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Ultimate Leather Conditioner Comparison (on Reddit)

JonS1967

One of the Regulars
Messages
213
Location
San Diego
Ahh, LW. No wonder the leather looks so beautiful!

Based on your experience, would you have any concerns about treating an entire jacket with Leather Sheen? I’m a little nervous about doing something irreversible to my jacket.
 

PeterRocco

Practically Family
Messages
602
Location
Staten Island New York
Just stumbled upon these fantastic, super informative posts on Reddit and figured no better place than TFL to share them. Don't forget to click on the imgur photo galleries for additional information.

Gotta add that all the observations on the conditioners that I personally have used are spot on. Lexol does nothing. Gotta get me some Obenauf's.

First comparison:
https://www.reddit.com/r/goodyearwelt/comments/cl4l2n
Second:
https://www.reddit.com/r/goodyearwelt/comments/d5ghp1
Third:
https://www.reddit.com/r/goodyearwelt/comments/d92wbr
Hello
Thanks for sharing. From what I got out of it is Pecard does not really condition but protects. I use Pecard Black and Brown Motorcycle Tint Dressing and I really like the result. Just have to Waite more then 24 hours for it to absorb into the leather but afterwards after you, wipe it down your left with a nice sheen and the leather just feels much better. I use Bick 4 before I apply the Pecard Dressing. But I Also use Bick 4 on my Red Wing Heritage Boots and nothing else.
 
Last edited:
Messages
10,743
Ahh, LW. No wonder the leather looks so beautiful!

Based on your experience, would you have any concerns about treating an entire jacket with Leather Sheen? I’m a little nervous about doing something irreversible to my jacket.

Try a small section first. See if you like how it looks and feels.
 
Messages
17,111
Hello
Thanks for sharing. From what I got out of it is Pecard does not really condition but protects. I use Pecard Black and Brown Motorcycle Tint Dressing and I really like the result. Just have to Waite more then 24 hours for it to absorb into the leather but afterwards after you, wipe it down your left with a nice sheen and the leather just feels much better. I use Bick 4 before I apply the Pecard Dressing. But I Also use Bick 4 on my Red Wing Heritage Boots and nothing else.

Think of leather as several layers of fishnets. The drier the net is, more friction the twine has to endure which ultimately leads to damage.

Lubricants reduce friction. Pecard leather conditioner is a petroleum derived grease or in other word, a lubricant, intended to reduce friction of leather fibers.

Pecard Weatherproof Dressing is a wax/acrylic based dye, intended to cover up/mask damage/abrasions that happened to the coating of the jacket.

You gotta know which to use and why. If your leather jacket isn't damaged, there's no point in using Pecard Weatherproof Dressing.
 

dannyk

One Too Many
Messages
1,945
Think of leather as several layers of fishnets. The drier the net is, more friction the twine has to endure which ultimately leads to damage.

Lubricants reduce friction. Pecard leather conditioner is a petroleum derived grease or in other word, a lubricant, intended to reduce friction of leather fibers.

Pecard Weatherproof Dressing is a wax/acrylic based dye, intended to cover up/mask damage/abrasions that happened to the coating of the jacket.

freestar


You gotta know which to use and why. If your leather jacket isn't damaged, there's no point in using Pecard Weatherproof Dressing.
Yup anything that says weatherproofing or sealing. You certainly can use on jackets and it won’t “hurt” them. But those are typically more for boots. For folks working in wet conditions, dealing with chemicals, sparks flying onto the boots constantly. It helps seal the moisture in and keep all that crap out from getting into the leather, or into the boot itself and getting you wet/hurt. If a jacket is super old, or the finish is completely gone then seal/proof away. Typically new jackets can go years without needing anything. In time they may need a light lubrication. Unless you’re in the sun A LOT, in the rain and snow a lot. Then every once in a while a gentle water wipe down or gentle soap and water. Dry completely, then thin layer of lubricant. I know you know this @Monitor but just putting it all out there for the future. Some new member may come across this post and find it useful.
 
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PeterRocco

Practically Family
Messages
602
Location
Staten Island New York
Think of leather as several layers of fishnets. The drier the net is, more friction the twine has to endure which ultimately leads to damage.

Lubricants reduce friction. Pecard leather conditioner is a petroleum derived grease or in other word, a lubricant, intended to reduce friction of leather fibers.

Pecard Weatherproof Dressing is a wax/acrylic based dye, intended to cover up/mask damage/abrasions that happened to the coating of the jacket.

You gotta know which to use and why. If your leather jacket isn't damaged, there's no point in using Pecard Weatherproof Dressing.
Hi. Thank You very nice write up.
I just saw Pecard Now makes a Pecard Cream. Description of product says if need more absorption into the leather use their Cream.
 

Leather Walker

Practically Family
Messages
645
Location
Barcelona
I just received the Lexol cleaner & conditioner. I've been using Pecard for three years when I felt it was necessary, but I've read so many good things about Lexol that I decided to try its effects on my jackets.

IMG_20250508_195908.jpg
 

Pkshfo74036

One of the Regulars
Messages
122
I just bought some Mustang Paste horse oil, has a very refined fatty texture to it, seems to soak in deeply, darken with a wet look, and then dry and lighten up again, interesting texture, quite different from other conditioners I've used.

I have a question for others. On pigment finished leathers, do they ever need oiling, or is it even possible to oil them? I wonder if the leather still drys out around the stitch holes and seams ect?
 

Worf

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,252
Location
Troy, New York, USA
Hmmmm.... anyone have any thoughts or experience on what to use with Capeskin? I'm the current owner/keeper of the Good Wear Capeskin A1 and the shoulders seem to be getting a little dry. Capeskin is a light leather sourced from the South African Cape Antelope IIRC. Since it's a rare jacket and an unusual leather I was wondering what conditioner (I would NEVER get it dirty) would be best to keep it moist.

Thanks in advance...

Worf
 

photo2u

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,579
Location
claremont california
Hmmmm.... anyone have any thoughts or experience on what to use with Capeskin? I'm the current owner/keeper of the Good Wear Capeskin A1 and the shoulders seem to be getting a little dry. Capeskin is a light leather sourced from the South African Cape Antelope IIRC. Since it's a rare jacket and an unusual leather I was wondering what conditioner (I would NEVER get it dirty) would be best to keep it moist.

Thanks in advance...

Worf
I have repaired several CapeSkin jackets before. Your jacket is a beautiful specimen. I believe that sometimes the leather gets dry at the shoulder area is because of the hanger used. If you are using a nice foam supported hanger, then the problem is the stress being put on the shoulders due to hanging situations. For conditioning, this is a very hard one due to the shade of that tan? Hide. The best conditioner I know is beef tallow. However, it sometimes changes the color of the lighter colored hides. Can you share images of the areas in question?
 

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