u/eevee047

I recently bought a pegai black bridle leather wallet. On arrival it has some seemingly glaring issues. The leather was already cracked, appears to have been bent multiple times during manufacturing, and has a large black line spanning much of the wallet. The build quality itself seems solid, the stitching is great and consistent, and on the interior, even the pockets you're likely never to peer inside are backed with orange veg tan leather. The bridle leather is absolutely fantastic (the white you see is bloom, it's normal for bridal leather and can be brushed in with a horsehair brush). The wallet feels like it has good heft and it has quite a few good little details.

I just, can't get over the aforementioned issues with it. For a $200+ wallet, I expect more from them.

The first reply from their team was as follows: "We heard back from our team and after reviewing your photos, they've confirmed that what you're seeing is considered normal and is not a knife cut or a defect. Our leather undergoes a special sanding process at the factory, and the line you're noticing is simply an area where that process is slightly more visible on the surface. It is a characteristic of the production process and does not affect the quality, durability, or longevity of the leather in any way"

I asked that they please reconsider and sent another photo showing how the line spans over half of the wallet and received this:

"Hi there! Thank you so much for sharing your concerns and for being so open about your experience! We completely understand how noticeable natural markings can feel unexpected, especially when you haven't encountered this with leather products before. We want to take a moment to explain our philosophy, as it's quite different from what most brands do. At PEGAI, we deeply value and respect the life of the animal. We use full-grain leather that is minimally processed, which means the leather retains its natural surface — including any marks, scratches, veins, and variations that tell the story of that animal's life. These are not manufacturing defects but rather what makes each piece genuinely unique and authentic. The "cracks" you're seeing are most likely the natural grain, texture, or crease lines inherent to this type of leather. Unlike heavily treated or corrected leathers, our leather is left as honest and natural as possible, which can sometimes be more pronounced than what you may have seen with other brands. That said, for your peace of mind, we'll go ahead and share your photos with our team once more for a second look. We'll get back to you as soon as we hear from them!"

I'm a little surprised that after being sent to their review team they came back with that, as the line is very visible, from every angle, and has a noticeable dent along it. and the cracks have a noticeable texture and are absolutely more than just a bend.

In summary, the wallets themselves are absolutely solid, well built, and well designed, but I have concerns with their QC. Figured it a good idea to make this post also as I've yet to see any reviews of these wallets.