I should have uploaded this a month ago, but better late than never right? Testing Sno-Seal vs Huberd's Shoe Grease vs Obenauf's Leather Protector vs Mink Oil vs Beeswax/Pine Tar
If your Sno Seal sample was still damp, it was probably the absorbed water repelling the oil. It was really a great demonstration though--very valuable.
Great side-by-side, thanks for doing this! Huberd's and then Sno-Seal have been favorites in my family since I was a kid in the '70s. I currently keep my water-resistant leather boots performing waterproof with Sno-Seal a couple times a year.
Sno-seal requires you heat the leather hot enough that it melts when you put it on the leather. They add a solvent that lowers the melting point, and if you don't heat the leather first, you can get voids from the solvent as it evaporates.
Past 40 years I have been using light amount of mink oil followed by moderate amount of sno-seal and I still have some boots from 40 years ago. Caveats: too much mink oil will damage the structural integrity and strength of the leather so use sparingly and too much sno-seal will make the leather completely unbreathable so use moderately if you wish to retain some of the breathable characteristics of natural leather.
Great video! quick, informative and very interesting to watch. You had good control in your experiment, and even made a home remedy to put the store bought brands to the test. Well done, and thank you for your time. I will be checking out your other videos for sure. cheers!
Hey thanks for the comment. Glad you liked it. You can see how I made the home treatment here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-LaAfXfU6Hbc.html
the results make sense! I use Obenauf LP and it's oil based, so it makes sense that none of these resist oil. Would love to see a leather cleaner video! e.g. Obenauf leather cleaner, Chamberlain No 2, Leather Honey, etc
Thanks for the test/review. Another advantage to Huberd's, or any conditioner containing pine tar, is that pine tar reportedly protects against insects like ticks & mosquitoes.
Ive been using obenauffs and some bick 4 for several years and like it. Ive been wanting to try Hubbard's just because "essential craftsmen" recommend it👍 and it looks to work well. I haven't seen any leather treatment that doesnt collect dust..but i guess its not to hard to dust off boots every day or two though. I take a little better care of my boots then my dad😅 He wears his boots from new to there death without ever putting anything on them or ever cleaning them off lol.. theyll have a decent darker looking upper with a dry tan lower😄
I wonder if having grain of the leather exposed allowed the salt, gravel, and oil mixture to penetrate easier? It'd be interesting to see this experiment done in a way where the the leather samples are like flex sealed in place so that the solutions put on it can't reach the grain and there aren't weak points like with the sno seal and the screw. Also like you said, have each solution done separately because for me personlally i want to know what'll help keep wet concrete from drying out my boots. Thank you though, definitely one of the best videos on youtube that show leather sealing for WORK boots, not just someone worried about early morning dew 😂
Wonderful demonstration. Thanks! I've always used mink oil. Just ordered Sno Seal. I like how it didn't darken leather as much and it seemed superior regarding protection
Great video. I've used Snow Seal for many years and it always performs very well on my leather boots and shoes for waterproofing and preserving. I'm not a fire jumper or a construction worker out in the elements for 8 to 12 hrs a day, but I do hunt and fish with my boots and Snow Seal works for me! I use Snow Seal a couple times a year on my boots and even polish my boots once or twice a year with Kiwi regular shoe polish. I do clean my boots regularly if they get covered in mud and gunk I don't leave the mud and gunk set on them and dry.
Same! I've used Snow Seal in an area of Michigan that gets over 140" of snow annually and a healthy dose of salt and sand. My boots have stood up for over five years without retreating and with no damage to the leather.
Pine tar is great stuff and it is non water soluble, however it is fat soluble and oil could be considered a fat. Sno Seal has turpentine in it to help permeate the leather the same as a lot of high quality boot polishes. Some people make the mistake (me included many years ago) to heat the Sno Seal before application and this can actually boil the turpentine out as it has a very low flash point leaving you with a hard to apply wax that is more like a clear wax polish.
Part of my duties are cleaning public restrooms, We use a disinfectant similar to pine Sol and occasionally bleach. I always buy gor tex boots,Either danners or cabalas brand. If I get a year out of them before they leak I'm lucky. The leather drys out and cracks.I normally spray them a few times a year with a silicone spray.I last week I started out by putting snow seal on my new boots. My plan is once a month redoing them with snow seal.
