Leather vs suede boots

[TropicalSk8ter]

I know it seems like im asking questions every five seconds and I apologize for that but I just wanted your thoughts. Does anyone have any positive or negative oppinions about the comparison. Some pros and cons would be great guys. Again sorry for buggin so much

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[alejeather]

I assume you mean for boots? 

[TropicalSk8ter]

I assume you mean for boots? 

YES! LOL cant believe I forgot to specify that. :-)

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[nicklaszlo]

I have had both on the outside of my boots.  Keep in mind suede is just a different kind of leather.  A lot of people have mentioned that they like the appearance of my suede boots.  Personally I prefer the look of regular.  I got suede because I could not get Jackson Elites any other way.  I do not know of any way to polish or otherwise improve the appearance of suede.

[nicklaszlo]

http://skatingforums.com/index.php?topic=3617.0

[TropicalSk8ter]

I have had both on the outside of my boots.  Keep in mind suede is just a different kind of leather.  A lot of people have mentioned that they like the appearance of my suede boots.  Personally I prefer the look of regular.  I got suede because I could not get Jackson Elites any other way.  I do not know of any way to polish or otherwise improve the appearance of suede.

Thanks laszlo I was looking in the thread for suede boots but didnt find it. I guess I wasnt looking for It right.

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[kr1981]

Hi! I'm a little late to this thread, but thought I'd chime in. I'm currently skating in light pink suede SP-Teri customs that I had made in 1997 or '98 (I skated it in them for a year or two, then quit in 1999--and just got back into skating again a month ago... that's how they've held up over 15 years, lol).

They're really pretty skates and everyone remarks on them, but I wouldn't go with suede again simply because I feel like they're harder to keep clean. Also, if they get really scuffed or dirty, there's not a whole lot you can do to spruce them up. My skates are a light pink--but it's sort of a dusty rose shade, so they don't show the dirt as much (I wanted something pink, but basically neutral). But, they definitely show some dirt. And since I got back into skating a month ago, I've been going 4-5 times a week on my lunch hour--so, I'm wearing jeans and have noticed that the color from the denim has rubbed off on them. If they were basic white leather, I would probably polish or tape them, but since they're pink suede, there's not a whole lot I can do. I've seen suede cleaner in the store--at some point I'll probably give that a shot just to see what it does.

Suede also rubs smooth in spots where your boots rub together a lot or do lunges (I have a few small spots like that on the insides).

Waterproofing is easy. I Sno-Seal the heels/soles just like any other figure skate, and spray the boot with some suede waterproofer that I got at Target (Kiwi brand). I waterproofed them when I started skating a month ago--no idea how often I used to do it.

Prior to my suede Teris, I went through a couple pairs of basic white Riedell stock boots. I remember polishing them to clean up the appearance (this was in the mid-90s, so it was either before people taped boots, or just no one at my rink was taping). It was nice to be able to do that. I also find that I'm more particular about trying to keep my boots nice with the pink suede. Before getting my customs, I LOVED doing lunges. Once I got my customs, I pretty much stopped doing them because I didn't want to rub all the suede off my boot (like I had done with the leather on my previous boots!). So, think about that, too--if you got nice suede skates, would you be overly concerned with keeping them nice?

All in all, it has been fun to have pretty pink skates, but in the future--even if I do end up in another pair of customs--I'll go with the basic white leather boot, just because it's so much easier to clean up the appearance when they get dirty or scuffed up.

[Query]

Not sure if you care, but

The instructions on Lexol leather conditioner, and many other leather conditioners, say that it shouldn't be used on suede. They are basically oils - i.e. lubricants that allow the leather fibers to move against each other to retain pliability, and the oils basically destroy the appearance of suede by darkening it and ruining the nap - perhaps the fibers stick together?.

Leather conditioners help preserve ordinary (non-suede) leather by preventing cracking? Perhaps they should be limited to the insides of skates, and only those with bare leather liners, now that most skates have multiple layers of material and are clear-coated with some sort of protective plastic on the outside...

There are separate "suede cleaning" fluids that you can buy. I used one once on suede street shoes, after I made the mistake of trying Lexol conditioner on them...