Hello, I'm planning to get a new wallet that is made of full grain leather, I just saw some pictures from a friend who bought one just recently. I know nothing about genuine leather or any of those, I only know they age well and will develop patina and is very durable, but is leather suppose to have marks like these ( see pic ) that comes brand new ?

There are hundreds of different kinds of leathers out there. I do leathercrafting as a hobby and have bought many different types. This particular one will easily become marked. It is a less 'refined' leather, but quite durable. More than good enough for a wallet. The stitching and any non-leather linings it has are more likely to fail before the leather does.

Give it a good rub and it will look better, but still different than before it got marked.

Oh i see. Yeah durability is one of my concern, as long as it can lasts me many years to come. So those marks are supposedly there even on brand new wallets because of the leather characteristic ? I actually love it though, just asking out of curiosity.

This brand is actually Extreme Leather co, as I was looking for a wallet brand that sells real leather and not any of those marketing stunts. On a side note, any chance you have any other recommendations other than the brand mentioned above ?

This post has been edited by Sotsotzaii: Jul 13 2023, 04:21 PM

The leather's characteristics - Yes that is exactly right.

Extreme? Ha! I thought so. I think I bought that exact same wallet about 10 years ago. Only used it for a week or 2 though. Long wallet did not suit me. Now it's just storing foreign currency in a drawer at home.
This is a very old post, but just clicking them, I see that all but the 2nd one are still active (on Instagram at least).

Yup it’s Extreme. Ohh I see, before I read finish I thought you were gonna say their quality is not good you stopped using 😂

Will check it out, thanks ! Would you say Extreme’s wallet quality ( leather ) is good and how you would rate it on a scale of 10 ?

i also looking for these kind of wallet but smaller for back pocket, not sure the leather what they calling. The leather is smooth and long lasting, if can put own name even better. any recommend ? Thanks

I found out one before, the name is thealignco, can google search for it, I didn't went with that brand because their wallet doesn't appeal to my taste, but it may be for you, as it can also engrave name.

If you are asking just about the durability of the leather, I'd give it a solid 8/10. It looks and feels like cowhide. Relatively thick. Functional.

Other than durability, just in terms of all things considered overall quality ? Would it still be a 8/10 ?

Depends what you would say is a 10. If 10 is a Swaine Adeney Brigg or Chester Mox, then it's a 0.5. Lol.

It's a cheap mass produced item produced with cheap leather and linings. Functional. Reasonably durable, won't fall apart for the next few years unless you abuse it. But still the base material and factory construction is cheap.

If Braun Buffell is a 10, then this is, yeah, a reasonable 7 or 8.

Thanks, i saw wallet only 1 choice. maybe more for lady. Anyway Thanks alot

Ahh, ok kind of getting the idea. I was under the impression that Extreme is using high quality leather which is full grain leather, but then again what do I know about leather, so from your opinion, these leather products are actually for wallet, durable, good quality but it's made with cheap leather ?

Yes, the full grain leather Extreme uses is cheap and durable leather.

Full grain is just a parameter. By itself, it doesn't tell you much. Some full grain leather are good, some are bad. Some are cheap, some are expensive.

I see, I just thought of something, so I'm sure brands like Coach / Brand Buffel is above Extreme by a few levels, they are also using leather to make their products. But for products like Extreme, their leather is raw ( or as I'm told ) without any linings, and would age well and develop patina. In these cases, I don't think I ever saw a coach / brand buffel wallet develops patina, do they ?

No they won't. Their leathers are heavily finished. With coatings on the surface or fake grains (e.g. saffiano) or both. You might see some points of high wear/friction that have burnished slightly but that's about it.

So in your personal opinion, if I want to get a good quality leather wallet that will lasts me for many years, if budget is not a problem, should I still go for Extreme's wallet or those brands ?

Between Extreme and BB, the choice is mostly aesthetic. Choose the design you prefer. BB will have better non-leather materials (linings, zips, charms, etc) and prettier leather colours, but those are about the only advantages.

If cost and time is not a concern, and they have a design you like, why not one of the makers I listed before?

Some newer ones (since that post many years ago):
https://instagram.com/yb.leather
https://instagram.com/fu.leatherworks

I don't know their prices, but both of their works are far better than BB.

I do love Extreme's raw leather long wallet though, would you say Extreme's quality is on about the same level ( including far better than BB ) as the 2 other makers you listed above ?

As I mentioned, if BB was a 10, Extreme would be a 7 or 8.

So Fu/YB > BB > Extreme

I was looking through the 2 leather makers you listed. It seems like their leather products are refined, but my main concern is, it would definite age well without a doubt, but would it also develops patina ? As that is actually my main point of buying a leather wallet, other than quality and so on.