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Leather Cases - Patina Proud Photos

Knowlege Bomb said:
I’ve now settled into the Decoded leather and will probably be here til the fall. Previous years I’ve always landed in a Bullstrap (and one Ryan London) but the Bullstrap I received this year ended up feeling waxy and sticky. Shame because the slim form factor was incredible.

In comparison the Decoded is only slightly bulkier with more angular curves and a deeper profile for added screen protection. The leather itself is softer to the touch and seems to be very durable. I haven’t dropped it yet but there’s no markings I can see from daily use.

I thought I would be okay with the open plateau but having used both I much prefer the full coverage. The patina on the aluminum is a nice bonus IMO.

The buttons are slightly sharper and the leather doesn’t slope up around them like on the Bullstrap but they don’t have that “glued on the surface” look. The camera control cover works flawlessly in my experience but to be honest, I really only use it for quick launch.

The overall fit is fantastic. I typically pop the phone out every week or so and there’s really not much debris to be found, with a minuscule amount around the camera lenses and an average amount in the bottom openings. The microfiber lining is also a really nice touch.

TL;DR: Highly recommend for anyone still looking for a good leather option with closed bottom and full plateau coverage.

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I was going to buy this case but I have read a lot of bad reviews. You don't have any issues with the case?
 
SammyxVine said:
I was going to buy this case but I have read a lot of bad reviews. You don't have any issues with the case?
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I also have this case. I did have some damage to the case from after several drops which caused the metal camera protector to detach. They sent me a replacement under warranty. new one is holding up great.

I love the case and would buy it again.
 
batman75 said:
I also have this case. I did have some damage to the case from after several drops which caused the metal camera protector to detach. They sent me a replacement under warranty. new one is holding up great.

I love the case and would buy it again.
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Which colour do you have and is it your daily driver?
 
E92_M3 said:
I ended up trying the Black Brook in deep blue. I was not a huge fan of brown leather I had bought during the iPhone launch, deep blue wasn’t an option at the time, but I’m glad it is now. Reminds a lot of Apples old midnight blue and also this is probably the thinnest leather case available right now. View attachment 2609103
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That case looks great. I love the color. If they offered the Ryker version in that color I would buy it.

UPDATE - Blackbrook says they will launch the Ryker in 2 weeks. So now there may be an alternative to Decoded available for those of us who like full coverage.

Screenshot 2026-03-29 at 3.42.22 PM.png
 
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sporadicMotion said:
Here's an approximately one year old Ryan London case on an iPhone 15 Pro beside 2 other items purchase around the same time. I also own the saddle brown version and I will photograph it when my worldly belongings arrive at my new home in Japan. I really hate the way the saddle brown looked after 4 months of use being switched back and forth with this black case. I think it patina'd terribly compared to other saddle brown leather items I own.

The black case looks ok although it's just not the same quality of leather as the other two items here which are both made from Horween Chromexcel. I would love to get my hands on a REAL black Horween Chromexcel case. There are many products out there labeled as Horween Chromexcel that simply are not. Any experience with the real deal makes in painfully obvious. I suspect there is not one on the market as the case would likely cost around $100 USD which would alienate many buyers.

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Thought I would post some update photos of the cases I have one year later. They’ve all been used and loved although I do tend to favour the black Ryan London case. The brown Ryan London case looked bad for a bit but ended up looking great. It needs some conditioner as it’s a little dry now but that’s no big deal. The third case is a YWM. It’s not as nice as the photos suggest. The leather feel is just not on par with the Ryan London cases. I still wish for a real genuine Chromexcel case.

all.jpeg


YWM
YWM.jpeg


Ryan London Black
RLB.jpeg


Ryan London Brown
RLBr.jpeg
 
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Knowlege Bomb said:
I’ve now settled into the Decoded leather and will probably be here til the fall. Previous years I’ve always landed in a Bullstrap (and one Ryan London) but the Bullstrap I received this year ended up feeling waxy and sticky. Shame because the slim form factor was incredible.

