Leatherique vs Leather Therapy

**srg** · 04-06-2004, 12:17 PM

Just ran across a leather restoration/conditioner, Leather Therapy Restorer. It`s an oily liquid product much like Leatherique. It`s applied the same way and works great!!

My seats were very dry. Some panels were like stiff board and some were wrinkled like prunes. I used two applications of the restorer and it softened the leather up to almost new. The only thing it didn`t do was to fill cracks and blemishes.

The company claims that in tests done on the product that it actually strengthens the leather fibers by as much as 60%!

I`m stoked. It can be found in saddle and feed shops everywhere so no need to order online.

Has anyone used this stuff? Very similar to Leatherique Rejuvenator Oil.

**togwt** · 04-06-2004, 12:37 PM

I have never heard/used this product but I`m glad it worked for.

With leather I usually avoid products used for saddle leather (it could well be that its just sold in a saddle shop)as it is vastly different from the leather used in autos.

**srg** · 04-06-2004, 02:47 PM

"I have never heard/used this product but I`m glad it worked for.

With leather I usually avoid products used for saddle leather (it could well be that its just sold in a saddle shop)as it is vastly different from the leather used in autos."

Yeah I`ve heard that too about saddles and auto leather. I learned about this product from a very reputable restorer of vintage Jags and Rolls Royces.

He`s been using it for a few years and has had great results. This is a restorative not an average conditioner. It should be used to replenish oils and moisture from damaged leather and maintained mostly using conditioners and cleaners. Same as using leatherique products.

Called the company and they said that its safe for stitching and adds some UV protection as well.

**elsdragon314** · 10-11-2007, 04:05 PM

I have lurked on the forums for a while, but this is my first post. I am curious if anyone else has tried leather therapy? It is designed for riding tack, and it seems has never worked its way out of the niche, even though you can find a few references to fantastic results on cars.

I want to hear your experiences, if there are any out there.

**accordmaniac** · 10-11-2007, 04:30 PM

How come this sounds kind of spamish?

**elsdragon314** · 10-11-2007, 05:37 PM

Knock it off, this is a serious question, I am not trying to bump an old topic to the top, I know next to nothing about this company (and definitely have no relation to them), and I want to know if anyone other than the OP has used it... is that spam? I think not.

Seriously, this came about because, I got a new to me, but rather old vehicle, where the leather needs a lot of TLC, I was searching for `best leather conditioner cleaner reviews`, and finding mostly company propoganda, which in and of itself is frustrating.

At any rate, about the second page from google was a review on horsetackreview . com (well it isn`t automotive for sure, but I guess leather is leather to some extent, and I was thinking that a good conditioner would resemble the fat liquors they use in tanning) of a combination cleaner/conditioner called leather CPR. Not exactly what I wanted because i didn`t want a combination cleaner and conditioner, but discreet products (I don`t really trust all in one magic bullets). At the bottom of the page were other reviews (and at least the review of leather CPR was decent), and there was a link for a review of leather therapy (never heard of it before), the review was dissapointing to say the least, but I thought I would look into it a little more, the website makes sense, but then again that is all marketing crap, and there is no real proof, just a few testimonials.

Searching a little further on forums now, I found this thread with one absolutely glowing review, and then into the dusty library, so in the end it really is a simple question, has anyone else had any experience with this?

And if you truly think this is spam, it would be better not to reply, and just let it drift back down the pages where people will not see it or reply to it further.

**accordmaniac** · 10-11-2007, 10:46 PM

Sorry if I offended you. I might have misread it. Let me say welcome to Autopia. I have not heard of Leather Therapy. Most here would recommend Leatherique for extremely neglected leather. The care of your leather depends on whether it is uncoated or coated leather. Most newer cars today have coated leather and according to some here it is better to just used a water based protectant like Aerospace 303.

What kind of car is it? Most high end European cars have uncoated leather (someone please correct me if I`m wrong). What do you mean by "a lot of TLC"? Cracks, dryness, hardness, tears, grime? I`m sure if you provided that info someone with more experience can answer your questions? And again I apologize for misunderstanding.

