Pretty sure a lot of people don't know how to take care of or clean their leathers properly, thus extremly limiting the service life of them(boots, holsters, sheaths, even coats).
Think of leather like you would your skin, it needs natural oils and moisture to stay "alive". But, unlike your skin, leather cannot produce this on its own due to the fact it is no longer attached to an animal that can keep the skin oiled and moisturized. Like your skin, when it becomes dry it cracks, scuffs, and turns hard.
Certain products that claim to oil and protect leather actually do more harm then good. Petroleum based products(like Danner Boot Grease, Viking, and SnoSeal) tend to break down the fibers in the leather, either turning it to mush(and making it pretty useless) or make it so hard and brittle it breaks. Avoid these products at all costs, and always check to make sure that whatever your buying does not have any plastics or petroleum based ingredients.
We've found 3 rather exceptional product lines: Leather New, Obenauf's, and Properts(now owned by Sara Lee).
Leather New resembles a saddle soap and conditioner. It is great for conditioning old, dried out leathers, as well as removing fungus and other dirt from the leather without harming it. When I first got my gun belt, it had been sitting in a box for 20 years, and was extremly dry and was growing mold, after applying Leather New liberally, and scrubbing with a gentle brush, the leather became strong and supple like it used to be(after about 2 or 3 hours of sitting). Leather New does not do well against stains, but it will clean most anything off the leather, but as a general purpose conditioner, leather new does not work the best.
For leathers in harsh conditions, or used for heavy service(like boots, holsters, sheaths, and saddles), Obenauf's Heavy Duty "LP"(leather protector), works best. It will condition and project leather from moisture, heat, salt, and dryness, as well as serving as a very good water proofer. LP comes in a plastic container as a grease(its more of a bee's wax base actually), and is best applied liberally with your hands. LP will melt as you work it in. As a supplement to LP(or for leathers that are used in light duty enviroments), Obenauf's Leather Oil works great. It helps oil and protect leather, but is not as strong as LP. Also, the Leather Oil is much easier to apply, as its in liquid form. Leather Oil should not be used in place of LP, as it will not offer the same protection as LP, nor will it last as long on the leather as 2 good coats of LP will.
Properts (also known as the White Bottle or Meltonian) is getting pretty hard to find, and I am not sure if its even made anymore(as they were bought out and distrobuted under Sara Lee, and I can't find any reference to them). Properts is very popular for us on Leather Jackets and Car Seats since it protects and moisturizes without leaving any trace of it on the surface of the leather, while at the same time cleaning most surface stains. It works very well, and is easy to apply and use. If you can find it, buy it! It will save you the hassle of buying a new leather jacket every few years.
As I said, I believe Obenauf's LP to be the best general purpose leather treatment, and as long as thats applied to the leather several times a year(in two coats each time), you will get the maximum service life out of your leathers, and they may even out last you
Hope this helps someone
Credits for Info(I just grouped all this stuff together in my style):
Dennis Edigar(Camas Shoe Service)
Obenauf's
Think of leather like you would your skin, it needs natural oils and moisture to stay "alive". But, unlike your skin, leather cannot produce this on its own due to the fact it is no longer attached to an animal that can keep the skin oiled and moisturized. Like your skin, when it becomes dry it cracks, scuffs, and turns hard.
Certain products that claim to oil and protect leather actually do more harm then good. Petroleum based products(like Danner Boot Grease, Viking, and SnoSeal) tend to break down the fibers in the leather, either turning it to mush(and making it pretty useless) or make it so hard and brittle it breaks. Avoid these products at all costs, and always check to make sure that whatever your buying does not have any plastics or petroleum based ingredients.
We've found 3 rather exceptional product lines: Leather New, Obenauf's, and Properts(now owned by Sara Lee).
Leather New resembles a saddle soap and conditioner. It is great for conditioning old, dried out leathers, as well as removing fungus and other dirt from the leather without harming it. When I first got my gun belt, it had been sitting in a box for 20 years, and was extremly dry and was growing mold, after applying Leather New liberally, and scrubbing with a gentle brush, the leather became strong and supple like it used to be(after about 2 or 3 hours of sitting). Leather New does not do well against stains, but it will clean most anything off the leather, but as a general purpose conditioner, leather new does not work the best.
For leathers in harsh conditions, or used for heavy service(like boots, holsters, sheaths, and saddles), Obenauf's Heavy Duty "LP"(leather protector), works best. It will condition and project leather from moisture, heat, salt, and dryness, as well as serving as a very good water proofer. LP comes in a plastic container as a grease(its more of a bee's wax base actually), and is best applied liberally with your hands. LP will melt as you work it in. As a supplement to LP(or for leathers that are used in light duty enviroments), Obenauf's Leather Oil works great. It helps oil and protect leather, but is not as strong as LP. Also, the Leather Oil is much easier to apply, as its in liquid form. Leather Oil should not be used in place of LP, as it will not offer the same protection as LP, nor will it last as long on the leather as 2 good coats of LP will.
Properts (also known as the White Bottle or Meltonian) is getting pretty hard to find, and I am not sure if its even made anymore(as they were bought out and distrobuted under Sara Lee, and I can't find any reference to them). Properts is very popular for us on Leather Jackets and Car Seats since it protects and moisturizes without leaving any trace of it on the surface of the leather, while at the same time cleaning most surface stains. It works very well, and is easy to apply and use. If you can find it, buy it! It will save you the hassle of buying a new leather jacket every few years.
As I said, I believe Obenauf's LP to be the best general purpose leather treatment, and as long as thats applied to the leather several times a year(in two coats each time), you will get the maximum service life out of your leathers, and they may even out last you
Hope this helps someone
Credits for Info(I just grouped all this stuff together in my style):
Dennis Edigar(Camas Shoe Service)
Obenauf's
I'm sure when it does, it'll give Obenauf's a run for their money(Only seen one thing of Blackrock before... no field expierence 
)