A friend of mine who worked for Classic softtrim and Roadwire once told me that the KR leather was real furniture grade saddle leather vs. the leather/vinyl/dyed stuff that comes in just about everything else. That is one of the reasons that you must condition the KR leather so the oils in our skin and primarily the sun doesn't dry it out. If you've ever seen a KR from the southwest that was neglected you know what I mean. The leather that is in lariats and fx trucks has UV inhibitors and is more permanently conditioned. I do believe ford started doing something and/or using different leather these last few years and is closer in quality and wear resistance to the leather in the fx and lariats.