Nubuck leather. Wax on? Or wax off?

[Hedgecrafter]

I just received these Meindl mountain boots.

I'm currently not sure if they are the Himalaya or Island pro model.
Ether way, I have just taken the laces out to wax them. I've got timberland 'waximum' wax. On the back it says 'do not use on suede or nubuck.

Is that just for aesthetics? Will it just make the nubuck look darker and glossy?
Or is there an actual reason I shouldn't wax them.

Meindl say I should use 3 separate cleaners, protectors and conditioners which each happen to be about £10 and are only sold by meindl. (What are the chances?)

So...
Wax on or wax off?

 

[Muddypaws]

If you wax nubuck it will eventually turn into something akin to smooth leather, so if you don't mind losing the appearance then wax away!

 

[Hedgecrafter]

Ok thank you.

So it will improve the longevity of the boots right?

 

[Muddypaws]

Ok thank you.

So it will improve the longevity of the boots right?

Any leather care regime will improve the longevity of the boots, clean them regularly, don't leave the muddy for long periods of time, and periodically wax them. Specialist proofers for Nubuck are OK if you wish to keep the nap of the leather, but time and use will probably smooth the nap anyway.
Hope this helps.

 

[boney gumbo mcgee]

I use nikwax foot wear cleaning gel, the bottle lasts me ages and nikwax nubuck and suede conditioner on my wife & daughters boots, they have never complained about having wet feet, but it does make the leather go a bit darker. On all my smooth leather boots I always use Altberg Leder Gris.

 

[Hedgecrafter]

Thanks for the advice.

This timberland wax is almost up so I will try something different next time.
I get through it pretty quick. I work in the care industry and offen end up with blood, urine, broken glass, food, cleaning products, mud or any combination of the above on my shoes. So I clean and wax them every few days. The wax makes a huge difference with how easily stuff comes off.

 

[Macaroon]

If you get that kind of contamination on your boots I reckon the quicker you seal the surface of the leather the better, and waxing will achieve this very efficiently; you don't want any nap at all on the leather under those conditions.

 

[vizsla]

I can recommend grangers g-wax for next time

 

[Hedgecrafter]

I can recommend grangers g-wax for next time

Thank you. I'll make a note. It'll probably be this week.

 

[boney gumbo mcgee]

For the stuff your boots are coming into contact with I would also go for Grangers G wax too not the Nikwax as the grangers will offer a heavier protection. It lasts a long time too and is not very expensive.

 

[Hedgecrafter]

I've ordered some of that grangers g wax.
The timberland stuff feels very soft and comes off quickly. It feels more like a conditioner than a hard wax.