Review: Chemical Guys Leather Combo - Picture Heavy

[rwright]

Greetings all. I was given this product combo consisting of Chemical Guys Leather Cleaner and Chemical Guys Pure Leather Conditioner to write a review on and after some testing I have prepared a review. Please note that some photos were enhanced to show better detail, those photos will be marked as enhanced. Previously I used the CG Leather Cleaner on a different vehicle with excellent results but failed to document the use. For this review the leather cleaner was up against very, very lightly soiled leather in our 2011 Buick Regal and will not be the focus of attention. Notes and final thoughts to follow at the end.


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Products: Chemical Guys Leather Cleaner, Chemical Guys Pure Leather Conditioner

Package Size: 16oz. bottles with flip cap (conditioner) and spray head (cleaner)

Price: Varies by retailer - Cleaner - $9.99, Conditioner - $14.99

Scent: Cleaner - scent free, Conditioner - leather scent


To start off I snapped a couple pictures to show what little surface grime was visible, which was not much:






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After cleaning the surface by spraying a micro fiber towel and gently wiping:


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Ensuring the surface was free of any residual cleaner, I started the conditioning process. The following shots are after applying one layer of conditioner and removing the masking tape for the 50/50 shot.






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According to the label on the conditioner bottle, after applying it leaves the surface dry to the touch. I waited 1-2 minutes and decided to test this and for squeaky leather, not a good idea! As you can see I nearly removed all the conditioner.



Assuming it transferred to my jeans I sat down on the door sill to take additional pictures and guess what? I left a mark.


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Close up after sitting on leather:



The next test was against the claim on the label of "Formulated with stain repellants, and waterproofing agents that aid in the protection of leather." For this test I simply misted the surface with water.



As you can see there is no difference between the two sides. Not impressed I proceeded to wipe the surface dry and as you guessed, it removed the conditioner.



At this point I decided to clean the seat again and was ready to give up. Then I started thinking that maybe it needs to sit on the surface longer. Like some other leather products you should wait 12 hours for the product to dry and bond. This time I decided to try a couple things, a single layer of conditioner and a second layer of conditioner to see how much gloss was added. Take note of the "1", "2", and "No Conditioner", this simply describes the layers applied.







Here is a close up with flash on to show level of gloss:



Followed by random shots:










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Final product shot:


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Final notes and thoughts:

After allowing the conditioner to sit on the surface for 28 hours I decided again to try the ability to repel water, same results. The water just remained on the surface with no beading or anything. Using a dry micro fiber towel I wiped up the water with the same results the day prior, the conditioner appeared to be removed. At this point I just cleaned the surface again and left in natural form.

I feel the cleaner is a very good product and recently read that you shouldn`t use it full strength. I believe the recommended ratios were 1:6 for heavy cleaning and 1:4 for everything else. The conditioner dramatically darkens the leather but doesn`t appear to stick. It smells really good for what it`s worth. The surface didn`t feel sticky after applying the conditioner. Maybe this leather conditioner is better suited for older leather?

This concludes my review and as always thank you for viewing and if you have any questions I will do my best to help.

Thanks,
Richard

[mjlinane]

Great review, Richard. Your results are very much in keeping with what I`d read about the conditioner - one of the reasons I`ve never tried it. CG has some very good products and some, not so much.

[CT3]

Thanks for this great review. I`m due to pick up a leather cleaning/conditioning combo in my spring order. The more reviews I see, just keep proving that I should get the Leatherique twins and be done with it.

[PPLd]

I have the Chemical Guys CG Leather Cleaner. I heard that some people dilute it because the instruction says so. However on my bottle it didnt mention it. I guess there are 2 versions of the product some time ago? Not sure though so you might want to try diluting it to see how it work.

If you are looking for a quality leather conditioner that will some how bead water,
try Sonus, 4* (Four Star) or Blackfire.
These leather conditioners are Polycharged and water bead up a bit.
Well it wont bead up like on paint but you get the idea.
To me, the water beading implies the conditioner is leaving behind some kind of polymer protectant. Some people may like it while some dont.
I am sure there are some other leather products out there that can bead water too (Autoglym Leather Balm for example).

[Bunky]

Thanks for the review Richard.

[BobbyG]

Hey Richard,

That`s quite a review and I`ve been looking to try some new leather products as I`m nearly out of Lexol.

I`m very impressed with your results of both cleaner and conditioner. The photos and especially those closeups show amazing detail and it`s east to see just how much impact they made...

Once again, another great product review Richard and thanks for taking the extra time to document and post!!

[Old Pirate]

Awesome review Richard. Great write up on this product and photos of your work.

[Todd@RUPES]

I think one thing that will continue to separate AutopiaForums from other communities that I (and we) strongly encourage unbiased reviews of products. Your review and honesty is extremely appreciated. Keep up the good work my friend!

[cmichael258]

Excellent review!

[TroyScherer]

Richard thanks for a very complete and honest review. I had look at this combo in the past but never pulled the trigger. I think I will stick with the Leatherique twins for annual use and Optimum Leather Protectant for regular maintenance.

[blk5.0]

Thanks for that info. I wanted to try that out guess I will keep to my current treatment

[Pats300zx]

Great review Richard. I love CG Leather Conditioner. Been using it for years...

[ca.detailchick]

Thanks Richard for the honest reveiw!

I had higher hopes but thats how it is sometimes!

[imported_MI Mike]

So is it possible that a rating system could be incorporated into the reviews . I would take it that the review would be a 2-Star. **

[rwright]

Sorry for slacking everyone. Thank you all for the great feedback. I had high expectations of this combo as well, at least half of it lived up to the claims. I haven`t used the Fabric Guard yet but they could incorporate some of that technology in the leather conditioner.