Why YSK: The term “Genuine Leather” is a marketing term to sell the lowest quality leather possible.

When purchasing a leather product, look for full grain leather or top grain leather instead. These will provide a much higher quality cut of leather that will look and feel much better and last for much longer.

  • PreMalone@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    This really is a perfect replacement for reddit, we even have the same reposted fun facts

    • washabe@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      I mean, reposting things that were on Reddit before would be a good way to get more content on here

        • Givesomefucks@reddthat.com
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          2 years ago

          Reddit does it with Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Tumblr…

          Some of the bigger communities is literally just screenshots of what people say other places.

          It would be pretty funny to see an instance that just pulls posts from subs and posts them to Lemmy. Not direct links to reddit, just copy the link/pic/video

          • Ben Hur Horse Race@lemm.ee
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            2 years ago

            fair point… yeah now that you mention it, a lot of the shit I used to see on reddit was from “curated tumbler”, " white people twitter" etc…

            I’m glad I left reddit, the api cluster fuck and associated protests (which I joined w/ my rinky dink tiny sub) came at the perfect time to give me the shove out the door I needed. I was spending 3, 4, 5 hours of my day reading the most inane bullshit.

            I’m at extremely high risk of it happening again with lemmy, but I like to think it’ll never take on the endlessly churning sewer-exit pipe amount of “content” that reddit had with its however many millions of users.

    • Pisck@lemmy.world@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      next YSK: /c/YouShouldKnow reposts things from /r/youshouldknow

      top comment: /r/youshouldknow is also reposts from /r/youshouldknow reply–> the real YSK is in the comments

  • derf82@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    Not quite. The truth is, there is no universally recognized grades of leather. But when bragging about quality, genuine leather is the lowest bar they can go (other than bonded leather, which isn’t fully leather but just a veneer over fabric.

    Full grain or top grain is generally what you want.

    https://lifehacker.com/what-genuine-leather-really-means-1850309049

    Also, some are concerned about the use of an animal product. The vast majority of leather is a byproduct of the beef industry. It is skin that would otherwise go to waste. And it is also far more environmentally friendly a material than many alternatives, which are often made of plastics.

    • Margot Robbie@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      Yeah, honestly you should buy leather products based on brands than on description of “genuine” leather.

      And agree, real leather is a much better alternative to the ridiculous amount of micro-plastic synthetic leather generates, especially since it’ll last you decades if you maintain it well.

    • queermunist@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      It’s the industry recapturing some of its costs by reducing waste. That’s still supporting the industry.

      • derf82@lemmy.world
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        2 years ago

        We applauded Native Americans for using every part of the animal, yet when we do it today somehow it’s a bad thing.

        The skins are there rather you like the industry or not. Better to use them than throw them in a landfill.

        • queermunist@lemmy.world
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          2 years ago

          By your logic, why don’t we flay off the skins of all dead people and wear those too? They’re just going to waste!

          I’m opposed to the animal killing industry and all of its various outgrowths. The less money that can be made from it, the less money will be invested into the industry in the first place. If the skins end up in a landfill, that’s lost revenue that makes the industry suffer. Putting money in the pockets of these businesses just lets them reinvest. Stop trying to portray your choice to wear skin as somehow the more ethical one and preach from some imaginary moral high ground.

          • imagoodmushroom@lemmy.world
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            2 years ago

            I’d genuinely prefer if my family turned my remains into a fucking backpack instead of paying thousands of dollars to put them on a cushioned box in the ground

          • why don’t we flay off the skins of all dead people and wear those too?

            Because human skin makes really shitty quality leather. It’s not nearly thick enough.

            Human bodies aren’t even fit for composting, given the amount of pharmaceuticals and forever chemicals most have in their bodies by the time they die.

          • Margot Robbie@lemmy.world
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            2 years ago

            Relax, no need to name-call. Otherwise, I’ll be forced to make a video of me badly singing “Imagine”, and nobody wants to hear that.

            • queermunist@lemmy.world
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              2 years ago

              Tan me hide when I’m dead, Fred
              Tan me hide when I’m dead
              So we tanned his hide when he died, Clyde
              And that’s it hangin’ on the shed!
              Altogether now!

