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Difference between patent and corrected grain leather.

post #1 of 11
12/8/12 at 3:02pm
Thread Starter 

Hi my local sartorial is about to close down and they are selling Loake essential lines for £70 (instead of the RRP £110). They are sold under 'polished leather' but I presume they are either patent or corrected grain. What is the difference between patent and corrected grain and what is your verdict on these shoes for the quoted price?

 

http://www.loake.co.uk/201.html

 

If you have the above shoes please let me know how they feel.

 

I know corrected grain don't get that much love around here but would it apply to a reputable manufacturer like Loake too? Would they be as durable as Dr.Martens? (Which I presume uses patented leather).

 

Thanks in advanced

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post #2 of 11
12/8/12 at 4:08pm
Corrected Grain leather is a leather that has an artificial grain imposed on it. An example might be cow hide that is made to look like snake skin or alligator.

Patent leather is an leather that's been polished and treated with originally linseed oil but now a plastic coating. It's similar to wood that's been shellacked and buffed to a gloss finish.

As to the shoes in question, don't have them and have no direct experience with them. Having said that I'll offer my two cents. Over the years, I 've heard good things about Loake Shoes, but to me this seems a lot of money for something made in India. I'd save my pennies and get something made in the UK or Italy.

On the subject of shoes, it's supposed to be good luck to start the Chinese New Year's with new shoes. In 2013 it will occur on Feb 10th and will be the Year of the Snake. It would be ultra cool to start off the year with a pair snakeskin shoes. smile.gif
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post #3 of 11
12/8/12 at 5:12pm
Thread Starter 

Hi Thanks for the reply :)

 

Snake skin shoes sound like a great idea! :D

 

One question about the patent leather. I've got a cheap pair that I think is patent leather. Should I treat it as plastic or leather? As in should I polish it using regular polish or would it be advisable using plastic cleaners?
 

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post #4 of 11
12/9/12 at 2:33pm
There are some really cheap "patent leather" shoes out there that are made of some synthetic materiel. Look inside and see if there is a label and email the manufacturer and see what they recommend. Should they not have a CS department ( that would be a shocker), go to your local shoe repair man and ask what polish he'd recommend and then buy it from him even if you have it or it's cheaper somewhere else. The guy's giving you his time and expertise. and should be compensated, even if it's just a couple of dollars. Should you die you can leave the extra polish as part of your estate. If I were to wing it, I'd try a high gloss neutral, but I'd defer to higher minds on the forum.
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post #5 of 11
12/9/12 at 3:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Godot View Post

Corrected Grain leather is a leather that has an artificial grain imposed on it. An example might be cow hide that is made to look like snake skin or alligator.
...

I'm not sure this is entirely true. Corrected-grain leather does not have to have a pattern or texture to it. It can simply look like smooth calfskin. The reason it is corrected is because it is inferior quality and would not look good without the artificial grain imposed on the surface.

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post #6 of 11
12/9/12 at 3:35pm
The REAL issue is whether or not you are getting 'full grain'.

Some (much) cheap 'corrected grain' leather is actually made from a split cow hide (the back side) and then embossed to look like the top of the hide. This produces a product that is vastly inferior in terms of strength.

The patent leather finish can be created many different ways - and can be done on full grain leather or splits.

There are some very fine leathers that are 'corrected grain' (embossed pebble or pin grains for example). As long as the embossing is produced on full grain leather there is nothing inferior about it.

So the real issue is 'full grain' vs. the inferior "top grain" or worse yet "bottom split" which you will never see marked as such.

Pretty much, I presume that if the leather isn't called out as full grain calf that it is something inferior and take it from there.
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post #7 of 11
12/9/12 at 4:49pm
Thread Starter 

Hi thank you all for the reply. If the corrected grain leather was made out of full grained leather would it crack on the surface? My cheap pair (corrected grain) seems to have developed some creases where a bit of the coating has started to peel. Does patent leather do this? Or is this an artefact inherent to the corrected grain leather?

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post #8 of 11
12/9/12 at 4:54pm
It's an artifact of a sprayed on coating. It has nothing one way or the other to do with what is underneath it. Although these sorts of coatings are very commonly used on splits and other inferior leathers.
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post #9 of 11
12/9/12 at 5:02pm
Thread Starter 
Is it common for corrected grain to crack and peel? What do you reckon the odds of the above linked pair to peel is?
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post #10 of 11
12/9/12 at 5:23pm
yep - pretty common - although often after years of wear.
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post #11 of 11
12/9/12 at 6:12pm
Thread Starter 

Excellent I think I will go ahead and buy it then :)

 

Thank you all for your help :D

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