**SuperBee364** · 10-12-2007, 12:01 AM

We`re all just kinda spam-shy around here. It`s been a huge problem. It`s also rumored that if you startle Tort out of a sound sleep he yells "Spam!!??"

**SpoiledMan** · 10-12-2007, 12:23 AM

As I`ve seen up close both products in their bottles, they seem to be very similar. I haven`t used them both side by side or for that matter used the Leather Therapy at all. I *would not* be surprised if they`re the same.

**elsdragon314** · 10-15-2007, 08:27 AM

Thank you all for the replies. I am still a little torn on exactly what to do with the seats.

They are (the infamous) black leather vader seats from a 99 BMW M3. For the most part dirty, but the drivers side is cracking, has one very small rip, and looks like it is wearing through in another spot (about nickel sized, nearly perfect circle of wear). The leather is also harder than it is on the non-exposed sides of the seats, where it is much softer. I am not sure if these seats have ever really been treated other than being wiped off.

I wanted to start off with something in the leather therapy/leatherique type for neglected leather, which my application seems to fall under, and see how well it does and guage where to go from there (I hesitate with leatherique only because it is really pricey, and I would have to order it online, the leather therapy is sold localy in tack shops, and not as expensive). If a regular conditioner and cleaner is the first thing to do then I will try that instead.

As for the wear spot along the side, I may need a leather repair sort of thing, possibly the leatherique one, haven`t decided (any information on this would also be greatly appreciated, i.e. what holds up well, seems to match well, and what kind of repairs can be done with it: just cracks, cracks and very minor rips, would it manage the wear spot?)

The last problem is that the back seats have kind of dents in the leather like it was pressed against a sharp corner, no tears or anything, but I can`t seem to work them out through handling (would the leather restorer help with this or is it a lost cause? any other suggestions also appreciated.)

Sorry if I came off overly defensive about the spam post, I had been researching a lot already, and was a bit frustrated with the lack of information available. Thanks again for all the input!

**wannafbody** · 10-15-2007, 04:20 PM

some people are a little to quick to throw the spam warnings. Leatherique has had a few treads thru the years and has a good reputation. I`ve never heard of Leather therapy but it sounds similar to Lexol as well.

**Harry Houdini** · 10-15-2007, 08:32 PM

Leatherque along with other products are worthless and rather harmful after reading

and researching on leather care lately.

I ended up with Leather Master product made in Italy,

Water based no oily crap, the auto package comes with 2 products

1 is alcohol cleaner that cleans the leather so well it will knock everything out of it.

the second one is a protector that is water based and won`t harm your leather no matter what 1 application will last 4-6 months, 2-3 applications per year.

expensive but worth every penny to me at least.

also if your leather is aged pretty bad, they have a special product that softens leather

you use after the leather cleaner...

Check top of the Line they do sell them although I bought it from them directly.

**elsdragon314** · 10-18-2007, 02:38 PM

Good information, but what is it that makes Leatherique and similar products harmful? Leather therapy at least touts the whole pH neutral (lexol says natural pH for leather, which probably in fact is not neutral), make leather stronger, anti-mold/fungal (not sure you really want that in a car, but then again it may help the old musty smell). I think all of them (lexol, leatherique, and leather therapy) are water based emulsions.

I would be really interested in reading the references for Leatherique et. al. being harmful, as I have had trouble finding this sort of thing with supporting evidence. If you have links to specific articles, and it is allowed on the forum, it would be appreciated.

Incidentally, I think i may have found the OPs post on a clublexus forum, it even has the exact same title as this, it looks like some other people tried it there and were likewise pleased with the results.

The downsides that I have found (and this is the minority), some people thinks it smells a little `chemically`, and others felt that it was expensive for what it did, haven`t found any that actually say it didn`t work, just some that it didn`t work as well as they thought it should (of the ones that say it didn`t work as well as it should it seems most only tried it for a very short period of time and were expecting a miracle).

Any and all comments/thoughts are welcome, especially evidence or experience with similar products that you liked, and what it is you liked about them.