Matt Jensen

Tim Lynch

2/1/99

Leather Waterproofing Products:

Which is the Best?

Products Tested

Bostonian Water and Stain Protector- This product is contained in a non-aerosol spray can. It "restores water repellency to shoes, boots, rainwear, and suedes."

Cavalier Mink Oil- This product contains silicone and claims to "soften, condition, and waterproof all smooth leather." It is "recommended for work shoes, smooth leathers, jackets, and bags."

Huberd’s Shoe Grease- This product is the "original pine tar and beeswax waterproofer/ conditioner for leather goods. . .. doesn’t contain animal fats or tallow preserver additives or synthetic compounds."

Kiwi Neutral Shoe Polish- Supposedly, this polish shouldn’t color leather. It, instead, serves to "protect and nourish leather and produce a long-lasting, glossy shine." The product also claims to be water-resistant.

Skidmore’s Bees Wax- This product is made from 100 percent pure bees-wax and neutral oils. "It smells wonderful, feels good, and works great."

Silicone Water Guard- This product is made from silicone and claims to "restore factory waterproofing for leather and fabric footwear."

Sno-Seal Bees Wax- Sno-Seal is mostly made from natural bees-wax to "protect leather from rain, snow, salt, and the sun."

Grading Criteria

Note: All tests were performed on three-inch squares of tooling leather. This provided a surface that was very similar to shoe leather. This allowed us to standardize all tests.

Leather Conditioning Quality- We subjectively noted each product's leather conditioning qualities. We worked the leather between our fingers. We then compared the softness and pliability to that of the benchmark.

Change in Color- We applied each of the products to the leather squares. We allowed the sample to dry and compared the color to that of the benchmark.

Ease of Application- When we applied the waterproofers to the leather, we took special care to follow the directions located on the container. We made notes comparing the ease of application of the products. Some faults we found were poorly written instructions, greasy residue left on hands, and an unpleasant smell.

Cost- We compared the retail cost per ounce of the different productions. We then judged the products against each other.

Test Emphasis

We feel as though in order to find the ideal waterproofer, one must weigh some variables different than others. This is why have assigned different point values to each test. The total score the waterproofer receives will then be comparable to the overall effectiveness of the product. The assigned point values are as follows:

Test Results

Water Resistance- The winners of this particular test was Huberd’s Shoe Grease and Sno-Seal Bees Wax. Silicone Water Guard did particularly poor.

Durability- The Cavalier Mink Oil and Kiwi Shoe Polish seemed to penetrate into the leather very well to retain the waterproofing qualities.

Leather Conditioning Quality- The Bees Wax products seemed to do especially well on this test.

Change in Color- The Silicone Water Guard and the Cavalier Mink Oil did especially well on this test. Kiwi Shoe Polish did terribly.

Ease of Application- Silicone Water Guard provided a brush which was very helpful.

Cost- The Silicone Water Guard was the cheapest product. The Kiwi Shoe Polish was very expensive.

Conclusions

The overall best product we have found is the Huberd’s Shoe Grease. However, the results were fairly close. We would ask that one determine which variables were most important to them when deciding which product to buy. Then, one could place their individual emphasis on our test results.