Answer: Because most companies use
CHEAP SPLIT LEATHER
or Patchwork Pieced Together Leather!
What's the Difference?
Isn't Leather all the same?
PART 2 - PREMIUM LEATHER
The obvious answer to this question is no:
The quality and type of the leather determines the price.
To really understand the difference between the quality and types of leather, you have to know what the different types and qualities that are available, the main manufacturing purpose for that type of leather, and the cost for those products. The main types of leather used in manufacturing of Motorcycle Chaps are Split leather, Premium leather, Naked leather, and Patchwork leather. We will discuss each different type of leather in a different article: Part 1 - Split Cowhide, Part 2 - Premium Leather, Part 3 - Naked Leather, Part 4 - Patchwork Leather.
PREMIUM LEATHER has a manufacturing definition that means the leather is top grain cowhide and that the thickness is a minimum of 1.2 mil in thickness or more. Most people selling leather are unaware of the specifications for premium leather and just use the top grain leather definition. What is TOP GRAIN LEATHER? Top-Grain leather, is taken from a full grain or uncut hide. Top top portion of the hide is removed from the whole thickness of hide to make the leather uniform in width. This top portion is fuzzy on one side and smooth on the other. The smooth side is the side where the hair and natural grain are found. The top surface of the leather is removed by lightly sanding. This removes the imperfections in the leather, such as scrapes and nics from barbed wire. Once the top of the hide is smooth, the dye is applied. This is done in several ways. Our hides are stacked in a vat or drum, dye is poured on the hides and the hides soak up the dye. Dye is continually applied until all the hides are colored (black) all the way through: Top to bottom, side to side. Once the hides are completely black the excess needs to be removed. The hide are pressed, similar to an old ringer washing machine. This rolling drum has a grain pattern etched into the metal, so as the drum squeezes out the dye, a fresh stamped evenly applied grain is applied to the hides. This is how the leather gets it's classic look.
PREMIUM TOP GRAIN LEATHER is known for it's soft feel, strength, and durability. The top smooth side of the cowhide is the part that gives the strength and elasticity to the leather. When people talk about "breaking in" the leather. What they are talking about is widening the fibers of the top smooth side of the cowhide to make the leather more flexible. With TOP GRAIN LEATHER, this can be done without losing the strength and durability to the hide, or causing damage to the cowhide. Real TOP GRAIN LEATHER can be broken in just a matter of hours of use. Of course, it will continue to soften over time.
PREMIUM TOP GRAIN LEATHER will last a lifetime and is one of the most durable and versatile natural materials man makes use of. Chaps made from PREMIUM TOP GRAIN LEATHER will last a lifetime, unless you out grow them. These PREMIUM TOP GRAIN LEATHER CHAPS will mold to your body over time to give you a fit that is unmatched.
Of course, all PREMIUM TOP GRAIN LEATHER CHAPS are going to give you protection from the weather. These PREMIUM TOP GRAIN LEATHER CHAPS will be windproof for the life of the chaps or longer. Wind will never penetrate the top grain layer unless you put a hole in them.
PREMIUM TOP GRAIN LEATHER CHAPS will also shed water in small amounts without treating. Of course, you will want to treat them and condition the leather also. Real Bikers never want to get caught in the rain, but sometimes will. We at RealBikers.com recommend mink oil for the water repelling properties. I have found that going to any farm or horse supply store will usually produce the best quality and lowest price on Mink Oil.
In my opinion, you should try to find PREMIUM TOP GRAIN LEATHER CHAPS. These chaps will start out soft and just get softer. PREMIUM TOP GRAIN LEATHER CHAPS will mold to your body and get softer with every use. PREMIUM TOP GRAIN LEATHER is also great for jackets, shirts, pants, and most other leather items. PREMIUM TOP GRAIN LEATHER CHAPS an appropriate leather for motorcycle chaps.
For this reason, we sell PREMIUM TOP GRAIN COWHIDE CHAPS. PREMIUM TOP GRAIN LEATHER CHAPS start at just $69.99 on our website, but you can easily spend $129.99 for the same quality product elsewhere.
RealBikers.com is family owned and operated by Wholesale Direct, The Ozark Leather Shop, located at 1503 S 3rd Street, Ozark, Missouri 65721. So call us toll free Monday - Saturday 10am - 6pm Central Time at 877-735-1377 with any questions and we can get started on your Custom Patches today. |
