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Leather Cases - Patina Proud Photos

LFC2020 said:
No point in upgrading every year anymore, not going to lie, 120hz is amazing, didn't think it would be this noticeable on such a small screen, hopefully you get to experience it next year. 👌
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Agreed, I was going to keep my 12 Pro Max for a few years but my wife’s iPhone 13 PM (who upgraded when I was resolute not to) changed my mind once I saw the 120Hz and battery life. Now, I’m more resolute than ever to keep the 13 PM. One reason why I invested into the above leather cases - I plan on keeping these for a few years at least.
 
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BigMcGuire said:
Agreed, I was going to keep my 12 Pro Max for a few years but my wife’s iPhone 13 PM (who upgraded when I was resolute not to) changed my mind once I saw the 120Hz and battery life. Now, I’m more resolute than ever to keep the 13 PM. One reason why I invested into the above leather cases - I plan on keeping these for a few years at least.
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These apple leather cases aren't cheap here, $95 😬
 
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Got the Andar mag wallet in the mail today. Like others mentioned, the bottom magnet is weak so the wallet can twist but not enough to fall off. Leather quality is nice and same as the wallet. It also doesn't have the sound and animation that the apple wallet makes.
 
Ok, so I put my Decoded case under USB microscope and got the definitive proof that it's PU (polyurethane) coated leather. Take a look at how the edges around the Decoded branding are raised and uneven. That's the polyurethane that has melted and been pressed out around the stamp. Also no pores, just smooth bumps.

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Compare that to how the edges look on embossed text on what I know for certain is uncoated leather, below. Clean edges and no excess coating material that has oozed up around the letters.

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I won't go on about the Decoded case anymore now. It's bad leather and I just wanted to let everyone know.
 
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Liljeberg said:
Ok, so I put my Decoded case under USB microscope and got the definitive proof that it's PU (polyurethane) coated leather. Take a look at how the edges around the Decoded branding are raised and uneven. That's the polyurethane that has melted and been pressed out around the stamp. Also no pores, just smooth bumps.

View attachment 1914891View attachment 1914892View attachment 1914895

Compare that to how the edges look on embossed text on what I know for certain is uncoated leather, below. Clean edges and no excess coating material that has oozed up around the letters.

View attachment 1914893
View attachment 1914894I won't go on about the Decoded case anymore now. It's bad leather and I just wanted to let everyone know.
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Not sure if this means anything or not, but I have two Decoded cases. One smells strongly of leather while the other one has no leather scent to it at all.
 
Just picked up the Platinum case at Best Buy in brown. I attached a picture of it next to the brown Decoded case. The Platinum definitely has a more appealing shade of brown. I look forward to seeing how it ages over the next few weeks.

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maximus96 said:
i imagine andar would have at least a 20% off like they did for veteran's day.
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Speaking of which this just showed up in my inbox.

Too bad my AirPods case is already in the mail 😩
 

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BigMcGuire said:
I got my Bullstrap in the mail. The leather looks a lot dryer and it is a lot rougher than the Andar. The case feels thinner and sleeker than the Andar as well. The Bullstrap hugs the camera lens closer too so I could see over time it may expose the camera (as it did on my 12 Pro Max). But imo, it’s a slightly better case than the Andar but not by much. Buttons feel nearly identical.
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Andar uses full grain leather, which probably accounts for that extra thickness. But it's surprising that Bullstrap's top-grain leather looks so much more wrinkled, since it's typically the opposite (full grain would show more imperfections). Smooth full grain is usually the most expensive leather.

But thanks! I was hoping someone would do a side-by-side of Andar and Bullstrap. I do prefer the look of Bullstrap's leather camera bump, but at half the price and marginally better quality leather, Andar wins my vote this year.
 
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ritmomundo said:
Andar uses full grain leather, which probably accounts for that extra thickness. But it's surprising that Bullstrap's top-grain leather looks so much more wrinkled, since it's typically the opposite (full grain would show more imperfections). Smooth full grain is usually the most expensive leather.

But thanks! I was hoping someone would do a side-by-side of Andar and Bullstrap. I do prefer the look of Bullstrap's leather camera bump, but at half the price and marginally better quality leather, Andar wins my vote this year.
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I think the fact Andar is using full grain leather yet we’re still seeing more uniform textures than Bullstrap’s top grain is probably a good indication Andar is more discerning in their leather selections.
That’s surprising given the $29 price difference.
I’ll stick with my Andar
 
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Just got my navy 13 pro Andar case and I love the feel in-hand, the leather seems very high quality. Question for other users: do you worry about the open bottom leading to scratches or knicks on the bottom rail of the phone? My previous cases have had a closed bottom and I’m just wondering how well the bottom stays protected with this. Thanks!
 
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Mack Roomers said:
Just got my navy 13 pro Andar case and I love the feel in-hand, the leather seems very high quality. Question for other users: do you worry about the open bottom leading to scratches or knicks on the bottom rail of the phone? My previous cases have had a closed bottom and I’m just wondering how well the bottom stays protected with this. Thanks!
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just don't drop it
 
Mack Roomers said:
Just got my navy 13 pro Andar case and I love the feel in-hand, the leather seems very high quality. Question for other users: do you worry about the open bottom leading to scratches or knicks on the bottom rail of the phone? My previous cases have had a closed bottom and I’m just wondering how well the bottom stays protected with this. Thanks!
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I had a Phone Rebel with open sides since that case launched on my Midnight Green 11 Pro…I went fishing, worked on cars, ATV riding etc. with that case.
When I cleaned the phone up for trade in there wasn’t a microscratch to be found anywhere on the side bezels.
With no exaggeration I can say the bezels looked like the day they came out of the box.

The PVD coated stainless bezels on the Pros are very abrasion resistant so as long as the case does it’s job and keeps the bezel away from the major impacts there are no worries to be had about scratching based on my experience.

This is why I actually prefer the open bottom on the PVD coated Pros.
 
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i like the open bottom and missed it when upgrading from 11pro apple leather case to 12pro apple leather case. glad to be back with the andar.
 
bc 08 said:
I had a Phone Rebel with open sides since that case launched on my Midnight Green 11 Pro…I went fishing, worked on cars, ATV riding etc. with that case.
When I cleaned the phone up for trade in there wasn’t a microscratch to be found anywhere on the side bezels.
With no exaggeration I can say the bezels looked like the day they came out of the box.

The PVD coated stainless bezels on the Pros are very abrasion resistant so as long as the case does it’s job and keeps the bezel away from the major impacts there are no worries to be had about scratching based on my experience.

This is why I actually prefer the open bottom on the PVD coated Pros.
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Awesome, this is exactly what I was hoping to hear. Thanks for the response! Definitely looking forward to using this case daily
 
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Very impressed with Andar cases, been a week and it still smells strongly of leather, and it is already demonstrating patina specially on the areas where I hold it most. Scuffed the bottom edge slightly from constantly putting it in an out of my lead apron pocket, (I work in radiology) but even then it’s not an ugly scuff like the ones shown in apple leather cases. My only regret is not picking one up sooner
Edit: also I never thought I’d be a fan of the open bottom but I much prefer it over closed bottom now
 
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Thinking of picking up a nomad rustic brown for my 13PM. Is it worth it? Current using the jet black andar and loving it. Just wanted a case that pantina too.
 
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