Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

My Wilson double-collar bomber jacket--a $25 find-of-the-decade from the local second-hand store--is like no other jacket I have ever worn. The dark brown leather is soft and supple, to be sure, but it's the design that makes this jacket irreplaceable: the inner collar that zips up the neck; the double-button cuffs; the durable brass hardware; the ventilated back panel that is cool for late spring, summer evenings, and early fall; and the zip-in liner that has kept me warm for three Northwest winters. It would be heartbreaking to lose it or see it damaged in some way. So after a few years of wear out in the elements, the rich brown was starting to fade and dry, and I knew I needed to do something. I tried a little Lexol on the back panel. Meh... Darker and more supple, but also a bit "muddy-looking". Enter Obenauf's Leather Oil. I didn't really know what to expect, and I was a little terrified. I mean, I knew from all my reading that it would darken the leather, but I didn't have much insight into the process. I gently wiped the oil on, section by section, using the funny little sponge applicator attached to the lid. I spread and massaged the oil in with my bare hands. It wasn't looking that great. I waited a day and decided that I might as well go for broke; perhaps another light coat would improve things. Afterwards, the jacket just seemed heavy and dark, with an almost oily matte sheen to it. Had I ruined it? Was this leather (calfskin, maybe?) too soft to be using this product? I nervously resolved to hang the jacket in a warm area of the house for a week; if it didn't improve, I would attempt to machine-wash the ugly oil out using a technique I had found on YouTube. But Lo! It *did* improve! After about five days the oily sheen had disappeared, and by the end of the week the leather began to look richer than ever before, and I felt like wearing it again. Over the next few weeks the color and texture only improved, and more than a month later it has come to look freakin' AWESOME. A month later, emboldened by my experience and now that the weather was turning cooler and wetter, I decided to add some rain-resistance with some Obenauf's Heavy-Duty LP. I zapped the little container in the microwave for about 15 seconds to soften the wax, and using a hairdryer to warm the jacket, I applied the LP over a selection of panels. One coat, only. The leather darkened a little more. It and my hands smelled like honey. The next day, the surface of the leather had a slightly waxy but still supple feel to it. Water beaded nicely on the surface. After all of this, I am totally sold on Obenauf's.