As a result of my most recent acquisition and a seemless, rapid transaction with FloridaCCW here I became curious about holster care and treatment. Even though I have a section of my closet dedicated to leather care products I didn't know much about it other than having an obsessive shoe fetish. This forum has been responsible for extending the need for quality leather products to include holsters. We have been fortunate indeed to have some of the finest leather craftsmen associated with this forum who make R9 holsters and other high grade leather products
I looked at several holster makers' recommendations for leather treatment and the list was almost as long as gun care products. One maker said not to do anything to the holster while another one recommended the use of only two brands of leather conditioners: LEXOL or Properts and nothing else. One site recommended no wax because the leather "must be allowed to breathe." Even though Renaissance wax has been widely extolled on these pages I had noticed that some black dye would come off some of my holsters after using it. This was only a minor observation and not a complaint.
So, I decided to call one of the foremost experts for advice, Matt Del Fatti. He was very friendly and informative and said that no conditioners were needed because his holsters are sealed before receiving their final coat of Renaissance wax. As an alternative Matt said that KIWI neutral shoe polish could also be used to enhance the life of the holster.
