So what is mink oil? Mink oil is a leather conditioner that is traditionally made from a mink’s abdomen fat. While it is mainly used by shoe enthusiasts and leather workers today, this oily balm has its roots in Native American material culture. Long ago, indigenous populations such as the Chippewa used mink oil as … Read more
What do salt, perfume, and shoe polish have in common? Too much salt ruins an otherwise good batch of cookies, overdoing it on the perfume or cologne is repugnant, and too much leather conditioner, designed to help protect and waterproof your favorite pair of boots can actually oversaturate the leather. However, a dash of salt, … Read more
Huberd’s is a small American company based in Bennett, Colorado, and they’ve been in the shoe grease business since 1921. The company produces a variety of products like Shoe Oil, which is for more delicate leather, and Leather Dressing, which is for rugged leather items like saddles and harnesses. Their flagship product is Huberd’s Shoe … Read more
Cobbler’s Choice is a very new shoe care company based in New York City, and they’re very proud of the fact that all of their products are made with all natural ingredients. There’s no silicone, no alcohol, no solvents, no petroleum, none of the stuff that some consumers take issue with in their leather care … Read more
Despite the very New Zealand name, Kiwi was actually launched in Australia in 1906 (by a man with a New Zealand wife) and it’s since become phenomenally popular. In the US and UK it has two thirds of the market share and in Malaysia, the word ‘kiwi’ has even become part of the Malay language, … Read more
Leather Honey is the number one selling leather conditioner on Amazon right now. If you are searching for leather conditioner or even, yes, boot conditioner, Leather Honey comes at the top of the list. That may be surprising to some of my fellow fans of Goodyear welted boots, because the conditioners that most of us … Read more
Is mink oil the fountain of youth for your boots? I decided to pick some up to see if they could work on some four-year-old Thursday boots. Now, these boots have never been conditioned and a lot of the damage, like deep gashes in the leather, is beyond repair. (They’re not mine; I borrowed them … Read more
Saphir’s Renovateur is the crème de la shoe crème. It is the fanciest, schmanciest, priciest leather conditioning product you’re likely to find and it has developed a serious cult following among boot aficionados. Of course, we’re talking about the Medaille d’Or Saphir Renovateur not the regular Renovateur you get in a blue lid. (It also comes … Read more
It’s fair to say that Venetian Shoe Cream is the go-to product for conditioning boots. Whether you’re talking about boots that are outdoorsy or dressy, practically every company from so-so Thorogood to top-tier Viberg recommend you pair your purchase with a bottle of VSC. For this piece I interviewed Philip Collias, the CEO of the company that … Read more
Don’t make the same mistake I did. Don’t lose your Red Wings to the wrong conditioner. Take a look at these Red Wing Iron Rangers, perhaps the most beloved American heritage boot on the market. This is what they looked like when they arrived on my doorstep versus how they looked after applying a conditioner … Read more