Ok, so got my samples of the 9131 leathers & honestly, they're not as great as the 9593 Echo Park samples. They're good, don't get me wrong. They're just not as good. They feel noticeably thicker & even looking at the 2 side by side, they appear to be the same millimeter in thickness. But, the 9593 is much, much softer & pliable. They're both pull ups, but the 9593's color burst is more apparent & noticeable.
In this picture I took of the 2, it's the same color in both hides so you can see the 9131 has a textured look, very subtle graining which is smooth to the touch. Whereas, the Gr6 9593 on the right is smooth & flat as butter. The sample of the 9593 is wrinkled due to my folding & bending it to see if it'd get like that, as I prefer that wrinkled, worn look.
Uh, so now I'm really torn. I know not to base my leather selection off of 1 sample & thankfully I got 2 other 9131 colors, but they also feel noticeably thicker & have that smooth graining. It's NOT an impregnated grain. I can tell that much. I also ONLY would opt for a pure aniline, so I'd never go for a leather finished with an impregnated grain. The 9593 is just a smoother, softer, more pliable leather.
I also got a sample for the 9090-87 & 9120-87, both of which are Gr3 leathers. The 9090-87 is buttery smooth like the 9593 & the 9120 has the smooth graining similar to the 9131 leathers. If I had to choose btwn just those two, I'd deff go with the 9090.
Interestingly, I requested a sample of the 9567-85 A leather, which is a Gr1 leather & one of the only, if not, the ONLY Gr1 aniline B&Y offers. It's very smooth with not much graining at all. Its description does not state it's a pull up, but rather is colored by working into the hide the dyes & then wiped off after the piece has been upholstered. Sounds somewhat similar to how a burnished leather is made. I don't see any noticeable pull up effect when I pull it, but it has a color burst in the middle of the sample. So, even tho this is an aniline, it's not a pull up. It feels thicker too, similar to the 9131 & 9120 leathers. I don't particularly care for it because the 9567-87 A sample I have is very finished looking, like it's been impregnated with a wrinkled effect. The 9567-85 is a bit less finished looking, but neither is a leather I'd prefer even based on this subtle of an impregnated, finished look. For a pure aniline, I'm surprised it looks & feels like it does.
Only the 9593 has a strong leather smell. The others have only a slight leather smell & none have a chemical smell(they're all aniline leathers, so I'd not expect them to have a chemical smell & would immediately rule any out that did.)
Whew LOL! I told you guys I'd tell you what you think & hopefully my LONG description helps!! All in all, I don't dislike the 9131 leathers, but I'm looking for a leather that's as near to the Gr6 9593 as possible at a better price point & based on what I've got in front of me: I'd have to go with the 9090-87 . The 9090 is only in 3 colors: 85, 87 & 89. I think 9090-89(don't have a sample of) might be too dark, but I'll have to take a look at it before ruling it out. The 9090-85(also, don't have a sample of) I'm 99% will be too light. My favorite brown in any of B&Y's leathers is their -88 designated hides. It seems the lower numbers are lighter colors, & the higher numbers are the darker colors.
Andrea
Last edited by Asomer; 04-30-2016 at 01:06 AM. Reason: Added a bit more to the 9567 description
Thank you so much! Your observations and opinions are a great help to all of us!