lately I've done a few stands in different shades of that silver gray color, it's also metallic. mainly because black gets old, I did different types of black. Then it hit me that a lighter color wouldn't show dust as much.
I have a few treadles, last thing I need is to become a professional treadle stand duster
By real leather I mean cut from a hide. it will have one or two smooth sides and not perfectly round , then two cut sides, kinda grainy looking.
The recycled stuff is round grainy all the way around, often red and coated with something that cracks.
not saying don't buy these They do work just fine.
I tell ya. I would have never known this about belts, I have bought two machines that had brand new spare belts, still in the boxes in the drawer. one was a singer belt by brand name. known to be 50+ years old.
I've have both belts in use. they adjusted first time, there smooth treadling, never slip, the 12$ belts I've bought locally are working the same way. keep in mind I can only use one leg, maybe I feel the difference more than a two leggier
But then I prefer alcoa brand tin foil for making my hats
I've bought those red one's off ebay and the brown one's plus a 100" roll. This is the type that sells for $6 per 72". The place here use to sell the same red coated belts. The belts that came in 72" pieces have per installed staple on one end. I have never bought one yet, that the staple didn't tear out in the first few pumps of the machine. What I found to be the cause was. whoever installs that staple, heats it red hot. pushes it through the belt and smashed down the end. Doing this burns the leather, plus there off to the side a bit. so there is almost zero leather holding that staple, then the belts are coated it something like shellac. The belts are made from ground up leather that has been spit back out as one long piece, which means there is no fiber to make a grain in the belt.
anyway long story on belt quality cut leather VS recycled leather.