I’m an avid hunter. I enjoy “walking in the woods with a gun” every October in search of elusive elk. I then continue my trekking through November and into the beginning of December in search of whitetail and mule deer. For the past six seasons, my feet have had the pleasure of being swathed in a fantastic pair of Danner Hunting Boots. I don’t believe they make this particular model anymore – they’re 8” high, have the classic “Danner Bob” outsole, and feature solid leather uppers. They’re comfortable and bullet proof.
To be brutally honest, they have loved my feet well, but I have not reciprocated at all. I abuse them each season and then stick them on my hunting gear shelf in the garage. And…that’s been the story for the past six or so seasons (I can’t really remember when I got these boots).
When Luke asked about having us test the Dropforge Leather Care Cream , I did a quick mental inventory on what I thought would be a good test case and immediately and sadly thought of my trusty hunting boots. Their sad, neglected condition needs to be rectified…and Dropforge Leather Care has come to the rescue.
About Dropforge Leather Care
DropForge Leather Care is owned and operated by Bryan and his son Luke with the help of an old friend, Bob. They live in eastern Washington at the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater Rivers, namely Clarkston WA and create their products there too. Growing up on an Idaho farm and seeing first hand how leather needs to be treated, they got involved in the leather care industry in 1993. This led to 22 years of experimenting with what worked best in the industry, with first hand involvement in competitive products.
Now they’re embarking on their own with 25+ combined years of experience in the leather care industry. They seek to bring a fresh perspective and superior product line to the leather care community. Currently they’re running a Kickstarter campaign to help them propel their company forward. There’s still time to get in on funding their company and get some great products at the same time.
Testing Dropforge Leather Care’s Cream
By now, you’ve seen the corresponding images of my boots. Yes, shame on me for not giving them more love over the years. But…dang, they’re awesome and have held up really, really well to substantial abuse over the years!
After banging out most of last season’s mud and shaking out some pine needles and junk the boots were ready for application of the Dropforge Leather Care Cream. Over the years I’ve used a variety of cloths and applicators for saddle soap, leather cleaners, and conditioners. However, when I’m working on a pair of boots I always gravitate to a trusty old sock. It is my favorite because it slips over my hand and allows me to work the product in easily with all of my fingers. The sock has just enough texture to allow you to really work the Cream in deeply.
The Cream is a soft product and goes on very easily. It has an extremely pleasant smell too, which shouldn’t be a surprise since it’s chemical free and all natural. It contains natural oils and beeswax. It’s the “bee” part that makes it smell, well…delicious. I was craving some really good toast, a little butter, and honey the entire time I was conditioning my boots. The Cream was easy to manipulate into all of the nooks and crannies on my boots and covered them entirely without issue.
Once you’ve applied the product Dropforge recommends that you let it sit overnight. If you’re able to set your conditioned products out in the sun or near a heat source this will also help the conditioning and waterproofing process. So…now, I need to be patient and let Cream work its magic.
Impression
My initial impression is very positive for Dropforge Leather Care’s Cream. It’s easy to apply, smells great, is all-natural, and already has my boots looking much, much more loved and appreciated. It looks like it’s going to protect and preserve my boots for many more seasons to come.
Recommendation
There are lots of other players in the leather care industry. All of them have benefits and drawbacks attached to them. Some contain harsh chemicals and some are all natural, like Dropforge Leather Care. I admire Brian, Luke, and Bob for creating Dropforge and entering into the leather care arena. I definitely like their product. They’re making some great strategic alliances with several highly respected leather companies too – so, their product is definitely proving itself worthy.
Having an all natural, eco-friendly, safe cleaner and conditioner that’s safe to use on small and large leather products is fantastic. We’ve had several people email us recently looking for a viable product to use on leather furniture and it seems like Dropforge fits that need very well. One of these days maybe we’ll venture into reviewing leather furniture and will be able to test it first hand. In seeing how well it worked on my great, but abused boots, I imagine it will work extremely well on furniture.
Next day impressions: I’m sold. My boots look much more loved now. There is no greasy residue on them and they look much, much better. They feel much more supple too. Due to the lack of conditioning on these boots, I’m actually going to apply another coat of Dropforge Leather Care’s Cream to them. I think one more application will put the boots in marvelous condition.
There’s a little less than a week left on their Kickstarter campaign. They have several great reward packages set up. We encourage you to back these guys (I did) and in return, you’ll receive some very high quality leather care products. I’m sure I’m not the only dude with a pair of boots that need some attention (or saddles, messenger bags, leather furniture, etc, etc.). Your leather products will thank you and you’ll definitely feel better about yourself after you’ve conditioned them too! Or, if you prefer, you can order products directly from their website: www.dropforgeleathercare.com.
