Pick Up Post - Share Your Latest Purchases
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Green Gecko
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- Joined in 2008
Van Foster wrote:I do wonder to what extent most modern day trainers are actually fabricated from real leather. Probably minimally, I'd guess. They mostly look so plasticized that it's hard to determine what the underlying material is.
It depends. Different grades of leather come from different "depths" in the cowhide. Full grain is the top most layer. Then there are layers beneath that which are often painted or plasticised. Suede is actually the bottom of the leather (the "inside" where its cut from the animal and sinew etc removed). That's the cheapest form of leather.
Depending on the shoe, Air Jordan 1 OG His are completely leather outers that are painted or treated with something like pigmented polyurethane or a polyurethane based paint to get the colour and then the texture is stamped on. Other times, leather is dyed.
It's the most expensive Air Jordan and thus is made of leather but there are lower priced versions. So you get caught out and the brands all know this.
Some sneakerheads get all elitist and shitty about the Jordans and other Nike's with low ankles or mid-tops because yes, you're basically choosing a lower quality shoe.
There's quite a lot of construction in the high shoe (layers and stitches) so depending on your tastes/budget, and considering it's not comparatively that expensive (and discounts), around £100-150 retail will get you that.
On the grander scale of things, there are far higher grades of leather than what Nike use, and it varies from shoe to shoe and batch to batch. You might get a nice, soft, supple leather on one pair and something tough or inflexible or rigid with no grain on another.
These shoes don't really have a texture to them so they will develop their own.
Sure for Nikes you are paying for the brand and the style but they do use at least half decent materials in them (maybe not in the cheapest shoes) and they last at least as long as other midrange trainers if you take care of them. Their trainers around £50-70 mark aren't that great, use less material and often lower grade leather or no leather at all, like you say.
You have to feel the shoe to know really so it's very easy for them to probably make a better margin on cheaper shoes based on how they look.
The leather icon in Europe at least tells you what parts are made of leather (upper, inner, sole etc) but they often don't state a specific break down or % of parts. It should be labelled inside the shoe. But yes, most trainers are made with synthetic alternatives and badly or thickly coated ones (including leather) crack.
You can also quite easily check the rough edges of the layers in the shoe (near the stitches). There should be fibres that are flesh-like essentially. You should almost be able to tease them out with your nails and pull on them. That is leather, it's literally flesh. If it's smooth or looks like felt or some kind of compressed material then it is basically fake leather.
Another way to tell which is obviously not going to go down well in stores but might be tried buying second hand... If you use a lighter and drift the flame near the leather, and someone claims it is real leather (or a genuine vintage or rear shoe) it will not burn or set fire and smell as you would expect. Fake leather will ignite.
If its painted leather then the paint might be marred... Not really a viable test.
"It should be common sense to just accept the message Nintendo are sending out through their actions."
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Van Foster
- Member
- Joined in 2022
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Green Gecko
- Treasurer
- Joined in 2008
Yes, that's where I learnt about it a bit too.
"It should be common sense to just accept the message Nintendo are sending out through their actions."
_________________________________________
❤ btw GRcade costs money and depends on donations - please support one of the UK's oldest video gaming forums → HOW TO DONATE ❤
_________________________________________
❤ btw GRcade costs money and depends on donations - please support one of the UK's oldest video gaming forums → HOW TO DONATE ❤
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Vermilion
- Gnome Thief
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Saint of Killers
- Member
- Joined in 2008
twitter.com/SoKfa_ce/status/1675065697666314240
DC Direct goodness of some absolutely banging comics.
I actually have 3 of the Preacher figures already but it'll be nice to have these on display instead of in packaging.
They're from a HUGE sale made to my local CBS of Marvel and DC figures*
twitter.com/SoKfa_ce/status/1675066728542351360
Above: finally completed my D&D cartoon series collection
And my AT-ST walker finally has a driver!!
*I don't normally buy loose figures for fear of how they've been looked after / missing parts, but this collector really looked after their collection and so no such fears.
Had I realised in store maybe I wouldn't have bought it? But once I got it home and realised, I just burst out laughing.
Oh and, it's Griffith reborn that they're doing. I've preordered via Bombusbee.
