Hey Sam, thanks for doing these tests. I too am doing some research to find that perfect sofa. I thought about what you said and did some more research and came across this post from Article themselves explaining the differences and characteristics of their leathers:
https://www.article.com/blog/choose-leather-furniture/
The Mellos Taos and Solae were also sofas I was considering because of their low profile and simple design. If you’re out to put a scratch test on the Taos leather, it’s a setup for failure if that leather is actually meant to scratch easily to help develop that vintage patina. Just because a leather scratches easily or is meant to patina that way doesn’t necessarily mean it’s low quality right?
Of course, tastes differ, some people like that lived-in, scratched-up look while others loathe it and want their sofas to look pristine/newer longer. Just based on their post, Article seems to cater more to those who love that patina/worn-in leather look and they are recommending the leathers that basically scratch easily to those with kids and pets, according to that article.
Also for anyone else out there wanting to add to this conversation (warning: also rambling here) I thought I actually wanted a white or light gray sofa that is full grain aniline (something which Article doesn’t really offer). I don’t know if those colors defeat the purpose of a full grain leather which is meant to show the original animal’s character such as scars, bug bites, wrinkles, etc. if I’m also after a pristine look in terms of color uniformity… Obviously the warmer browns and tans Article has a panache for would highlight those “full grain” characteristics better than a completely black or stark white dye color… (Ya’ll get what I’m saying here?)
To add (and correct me if I’m wrong), “top grain” is a step below “full grain” in terms of quality… sort of. If we think of full grain as almost sort of the untouched virgin leather showing scars, natural marks, etc. then “top grain” is the buffed and sanded version meant to show perfection rather than embrace the natural “flaws” of the former. However because top grain is sanded, it can be considerably thinner than full grain leather. The trade off for momentary perfection is at the cost of long-term durability. Whereas full grain retains the original thickness of the hide and embraces scratches, oil absorption and ages well overtime so long as you too, embrace the scratches it sounds like in theory, full grain leather would outlive top grain leather… Or at least age more gracefully.
Whelp now I’m even more at a loss at what I want in a sofa. I thought I wanted a pristine white sofa but that can only look good for so long with two dogs and the constant fear of a guest wearing dark blue jeans sitting on it and staining it forever… Perhaps I will go for that full grain lived-in look…