OPP or 303 for coated leather

[reggie11]

Ok. I have done a lot of searching and reading about how to clean and protect coated leather.



I will be cleaning the leather with Lexol (and will try Woolite as well). I was using Sonus conditioner but have realized that conditioners don`t do much (and can be harmful)for coated leather so I am going to go with a protectant.



I have narrowed it down to OPP and 303 (as they both leave a low sheen almost matte finish). I have found a few posts of people saying 303 worked great on their leather plus I can use it on the rest of my interior. OPP is highly rated on Autogeek but I have not found much on Autopia about it. I want to keep my seats in tip top shape. I have noticed since using Sonus they almost look drier so I need to find the right solution asap!



So let me know OPP or 303. If you have other recommendations let them fly.:help:



Rich

[Patek14]

OPP = OLP, optimum leather protectant. It is slightly thicker and has a nice slight smell.



I use it on my cars coated leather.

[SteveO2005TSX]

I just got my 303 about a week ago and love it. Very nice, matte finish and my steering wheel feels grabby again

[Chris@Optimum]

You really can`t go wrong with either of these. They are both tried-and-true. I like the OPP/OLP a little better because I don`t have to buff down the shine after applying.

[reggie11]

Keep the votes coming!!!

[judyb]

Has anyone tested them for their effectiveness as a protector?

[jedovaty]

judyb: how does one do that?

[steelwind101]

REGGIE,



Sonus Leather Conditioner does provide a protective finish it is a protector. Go use it, let it dry....perspire on it, put some water on it. Both will bead and shouldent make it to your leather. Grime should wipe away fairly easily.



As i explained in a previous post this is all about sales, if public opinion is that products need to put oils in leather of course every product will say that. But it also states and i have used before (though i dont use it personally on my cars) that its a protector and leaves a sealed finished.



Geoff

[jedovaty]

Geoff, with your example, how do we know it`s the "protector" that`s causing the beading and not the coating on the leather? :) Afterall, the test to determine whether we have coated or uncoated leather is to put some water on it, and if it is absorbed, the leather is uncoated (I understand a very small percentage of leather in cars is uncoated).

[steelwind101]

Geoff, with your example, how do we know it`s the "protector" that`s causing the beading and not the coating on the leather? :) Afterall, the test to determine whether we have coated or uncoated leather is to put some water on it, and if it is absorbed, the leather is uncoated (I understand a very small percentage of leather in cars is uncoated).



HiHi,



On my leathers i tested by doing this: getting hands wet then flicking water on the bottom of the seat where you sit. Before applying WG Leather care the water would sit somewhat beaded, more like like post clay beading on the paintwork.



After WG leather products i had straight up standing beads much like freshly waxed paintwork. The kinda beads that are round, tight and dense, Zymol style.



On the back of the seat where your back goes i just run a wet hand down there. It does repel water naturally but not like smearing your hand across the leather after WG leather care where the water beads up and then runs straigt off on the to the base of the seat.



Geoff

[reggie11]

REGGIE,



Sonus Leather Conditioner does provide a protective finish it is a protector. Go use it, let it dry....perspire on it, put some water on it. Both will bead and shouldent make it to your leather. Grime should wipe away fairly easily.



As i explained in a previous post this is all about sales, if public opinion is that products need to put oils in leather of course every product will say that. But it also states and i have used before (though i dont use it personally on my cars) that its a protector and leaves a sealed finished.



Geoff



I was under the impression that the oils in the conditioner will actually breakdown the clearcoat and end up hurting the leather rather then help it. The fact that my leather looked drier and not as good after using the Sonus is what made me do some more research.....

[judyb]

You cannot test leather protectors on finished leathers, you need to test their effectiveness on a crust leather as this is the only leather which will give a consistent result. On crust leather anything will be absorbed by the leather but an effective protector will inhibit the absorption of oils. The leather should not be sealed by a product as it has to absorb moisture.