In comparison the Decoded is only slightly bulkier with more angular curves and a deeper profile for added screen protection. The leather itself is softer to the touch and seems to be very durable. I haven’t dropped it yet but there’s no markings I can see from daily use.

I thought I would be okay with the open plateau but having used both I much prefer the full coverage. The patina on the aluminum is a nice bonus IMO.

The buttons are slightly sharper and the leather doesn’t slope up around them like on the Bullstrap but they don’t have that “glued on the surface” look. The camera control cover works flawlessly in my experience but to be honest, I really only use it for quick launch.

The overall fit is fantastic. I typically pop the phone out every week or so and there’s really not much debris to be found, with a minuscule amount around the camera lenses and an average amount in the bottom openings. The microfiber lining is also a really nice touch.

TL;DR: Highly recommend for anyone still looking for a good leather option with closed bottom and full plateau coverage.

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Looks amazing.. been eyeing the blue one for my silver PM. The only thing that concerns me is the magsafe ring burn-in at the back!
 
I’m using the Olde Dublin Nomad Horween case, which is probably the most susceptible case on the market to marks, scuffs, scratches and indents. With that context, I can confirm that covering my Magsafe charging puck with a microfiber cloth like the ones included with screen protectors or to wipe eyeglasses leaves absolutely no marks on the case after charging, (nor does it negatively impact charging at all).
 
Anyone have a 17 Pro or Promax with the Luckycoin case that has been used for a while? If so,could you post a photo of how its looking? I currently have a 15 with the LC case and I love the case, but haven't been loving the phone lately. It has some issues and so I'm starting to think about updating the phone. I'll either get a 17 Pro with the LC or I'll really shake things up and get a Pixel 10 Pro. The Pixel has really be calling my name but I'm so invested in the walled garden that I will likely end up sticking with Apple. I just want to see the 17 Pro LC case to see if its aging as nicely as my 15 has. Thanks in advance!
 
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After trying a few different cases, I finally settled on the Bullstrap Contemporary in the Sienna finish. The price tag is a bit steep, but I had a $70 Amazon credit, which made it more palatable. This is the closest thing to the Apple leather cases I used to swear by.

Also, I don’t get the hate for the bull logo. I think it looks pretty cool!
 

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AlphaGuitarist said:
After trying a few different cases, I finally settled on the Bullstrap Contemporary in the Sienna finish. The price tag is a bit steep, but I had a $70 Amazon credit, which made it more palatable. This is the closest thing to the Apple leather cases I used to swear by.

Also, I don’t get the hate for the bull logo. I think it looks pretty cool!
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Nice! I grabbed 2 "Luckycoin" cases off Amazon back on Black Friday, which are EXTREMELY similar to Bullstrap brand - without the bull logo on the back, "Terra" color and "Black"

Black case feels great, the feel of the Luckycoin Terra is...ok, but it's getting a nice Patina right now.

Anyway, I picked up a 17 Pro Max discontinued, discounted Bullstrap "Minimalist Case in BOURBON", used a coupon which helped. Always loved that dark chocolate brown. But wow, this Bullstrap case is extremely tight fitting on this phone.

2026-04-21_09-42-45_813.jpeg


*Also Bullstrap had a little promo a few weeks ago - "We're giving away $10,000" of cases at 10am" (just pay shipping) - Figured..'wow, this wont be a problem.' I had the Slate in mind...something different.

Well my math wasn't mathing...LOL. That 10K was just 100 free cases. Whew...as soon as I got the special link in the mail, I clicked on it and the 100 free cases were already sold out within 60-90 seconds. Ah well.
 
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DR3MCLAREN said:
Anyone have a 17 Pro or Promax with the Luckycoin case that has been used for a while? If so,could you post a photo of how its looking? I currently have a 15 with the LC case and I love the case, but haven't been loving the phone lately.
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I JUST posted my Terra Luckycoin 17 PM case I picked up in November...that's the one I've been using a lot. The patina on this lighter brown is starting to darken nicely I think.