Great video! Thanks for uploading the test. I noticed that most of the water was over the screw on the sno-seal sample. Maybe the water just got soaked up through the hole or something? Anyway great test. Keep up the good work.
Nice video! Sno seal for the win! I did not expect it to be the best, good to know. Of all non spray on leather protectors I find sno seal darkens the leather the least by a long way. If you condition your boots first (bick 4 leather conditioner) then use sno seal, you can maintain the color of your boots. Nice to know it’s also the toughest protector too!
Oils will penetrate most any treatment, even Gore-Tex layers; salty water and dirt will likely be repelled by some, and experience with SnoSeal over years gives it my vote. Huberd's was never very effective, just very old-school as a greasy physical barrier to water.
This gives me an idea for a somewhat similar test comparing how well different leather conditioners last. I was thinking of testing olive oil, coconut oil, beeswax, a mixture of the 3, and used motor oil. I could also test 2 different application methods, and see how well they preserve the leathers flexibility and appearance in outdoor conditions over time and compare the results to a control peice.
Sounds like an interesting test. I would be interested to see your results. I've never heard of using used motor oil as a leather conditioner, but it might work well. I don't know how well it would last over time, (it might cause the leather to break down physically), but it should certainly repel water when it was freshly applied.
Past 40 years I have been using light amount of mink oil followed by moderate amount of sno-seal and I still have some boots from 40 years ago. Caveats: too much mink oil will damage the structural integrity and strength of the leather so use sparingly and too much sno-seal will make the leather completely unbreathable so use moderately if you wish to retain some of the breathable characteristics of natural leather.
I’ve used coconut oil and it works… have to apply it often … I made the mistake of over saturating my boots and it caused the leather to weaken and crack in spots… my fault not the oils… learned to apply a little wear and reapply as needed
I use snoseal and Hubert’s … snoseal works better in heavy snow or water for but Hubert’s works good on initial break in and mild snow and water … usually apply it again and again while snoseal will last a week or longer depending on the water I’m in
Interesting, ive tried em all working in the woods with logging boots in the wet and snow and found snow seal to be slightly more water resistant than the others
These products all work. So whichever is chosen youl be fine. By far the most important factor is to actually take care of your boots and apply at least something
Anything that repels water and doesn't destroy the leather or make it stiff will do the job. I recently bought a seven lb candle for $1.50 four pounds of beeswax for about $ 15 and a quart of clear mineral oil $ 12... melt it all together in the 'right' amounts and cast in handy size blocks... about 15 pounds of blocks for about $30 My usual mix for jackets, leggings and boots is 40/40/20% beeswax/paraffin wax/mineral oil and it performs just as well as any fancy named brand stuff for a fraction of the price. Interesting video thanks - I'd much rather make my own.... way more fun and satisfying.
Just curious as I use a silicone spray for my new work boots every year. Can you use multiple layers of these products as they dry? Say over a three day period adding another layer for more protection.
Yes you could use multiple layers. Though I should note that since the compounds don't really sit on the surface, the idea of layers isn't necessarily applicable. With the application of heat, the compounds are absorbed into the leather like a sponge absorbs water. You can continue to apply treatments until the leather is completely saturated.
I put Snoseal on some leather boots, walked around in swamp up to my knees all day, bone dry when I took off at dusk. It will repel water if applied properly. I heat mine how much longer than this guy appears to do.
I think at some point the leather becomes fully saturated and won't absorb any more compound. But two coats in either order are probably better than one if your leather can take it all in.
@@joeryan7024 I've never tried full synthetics. I think even Sno-Seal is mostly natural ingredients. It's probably worth an experiment, but I'm not sure what I would use. I do know one old guy who treats his knife sheath with WD-40. It seems to repel water well enough, but it made the leather much more soft and floppy. Also the smell never fully goes away. It works for him, but it's not something I'd do if I had any other product to use.
Some products looked a little blotchy going on.🥾 Blotchy boots would drive me crazy . Especially after paying ($$$ Hundreds of Dollars) and then spending the next 10 years looking" at them.👀 Biggest concern is NOT making them look like 💩 * Which product visually looked the best after applying? Need my boots lookin' Gucci for my wedding.😁 I wonder how the staining would be with just droplets of motor oil? or Ketchup, Mustard etc. I stain my footwear mostly by missing my mouth when eating.
