Leather Quality explained: Aniline? Full Grain? Corrected Grain?

In this video I try to explain some of the basic differences between Full grain, Top grain, Corrected Grain, and Split grain leather, as well as what Full Aniline and Semi-Aniline leather are. I am an amateur, as I do not work in the leather industry, so I try not to delve too deep into areas I'm not familiar with. Also, I cannot for absolute certain tell you what material the Allen Edmonds, Johnston & Murphy, and Bostonian shoes are actually made of, as the makers are a little vague on their websites (I sent an inquiry to Allen Edmonds about a week ago, but as yet have not received an answer). From my experience handling and shining hundreds of shoes, I CAN tell you that the AE shoes ARE a higher quality material, DO last much longer than the others, and I'll illustrate the visible differences in the video.
Also, there is an error in the video.. the medium brown quarter brogue AE Oxfords are the "Byron" model, NOT "Bryson" (Oops).
Please check out the other videos in my channel for more in depth information about shoe care and construction!

[@nelsonrojas2114]

Thank you for giving a most informative video explaining the difference in the quality of shoes and why this is so. Your drawings explaining what makes quality leather was spot on, no one could have done better. And then to give us the visuals from the better quality to the less in quality on the shoes and how you explained it was just awesome. Thank you very much.

[@CobblerBob]

Nelson Rojas 👊🏼

[@sethtan6695]

The sincerity and passion denoted through this video.. mind blowing. Thank you for sharing. Awesome content.

[@CobblerBob]

That is a humbling comment, thank you! You’ll see my newer videos, the production quality improves!

[@mitigatedgalltv5747]

Perfectly executed .... one of the best videos I’ve seen detailing this subject.

[@CobblerBob]

THANK YOU!! 👊🏼

[@douglasn.3111]

Solid information, for sure. Next time I look at some of my shoes, I won't be happy. Time to do some shopping. Once that is done, I'll be smiling and my feet will thank you!

[@jasonf478]

insanely accurate explanation !! just perfect

[@CobblerBob]

THANK YOU!!

[@bertrosschaert1749]

wow, I watched so many video's but this is the first one that's helpfull to me. Very well brought!

[@mountainousushi2631]

Mr. Powers I am pleased to have found your channel. I am new to this and want to learn more about the beauty of leather shoes. Although this is the first video I have viewed on your channel, the information given here I feel are a bit richer than most channels, seeing I have a hard time finding a channel that shows affection for leather shoes like you do. I look forward to more of your videos and now I will venture through your archive and indulge like a kid in a candy store.

[@SidharthPanwar]

Couldn't have said it any better!

[@CobblerBob]

Jason Sutcliffe 🙏🏼 thank you!

[@czynski3]

Mr. Sutcliffe : Google Horween Leather Co. It's the leather used by Allen Emounds, which Mr. Powers failed to tell you. Many other manufacturers also use Horween Leather, some such as the NFL.

[@natevonhartleben2737]

Watch the hanger project, kirby allison has a clear appreciation for quality leather shoes as well as tutorials on shoe care

[@baberoot1998]

Shell Cordovan...has even more color variation than full grain leather. I used to think Shell Cordovan...was kind of ugly, because the colors can vary greatly...but after understanding the quality of Shell Cordovan...I find the color variation gorgeous. Great video. Thanks for the education on Aniline Leather. I never knew the difference. Love your videos. Great job.

[@joshuarozario5654]

Insightful, Robert! Thank! I hope all shoe lovers watch this!

[@CobblerBob]

I hope so too!

[@jorgevega238]

Great lesson with specific detail.

[@fishmemmo]

Finally someone explain's this with an examples!! Thanks a lot!!!

[@CobblerBob]

fishmemmo 👊🏼 you’re welcome!

[@beamersuncle]

Thank you. This was well-presented and informative.

[@animeboitiddies6146]

this is exactly what i needed, really informative.

[@frfrpr]

Those are some nice and well shined shoes. You answered my question of " why some leather is so difficult to shine on the same shoe" Only on boots, shoes seem ok.

[@1773JC]

Thanks. Important info for my next purchase.

[@swastikrane7965]

that just helps me to researching on leather..... thank you.... you actully show and explained great...... thank you so much

[@nigel4442]

Thanks! I've used this video when I compared two shoes I'd bought and deciding which one to buy. Took the more leathery one thanks to your video👍🏽

[@thebestleathers105]

A great informational video.

[@JamesSamples]

Great video! Thanks! I never liked the way some shoes cracked and now I know how to avoid it. Thanks again!

[@brianf663]

Thank you Robert! I sell work boots for a living and this has actually helped me sell quite a few pairs of boots because I can now explain how different leathers work and what the difference are.

[@CobblerBob]

Brian F 👊🏼 I have found that 19/20 shoe sales people other than at the Allen Edmonds stores, they really have no idea what their product is actually made of. Just be aware of that full graim aniline Leather is going to soak it in salt water and or oily stains quicker than correct a grain leather. The salty stains (in areas where they salt the streets) can be really terrible for the leather.

[@brianf663]

I usually recommend they put snow seal on their boots. It protects it from salt stains and waterproofs them at the same time. Thank you again sir.

[@aldobega2649]

I just can say thank you very much! Amazing video! Perfect explanation! Really good!

[@remybuitenhuis2433]

good explanation, I believe that the Van Bommel shoes I have here are full grain then. You can see the grain pattern, the color differences, and they produce a very easy mirrorshine.

[@amrishlp]

Very Helpful video... Keep up the good work

[@sampledbear]

This has struggled me quite a long time since I bought a pair of florsheim appearing differently from another old pair of florsheim. After polish with shoes cream, renomat, shoe cream, renomat, it still sucks. I think I have the answer by this video. Thank you so much.

[@CobblerBob]

You are very welcome. I've got a couple other videos on the leather quality topic if you go to my page playlists and the "Leather polish and technical stuff".

[@missclairessa]

The spit shines look great.

[@hassanwaqar1445]

Exclellent great reviews,very helpful

[@ghostrider8307]

Great work and effort. Keep it up.

[@raghib5699]

Best video on leather ever❤

[@MT-ud7qc]

Thank you for this video. Very Informative! I am happy I learnt something new today.

[@CobblerBob]

You're welcome! I've got another video that explains the subject, and has better production quality too: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d3qzpYmofaaknK8

[@MT-ud7qc]

@@CobblerBob Thank you! I will make sure I check that out

[@MarcusJGadson_CFA]

Great video! Thanks for the lessons

[@joshnic6639]

Damn you’re a really good teacher! Excellent job!

[@CobblerBob]

Thank you!! 🙏🏼

[@mrs8247]

Hello, thank you for your useful explanation, and I had a question regarding the color and finish suitable for leather tanned with Mazo in the traditional way.

[@mark0001]

Thank you for this!

[@pezzonovante888]

Well explained.

[@jeffy141]

Excellent video. Thank you

[@amirhasani2817]

Perfect explanation, thanks

[@CobblerBob]

👊🏼

[@killerczar]

Very informative, nice!

[@nmfl100]

Thank you, this was helpful :)

[@henrygergis6494]

Thanks for info.

[@kylebacc]

Very useful. Thank you!

[@mirzanaveedbaig]

Please make and upload a video about crust leather which is containing all the the features and specification about crust leather

[@CobblerBob]

Mirza Naveed Baig - this is the first time I’ve heard of this term. I just looked it up… It looks like “crust Leather“ is a term used for leather that has been tanned, but not dyed. I’ll keep it in mind!

[@shobhitkhajuria7464]

Excellent video. 👍👍

[@CobblerBob]

shobhit khajuria thank you!

[@kyleessex6301]

I came across this as I was trying to refinish a pair of johnston and murphy's... J &M said they are full grain calf.

[@eyeheartsushi2212]

You deserve more subscribers. Your videos are well made and you explain things clearly. I was polishing my AE dark brown Fifth Avenues last night so I can wear them today. I have the Saphir Mirror Gloss but still haven't mastered that cap toe gloss the way you do. Might have to re-watch your video from yesterday. My wife doesn't like my Fifth Aves because the color isn't uniform. I told her that is part of the charm and character of good quality leather. And that was before you posted this video 😉. Are your McAllisters in oxblood or dark chili? I think you mentioned it on the previous video.

[@CobblerBob]

Eye Heart Sushi 🙏🏼 thank you! My McAllisters are Oxblood. They were also much lighter than any of the other oxblood AEs I’ve seen and much lighter than the store display models, but AE states that they are hand stained and have variation from pair to pair. I have actually darkened them with Saphir polish mixing Mahogany and black, per recommendation from Kirby Allison at The Hanger Project.

[@eyeheartsushi2212]

Robert Powers Nice color, indeed! I follow Kirby on KZbin. I bought my Saphir products from The Hanger Project store.

[@pacovl46]

The leather coating is most likely polyurethane. I’m not sure about shoes, but they definitely use PU coatings for some of the leather jackets.

[@jorgevega238]

Question. Those wrinkles your talking about on your shoes. Can those be removed with a DEER BONE?

[@CobblerBob]

jorgevega238 I’ve seen some videos of people using deer bones... especially in relation to shining Shell Cordovan shoes, but I have exactly zero experience with it, so I’ll refrain from commenting! I’ve had good success with getting major wrinkles out of old shoes (but not the fine creases) by just putting the right sized shoe trees into old shoes and leaving them in for a few days. If they’re rally bad dampen them and condition the leather first.

[@randallrg75g2]

Robert thank you so much for this video, I'm starting a little side business shining shoes and I couldn't find any good video to understand leather quality in men dress shoes. I subscribe to your channel, your content is great by the way. Cheers, from Quebec Canada.

[@CobblerBob]

You’re welcome! You’ll see that my video production quality wasn’t very good at the time I did this video 😣 but it’s improved significantly in my newer videos. Thanks for watching!

[@randallrg75g2]

@@CobblerBob No worries, to me everything was perfectly fine! Do you have an Instagram account so I can follow you too?

[@CobblerBob]

Yes, @rvp_bob_powers. My Instagram will have a mix of a little shoe stuff, some motivational/self improvement stuff, and a smidge about my work.

[@randallrg75g2]

@@CobblerBob Thank you! Mine as well is ''My_shoe_hobby'' I do shoe patinas and shoe restoration, just in case ! :)

[@CobblerBob]

Followed you back on IG! Wow! You’ve got a lot of cool Patinas on there!

[@njbhargrove]

Bob have you ever refinished a pair of corrected grain shoes? I would love to see a video on the process and results

[@CobblerBob]

Nicholas Hargrove - by refinishing do you mean stripping off the acrylic (or whatever the surface is) off? No, never tried! I’ve heard of people doing it though.

[@Alandale45]

Thank you for this video. I own a pair of AE Polo 2-tone Burgundy and Black. From your video, they appear corrected grain leather. Does this mean that AE also make inferior shoes. I have seen a few cracked AE Polos online.

[@CobblerBob]

I believe Allen Edmonds called their corrected grain leather "polished cobbler" in their catalogs. I've also heard it referred to as "bookbinder" leather. All of the corrected grain AEs I've seen were made in the 1980s. The funny thing is, I've seen prbably over a dozen, maybe 15 pairs of them, and I've never seen one pair cracked. I'm not saying they don't crack, but I am saying that the corrected grain leather they used for their shoes was FAR superior to any corrected grain shoes that are made outside the US. Also, some of the old Made in USA Bostonians were corrected grain, and those too are very crack resistant, unlike the post 2000-ish overseas stuff. I don't neccessarily think corrected grain is ALWAYS worse quality, It's just that corrected grain USUALLY goes along with other corner cutting and quality reducing cost savings measures. Short answer: IMHO the Allen Edmonds corrected gain is good stuff. It's more stain anc scuff resistant than full grain, and it's much more impervious to damage from water or salt water.

[@Alandale45]

@@CobblerBob Thank you for the response, Robert.

[@eysa77]

Thank u for very educational video

[@jomar14GL]

Ur videos are very informative. We have no aes here in my country, most quality dress shoes are either rockport and florsheim. Would u know what type of leather they are using?

[@CobblerBob]

Green Guardsman I’ve never held Rockports in high regard so I skip over them & don’t really know much about them... all the rockports I see are plasticky low quality looking shoes with glued on soles. Maybe there are some good ones, I really don’t know. Florsheim: they have used a Wiiiiiide variety of leathers over the years. Check out my video on “How I put burnishing/Patina back on a shoe” kzbin.info/www/bejne/aqTalGB8q5uVo6s And I reviewed the same shoe “Shoe Review: Florsheim Castellano Wing ox” kzbin.info/www/bejne/rae3ioh_Zt19hNU Sorry, it’s one of my first videos and although the content is good, the video quality sucks. Their website says what Leather their currently sold shoes are made from, and it says that shoe is made from full grain leather, and after 3 years (aside from the burnishing flaking off) it has held up well. Root through my videos, you will see several videos on old vintage Florsheim Shell Cordovan shoes, I think there’s one showing some pebble grain calfskin shoes. They also made some out of some pretty low quality leather as well, so it’s all over the map depending on the model and year. You really want to learn more about vintage Florsheim shoes, go to the site: www.vcleat.com

[@jomar14GL]

@@CobblerBob thank u so much. Im a big fan of your vids. Keep up the good work!

[@Eric-wd7kx]

neither of those are quality, not anymore

[@junkwon8388]

Does calf skin get more creases than full grain cowhide in your opinion?

[@CobblerBob]

Good question... remember though calfskin is a kind of cowhide. I'm not sure, but I think all full grain leather used in shoes IS calfskin. I'm not 100% sure of that though. I do know that full grain aniline calfskin is considered the best bovine leather for shoes. My apoligies for missing your comment!

[@jasonleistman]

I wonder if the johnston & murphy shoes are using corrected grain leather?

[@CobblerBob]

Do you mean the brown J&Ms in this video, or do you mean what are they using in general? They've used both corrected grain and full grain, but the brown J&M Melton Cap Toe Oxfords in this video are corrected grain for sure. ALL of the black and dark brown J&Ms within the Melton line that I have seen are corrected grain, but a friend bought a pair of walnut colored J&M Meltons around 2016-2018 that were full grain. The Aristocraft line is generally full grain that I've seen. I think they've even got shoes with bonded on rubber soles that aren't even leather uppers.

[@timbojackson2895]

Outstanding!

[@CobblerBob]

Timbo Jackson 🙏🏼 thank you!

[@dukeyin1111]

Simple explaination! Thanks a lot.

[@rlane63]

Thank you for an in depth but very understandable and informative analysis. For anybody in the UK with an interest in quality shoes in similar styles, your video is invaluable. I find it confusing that expensive shoes such as Lobb, Crocket & Jones and Vazz look so smooth and painted, they almost look plastic. Do you know how they achieve this with high quality leather? Do they break the rules you describe?

[@CobblerBob]

Roger Lane 🙏🏼 thank you for your kind words! You’ll see better video production quality in my later videos BTW. To answer your question... I honestly would rather not answer specific questions about those above names shoes, as I’ve never handled any of them (I assume the last one is Vas’s?). But I do know this from watching and reading about the best shoes... they’ll be more selective than say Allen Edmonds about what leather they purchase. I don’t believe they’re achieving better leather by selling corrected grain leather. Their websites usually seem to say that they’re using full grain aniline leather. Crockett & Jones for example, their black calf “Arden” cap toe Oxford for $640 is made of “fine calf leather”. If you look at the closeup, you’ll see the fine surface texture of calfskin. So not only will they be more selective of the raw materials, being that their production quantities are lower than say AE, they have the ability to be very picky. Also, selling a $600-$1,000 shoe versus a $25”-$400 AE, they can have more scrap. The leather coming from the back of the cow for example is tighter and smoother than the sides or shoulder, and the belly skin is loose and wrinkly. I’m pretty certain Vass, Lobb, etc have MUCH more scrap leather, and higher standards about what is OK to use on the upper of a shoe. They’ll probably pay more for higher grade leathers too. If they’re hand lasted, or if they at least take more time machine lasting them, they may be better able to control how tight the uppers are wrapped over the lasts. Just some thoughts.

[@rlane63]

Thank you Robert for your comprehensive and speedy reply. Yes, sorry, they were Vass shoes I was describing. When you come to Britain, I'd recommend visiting Lobb in St. James, London. They are friendly enthusiasts and take the time to talk with you and you can see their work in progress. Lobb's available shoes and boots display is unchanged and looks Edwardian. You step back 100 years. Btw, if you go to Northampton, there are outlets that sell seconds and remaindered stock. A work colleague bought a pair of Churches for around £70. (I'd recommend hiring a car as these stores are some distance from each other.) I am also a keen eBay watcher and although the shoe brands I mentioned are prohibitively expensive, they do come down to the £200 mark occasionally. Still too much for me unfortunately!

[@freddieslaughter1107]

Hey, what kind of leather is the Allen Edmonds Chester Baroque Oxford Dress Shoes? They seem to me that they are patent leather or some plastic coating.

[@CobblerBob]

It’s hard for me to say. I don’t know that specific model well enough to say. In general though, the vast majority of AE shoes are full grain aniline leather. There WERE some corrected grain (I believe their marketing term for it was “polished cobbler”) made in the 1980s. The best way to find out is to get the approx date of the shoes (see my “Dating Allen Edmonds shoes” video) and then also check out the pinned comment for a way to look at the date code. Once you know the approx year, google “Allen Edmonds catalog” and you’ll find issuu.com has most of the catalogs going back to like 1960 or so. Then look up the catalog page for that model.

[@freddieslaughter1107]

@@CobblerBob Great info

[@jeanpierredelcroix4021]

Very nice Boxcalf. But how to get this kind of leather whitout Chrome.

[@CobblerBob]

As far as if the uppers are veg tanned or chrome tanned, that I do not know. You'd probably have to find out from the individual manufacturer.

[@paoloroma3061]

thank you ...

[@DanielAcosta-gi8xz]

Bob... really enjoy the channel.. need some help, got a pair of AE Fifth Avenues and accidentally got hand sanitizer and now have a light spot that won’t take polish. I’m new to this realm and want to get some insight. Thanks.

[@CobblerBob]

Daniel Acosta start with colored shoe polish like Saphir Medaille D’Or cream polish in the square glass bottles and put multiple coats on the light spot. It may take 5-10 applications. That will usually cover it to where other people won’t notice it. If that doesn’t work, you may have to go to the Re-dying method. See my other videos: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qYqaeZ59j62hbMU kzbin.info/www/bejne/pWTIeJpvg8SmiNk Those videos are not exact same thing, but they may help.

[@DanielAcosta-gi8xz]

Robert Powers, thanks for the response, will it give a try this weekend.

[@emmanuelenriquez4872]

Great content, clear cut information. I wanted to ask what you know of a pair of bostonian capped windsors (I think they are) that say made in Italy. They're not goodyear welted but it says upper leather and feel propper and firm but I can't find any having being made in Italy. Found them in a goodwill for 20$ curious to know how much I over paid at a goodwill

[@CobblerBob]

Emmanuel Enriquez - 🙏🏼 thank you! I just did a video on thrifting Bostonians: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m5y7f4tqiLOSrpI But here are a couple notes: 1. Bostonians are NOT a very good shoe to buy for the purpose of reselling on eBay. People go to eBay and search brand names, and even though Bostonian did make some very high-quality shoes, it is not a brand with a great reputation in those regards and people don’t go seeking them out. They pull very low prices on eBaeBay generally speaking unless they are Crown Windsors or shell Cordovan models. Do a search on eBay and select “sold“ to see what similar shoes have actually sold for. 2. The point of my video is that they actually can be a good shoe to purchase to wear yourself, if you know what you’re looking for. 3. Honestly, I’m not very familiar with the made in Italy Bostonians, but if they follow along with Johnston & Murphy, they will be higher quality than the made in India models, but lower quality than the made in USA models. I don’t know if they’re going to be corrected grain or full grain leather, my guess is probably they will be made of corrected grain leather and have very thin glued on leather soles. My impression of many of the 1990s - 2000s shoes made by Johnston & Murphy, Bostonians, and the like is they would make a shoe with cheaper construction methods (glued on leather soles and corrected grain leather) but people know that Italy makes some really high-quality shoes, so even though it’s made overseas with lower labor costs, it has a better product image just because of the made in Italy stamp.

[@emmanuelenriquez4872]

@@CobblerBob thank you much. You've been very helpful. I actually did find an exact pair going for 25$ so I'm not feeling too bad for paying 20$ anymore. I'm extremely new to this and these shoes were the spark to my new interest in hand made leather quality shoes. I was really interested to see what my virgin eye thought was decent at first glance. Lol Thanks again and I look forward to more awesome content

[@hemigod2]

When I go into a thrift store If there be a pair of Allen Edmonds, sitting amongst the Florsheim’s ,Bostonians and the Johnston Murphy’s, they stand out like a sore thumb, even though all are in used condition.. the difference would be comparable to seeing a pair of real shoes, sitting amongst cartoon shoes.

[@disturbed9361]

I liked before even watching it😜

[@gwlane5509]

Nice review! Thanks for taking the time to share information!! Sorry you have to suffer some misc fool responses...keep putting out good content and improving!

[@maxivanov4217]

Is the leather on allen admonds veg tan leather or chromexel? I would like to know if shoes out of cxl get nice patina,some say they dont, and if these allen eds are made from cxl thats is very nice patina

[@CobblerBob]

max ivanov - that’s a great question, but I don’t know for sure!! In my Leather Talk” videos I interview Phil Kalas, who actually WORKS at Horween Leather Co., but he wasn’t able to definitively tell me that. He says that he thinks shoe uppers are probably NOT veg tanned leather, bc veg tanned has lower tensile strength, lower heat resistance, and poorer resistance to cracking from flexing than Chromexcel or chrome tanned. JR Rendenbach is known for making the world’s best soles, and they’re all oak bark vegetable tanned leather, but notice they don’t make leather for shoe uppers. Leather Talk Part 1: kzbin.info/www/bejne/op6Vf5aJqt18pbs Leather Talk Part 2: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gpfOq3SYnqebl7s And thank you! If you are referring to the patina on the walnut/light brown colored AE Sanford derbies: I actually used a little black Saphir Mirror Shine on the toecaps to add to the patina effect.

[@SevenDeMagnus]

Thanks.

[@joytekb]

Superb

[@chrishalle1982]

Can one polish corrected grain leather? Because i have a pair of genuine leather shoes i cant polish no matter what i do. A mirrorshine is impossible.

[@CobblerBob]

Polish? Yes, you can always polish corrected grain. Mirror shining corrected grain CAN be very difficult! I've never had a pair that I was not able to shine, but I have had corrected grain shoes that took HOURS to get a half decent mirror shine on. Some of them just aren't receptive to polish.

[@chrishalle1982]

@@CobblerBob ok thanks 😊

[@Alandale45]

@@CobblerBob Are they receptive to shoe moisturisers because I don't want a pair of AE Polo that I own to crack.

[@shoesrepairreghaialedra7587]

Great job, I want to learn from you

[@CobblerBob]

Thank you! And sorry for the late reply. Go to my channel and look through the Playlists. I tried to organize them so it's easier to find what you want to learn about.

[@shoesrepairreghaialedra7587]

The only problem is that I am weak in English

[@ehabshawki9286]

that's great 👍

[@CobblerBob]

Thank you 👍

[@mariowijaya7181]

How to avoid cracking on the corrected grain type of leather ?

[@CobblerBob]

Mario Wijaya - I don’t know of any way. Even moisturizing them, polishing them, and wearing galoshes to keep them dry hasn’t helped for me. That’s why I stopped buying cheap shoes.

[@mariowijaya7181]

@@CobblerBob tbh, I didn't intentionally buy cheap dress shoes as I considered buying from one of the best brand in my city. But, it was my fault that I did not do a lot of reasearch before buying the shoes & end up with this type of leather. Is it normal that even a big brand dress shoes maker use corrected grain? I'm not really upset with the shoes at all, just lil bit with the brand cause they charged the same price with other type leather 😭

[@CobblerBob]

There are so many different makers anymore! From my experience when you get to the over $300 full retail price point you can get full grain calfskin leather uppers and Blake stitched soles. For less than that they may have full grain uppers, but may have a glued on sole that LOOKS like its stitched. To get full grain uppers and Goodyear welting in a dress shoe, it’s usually over $300/$400 and up I think.

[@mtnslyr]

Hold on, the difference between top and full grain is that the top grain is corrected?

[@corenting7343]

Wow thanks so much! Now I understand why some leather do those cracks, I just thought it was fake leather.

[@adhit528]

Bostonian shoes are made of semi-aniline leather?

[@gergemall]

Thank you

[@CobblerBob]

You're welcome!

[@LeonardoDeVinci1452]

I have a pair of AE corrected grain Park Avenues. They are in the great condition how do I maintain that for corrected grain shoes?

[@CobblerBob]

Sorry for missing your comment!!! I know I knock and don't like corrected grain, but I've thrifted probably a dozen pairs of corrected grain (aka "bookbinder") AEs. I've YET to see ONE pair that has ANY cracking! As I mentioned, ALL of the corrected grain shoes I've purchased (all since 2000) crack after a few years. OBVIOUSLY the stuff AE was using is VERY different than the corrected grain being used now. Just keep them polished, and don't cake it on too thick. I'd probably use cream polish to try and get some of the conditioners in the cream polish into the leather. Don't wear them 2 days in a row, and use shoe trees, and they should be good to go.

[@Alandale45]

@@CobblerBob Thank you

[@rjohn4143]

I have several Park Avenues, one of them is corrected grain (#5675 "Burgundy Polished Cobbler" from the 80s) and it is superb, in fact a nicer shoe to wear than some of the others which are full grain calf. I have found the best thing to use on high quality corrected grain is Venetian Shoe Cream, really massage it in, let it dry, then buff. It is also excellent for conditioning shell cordovan (and it recommended by Nick Horween of the famous tannery for that purpose - it is what they use). While full grain is generally preferable, high quality corrected grain absolutely has its place.

[@FitnessComedyParodyMEMECentral]

ty

[@MonkeyDLars]

8:12 wow very impressive, now lets see paul allen's shoe

[@victorpercy-jarrett8981]

Great presentation,but guys you need better lighting... so much dark colored product so quality lighting would be essrntisl.

[@locNguyen-jb1vt]

where to buy Allen Edmund ?

[@CobblerBob]

loc Nguyen - I’m not sure where you live, but Allen Edmonds have their own retail stores all over the USA. I’m not sure if they have retail stores outside the US. I’ve also heard that AEs are also sold in Nordstrom stores. Be careful - “Nordstrom RACK” carries second quality (not as good quality) at a discount. They are also available online at www.allenedmonds.com. It’s VERY difficult to buy them online if you don’t know your exact Allen Edmonds size though. It’s much better to get fitted by a professional at an AE retail store before you buy online. MOST people believe it or not do NOT know their real correct shoe size and width!

[@locNguyen-jb1vt]

thank you for your time. I live in Cali so there is an Allen Edmond near me but where do you buy the discounted Allen Edmond due to quality imperfection

[@duytanmai8590]

@@locNguyen-jb1vt global.allenedmonds.com/sale/factory-second-shoes-boots/

[@barryboswell323]

I have a pair of Johnson & Murphy shoes just like those and they’re made of sheep skin

[@joshnic6639]

I wish you could’ve elaborated more when you said “never pay full retail”

[@CobblerBob]

? I mean just that. I don't believe with shoes or clothes in general you should ever pay the full retail price. Most Allen Edmonds shoes Goodyear welted dress shoes as of late 2019 are $395 or $425. Don't pay over $335. Jos A Banks dress shirts are at least $89 full retail. You can get them new from Jos A Banks for $20 to $40.

[@tt55k]

You didn’t mention the horse which is not leather and you can not see grain .

[@CobblerBob]

Tt55 K - I have two entire separate videos for that! Here’s one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jWbRmWqhdsuCoqc and kzbin.info/www/bejne/eJWknnuFfJqJars

[@lurchamok8137]

1:58 "the wurscht part" :-) ..... nice vid

[@rodolfolasparri]

Could you imagine having to sit through a meeting with this man? ..."OK"

[@CobblerBob]

Rodolfo Lasparri - I would love to meet you. I’m sure I would have a lot to learn from a man without flaws.

[@mharmaansheikh6388]

Is this a myth that full grain leather shines less with spit shine whereas lower quality leather shines better

[@CobblerBob]

From my experience, corrected grain leather is naturally shinier than full grain, but much harder to get a full mirror shine on it. It’s a polymer surface and I have found it difficult to get the rapid wax buildup needed for a full mirror shine. I dislike the look of corrected grain though. It’s color is monochrome, there is no natural variation in color, there is no grain or texture on the surface, and it looks like crap when it wrinkles.

[@mharmaansheikh6388]

@@CobblerBob 😄 true mr Robert it looks like we have folded a plastic sheet

[@spoddie]

ok

[@hydroaegis6658]

Even full grain calfskin can sometimes have loose grain. After all the grain isn't necessarily consistent across the whole hide. The very best shoes use the very best leathers with the tightest grains (for least amount of wrinkling) and the most consistent grain. This is why some shoes can be $1k+.

[@CobblerBob]

YES. Absolutely.

[@zefdin101]

All the Florsheim stuff is correct grain leather... as you know RP.. too bad, classics

[@ezragonzalez8936]

dress Shoe fetish lovely!

[@WW-ob7ek]

Ask someone to do the video while you're drawing. *rolls eyes*

[@shafiesalleh932]

L

[@edwardtang1977]

Good leather looks "alive" even when in black. Look for tiny "imperfections" that doesn't make the shoe look cheap. Your eye tells you, "That is not completely even." But you can't really pin point where the imperfection is. It is alive! Trust your intuition. If you can't tell, go look cheap shoes at the mall, for a good half an hour. Now immediate go to an expensive shoe store. Still can't see the difference? Then what are you doing looking at leather products?

[@mdi786]

anybody wants leather from india

[@Hattonbank]

From the sacred cow?

[@tulukuma5708]

Prefect explanation but worst drawing

[@CobblerBob]

LOL, Sorry for that, I can definitely tell you my video production quality has gone WAY up over time. Here's the same concept with nice looking graphics: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d3qzpYmofaaknK8

[@tulukuma5708]

@@CobblerBob again great explanation and this time very good drawing now I understand it well..

[@phillato]

take care of those terrible fingernails..

[@CobblerBob]

I’m flawed. They just grow that way from cuticle damage from years working on cars. Sorry it bothers you.

[@phillato]

@@CobblerBob does not bother me...just to keep concordance with the inmaculate products you promote.. did not mean to hurt you..

[@FragRevel]

Excellent vídeo, thanks

[@hassanwaqar1445]

Superb