Waterproofing: spray vs wax

[gbagua]

Which would you recommend me using in terms of effectiveness and protecting the leather from damage in the long run.

Any brand(s) you have used that you'd recommend here.

The boots I use are the Five Ten Exum Guide (nubuck leather).

Last edited by gbagua on Thu 20 Jun, 2013 4:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[wayno]

wax,, spray is a rip off, you're paying for a lot of water....
grangers.

http://www.grangers.co.uk/product.cfm?c ... oductid=17

[cooee]

Well said wayno, have always been a fan of Sno Seal.

[wayno]

yup sno seal. another good one...
i think the sprays are to cash in on people who are afraid they might get wax on their hands.....

[Rob A]

Wax with bare hands.
I dont understand the water content complaints.
People who are too lazy or want for whatever reason to spray, what kind of dispersant are you goin to use to get the active chemical out? Toluene?

[wayno]

its the fact that you are paying for a bottle of water with a little bit of added chemicsls, wax and emulsifier paying for the shipping of mainly water half way round the world, for the price doesnt go nearly as far as straight wax.... they could ship a concentrate and you mix it up yourself and save money . but the makers are happy to sell you all the water as well...

[gbagua]

You are right, wayno, waste of money and little protection. Better stick to traditional ways, so wax should do the job. I just purchased a Kiwi Dubbin shoe polish neutral which waterproofs leather. For 4 bucks at Woolworths; it's hard to beat this price.

[Davidf61]

I find wax and elbow greasefor leather, but sprays are good for synthetics. I recently sprayed a bunch of motorcycling gear, 1 can did 1 big jacket, 2 canvas panniers and 2 sets of gloves.Worked very well too.

[Strider]

Nothing you can really do to protect against damage - boots that do hard work are bound to get damaged. Though for waterproofing its always been Snoseal for me in the past, but grabbed some Nikwax yesterday and found it much easier to apply but am yet to see how it performs. Apart from being a pain to apply, the only issue I have with Snoseal is I find my boots wet through after only an hour or so of walking in the snow (not relevant for you).

[Rob A]

You guys are offering up full grain leather treatments for the original posters newbuck boots.
Thats fine as long as he understands what will happen.
Theres no problem using the nikwax water based newbuck treatments. Its a good option.
Go for with dubbin if you like.

Um ... Good luck rubbing it into the tongue?

tongue.jpg (22.69 KiB) Viewed 8160 times

[Strider]

Yeah there doesn't seem to be much point waterproofing that particular model.

[wayno]

the treatments can protect and lengthen the life of the leather, so i wouldnt say don't wax. nubuck is prone to holding moisture. good idea to waterproof the leather for the leathers sake even if you're boot isnt water proof all over.

[blacksheep]

You guys are offering up full grain leather treatments for the original posters newbuck boots.
Thats fine as long as he understands what will happen.
Theres no problem using the nikwax water based newbuck treatments. Its a good option.
Go for with dubbin if you like.

Um ... Good luck rubbing it into the tongue?

tongue.jpg

spot on Rob. The advice given will alter the look of your shoes quite a lot. Use Nikwax sponge on nubuck/suede waterproofer to get a good result and keep your shoes looking like the ones your bought. The snowseal etc is for a full grain polished leather.

[gbagua]

the only issue I have with Snoseal is I find my boots wet through after only an hour or so of walking in the snow (not relevant for you).

Plastic boots?

Um ... Good luck rubbing it into the tongue?

Yes.

[Rob A]

Hey you could have more expensive prangs with 05's.

05.jpg (23.66 KiB) Viewed 8057 times

Bet they wish they could waterproof as easy.



Scroll in you can clearly read the manufacturers lable, "this way up, open other end"