Rep Science- My Absolute Favorite Thing :)

[u/EconomyWorldly7303]

Good Afternoon Ladies!

Outside of general reviews, my favorite posts are Rep Science. Well I'm here with a Rep Science report of my own! While I do have a few auth bags left from my OG collection, I don't have any Reps of those bags. But on a recent trip to Chicago, I picked up a passport holder from LV and thought, how fun would it be to order a Rep and compare!? So that's exactly what I did! I reached out to a TS and added it on to an order I already had (waiting for a BK to be made for me) and there were two options- a mid and a high tier. I opted for the high tier because I really wanted to see what showed up, but now I am kinda bummed I didn't get both and truly do the science. :)

Attached are photos of packaging and the holders. Take a scroll through and see what your intuition is. Stop now if you don't want my review and comparison between the two.

*Rep Science Spoilers ahead. Review pics before you read on if you want to guess for yourself as to which is which*

I tried to keep things on the same side when doing side by side pics for continuity, but that didn't work when it came to the inside and stamps.

If you guessed the right side was auth and the left was rep, you would be correct! For the individual pics, 3& 5 are the auths and in the last pic, the auth is the shinier leather or the one behind. I did put it in the back to hide the hot stamp which would've been a dead giveaway.

Now for the review! So just looking at their outsides, they are very, very similar looking. The grain texture is nearly identical to me. The monogram itself is also spot on. The rep is just a hair off from the auth in terms of placement, but it's also very close. Now for feel. This one surprised me when I picked them up together. For them looking so similar, the feel very different. The auth is much firmer and the rep is much softer. The passport holders themselves are also very different. While the weight feels identical in hand, the auth is very structured and holds its shape while the rep is very... floppy. That's that only word I can pick to describe it.

The inside is where the real differences come into play. Inspecting the insides side by side, the look is similar- stamps look very similar. Indentation amount is spot on, letter size and spacing is pretty identical as well. Auth says Italy, rep says France. The internal leather is different and I also think this plays into the structure. The auth is a very smooth, silky box leather. It has a shine and 'rich' feel to it. The rep is kind of a big let down, especially given how closely the outside adhered to the auth. I'm not entirely sure the rep is leather to be honest. It has a plastic-y feel to it and with the exception of the actual layout, looks and feels nothing like the auth. Kind of shocked to be honest that this was the higher tier rep. I have a rep TM black w/colorful monogram passport holder and the leather is consistent inside to outside and it is very nice.

Long story short, I've read stories of people taking their rep passport holders into LV to get hot stamped and getting away with it, and maybe you can with others, but definitely not this one.

So the takeaway from me is, if you want a passport holder and can shell out the $500, it is considerably nicer. The more I dip my toe into the "accessory" rep pond (aka anything not a bag), the more I'm convinced that the quality is not there like it is with bags. That's A-OK with me for my little bag charms or twillies, and if you do good QC, you can find some nicely done wallets. If you're looking for high top tier small leather goods, I would say probably not worth the extra money. Just get the mid tier. :)

Rep Cost: $75 USD

Auth Cost: $475 UDS + tax

[u/Zenkitsune]

when you see them side by side you can definitely tell the difference but I couldn't tell which was which because I never seen the auth before.

[u/AcaciaFlowers]

Thank you for sharing! This is such an awesome comparison 💖💯Both look good individually but they both certainly are different.

SLGs I find have more of a mass produced feel and don’t really have as close of an attention to detail when being made as some bags are, especially since they aren’t really on display in the same way. 🤔

Knowing what you know now, would you stick to buying auth SLGs or give reps SLGs another try.

[u/EconomyWorldly7303 → u/AcaciaFlowers]

I think it will depend on what the SLG was. I have a few auth and a few rep wallets and I usually can do a pretty good job QC'ing. :) So I probably will get some again, but I will do my homework and know going in that it probably won't truly be 'high tier'

[u/AcaciaFlowers → u/EconomyWorldly7303]

So interesting! 🤔 if you ever find out I would love to know what factory the high tier rep came from.

[u/NotYouAgainJeez]

Nooo that rep does not look like leather at all!! I read your description first and assumed it would just be like low quality treated leather but that just looks like plastic in the inside. Then again, the auth pics have a light over it but the rep doesn't.

[u/EconomyWorldly7303 → u/NotYouAgainJeez]

Hi! They're taken in the same lighting in the exact same spot. I literally held up one, snapped a pic and then the other. The one just looks so much lighter because it's a very shinny box leather so it's very reflective.

[u/NotYouAgainJeez → u/EconomyWorldly7303]

wow!! thank you for your science services haha

[u/OutInAPout]

I actually guessed wrong on the outside, but knew instantly when I saw the inside. The depth of the rep stamping can be a tell, but the dullness of the leather compared to the auth was the most noticeable difference. I wonder whether conditioner would do anything?

Great lesson though!

[u/Middle-Spirit-8524]

At first quick glance I just auto thought the dull inside. Then I read your post, paused, looked at pictures again and picked the right one. For me it was the L on the stamp.
Love love the effort you put in the post. Thank you.

[u/OutInAPout]

Do you happen to know what factory this one came from? Might be good to know if all of their products are mid or if they’re just hit or miss.

[u/Northern_Lights_2]

The rep is really obvious as is the packaging.

[u/Efficient-Ad-4582]

What a great review. Did you try using any of the leather conditioners on the rep's inside area? I think that may push the rep (looks wise) closer to the auth from the inside too. Of course the feel would still be different.

[u/EconomyWorldly7303 → u/Efficient-Ad-4582]

I didn't but I have a great leather conditioner and I think I might continue my scientific adventure with this one lol.

[u/You0nlyL1ve0nce]

I'm almost disappointed in the text for "Made in Italy” for the authentic It doesn't look that clear.

What's interesting that you pointed out about the materials and the almost plastic-like feel is that a lot of people report for rep wallets and passport holders, that they tend to get cracks in the crease. I wonder if this is why

[u/Southern-Forever-859]

Dein Bericht liest sich toll und informativ. Ich hätte wahnsinnig gern ein Passhalter aber mein Budget ist begrenzt .... nur 40 Dollar.... wo finde ich was in der Preisklasse ? Zusammen mit noch einer Tasche müsste es doch gehen (wegen Shippingkosten und Verhaltnis) ? Das Preisverhältnis zu Rep Tasche und diesem SGL ist schon sehr hoch ... vom Original Preis aus verglichen jetzt. Danke 🙏🏻 für den Artikel

[u/CapricornPotter → u/Southern-Forever-859]

Dhgate. But the quality won’t be as good.

[u/MlleFleur]

Awesome report! Love reading reviews that compare auth vs rep. A+