Nikwax Cream Wax Tube (Spring 2010)

The product separated and was a mix of chunks and a watery slime. It was unusable. It seems like other reviewers have experienced the same thing. Shaking and attempting to mix it in the tube did not work.

I have tried many waterproofing products for my LLBean hunting boots and my Asolo hiking boots. This is by far the best. As an earlier reviewer noted, there is no need to heat up the leather as with other products. This goes on easily and does an excellent waterproofing job. Athough I am out in all kinds of bad weather, walking through mud, streams and muck, my socks and feet stay dry. I apply only once a year. I prefer the tube applied by hand. I put on thin latex gloves to apply it. Note that when you first get the tube you should spend some time squeezing and massaging the tube to mix up any separated ingredients. If you just open a new tube you are likely to get a thin liquid coming out first. I only had to do that once with a new tube - after the first use I did not have to mix it again. A really excellent product.

This wax is good stuff - I put this on some LL Bean boots I have. Application was pretty simple. Instructions on the tube are vague, but essentially as long as your boots are clean (you can even apply this to wet leather) you just need to rub it in, let it dry and wipe off the excess and buff if desired. I applied two coats using my fingers only so I could make sure to get it in the seams and curves of the boots. Since this is water-based, the second coat may seem like it's not going in correctly, but it's just the water separating from the wax ingredients. My only tip is to make sure you shake the bottle up well so everything is mixed, otherwise it comes out of the tube thin and watery. I have brown leather boots and it darkened them somewhat, but I think my boot leather was parched far beyond what I realized, and the darkening looks good. It did a pretty good job at softening the leather as well. As advertised, water beads off immediately after application. I've already recommended this to some friends.