Crocodile belts and Alligator belts

[apropos]

Originally Posted by txeconomist

What should I look for in a gator belt or croc belt to determine it's quality? Whats the rub on gator vs croc?
Croc >>> gator for expensive women's handbags, but for men's stuff YMMV. They both also take dyes in different ways (resulting in different colour intensities) but for men's stuff this is less of an issue again. Anyway, look for: - smaller scales - more squarish scales, not rounder ones - good symmetry of scale pattern - unmarked/unscarred scales - e.g. the example spoo posted above is poor quality; look at the pronounced scarring on the scales - for belts, a single piece of croc used through the entire length of the belt, not multiple pieces stitched together - even colour throughout the belt - there are belt construction methods - e.g. tubular, where a strip of croc leather is used to make a tube, that is then flattened to make a belt - that are more sought after than a simple piece of croc stitched onto some other leather - finally some look for tiny indentations near the centre of each scale to denote croc leather from the porosus subspecies of croc - porosus is much more expensive than the other croc species niloticus because it tends to have smaller, squarer scales that are beautifully symmetrical, though I understand that the indentations method is not 100% reliable for ID-ing porosus - alligator will not have indentations in the centre of the scale

 

[SpooPoker]

Originally Posted by apropos

- unmarked/unscarred scales - e.g. the example spoo posted above is poor quality; look at the pronounced scarring on the scales

+1 I was going more for a visual demonstration of shape rather than quality.

 

[entrero]

Originally Posted by apropos

Croc >>> gator for expensive women's handbags, but for men's stuff YMMV.
Not true.

Originally Posted by txeconomist

What should I look for in a gator belt or croc belt to determine it's quality? Whats the rub on gator vs croc?
Generally speaking gators are better quality than croc. First sign too look for is the suppleness of the leather. Check Rojeleather's youtube channel, you'll see why he crumples the leather to demonstrate the quality.

The problem with crocodile leather is that it ain't, more specifically it's caiman(croc) leather. It's ****, not supple and feels like individual armor plates. Many big names e.g Brioni hide behind this fact to keep maximizing their profits.

 

[apropos]

Originally Posted by entrero

Not true.
At the pinnacle (of price) of every handbag company that makes models in both croc and gator will be a croc model. It will also probably be porosus.

Originally Posted by entrero

Generally speaking gators are better quality than croc. First sign too look for is the suppleness of the leather. Check Rojeleather's youtube channel, you'll see why he crumples the leather to demonstrate the quality.
There is good and bad quality croc, and there is good and bad quality alligator. For top quality stuff, the former is a lot rarer than the latter. Your friendly neighbourhood leather peddler will tell you that alligator is just as good and I agree up to a point but keep in mind it's a **** ton cheaper (and easier) than good croc for him to procure and sell.

Originally Posted by entrero

The problem with crocodile leather is that it ain't, more specifically it's caiman(croc) leather. It's ****, not supple and feels like individual armor plates.

Caimans are closer to alligators than crocodile. Have you ever handled quality croc?

 

[entrero]

Originally Posted by apropos

Caimans are closer to alligators than crocodile. Have you ever handled quality croc?

Yet caiman are classified as croc and sold as one. This is my rub and it's a widespread practice. Before I add more fuel to the fire, please re-read my earlier post.

 

[apropos]

Originally Posted by entrero

Yet caiman are classified as croc and sold as one. This is my rub and it's a widespread practice. Before I add more fuel to the fire, please re-read my earlier post.
If they are sold as croc that is BS IMO but I still don't think you should lump croc in with caiman even if sellers mislabel it. Because it ain't. And like I mentioned earlier, there is an easy way to tell them apart - the dimple on the scale = not alligator/caiman. So if your 'crocodile' belt is dimple-less then you know something is up. We agree on the availability of decent alligator vs decent croc. Carry on.

 

[ThinkDerm]

roje leather is awful stuff on the whole. just terrible, brittle and not even second quality. more like 5th.

I've never seen a porosus belt - any examples?

 

[apropos]

FAIK, Hermes, Cartier, and Asprey make them.

 

[ThinkDerm]

Originally Posted by apropos

AFAIK, Hermes, Cartier, and Asprey make them.

before I opened this thread I thought - yeah, I've seen one by hermes.

 

[Gus]

I have two from RL. One brown one peanut brittle colored, both with sterling buckles.

A few years ago I came very close to ordering one from Alan Flusser with double "O" rings in silver. He had about 12 colors to choose from and I was considering a shade a blue/navy or deep green. I wish I had selected one. I think a colored belt can be a distinctive look. I don't know if his new operation offers that service. I should check next time I'm in NYC.

 

[apropos]

The most beautiful croc belt I have ever set my eyes upon was in the storefront of a men's store in Vienna - the name escapes me now. It was a matte-finish light honey brown double-O ring belt in amazing looking croc with small, square scales, and with both rings in sterling. The store was closed, as it was around Christmastime.

 

[mjphillips]

Check out Maida's in Houston. Custom and OTR belts, boots, wallets in all sorts of exotics. Better prices than the fashion houses. http://www.maidasbelts.com/index.php

 

[Milavolution]

I love too







a.testoni

 

[Gus]

Here is a W. Kleinberg from Khakis Carmel:

Hornback Alligator: