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The problem is trying to get that Glassy glaze. Like the esr leather for instance is more or less pressed and processed/painted suede so any type of abrasive will basically unmask what it really is.
Man your photos prove this is not the case. I am looking inward asking myself, why am I spending my free time pointing out someone's inaccuracies on macrumors.com instead of doing something productive. I guess it bothers me when people say incorrect things very loudly or confidently.

From your dissection there of the ESR case it looks like a cheap low-quality top grain tumbled leather with a color finish, which is not unexpected at this price range to be honest. The texture is from the leather being tumbled, it doesn't look "pressed in" and it would be hard to press in such a random looking texture anyway. I'm not sure where you are getting all this "painted suede, fake leather" stuff from, it's clear they are using a real albeit low quality hide. It's really common for cheap leathers to have a cheap finish even if they are top or full grain so I'm not sure why you think that is evidence of it being a "painted suede" of all things. There is such a thing as crappy top grain leather and looks like that is what ESR is using.

Fwiw I have no plans on getting near an ESR case, just like all these cheap cases it looks like junk to me. But it's easy to tell from your own pictures that your conclusions aren't accurate. I think what we can say is, ESR is marketing their case a certain way, but not falsely advertising or lying, and (unsurprisingly) they are using a cheap leather to keep costs low.
 
Man your photos prove this is not the case. I am looking inward asking myself, why am I spending my free time pointing out someone's inaccuracies on macrumors.com instead of doing something productive. I guess it bothers me when people say incorrect things very loudly or confidently.

From your dissection there of the ESR case it looks like a cheap low-quality top grain tumbled leather with a color finish, which is not unexpected at this price range to be honest. The texture is from the leather being tumbled, it doesn't look "pressed in" and it would be hard to press in such a random looking texture anyway. I'm not sure where you are getting all this "painted suede, fake leather" stuff from, it's clear they are using a real albeit low quality hide. It's really common for cheap leathers to have a cheap finish even if they are top or full grain so I'm not sure why you think that is evidence of it being a "painted suede" of all things. There is such a thing as crappy top grain leather and looks like that is what ESR is using.

Fwiw I have no plans on getting near an ESR case, just like all these cheap cases it looks like junk to me. But it's easy to tell from your own pictures that your conclusions aren't accurate. I think what we can say is, ESR is marketing their case a certain way, but not falsely advertising or lying, and (unsurprisingly) they are using a cheap leather to keep costs low.
From a layman's perspective... at a certain point it's all meaningless buzz words.

As in, is there really a significant difference in processed vs tumbled? cheap top grain vs quasi suede?

IDK. My main take away is: if it's cheap and the texture looks like the vinyl texture pattern on a cheap 90s car... probably best to avoid.
 
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From a layman's perspective... at a certain point it's all meaningless buzz words.

As in, is there really a significant difference in processed vs tumbled? cheap top grain vs quasi suede?

IDK. My main take away is: if it's cheap and the texture looks like the vinyl texture pattern on a cheap 90s car... probably best to avoid.
I don't disagree. Like I said it looks like a cheap case to me, I'm certainly not buying one. But I feel it's important to at least be honest about things or at least acknowledge if we don't know something, rather than make things up. In terms of talking about leather goods, actually there is a huge difference between saying top grain and suede, or "processed" vs tumbled. It's not just semantics, it's like if you buy a hot dog that says "100% beef" then claim they are putting sawdust in there instead.
 
Just got the Platinum case in and I’m very impressed. The difference is night and day with no plasticy coating feel whatsoever. The quality of the Horween leather is immediate as so as you touch or look at it. It feels luxurious and expensive. If you can live without strong MagSafe then I would suggest checking it out. I love it. It’s my Keeper.

It’s safe to say that this feels a lot better than my old xs max apple leather case as well by far.
 

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How is everyone elses Sequoia Green holding up?

I like the green leather, but after the first week then I’m getting nervous :D. It doesnt seem like we're going to see a rugged gradient of green patina, it’s starting to look like we're just going to see bright green and dirty black plastic.

Pic1: Edge color going black
Pic2: MagSafe Ring imprint. Inner ring is from Apple MagSafe, Outer dark ring is Belkin magnetic charger.
32B7AC88-B8B2-40F4-BA93-10E3011C1080.jpeg
61D54826-BA2A-41A2-8650-CA874D7EEA02.jpeg

Note: I am NOT complaining about fading or aging because I like the look of distressed leather on cases. I'm just not sure if this is a color that will age well.

(Also, I just bought a Midnight thinking you can’t go wrong with black. But I guess Midnight is dark blue. Ugh.)
 
How is everyone elses Sequoia Green holding up?

I like the green leather, but after the first week then I’m getting nervous :D. It doesnt seem like we're going to see a rugged gradient of green patina, it’s starting to look like we're just going to see bright green and dirty black plastic.

Pic1: Edge color going black
Pic2: MagSafe Ring imprint. Inner ring is from Apple MagSafe, Outer dark ring is Belkin magnetic charger.
View attachment 1859411View attachment 1859412
Note: I am NOT complaining about fading or aging because I like the look of distressed leather on cases. I'm just not sure if this is a color that will age well.

(Also, I just bought a Midnight thinking you can’t go wrong with black. But I guess Midnight is dark blue. Ugh.)
That pretty much makes me think this leather is not any different than last year’s cases. Again reaffirming my choice to go with the darker case this year as well. At least the black discoloration will blend in 😂…
 
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How is everyone elses Sequoia Green holding up?

I like the green leather, but after the first week then I’m getting nervous :D. It doesnt seem like we're going to see a rugged gradient of green patina, it’s starting to look like we're just going to see bright green and dirty black plastic.

Pic1: Edge color going black
Pic2: MagSafe Ring imprint. Inner ring is from Apple MagSafe, Outer dark ring is Belkin magnetic charger.
View attachment 1859411View attachment 1859412
Note: I am NOT complaining about fading or aging because I like the look of distressed leather on cases. I'm just not sure if this is a color that will age well.

(Also, I just bought a Midnight thinking you can’t go wrong with black. But I guess Midnight is dark blue. Ugh.)
Apple MagSafe charger is poorly designed, my belkin 3-1 doesn’t leave any marks on my cases.

Why does apple think it’s a good idea to leave a exposed steel ring on their charging puck, the puck on the belkin charger is fully covered in rubber. 👌
7DA9CB5F-376F-47C5-BED2-CB46D2958338.jpeg
 
I’m sure its been asked before but would a iPhone 12 Pro Max fit inside the 13 Pro Max leather case? Really liking the sequoia green.
 
Has anyone got any long term photos of what imprint the MagSafe charger does to leather cases? Unsure if I should go silicone or leather this year.
 
Has anyone got any long term photos of what imprint the MagSafe charger does to leather cases? Unsure if I should go silicone or leather this year.

Leather will show MagSafe imprint. The longer you use the stronger the imprint will be. Silicone on the other hand does not degrade due to MagSafe. I have tried both. I do not use MagSafe with my leather case because of this issue.
 
This time around, I think I am gonna stick with dark cherry. I have been using saddle brown case since the beginning and seeing this golden brown is a bit disappointing. It almost looks orange.

One thing that I noticed was that the dark cherry has more granular leather as compared to the golden brown.

This time around, I ordered dark cherry from the amazon and golden brown from apple online store. I had to get the brown case replaced because of the uneven sides. I feel like amazon has much higher quality leather cases and much better replace/return policy. Of course, this may vary by country.
 

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Snapped some pictures of my 2 week old dark cherry case versus a case of the same color that has not been used and is being returned. You can see that the left case (the used one) is starting to patina, as it is shinier with much more grip. Love the character of the leather with the natural wrinkles and marks on the top grain.
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I got the Sequoia Green leather case for 13 pro max, and absolutely love it. I've used a leather case for probably 5-6 years now, and this one probably has the best overall fit/feel of any leather case I've owned. Not a single imperfection on the case and the feel is much softer out of the box than others I've owned. Not sure if just a good batch or this is how more are this year- but definitely impressed with the one I got.
 
How is everyone elses Sequoia Green holding up?

I like the green leather, but after the first week then I’m getting nervous :D. It doesnt seem like we're going to see a rugged gradient of green patina, it’s starting to look like we're just going to see bright green and dirty black plastic.

Pic1: Edge color going black
Pic2: MagSafe Ring imprint. Inner ring is from Apple MagSafe, Outer dark ring is Belkin magnetic charger.
View attachment 1859411View attachment 1859412
Note: I am NOT complaining about fading or aging because I like the look of distressed leather on cases. I'm just not sure if this is a color that will age well.

(Also, I just bought a Midnight thinking you can’t go wrong with black. But I guess Midnight is dark blue. Ugh.)
I put neatsfoot oil on my midnight case and it made it look more like black. Plus the leather is more supple with a nice grip. But yeah, that green looks likes a standard green crayon, and those ring marks already would promt a quick return from me.
 
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Snapped some pictures of my 2 week old dark cherry case versus a case of the same color that has not been used and is being returned. You can see that the left case (the used one) is starting to patina, as it is shinier with much more grip. Love the character of the leather with the natural wrinkles and marks on the top grain.
View attachment 1859945View attachment 1859946
Any leather experts know if those lines are “natural wrinkles” or a manufacturing imperfection?

I had an Apple Leather 7+ case that started out with a lines like that but soon turned into big wrinkles and eventually break points. On mine it seemed more like an uneven adhesive job so I’m not sure if thats ”natural wrinkles” or a point of concern. So far the range of leather (in looks and feel) has been pretty wide this year.
 
Any leather experts know if those lines are “natural wrinkles” or a manufacturing imperfection?

I had an Apple Leather 7+ case that started out with a lines like that but soon turned into big wrinkles and eventually break points. On mine it seemed more like an uneven adhesive job so I’m not sure if thats ”natural wrinkles” or a point of concern. So far the range of leather (in looks and feel) has been pretty wide this year.
I’m no expert but I have a lot of leather goods, ranging from dress shoes to briefcases to furniture. Wrinkles in the top grain is a natural characteristic of the material, and it’s usually a sign that the leather’s top grain is at least partially intact, as opposed to being shaved down or corrected. Most people who enjoy leather appreciate the natural characteristics of the top grain, and any perceived imperfections are considered part of what makes leather so unique/interesting. Some leather like Horween chromexcel, which is heavily treated with various dyes and agents, tends to have some spots where the leather is naturally more wrinkly - sometimes referred to as loose grain.

As for your older case delaminating, I’d chalk that up to a defect. The wrinkles seem on my case are simply part of what makes leather leather.
 
Just got the Platinum case in and I’m very impressed. The difference is night and day with no plasticy coating feel whatsoever. The quality of the Horween leather is immediate as so as you touch or look at it. It feels luxurious and expensive. If you can live without strong MagSafe then I would suggest checking it out. I love it. It’s my Keeper.

It’s safe to say that this feels a lot better than my old xs max apple leather case as well by far.

How well is the fit? I like my decoded case but wish it fit tighter.
 
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Did bestbuy pull their leather cases? I was just about to give them some money and I can't find it on the site anymore
They don’t stock too many of them. I went to 4 different BestBuy and each of them only stock 2-3 platinum cases per store.
 
Did bestbuy pull their leather cases? I was just about to give them some money and I can't find it on the site anymore
Looks like they are still on the website. I can’t stop stroking this thing either since I got it yesterday it just feels so amazing lol!


 
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