Reddit – Dive into anything

I want to put the disclaimer that this is post is regarding a pair of boots that I’ve bought. I’ve come to this subreddit because I thought I would find the most people knowledgable about suede leather.

I purchased a pair of black suede western boots. Long story short, there was a problem with the welt being wider on one side than the other, so the store owner sent me a second pair in the same specifications. I immediately noticed two differences in the suede/skin used for the two pairs.

1. Pair B (the replacement pair sent to me) is about 2 shades lighter. If you look closely, there are streaks of uneven dying on the shaft.

2. Pair B has minimal nap and is much “smoother” to the touch. The suede feels equally as smooth whether I run my finger left/right/up/down. In contrast, Pair A (the 1st pair) feels much coarser/grainier as I run my fingers across the leather in one direction, and smoother in the opposite direction. The entire boot looks “fuzzier”, although the hairs on Pair A and B look to be about the same length (hard to tell).

I’ve already read some articles on the differences in the terms full grain vs top grain vs split.

I understand that as the splits get closer to the flesh side, you get a longer nap. As the splits get closer to the grain side, you get a shorter nap.

I also understand that the anatomic region of the animal (shoulder/spine/belly) where the split is taken from could also affect the quality of the leather.

So after reading up on that (which was quite interesting), I still have some questions that I can’t find the answers to:

Are there any processing steps that could affect the “coarseness” and “nappiness” of the suede?

Could extra layers of spray paint account for the suede feeling coarser/nappier?

Is there a processing step in which the hairs are shaved, and if so, could this account for Pair B looking less fuzzy?

I was wondering if someone can teach me what could account for those differences.