Eco-Flo Professional Products

[JoelR]

I have not seen a whole lot of discussion so I thought I would mention some things about the new(er) line of "Professional" products from Tandy. To date, I have tried the following:

Professional Conditioner Creme:

Comes in a 17oz container with a foam applicator in the lid. Price is $18 wholesale and $30 retail.

Tandy advertises this as a conditioner and top-coat in one. I have done some water tests, and two layers does add a bit of water intrusion protection, but I do not feel it really offers any real benefit as a top coat so I have been using it as if it is a conditioner only. Leathers dyed with Feibings Professional oil dyes will experience some rub-off when applying the conditioner and the conditioner alone does nothing to seal in the dye once dry. It feels like it is penetrating and conditioning, but I really have to trust that the product is doing what it is intended to do as I cannot think of any real way to test the conditioning performance of the product. I can say that I can't see any way to over condition things (the limp-noodle effect) like you could do with neetsfoot oil or other liquid conditioners. Price feels a little high but there is a lot of product in the container. Added applicator is a nice touch. Major Issue - I was using up the last of my other conditioners for a few months and then went back to this to find mold growing inside the container. I simply scooped it out and moved on. No ingredients on the label so hard to say what is in it that could mold.

Professional Finish - Clear Matte:

Comes in 8.5oz and 33.8oz bottles. Price is $12 wholesale and $19 retail for the 8.5oz and $24 wholesale and $40 retail for the 33.8oz bottle.

The 8.5oz bottle is a squeeze-style bottle which makes it a little hard to determine how much is left and when to reorder. Smell is pretty bad and will linger on your hands even after washed. Combined with the Professional Conditioner Creme, once dry, it does a really good job of locking in the dye. Dye will rub off initially when applying, but after a 24-hour drying period, even blacks do not rub off after 3 coats. I have found it easiest to apply with fabric-wrapped sponges (I get them in 8-packs from Harbor Freight for $1.99 a package). Best to apply a quarter-sized dollop on the sponge, work it into the sponge and apply in light coats. Heavy coats will dry without issue but will leave white residue in your stitches that is a pain to remove. Dries quickly for re-coating. I like it enough to have picked up the Gloss version last time I was at the store.

Professional Edge Dressing - Neutral

Comes in 8.5oz and 33.8oz bottles. Price is $15 wholesale and $25 retail for the 8.5oz and $30 wholesale and $50 retail for the 33.8oz bottle.

I rarely "paint" my edges and was hoping that the offering of the Neutral would work well to better protect burnished edges. Results have been mixed and I have not felt confident enough with it to use it on a client's product. First application over a burnished edge resulted in a paint-like finish that pealed off. Could be the edge was still a bit damp, could be I did not allow enough drying time. Second test was done on an un-burnished but sanded-smooth edge. Dressing seemed to absorb a bit into the leather (which was expected and hoped for) and did not rub off easily after a 24-hour drying period. Definitely not a burnished-edge look, but may be a good alternative or addition to burnishing for those fibrous leathers I have trouble burnishing (like stingray and alligator). Not sure if I can recommend this product yet but have no real reason to not recommend it either.

Well, as I said, this is a limited review. Feel free to add your experiences for these products and others in the "Professional" line of Eco-Flo products to the thread. If you would like a certain test done one one of the above products, let me know and I will be happy to oblige.

[SooperJake]

I'm not sure what you did while using the Eco Flo Professional edge dressing, but I bought some just out of curiosity, and it arrived today. On a dry, dyed, burnished edge, that I did maybe a week ago, and after coating and waiting 30 min. of drying, I can't scrape it off with a finger nail. I could not peel it off either.

To clearify, I am in an air conditioned home, so the humidity is low. The leather pieces are dry.

I also put it on a raw, fresh cut edge at the same time.

In both cases the edge dressing sticks very firmly. It dries to a very low sheen. It doesn't look near as "fake" or awful as some of the reports I have read about edge dressing or edge ink as I have heard it called. It is tricky to get a smooth line along the edge. It looks like a second coat would benefit.

I can see why this type of product is used in a production setting.

Jake