Full Grain, Corrected Grain, Suede, Roughout - What's The Difference?

Full grain, corrected grain, roughout, suede, nubuck. Confused? Watch this now! There will be a test, kids!
Links
Parkhurst bit.ly/wewearparkhurst
Viberg bit.ly/3pGaxTn
Caswell bit.ly/BLCaswell
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:34 Welcome
02:23 Full Grain and Splits
05:39 Genuine Leather!
06:10 Corrected Leather
07:25 Nubuck and Variations
09:04 Suede
10:44 Roughout
11:31 Waxed Flesh and Waxed Suede
13:33 Summary
Who Am I?
I am a Management Consultant in real life but in my Bootlosophy channel, I make videos about boots and all things boot related. This channel posts reviews of boots, unboxing of new boots, and follow-up reviews, and in doing so, may explore the philosophy of the brands and makers as well as the collectors!
In this channel, I will give information found in my research about the brand, the construction, and the materials, but I will express my personal opinions about how I feel about the boots reviewed.
Full Disclosure
If any video is sponsored, I will declare it clearly in the video and in the description. Even if a video is sponsored, I will review the product openly and honestly giving you my personal opinion, warts and all, of the product.
The following links (and any links I place above) to products I regularly use may be affiliate links - buying from any affiliate links will not cost you any more, but I may receive a small payment from the platform.
Care Products - conditioners and polishes
Bick 4 amzn.to/36gBdnd
Ecco suede conditioner amzn.to/3rOU9BN
Fiebings Liquid Mink Oil amzn.to/34FigtO
Leather Honey amzn.to/3uWepDH
Red Wing Heritage Leather Cream amzn.to/3sK5dzi
R M Williams Leather Conditioner amzn.to/3JkgQno
Saphir Greasy Leather Cream Polish amzn.to/368FlW9
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Saphir Renovateur leather balm amzn.to/3uS23wa
Smiths Leather Balm amzn.to/3oPcBbC
Tarrago shoe cream amzn.to/3sK2hCM
Tarrago Nubuck Suede Renovator Spray amzn.to/3oLLSgc
Venetian Shoe Cream 3oz amzn.to/3uS1oLc
Care Products - cleaners
Ecco foam cleaner amzn.to/3gM61hO
Ecco Nubuck and suede eraser kit amzn.to/3LCzf0L
Fiebings Saddle Soap amzn.to/3sFlNAo
Leather Honey Cleaner amzn.to/3HShN64
R M Williams suede cleaner amzn.to/3sIoIYZ
Timberland dry cleaning kit amzn.to/3GNXAwP
Timberland Renewbuck Foaming Cleaner amzn.to/3sJQAvN
Care Products - water repellents
Saphir Suede Protector Spray amzn.to/34FWAhi
Tarrago Nano Protector Spray amzn.to/3oLxPXF
Care Products - Brushes
Kiwi Horsehair Brush 3-pack for different colours amzn.to/3oPUvpL
Kiwi Horsehair Applicator Brush amzn.to/3uUZHwu
Welt Brush amzn.to/33kKMQP
Care Products - shoe trees
Florsheim Cedar Shoe Tree amzn.to/3sJXVf5
Stratton Cedar Shoe Tree amzn.to/3JqNVy3

[@cheekibreeki9155]

I wish that more people would explain stuff to me like I was a less than genius 5 year old though. The adult world is filled with people who don't want to explain stuff for various reasons.

[@josephcase7004]

Thank for this. Very educational and long overdue. Kind of like the watch industry, no real standardization on what is what. I’m glad to see content makers like you bringing this type of awareness to what can be a very confusing topic.

[@arthur3545]

Man this was really cool! The visual aids were absolutely my favorite part. Please make more videos like this!

[@user-sc8eu]

This is the best explanation i've seen so far. I was a bit confused about the terms and differences, but your video really helped clarify everything. Thank you.

[@nickolasradovanovic1562]

Brilliant! I'll admit, having remained dazed and confused till now, that I took screenshots and made notes. I can now refer to my awesome cheat sheet. Bloody Playschool....genuis! Thank you Teik.

[@richyclubsport5155]

I love my rough out suede Coniston boots by Crockett and Jones. The more i wear them the better they look, I'm in England worn them in all conditions, rain, sleet, snow without any problems although i no allow to dry naturally if they get soaked in cedar boots tree's before wearing again. Excellent video explaining the various leathers

[@andojager9977]

I appreciate the fine explanation of different boot leathers. New to the leather boot world.

[@usmnt4423]

Probably the best breakout of each of these categories. Thanks Teik.

[@derrickmartin9717]

This is awesome, Teik. I just ordered the same Cordobes boot in chocolate roughout and the sneak peek you gave us has me so excited. I chose a leather sole with a half-lug on the c-100 last. This sneak peek already looks like it has a better finishing than the last cordobes you posted. Glad you gave them another shot. They’re learning and seems like they’re open to suggestions.

[@alexvonborstel4763]

Teik, this was first video to give definitions of leather types. Yes I am still confused but that way I learn to become a novice. Thanks for the lesson and I would never buy a boot from you. My foot is larger than yours. Keep the videos coming from down under. Your friend from north of the Equator, Alex.

[@StarWarriorMusic]

Fantastic rundown! Btw, ive been subbed since like the 2k mark lol. Keep on making awesome content :)

[@Bootlosophy]

Thanks mate!

