First, let me start by saying that I do not endorse, nor am I paid by, any leather conditioner manufacturer, their parent company, or any subsideraries. Everything contained within my PERSONAL post is of MY opinion and should be used/tried/examined/tested at your own personal risk.

All of the info contained in this post is my OPINION. If you have something that works great for you, keep using it and share the wealth about the product; just don't bash me in this thread because you don' t like what I've said.

---BEGIN POST---

I know, I know... the leather conditioner thread has been beat unmercifullly (mainly by me) into the ground but hear me out.

As we all know, the King Ranch Edition F-150 SuperCrew and S/Cab offer the exclusive King Ranch Castano Leather interiors featuring a 'saddle like' trim that is nothing less than luxurious, extremely soft, and supple. Even the center consoles (front and rear on the SCREWs) and steering wheel are trimmed in this fine leather. (Please note that the KR leather IS NOT clear coated). (Learn more about the King Ranch @ www.kingranch.com and www.krsaddleshop.com and more about the F-150 King Ranch @ www.fordvehicles.com ).

On a quest to perserve my investment into the cows that gave their life only for me to sit on them, I've spent several bucks buying leather conditioners. The following is a brief test of a few of them that seem to be at the top of some KR owner's lists. My appologies for not testing more but, there are just a few products that I refuse to put on my leather.

Here's the test...

I tested the Fiebing 4-Way Care today versus the Lexol versus the F-150 King Ranch Conditioner. Here's what I found:

Fiebing 4-way:

1. Goes on very easy
2. Covers VERY well
3. Smells IDENTICAL (IMHO) to the Lexol
4. Thin viscosity from the bottle
5. Fairly cheap (approximately 1/3 the cost of the Lexol per ounce)
6. Quick absorption into the leather at approx. 85 degrees
7. Slightly sticky to the touch when dried
8. Difficult to locate


Lexol Leather Conditioner:

1. Goes on fairly thick
2. Covers VERY well
3. Smells identical (IMHO) to the 4-way
4. More of a watery gel consistancy
5. Somewhat expensive at ~ $10/spray bottle
6. Slightly sticky to the touch when dried
7. Not readily available
8. Offers Lexol pH balanced cleaner product to clean fine leathers prior to conditioning


KR F-150 Conditioner:

1. Thin consistancy
2. Smells like a solvent chemical factory (I've been in a few)
3. Expensive
4. Poor quality
5. Difficult to obtain (only from www.krsaddleshop.com )
6. Noticed a slightly 'white' crystalization (difficult to explain) on the only headrest that I treated with the KR conditioner (Gerry Curl?)


CONCLUSIONS:

All three products have their strengths; the KR F150 product's strength is the smell. I'm sticking with my guns on this one. This stuff stinks (unless you like smelling like solvents in your cab (I deal with solvents in the groundwater in my line of work - this stuff smells VERY similar)). I also had an odd crystalization on some of the more stressed leather. I realize this is hard to understand but, it appeared to be very tiny white crystaline grains exclusively on the area that I treated with the KR F-150 conditioner. I simply don't like this stuff.

Lexol's strength is built into it's name. It's been around for generations and has been used by numerous detail shops, cattle ranches, leathersmiths, etc... because of it's quality. It goes on easy and offers pretty good conditioning. I've noticed that the leather that is located in 'high stress' areas (such as the back of the headrests in the back window) tend to 'dry' and become more stiff in less time and thus, I condition about once every two-three weeks with the Lexol. Which brings me to my next point; cost. Conditioning nearly 20 times in a year can get expensive in a hurry utilizing the Lexol. Sure, we all want what's best for our trucks (let's face it, most of us are compulsive about them) and are willing to spend the bucks but, when you compare this stuff to the Fiebing 4-Way CARE, there isn't much match.

Fibing has a great product on the market. The two conditioners are seemingly the same stuff. Same color, same odor, same packaging, same emulsion style conditioning delivery system. The main difference is the price. After doing some quick pricing on the internet I found Lexol at around $9.00 for about 17 ounces in a spray bottle (I don't recommend the spray bottle - the spray leaves 'spatter' marks) ($0.53/ounce) whereas the Fiebing was around $6.50 for 32 ounces in a bottle ($0.20/ounce) (*Sidenote* The KR F150 conditioner (8oz for $9 +s&h ($14/8oz = $1.75/ounce) in a 'squirt' bottle).

The overall winner would have to be the Fiebing 4-Way CARE. I found little difference between the Lexol and the 4-Way with the huge exception of price. Granted, I priced a unit that contained about twice the amount in the 4-way and thus, you'd have a volume discount but, still, at even $0.40/ounce (twice the quoted price above), the Fiebing is a better deal.