[jedovaty]

Geoff, thanks - we just got some new vinyl covers for our recently installed a/c units for the winter, and I had a bit of fun. Sprayed some water, observed results, then applied half with fk108 and other half with 303, and sprayed water again observing results. Granted, this is vinyl and not leather, but it was amusing :) There was a slight difference between no product and product, but no different between the two products. Well, fk108 smells like an organic chemistry experiment and leaves a bit of a greasy, sticky finish.



judyb: some of what you are writing appears to be contradictory? I`m sorry, but it`s not making sense. In previous leather discussions, you suggest applying a protector to the leather, and then just now you wrote "leather should not be sealed by a product". Doesn`t a protector "seal"? It also seems the properties of the protector should a) allow absobtion of water, and b) prevent oil absorbtion. So it should be hydrophillic and fat repellant?

[judyb]

Yes you are right it should be hydrophillic and fat/oil repellant. Leather Protector should not seal a leather as transpiration has to take place. A protector should provide a resistance to staining of all types but it is not bullet proof. It allows better cleaning properties by holding dirt and spills on the surface for longer. Protectors do not make cleaning redundant just make it more effective.



They cannot be tested on vinyl. Vinyl is mostly resistant to everything anyway.



Below is the standard testing method for leather protectors.



PRODUCT TESTING



Protection Products (these will include Protectors, Conditioners, Leather Food!, Creams)

We always test this type of product on Crust leather (unfinished full grain hide). The reason for this is that it is the only leather surface type that will be of a reasonably consistant finish that will show a reaction. All finished leather (including Aniline styles) will vary from batch to batch and from suppliers, so would not be consistant in a comparative testing situation.



How we apply the products.

Check the leather samples to be used for damage or irregularities. Check that all the swatches to be used in this test absorb moisture (use foam cleaner) at the same rate.

Apply an even coat of the product, according to label instructions, onto the selected (marked) swatch and do the same for each product in this particular test. Also it is useful to keep a control swatch untreated for comparison.

Because the samples are untreated they will absorb the product immediately, so you can apply a second coat within a few minutes.

Leave the samples to dry for 2-3 hours and then apply a third coat.

Apply the tests as described below.

Now put the samples aside for 2-3 days to fully cure.

Test as previous.

( During this period for a more aggressive test (when dry) slip them into your back pocket, one sample per pocket for 2-3 days then re-test.)



The reason for the 2-3 day period is so that the product can cure fully on the leather. We have found that chemically formulated products will improve over 24-48 hours whilst simpler (cheaper) products made from oils or waxes quickly lose their protective qualities.

The ‘back pocket’ test simulates a certain amount of the ‘wear factor’.



To Test the Products.



Oil Drop:- drip oil onto the surface of each sample and allow to sit. The test is to see which sample resists the oil for the longest. Remove oil residue when the results are obvious and then over the next few days check how the samples recover.



Oil wipe:- drip some oil onto the surface and spread it with one wipe of the finger, then leave it on the surface for 30 seconds before removing the residue with paper towel.



Spray or drip water on the surface and watch for reaction.



Leather protectors should be designed to resist oil more than water so do not be surprised if water resistance is less than oil resistance. Also Protectors are not finishes and have not been designed to seal the surface, only to inhibit absorption whilst allowing transpiration to continue to take place. So there will always be some evidence of absorption. The reason for this testing is to compare the properties of different products.



The point of Protectors in the market place is to increase the effectiveness of simple cleaning processes and not to make the leather dirt resistant. Cleaning and protecting with the correct product will do all the ‘conditioning’ that is necessary to keep the leather soft and supple so the application of conditioner, feeds, nourishers etc is un-necessary and may create a build up of oily/waxy products on the surface.

©LTT2008

[jedovaty]

WOW, thank you! There are additional questions, such as how do we know whatever products that work on "crust leather" will work the same on finished leather, etc etc, but for now let`s just make the assumptions they do.



As nothing more than a curious consumer, I`m trying to find a way to get my hands on some crust leather swatches. Between my friends and I, we have a handful of products and it`d be fun to run these tests. Unless someone has already done this? If so, it would be silly to redo all the work, but a quick google search doesn`t show up much at all.