Originally Posted by
JJPistols
I just use proofide. There are plenty of other places to cheap out in life. If I'm going to spend that much on a saddle, I'll buy their conditioner, too.
you gets points for actually spelling it correctly, but it's capitalized: Proofide
Yes Virginias, there is a right way and lots of wrong ways to "treat" an all-leather saddle, which is a different thing compared to the leather covering on equestrian saddles and plastic-shelled bicycle seats. Why? Because it's a weight-bearing, tensioned membrane (to use some "engineer jargon"). If you use anything on it that over-softens the leather it will lose tension at the least, or tear out at the rivets (worst), and you can't reverse the process.
I have used many, many products over the years and learned the hard way...you can use whatever you like, but I'll continue to use a small, occasional, application of Proofide, even though it's not the only thing on the planet that's suitable and certainly not the cheapest. I bought the little can for about $6
many years ago and still haven't used it up, though I have owned probably 8 Brooks saddles, plus some Ideales and others that all have been treated with it.