I welcome all questions and comments. I still intend on trying Connely's Leather Food (forgive the spelling - I can't find this stuff for purchase - Help Lent) because I've heard that it is VERY good stuff (per Lent).

Again, please limit your comments to constructive comments and not 'bashing' my opinion.

I've gone, somewhat, out of my way to pass my findings and opinions on to you all... let me know what you think about these products as well as the others that are out there on the market however, from this point forward, it's ONLY FIEBING 4-WAY CARE and/or LEXOL for this King Rancher...

Thanks for reading my novel on leather conditioners.

RP

 

Here are the containers/labels that you should expect to see if you are wanting to purchase any of these products. I've also pasted links to places where each item is sold.








Fiebing 4-WAY CARE

Lexol Leather Conditioner

F-150 King Ranch Conditioner

Hope this helps...

RP

 

Thanks for the research. Sounds like you hit on a good product for less money. Did you order from the site you listed or were you able to find it locally. Thanks again for the info.

 

Thanks Liny. I actually found mine at a Tractor Supply Store ( http://www.tractorsupplyco.com ) however, I just did a quick search on their website and it doesn't appear to be available from them online.

Do a google search for the Fiebing product and you'll recieve multiple hits. From there, find the best bang for the buck. Like I said in the post, I did a 'whirlwind' search hunting for some highs and lows on prices and tried to take a 'middle of the road' approach on the posts on prices.

Of course, to save S&H costs, I'd call around to some of the local 'Farmer/Cowboy' type stores. (i.e. tractor supply) and see if they have it on the shelf before I'd order it online but, that's just me - I'm cheap.

RP

 

rockpile,

you've been busy! the only conditioners i've tried are the kr stuff and maguier's gold class leather cleaner and conditioner. interestingly the two conditioners seem very similar. but i've noticed with both that after they dry, they leave a sort of haze on my seats which only comes off with a damp cloth. it's almost like the leather conditioner dries up in the miniscule cracks in the leather, in turn making the seats look dried out when they arent'. anyhoo, i'm not real impressed with either at this point. perhaps i need to wipe down the seat shortly after i condition? anyhoo, there is my input...

troy

 

I've had the best luck using "leather CPR". It comes in a cylindrical shaped container, has a soft-gel consistency, and is applied with a foam block that is supplied with the can. (No, you do not applly "leather CPR" mouth to mouth) With the KR/Ford stuff and Meguires I've used had similar experiences to that which Troyk has had.(sentence structure). The next product that I will try is Valvoline, I'm thinking 30 weight. I'll let you know how well that works.
BD

 

NOOO! Not the valvoline... well, I guess if you must, the 10 weight will be okay but, I've heard the 15w-40 works great! LMAO!

RP

 

I shall perform my own test, since I just ran out of the free Ford stuff. I just ordered a liter of Lexol cleaner, a liter of Lexol conditioner, and a 32 oz bottle of 4-way. Time for a test. I will post my opinions in a few weeks when I have a good experiment done.

 

dufunnel brings up a good point in my opinion. I've only tested the initial and obvious characteristics for the Fiebing product. I just applied it yesterday and thus, I'll have to wait and see about the durability and longevity of the product.

RP

 

hey Rock you mentioned the KR conditioner leaving a white crystalization on your headrest....now I didn't get this on my headrest, but on the back upper right corner of the rear driverside seat. Now I can't get it to go away. Have any suggestions for me? I haven't done anything, but condition the leather. Nobody has even sat in that seat so It isn't dirty. I am going to try some of Lexol's cleaner before I do my weekly conditioning of the seats. we will see how that works.

 

I have no idea what the crystalization (of sorts) consists of. I noticed it a while back after using the F150 stuff for the first time and noticed it again the other day when I used it again. Maybe I'm just loosing my mind but, I think there's a correlation between the two.

Yes, the LEXOL cleaner worked to remove it on mine but, I'm still not sure what it was. Maybe it's a degredational product of the leather. *shrugs* I'm bumfuggled. For now, it just gives me another reason to bash the KR F150 conditioner because I truly believe that's the culprit.

RP

 

This whole leather stuff is getting really tiresome.

Just have done with it.....

Get some coal tar soap and rub it in with medium grade sandpaper.

Let us know what you think.

 

Or you could just cut to the chase and use some bituminous sandstone (sandstone with 'tar-like' oil trapped in the pore space of the rock).

Squirt a couple of shots of DAWN dishwashing liquid on it... a hose for the water... scrub to town.

RP

 

"This is getting silly"

Same source for the "Elbow, nudge, wink" quote.......c'mon RP...prove you know what I'm on about !

Actually RP I know what you're at.....
You're just trying to get to 1000 posts aren't you.

Just because I offered a Mclaren F1 for the first person to do that !

 

McLearan F1... heck yeah man... that's EXACTLY what I'm after!

RP