New leather flogger is shedding and has strange smell....?

We just bought a leather flogger from an online store, our first ever (we previously had a faux-leather one that broke really fast). It claims to be genuine leather and has received a few good reviews.

But I noticed 2 things after I bought it:

1. It has a very strong acidic/chemical smell. I have had various leather products before (not sex toys, but shoes and bags) and I've never encountered that sort of smell before.

2. It sheds?! A lot! One side of the flogger straps seems to be very uneven, and sheds little black bits each time you run your hand down the straps or use them for their intended purpose. I read that a bit of shedding is "normal", but that it should be okay after you "shake it off a few times" or "run a paper towel down it a few times". I shook it for a good minute and ran a paper towel down it about 20 times... it's still shedding.

Is this normal? Should we return it and try to get a refund? The shop usually says "no returns" but if it's a manufacturing defect it's not really our fault.

I will try to attach a picture.

Hey, it's me, your seemingly personal bearer of bad news...

A toxic slush of chromium salts is used widely in the Chinese and Indian leather industry, and to be fair in some other places as well. But in those two countries, it's almost exclusively as the process. In the process. The leather -more on that later- is pickled using chromium, a process which uses a a very low pH of 2.8 - 3.2 (that's acidic).

My GUESS is, your flogger is made of Chinese or Indian leather pickled in a metallic salt, chromium or other, and because that is step one in making cow hide leather, that smell will likely never go away. It's literally part of it now.

Now, re: the shedding... Either it was rushed through the process or it was at the end of the batch or... It's not cow hide at all. That last possibility is a real likelihood, the Chinese and Indian use a lot of dog, cat and "other" skin.

Aahhhh. Well, better bad news than no news... I guess?

It's from a California LLC, but it could well be made in China. I managed to get a picture. Also found a link to the item on Amazon (that's not where I bought it from, but it's the same product): https://www.amazon.com/Strict-Leather-Beginner-20-Flogger/dp/B008JGNHB6

You can see that it's pretty torn up. I wonder if that's within the realms of "normal" or I should definitely insist on a return?

That said... the vast majority of sex toys (and everything else) is made in China, anyway. So how does everyone else deal with the shedding? :/

AmethystMelange said:

Aahhhh. Well, better bad news than no news... I guess?

It's from a California LLC, but it could well be made in China. I managed to get a picture. Also found a link to the item on Amazon (that's not where I bought it from, but it's the same product): https://www.amazon.com/Strict-Leather-Beginner-20-Flogger/dp/B008JGNHB6

You can see that it's pretty torn up. I wonder if that's within the realms of "normal" or I should definitely insist on a return?

That said... the vast majority of sex toys (and everything else) is made in China, anyway. So how does everyone else deal with the shedding? :/

Click to expand...

That looks more like bad preparation prior to picking or between steps. Leather is just skin and it sloughs. It may stop once the loose material is all dislodged. It should be -SHOULD BE- pickled and tanned all the way through regardless. But yeah, it is unsightly.

As to "safe" toys, try...

http://www.leatheretc.com

https://www.liberator.com/made-in-usa.html

Gotham_Central said:

That looks more like bad preparation prior to picking or between steps. Leather is just skin and it sloughs. It may stop once the loose material is all dislodged. It should be -SHOULD BE- pickled and tanned all the way through regardless. But yeah, it is unsightly.

As to "safe" toys, try...

http://www.leatheretc.com

https://www.liberator.com/made-in-usa.html

Click to expand...

Is there anything I can do to stop the shedding earlier (prior to play)? I've heard sandpaper + saddle oil might help, but it would be nice to get confirmation first.

Don't think we can afford a second leather flogger unfortunately. :/

Gotham_Central said:

Hey, it's me, your seemingly personal bearer of bad news...

A toxic slush of chromium salts is used widely in the Chinese and Indian leather industry, and to be fair in some other places as well. But in those two countries, it's almost exclusively as the process. In the process. The leather -more on that later- is pickled using chromium, a process which uses a a very low pH of 2.8 - 3.2 (that's acidic).

My GUESS is, your flogger is made of Chinese or Indian leather pickled in a metallic salt, chromium or other, and because that is step one in making cow hide leather, that smell will likely never go away. It's literally part of it now.

Now, re: the shedding... Either it was rushed through the process or it was at the end of the batch or... It's not cow hide at all. That last possibility is a real likelihood, the Chinese and Indian use a lot of dog, cat and "other" skin.

Click to expand...

Circle gets the square.
I fully concur.

Goth - do you know off-hand if a "made in USA" leather item also has to be tanned in the US or if it can be a "made in USA of foreign parts" type situation where it's crafted in the US but tanned overseas?

cfuhrer said:

Circle gets the square.
I fully concur.

Goth - do you know off-hand if a "made in USA" leather item also has to be tanned in the US or if it can be a "made in USA of foreign parts" type situation where it's crafted in the US but tanned overseas?

Click to expand...

That depends on how they write the sales literature.

"100% Made in the USA" could mean Indian leather and American Craftsmen.

