Ways to determine the quality of a Leather Bag

As the leather bag market is saturated with cheap & fake leather handbags that have a low-quality craftsmanship and fake hardware that usually breaks within a month, finding a good quality leather bag can be really confusing. To help you in finding one here we have a few expert tips.

Real or Fake Leather

You should not purchase a leather bag if you are not convinced about it being real. When talking about quality leather, then it has to be a natural product that can be judged by its level of endurance. Look for the stamp of “full grain” leather on the handbag, which implies for a genuine quality leather bag. Whereas, if the handbag has a stamp of “genuine leather”, then it is not real leather bag as it is made from the backside of the skin that has artificial grain patterns, which are then painted to look similar to real leather.

Leather Quality

After selecting the hide of a healthy animal, it is unhaired, degreased, desalted and cleaned with water. The hide is then treated with an acidic chemical compound gotten from the oak or pine tree bark. This tanning process makes the leather durable and helps it to be less susceptible to decomposition. Finally, quality leather is derived, which is naturally appealing and inviting. A genuine leather bag will have a soft and supple feel without an artificial shine. On the other hand, fake leather handbags will have a more plastic look and a rubbery touch.

Lining & Finishing

A genuine quality leather bag makes use of a durable material for the lining so that it lasts longer and performs better. A cheap material used inside the bag reflects the overall craftsmanship of the product and its life expectancy. Along with that, a good quality leather bag will have clean finishing. Hand polished edges is another feature of genuine quality leather handbags.

Hardware & Zippers

Once the zipper of a handbag fails, it remains of no use and therefore zippers are considered to be an important element of a leather bag. Generally, brass zippers are used with blunt teeth and brass sliders are used in genuine leather bags. The zippers are properly fixed in the bag to operate smoothly. Therefore, you must give a few test runs to the zippers and check if they glide smoothly. Also check properly other hardware including rings, buckles, and rivets. They should be made of solid brass, copper, bronze or nickel with a clean finishing. They should look and be strong and should also be reinforced with extra stitching.

You must check for all these qualities before investing in a genuine handmade leather bag.

We, at El Solo, ensure that all the handmade leather handbags made by our talented craftsmen are of a superior quality. Whether you want a vintage leather handbag, or a leather messenger bag, or a sling bag, or just any other leather bag, we offer them all at reasonable prices.