Actually the Wilken case I picked up for my 13 Pro Max years ago, that one surprised me....THAT patina after 16-18 months...really nice. I finally see they have a 17Pro/Pro Max version.

IMG_6717.jpeg
 
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PhillyGuy72 said:
Nice! I grabbed 2 "Luckycoin" cases off Amazon back on Black Friday, which are EXTREMELY similar to Bullstrap brand - without the bull logo on the back, "Terra" color and "Black"

Black case feels great, the feel of the Luckycoin Terra is...ok, but it's getting a nice Patina right now.

Anyway, I picked up a 17 Pro Max discontinued, discounted Bullstrap "Minimalist Case in BOURBON", used a coupon which helped. Always loved that dark chocolate brown. But wow, this Bullstrap case is extremely tight fitting on this phone.

View attachment 2623778

*Also Bullstrap had a little promo a few weeks ago - "We're giving away $10,000" of cases at 10am" (just pay shipping) - Figured..'wow, this wont be a problem.' I had the Slate in mind...something different.

Well my math wasn't mathing...LOL. That 10K was just 100 free cases. Whew...as soon as I got the special link in the mail, I clicked on it and the 100 free cases were already sold out within 60-90 seconds. Ah well.
Click to expand...
That bourbon Minimalist looks great! Unfortunately, the open bottom is a dealbreaker for me, otherwise I’d have been all over it.

They had a similar giveaway for the new Blaze case yesterday. I came very close to getting one, but wasted a few precious seconds on deselecting the package insurance. That’s what I get for trying to save $2!
 
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Hi everyone,

Exactly one year ago, I bought an original Apple leather case in red for my 11 Pro because I was hoping it would develop a nice dark patina. And it did it perfectly!

Unfortunately, it’s now starting to develop small blistering in the upper right corner and below the power button. That’s why I bought a new one—this one can age for another year.

And here are the two beauties:

redbeauties.JPG
 
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mikext said:
Amazing. What a beautiful, uniform patina.
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Thank you. The first three months were quite involved. No chemicals, lotions, or anything else. Just constantly touching it and rubbing it with my hands and fingers. My fingers were sometimes a little bit wet.
 
Macioso said:
Hi everyone,

Exactly one year ago, I bought an original Apple leather case in red for my 11 Pro because I was hoping it would develop a nice dark patina. And it did it perfectly!

Unfortunately, it’s now starting to develop small blistering in the upper right corner and below the power button. That’s why I bought a new one—this one can age for another year.

And here are the two beauties:

View attachment 2624329
Click to expand...
I miss those old apple leather cases.
 
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Macioso said:
Yes, they were so elegant and slim. Just like the phones back then, which were so sleek and slim, without that extremely huge camera bump. That’s why I’m keeping my iPhone 11pro as long as I can and as long as (security) updates are available.
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One of my coworkers still uses their iPhone 11 Pro Midnight Green with the Saddle Brown Leather case and it looks so good. I miss that era of phones without obnoxious camera bumps.
 
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mikext said:
One of my coworkers still uses their iPhone 11 Pro Midnight Green with the Saddle Brown Leather case and it looks so good. I miss that era of phones without obnoxious camera bumps.
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AlphaGuitarist said:
That bourbon Minimalist looks great! Unfortunately, the open bottom is a dealbreaker for me, otherwise I’d have been all over it.

They had a similar giveaway for the new Blaze case yesterday. I came very close to getting one, but wasted a few precious seconds on deselecting the package insurance. That’s what I get for trying to save $2!
Click to expand...
Yeah, the open bottom is a bit of a pain. I had this for my Pacific Blue 12 Pro Max, but I actually put a nice matching blue metallic tape I picked up from Michaels arts and crafts on the bottom just to protect it from scratching. It worked out well.

I still have to do the same for the silver 17 PM before I'll use this case daily...protect the exposed bottom area. May sound stupid to some, I just like to prevent my phones from scratches, especially this newer one that is a little more susceptible to scratches.
 
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