"100% American Product" should mean everything in it was made in America from the leather to the handle to the lanyard cord.

Keep in mind, however, that in the 90s a certain low price retailer based in Arkansas was fined for placing foreign products in boxes marked "Made In American" and defended their claim by pointing out that the BOX was made in America.

Your best bet is to send an e-mail and ask some pointed questions of the retailer. Also, you will be surprised how many bondage toy makers are Craftsmen who see what they produce as art and value the impression they leave on the market.

Like any thing, Buyer Beware, you get what you pay for!

Gotham_Central said:

That depends on how they write the sales literature.

"100% Made in the USA" could mean Indian leather and American Craftsmen.

"100% American Product" should mean everything in it was made in America from the leather to the handle to the lanyard cord.

Keep in mind, however, that in the 90s a certain low price retailer based in Arkansas was fined for placing foreign products in boxes marked "Made In American" and defended their claim by pointing out that the BOX was made in America.

Your best bet is to send an e-mail and ask some pointed questions of the retailer. Also, you will be surprised how many bondage toy makers are Craftsmen who see what they produce as art and value the impression they leave on the market.

Like any thing, Buyer Beware, you get what you pay for!

Click to expand...

Thank you.

Liberator.com

Spoke with a very helpful lady via their sales chat who informed me that their leather -always- of it-s is made in the US. She told me the manufacturer but when the window closed, I lost it. I think it was oddoleather.com


https://www.liberator.com/black-label.html

Some leather smells a lot. Real leather smells in general, but it also depends on what etching materials were used. It definitely should never be odorless.

Also when you think about other leather products that you own - what are those? If it's clothes/furniture, then you should remember that the backside and the edges of the leather are not exposed at all on those items. It's natural for the leather to fall apart a bit, methinks.

I could be wrong. I don't have any leather on hand to check.

Here are few links that may help you somewhat.

http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Bad-Smells-out-of-Leather

As for falling apart, I found only this. Not really your case, but I think close.
https://www.styleforum.net/threads/why-do-some-leather-belts-fall-apart-around-the-holes.280739/

Try googling more on yourself - I've no time right now.

Doesn't matter if made in the US or not, there is chrome tanned leather used for products everywhere. Veg tan leather is the best, same as used for quality sheaths and holsters.

Thanks all! Really can't spend the money to buy a second one right now (especially as there is only a limited range of products where we live and they are more expensive than in the US), but will keep that advice in mind when we do. In the meantime, gotta try and make the best of this one.

Nezhul said:

Some leather smells a lot. Real leather smells in general, but it also depends on what etching materials were used. It definitely should never be odorless.

Also when you think about other leather products that you own - what are those? If it's clothes/furniture, then you should remember that the backside and the edges of the leather are not exposed at all on those items. It's natural for the leather to fall apart a bit, methinks.

I could be wrong. I don't have any leather on hand to check.

Here are few links that may help you somewhat.

http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Bad-Smells-out-of-Leather

As for falling apart, I found only this. Not really your case, but I think close.
https://www.styleforum.net/threads/why-do-some-leather-belts-fall-apart-around-the-holes.280739/

Try googling more on yourself - I've no time right now.

Click to expand...

I did try googling, but most of the links I found were for shoes, bags, furniture etc. As you said, those can be very different.

I wonder if applying leather conditioner might help? Although I'm not even sure what type of conditioner to use, as the flogger doesn't specify what sort of leather it is, and different leathers need different conditioners?

Handsonyou said:

Doesn't matter if made in the US or not, there is chrome tanned leather used for products everywhere. Veg tan leather is the best, same as used for quality sheaths and holsters.

Click to expand...

The difference is not do much the process, but the quality of the process and what they start with. US manufactured leather will most likely be beef, maybe deer. China and India are documented as using dog, cat and other things. Worry about the other things.

AmethystMelange said:

I wonder if applying leather conditioner might help? Although I'm not even sure what type of conditioner to use, as the flogger doesn't specify what sort of leather it is, and different leathers need different conditioners?

Click to expand...

Conditioning might help.
http://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=1449598

cfuhrer said:

Conditioning might help.
http://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=1449598

Click to expand...

Does it matter what "type" of leather mine is? It doesn't specifically say what type, but I heard that suede, Nubuck etc is all "leather" but requires a different type of care, so I can't just go applying random leather conditioner to it?

Handsonyou said:

Doesn't matter if made in the US or not, there is chrome tanned leather used for products everywhere. Veg tan leather is the best, same as used for quality sheaths and holsters.

Click to expand...

As a full time, professional Flogger maker, I would have to strongly disagree with this.
Veg tan is great for belts, harnesses satchel bags, but is way too hard for floggers.
Every single hide varies in weight, thickness, softness and colour. You noticed that yours sheds a lot. In all likelihood it was made from the rubbish belly skin, which most good makers discard as it is mossy and stretchy. The bad news, there is nothing you can do about it.
Better to purchase direct from a maker rather than a reseller. You will get good guidance as to the length, hide and sensation of each Flogger.