There are many leather good manufacturers but unfortunately not all of them are genuine. So how do you understand the authenticity of leather? To an eye that is not trained to identify quality leather products it all looks the same. However, when you go to buy customized leather goods but fail to recognize whether it is fake or real then this can cause a serious issue.
Is it real leather or fake leather?
If you want to ensure that you are getting the real deal in purchasing quality leather products then here is how you can identify between an imitation and a real leather product.
Look at the leather good closely:
Real leather is a product that is found naturally and this is how you can identify it with its tough texture. Look at the leather products to see if there are any blemishes or any imperfections. This is a clear indication that you are looking at not a fake but a real skin of an animal and that it is genuine and quality leather.
The machine made leather pieces mostly will have a regular and uniform pattern. This is because the manufacturers will make use of a faux grain pattern to the surface. Fake leather will mostly offer to you a perfect and smooth texture which is unnatural if it is a real leather product.
Give the leather product a whiff:
The smell test is the best and one of the most reliable ways to identify the authentic leather pieces. If the product is made using real leather then it will have a natural and organic scent which no faux leather manufacturer can manufacture. If you have smelled real leather before then there is no way you can get duped with faux leather.
The false leather products on the other hand will mostly have a plastic smell. It may also give you a chemical smell which is again an indication of a synthetic material being used. So if you do not trust your eye then try out your sense of smell to understand whether what you have laid your hands on is a fake or a genuine leather product.
Test the texture of the leather goods:
Real leather should give you a natural feel which is something that synthetic leather products lack. To identify the quality of leather run your fingers across the leather good to understand if it is genuine. It should not feel smooth to touch. Also when you press the leather its surface should wrinkle and stretch which is much like a human skin.
However, the test on synthetic leather will not create the same result. It will feel even and cold. If you press your finger on an unreal leather product then this material will get depressed while still retaining the shape. In other words it will feel absolutely fake and you would instantly get to know that the leather is not genuine.
Conclusion
The synthetic leather manufacturers have taken great steps in the last few years making it difficult for a customer to differentiate between fake and original leather products. The price used to be the only way to understand about the leather quality but note that the best of the faux leather products are also at a premium price.
