more affordable. As such, cufflinks are added to the range in GreatValueBuys, so that men can look good for less.

Discovering our (and your) needs is an on-going process. As GreatValueBuys grows as a company, we do hope to widen our range and offer more affordable products that suit your needs. If you would like to suggest a product for us to carry, we would love to hear from you via email at marketing@greatvaluebuys.com.