[@Jaran_E]

Great explanation of leather properties!

[@ryanbarsuglia9870]

Awesome explanation

[@elyaquino2310]

Excellent video Teik, thank you!!

[@Bootlosophy]

I left out Shell! Next time!

[@mamadoumboup8767]

Waw. Thanks Teik. You are genius!

[@suryaa1451]

Thank you sir, I'm learning new things to the video .❤

[@markgillum5709]

Great video, Teik.! well explained and detailed. Clearest explanation I have seen. Thank you.

[@DavidGonzalez-cv4wq]

Hi Teik, I was wondering what kind of watch you are wearing in this video? Pretty nice looking timepiece. I'm asking because I am actually shopping around for one. Anyway another informative video. Love the content.

[@Bootlosophy]

It’s an old Seiko sports watch (I don’t know the exact model) that used to belong to my father-in-law.

[@DavidGonzalez-cv4wq]

Thanks! I'll check them out

[@kenwilliams2219]

If I am not careful I learn something new every day. Thank you for the great lesson! I actually wore my Higgins Mill boots today with lots of spring time snow. (3 inches). Please keep educating us.

[@jimr880]

Wow! I knew much of this in bits and pieces, but your video does an outstanding job and of connecting the entire leather lifecycle, from hair to flesh...and everything in between. You definitely answer some of my misunderstandings of Washed Flesh and Washed Suede. Enjoyed!

[@user-dl3zt6lj3m]

Brilliant video. One of your best. Extremely informative, especially with the props!

[@Bootlosophy]

😝 🖍️

[@K_j_M]

I just bought some Sanders in C. F Stead waxy commander suede. 1st boots I've owned with Stead leathers and they look awesome. Sanders are a brand worth looking at Teik. Good company with a good history

[@UnknownUser-rb9pd]

Over the years I've come to realise that "Full Grain " is as misleading a term as "Genuine Leather " (which incidentally can be good leather as it's not legally defined ). If you look at "full grain" calf leather shoes for example you don't see a natural leather surface. You mostly see a relatively shiny, smooth and heavily dyed surface. It may be "full grain" but it doesn't mean that the surface hasn't been heavily altered through pigment/dyeing, sealing/glazing, water resistant treatment or oiling/waxing etc.. And there's a continuous series of surface treatments all the way up to a full acrylic coating with no clear definition of when it becomes "corrected". Regarding nubuck, I suspect the main reasons for using it is price, leather availability and also for cosmetic and consistency reasons. It allows cheaper hides to be used with more scars and bite marks and therefore can be used in cheaper boots and it also allows them to use hides from cattle in parts of the world where bite marks and tears are more common. There's a finite supply of high quality leather and a lot more people in the world wanting it than there used to be. Plus a lot of the best leather used to come from veal calves kept in crates and that has been outlawed by the EU. It also allows colour and surface consistency in (for example) the Timberland boots you show. You could line up half a dozen pairs of Timberland boots and they'd all look the same whereas a non sanded leather would have colour and surface texture differences. And consumers not used to "natural" leather products may not like that. The reverse suede used in CF Stead's Janus suede (and other European tanneries reverse suedes) is calf suede. As calf skins are thinner it is possible to have "full grain suede" without splitting ( I believe they shave off some of the corium ) and have 1.6mm to 1.8mm thickness suitable for dress shoes. I suspect the roughout coming from American tanneries is from older cattle and hence thicker.

[@Bootlosophy]

In Summary - they can’t get it together in defining things!!!

[@UnknownUser-rb9pd]

@@Bootlosophy No but when you think about it, it does get tricky. Especially for "corrected" leather. I've footwear with a very heavy pigment/coating which water just runs off but will still accept conditioner and cream. In fact my black Thursday Captains are like that (and are very different from the brown Captains with allegedly the same leather). Then there's a leather colour like white which requires a very heavy pigment to make it white and will always be "corrected" by some people's definition. Regarding "genuine leather" this again is used by many retailers even for full grain or high quality leather. It is used interchangeably with "real leather" and you'll see good quality leather items described as genuine leather. Finally, I suspect that the standards organisations haven't kept up with the technology as tanneries develop ever more "imaginative" coatings and treatments to developing leather products for various markets in a world where people want leather items but frequently want convenience and consistency and don't want to maintain them. It's only weird people like us that value patina and like caring for our leather items. Leather tanning, despite often using ancient techniques is an evolving industry and the variety of leathers available today seems to be expanding all the time.

[@TechStruggleMan]

What leather would you recommend for a snowy and rainy environment? Does cxl stain when wet? Thanks

[@thomasrossi1612]

Is it possible to make Corrected grain polished leather (or bookbinder) shoes less shiny? Maybe rubbing alcohol?

[@jaredjantzi5915]

Can you help me understand CF Steads Rambler leather? I understand it's a flesh-out but the inside of the leather feels like suede.

[@shelbypayne3620]

Who is the Wedget people ?

[@Bootlosophy]

Google Whadjuk

[@quielo]

and Abilene leather?

[@Bootlosophy]

Yeah, but as I said in the video I’m not really dealing with tannages, just types of leather

[@quielo]

@@Bootlosophy Understood, just wearing Abilene leather right now on my Red Wings and it seems to be rough out that is sanded slightly. Rough out that is not that rough.