Question: Is Lexol is different than Saphir Renovateur? I always just thought both were conditioners. I am a little nervous about soaking in water and vinegar, wont that make the leather shrink or something?

Answer: Lexol is more of an emulsified oil, think neatsfoot oil that had its properties altered to be mixed with water for sufficient penetration without leaving too much residue on the surface. It certainly conditions a lot better than Renovateur, because of its fluid characteristic, and because it is nothing more than oils and water. Reno, on the other hand, was made too "dry" - it dries in minutes as opposed to Lexol, which could take up to a day - and thus, applying too much will leave a thick finish on the surface, and too little will leave the leather in vulnerable state.

The reason I love Glen's conditioner is 1). because it was made with raw oils (not a fetish, but a personal preference), and 2). because it nourish the leather properly while giving a shine. I grease my dress shoes per heavy maintenance that would include stripping, but then again, it's just me, I don't recommend people doing it if they don't feel comfortable with it, or had bad results in attempts doing it. Working with raw oils and grease can be so much more a pain than anything. Therefore, products like Hydrator that Pat recommends, or Lexol, even Bick4 is much more suitable in terms of restoring a seriously huge amount of oils back into leathers.

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