Great review, I learned about shoe care while working at a country club where we did shoe shine. I recently found and bought some vintage orginal military boots from the 80's and the first thing I did was use Bick 4 to make sure the leather hadn't dried out over the decades. After watching your video, I think I'll stick with it as it doesn't darken, seems less messy to apply, and doesn't seem to leave much residue a few days later
Thanks for the smell test! Use Saddle Soap and then Griot's Leather Conditioner, it smells like Leather like Lexol used to! Lexol is #1 for a reason, but I switched to Griot's.
Bick 4 for peronal life boot/cowbow boot (due to not darking the leather) and mink oil/paste for work boot. Just spray water after the day in my ranch that has mink paste and its pretty much clean.
I don’t think Bick 4 has waterproofing properties. It’s intended to help with leathers that are drying out with age or use rather than forming a protective layer on the surface of the leather. Think using normal hand lotion vs heavy duty Aquaphor or petroleum jelly on your hands.
Bick 4 will help with water resistance but it isnt substantial. Your best bet would be Heavy Duty Obenaufs for a conditioner with good water resistance. Huberds shoe grease is really good too. Keep in mind these will significantly darken compared to bick 4. Bick 4 almost does no darkening at all after some time once it has fully dried