@@ShawnsWorkshop Ray holes saddle butter! I was curious how it would stand up to these im needing to order some more but figured I'd look around which is what brought me to your video! I wish I'd done this test before running out lol! The Saddle Butter is said to be ph balanced and that it doesn't darken leather which is why I bought in the first place and it really doesn't darken by much at all!!!
@@ShawnsWorkshop I appreciate this video. I was listening and glancing the other day but I watched the whole thing tonight and I just want to say I appreciate your way of doing this experiment and I am thankful for the information! I wish I'd thought to try this with the Saddle Butter because I like that it doesn't really darken leather. I've heard tan kote seals leather completely I'm thinking about getting some so I can experiment with antiques. I got into leather work as a way to make and repair horse tack since I got 2 horses and 2 ponies, all rescues and have 4 daughters. Curious since it seems this may somewhat relate to your content, have you ever tried staining wood with acrylic paint and baby wipes?! I recently mixed up an airbrush thinner recipe for acrylic paint and I think if thinned enough it may work to dye leather! (I'm still too intimidated to use the airbrush for some reason lol!) I do find that the fabric medium for acrylic paint helps leather absorb the paint alittle and helps it stick to the leather. Sharpies in alcohol work but only on wet leather otherwise it dries too quickly. I'm trying to find a way to make different color antiques and make the leather resist absorbing the antiques. Anyway I lost where I was going lol! Thank you again for this video! I'm excited for you to try Ray Holes Saddle Butter and see how it may compare to these!
@@valerieramirez3496 I have never tried acrylic paint on wood. But it might work as a stain if you thin it enough. For leather, the only serious leather worker who I know personally only uses alcohol based leather dyes. If I used an acrylic on the leather I would be concerned that it might interfere with my other leather treatments, such as the saddle butter. Its worth experimenting with though. If you ever try it, I would be curious to know how it works out.
@@ShawnsWorkshop any naptha based wood dye will mix in just fine with oil/wax re-proof based mixtures. Still likely to turn out a bit blotchy as some areas of the leather soak up a bit more than others. Personally I don't care what boots look like if they keep my feet dry and my toes intact
Sno Seal and Huberd's Shoe Grease both state "Waterproof" on their websites. Obenauf's LP states "protection against Dynamic and Static Water Penetration", and Cadillac Mink oil states "Water Repellant" on the can. They're not claiming IPX-7 submersion proofing, but I'm not going swimming in my Red Wings either. For me if it keeps out the snowmelt and road crud then its doing a good job. I'd like to make another video like this one to test even more products. What leather treatment do you use?
Salt is very acidic hence every test panel got soaked up with the mixture of oil, salt and etc...test concludes the products doesn't have protection against acidic substance. jmho
@@Boddah. @Gareth Baus You guys are absolutely right! what salts reaction to metal its ability to speed up oxidation by allowing the metal to lose its electrons which in turn makes the metal vulnerable to elements such as oxidation and degradation.
If your boots are made from 5 oz leather. Then it's probably sure, that you bought Walmart boots! 😂 7 to 8oz is what Wesco and Whites use! And that's what boots should be! That's why, they use that weight.
Most working tradesmen can't afford a pair of boots that cost more than their mortgage payment. Also most of the industries I've worked in provide a $150-250 boot allowance per year. Why spend your own hard-earned cash on Whites when the company is going to buy you a brand new set of Redwings every year?
@@ShawnsWorkshop The mine supplied pit boots I wore for decades were legendary for weight and strength, but unless you knew the secret to conditioning them, you did not break them in, they re-modelled your feet ! Used to soak them in hot water and keep that water hot for 48 hours. That softened them up. Then you put them on and wore them till they were completely dry ... a couple or so of days and they then conformed to your foot shape. Then we covered them in a good thick layer of grease and stuffed them in a poly bag and left them in the hot drying locker for a week or so. A touch up a couple of times a week from the grease pot in the lamp house kept them good. Totally waterproof and fitted like a pair of gloves ... so to speak ;