              (actually, I unironically think human remains should be reused instead of preserved in a box lol)

  • dadbod@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    If you’re looking for bifl full grain leather stuff, hanks belts is pretty good. not cheap, but you only need one ever.

    • lich_hegemon@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      It has its place.

      For example, leather in second hand products it’s great because it’s durable and often high quality. And, whatever you do, the animal has already been killed and paid for.

      I would also buy leather products if it’s for something that I intend to use for many years. It sort of offsets the environmental damage from buying multiple synthetic products.

      Then again, I’m not vegan.

    • mitchie151@kbin.social
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      2 years ago

      In the right context, leather goods are much more durable and sustainable than synthetic alternatives. That said, leather is a co-product of the meat and dairy industry which is currently ridiculously unsustainable. Leather for leathers sake in designer goods and such is ridiculous.

    • Solo@kbin.social
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      2 years ago

      Agreed. I don’t purchase leather anymore but when I did I still knew genuine leather is pretty much junk.

      • Dfc09@lemmynsfw.com
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        2 years ago

        I like to think myself open-minded, but I’m also a meat eater. It really is just a matter of self control and convenience. I know humans eating meat in most developed countries is completely unnecessary. I know farming methods are cruel and environmentally damaging. It’s just tough to shake off the habit of craving a nice chicken breast or steak, especially since I lean towards a very high protein a diet.

        I’d go far enough to say it used to not be murder, but now we only kill animals for luxury.

      • unsophisticated@kbin.social
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        2 years ago

        I wonder what people who upvote this are thinking, obviously the point is moot unless you are also vegan. And who upvotes someone going “meat is murder” in the comment section.

        • kakes@sh.itjust.works
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          2 years ago

          I’m not vegan, but I do personally agree that it’s selfish and inhumane to eat meat and use leather - especially on an industrial scale. I eat meat, but I don’t have any delusions about where it comes from.

          Not meaning to argue, but just to say it’s not only vegans that think about this stuff. Also, even if it was, that doesn’t mean they’re wrong or moot.

          • TheSaneWriter@vlemmy.net
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            2 years ago

            I think it’s the difference between vegan ethics and being a vegan in practice. I generally agree with vegan ethics, I think that meat and leather are generally made from murder. Perhaps a lesser version of murder than killing a human being, but murder nonetheless. However, animal products are common in both food and consumer goods and I don’t have the time or money to commit towards fully avoiding them. Like with the issue of many of our agricultural goods being the product of slavery, I believe that this is something that should moreso be curtailed by the state than any individual consumer.

            • kakes@sh.itjust.works
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              2 years ago

              This is my general philosophy. I try to be as ethical as I can, but I realize there will always be a certain level of “hypocrisy” in my actions.

      • hark@lemmy.world
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        2 years ago

        I think it’s because it’s irrelevant for someone who would be interested in leather (and this YSK). I’m sure they’re well aware of where leather comes from. I will say, though, that if cows are getting murdered for food, then they might as well use the whole animal instead of letting it go to waste.

  • wvenable@kbin.social
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    2 years ago

    If you think about it, it makes sense. All they are saying it’s that is actually real leather which is the least you could say about leather.

    To add to the naming fun: Corinthian Leather.

  • Arete@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    I thought “genuine” was the middle grade, with “bonded” being the lowest. Bob’s Furniture used to market “genuine bonded leather” sofas which I found both clever and infuriating.

    • BlueDepth9279@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      Bonded leather is less than 20% real leather and made from scraps and fibers of genuine leather combined with binders. It’s generally not as durable as genuine leather.

  • Moops@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    It seems so odd too because if I didn’t know better, I’d assume “Full or Top Grain” was lower quality than “Genuine Leather” just by how the phrases sound.

  • blufin@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    I’ve seen the videos on youtube where they scrape away the top layer on some expensive item to find that its a thin skin of leather covering plastic.

  • SweetSitty@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    You should also know that technically only the piece marked as genuine leather needs to actually be genuine leather. If you buy something made with multiple pieces, the rest could be made from any material so long as that one piece is genuine.

  • niktemadur@kbin.social
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    2 years ago

    In one of those 70s Fat Albert episodes, I think it was Rudy who one day showed up wearing a jacket of “genuine imitation leather”. That term has stuck with me for decades.