Different Types of Shoe Leather

Now most people know that good shoes are always made of leather for durability,moisture absorbing,and comfort. But did you know that shoe leather comes in all kinds of types and qualities. Even though most shoe leather comes from cowhide, not all shoe leather is created equal. From the top of the food chain in shoe leather is Full Grain Leather. Simply put full grain leather for shoes is complete piece of tanned hide to be cut and sewn into a shoe. Full grain leather can be finished to an oily finish which gives it a dull satin appearance or waxy which gives the leather a shinier appearance. Depending on the shoes you wear they are both great for quality. Full grain leather can also be made into Nubuck which is pretty much unfinished on the surface. This is usually made for work boots that don't need to look pretty because they will be getting banged up on the job.

The next type of shoe leather is Split leather. That's basically self explanatory where you take the full grain hide and split it like you were slicing an english muffin in half. The benefits are mostly for the consumer in that you can buy a cheaper pair of leather shoes but since the hide was split it won't be a durable as full grain leather. Split grain shoe leather can be finished in a number of ways like full grain can.

Suede is a type of shoe leather that is always popular in Fall and Winter although it can be a Bear to take care of properly. Suede is usually a split leather that is not sanded smooth to give it a rough or rougher appearance. It's usually used for casual shoes and loafers. Never to be worn in the office. The first thing I highly recommend when purchasing suede shoes is to spray them with water repellent spray prior to wearing them. Try not to wear them in bad weather.

The absolute bottom of the barrel in shoe leather I only mention because you will never find it used by any brand name shoe with respect is called Corrected Leather. Corrected Leather can also be known as bonded leather. Which is pretty much leather scraps that is ground up into powder and using glue reconstituted into sheets that has a thin vinyl surface to appear like leather. Luckily you will have to look hard to find this garbage in footwear. It's a way for a shoe to say it's made of leather even though the leather is not even viable. The reason that it should never be made into shoes is that it simply doesn't wear. It usually will start to develop cracks from the wear points. Where decent shoe leather develops creases from movement, bond leather will soon crack. Cold weather will quickly accelerate this process. You will only see this on footwear that retails for about $30-$40 regular price. Companies that use this junk for shoes should be ashamed of themselves.

That is why I always recommend that you wear shoes made out of quality materials so your feet are provides the comfort they deserve because if your feet aren't happy, you're not happy.