Saddle Soap? Bad For Leather?

[WyomingSlick]

Is the product commonly referred to as "Saddle Soap" actually bad for leather?

I came across a few web articles on saddle soap while researching a related topic which were news to me.

"No Saddle Soap Please!" http://www.autogeek.net/nosasopl.html

"Saddle Soap Truths - A Century of Deception?" http://voices.yahoo.com/saddle-soap-truths-97557.html

Thoughts and comments ?

[oltoot]

Not when used reasonably in moderation. Dirt is a worse enemy than a little SS. In excess, definitely yes. There are other products that are preferable for repeated use; a range of glycerin products, Murphy's oil soap, warm water and elbow grease. SS is alkaline in composition. Therein lies the potential problem. When I was just a hairy legged boy I had a girlfriend who had some English tack she had been given, no horse just tack. Every day she would lovingly lather it up with yellow soap until it was saturated through and through, soft and supple to be sure. After a few years when she saved her money and got a horse the tack came out of reserve into active service. Alas, even though it looked nearly new, it didn't last long. She had literally loved it to death but that took a lot of lather. It eventually did comprimise the fiber structure, weakening it. Repeated use had tipped the PH balance away from the optimum.

[TomG]

What is the consensus on any or all of the Lexol products?

What is the best cleaner/protector/restorer for VegTan, for Chrome tan and for upholstery leathers? I would thing the different leathers might benefit from different products