Best Oils and Conditioners for Baseball Gloves

While old-fashioned choices such as neatsfoot oil and mink oil are good for cleaning and conditioning a variety of leather items, there are plenty of other excellent products in the running for “Best Oil for Baseball Glove” awards! We’ve invested countless hours into reading reviews and trying out the top contenders, all to save you time and help you make a well-informed choice about which is the best oil for your baseball glove.

Whether you’re hoping to break in a brand new baseball glove, maintain a comfortable favorite, or restore an old treasure that’s been in storage for years, you’ll find that at least one of the following products will do the trick.

Quick Look: Top 5 Picks

IMAGEPRODUCT
  • Works on vinyl gloves as well as leather ones
  • Speeds up the process of breaking up the baseball glove
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  • Contains natural ingredients
  • Versatile product helps break in, maintain, preserve, and restore baseball gloves
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  • Convenient tube
  • Hydrates leather well
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  • Specially formulated for use on oil tanned leather baseball gloves
  • Repels moisture well
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  • No greasy residue
  • Safe for use on most leather products, not just baseball gloves
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Considerations when Choosing the Best Oil for Baseball Gloves

When choosing the best oil for your baseball glove, there are just a few things to keep in mind.

  • Intended use: Are you planning to break in a new baseball glove, or are you hoping to restore an older one? Perhaps you’re looking for a product that you can use to break in a new glove and then keep it in good condition as the seasons pass. Many experienced players choose a few different products to use. For example, Hot Glove Treatment Instant Glove Break In is considered the best oil for baseball gloves that are brand new and need to be broken in quickly.

Once the glove feels more flexible, users tend to apply a second product such as Hot Glove Cream Conditioner, Wilson Pro Stock Glove Conditioner, or Pecard Baseball Glove Conditioner. The purpose of the second product is to provide additional softness as well as some protection against moisture. If you are breaking in a new glove, you might want to consider an all-in-one product such as the Hot Glove Management System Kit, which comes complete with a glove wrap.

  • Size: Baseball glove oil comes in different sizes. Most packages contain just a few ounces, but a little goes a long way.
  • Price: If you’re worried that the best oil for baseball gloves might be expensive, put those fears to rest! Most products come in at less than $10, and with the exception of Hot Glove Treatment Instant Glove Break In, a single package ought to last you for at least a few seasons.
  • Ingredients: Do you prefer all-natural ingredients, or are you fine with formulas that contain some petroleum products? Both will work; this is mainly a matter of personal preference.

Once you’ve chosen the best oil for your baseball glove, take a little time to read the instructions carefully before getting to work on breaking in or restoring your glove. Remember to buff off any excess, and if you need to apply multiple treatments, give the first treatment some time to sink in before getting on to the next one. Armed with these tips, you’ll find it’s easy to choose the best oil for your baseball glove and put it to use. Once you’re finished, your glove will be ready to enjoy. We wish you the best of luck this baseball season!

Hot Glove Treatment Instant Glove Break In


Designed to quickly break in new baseball gloves, Hot Glove Treatment Instant Glove Break In also works on older gloves, conditioning, waterproofing, and restoring leather. Available in your choice of pump or aerosol spray, Hot Glove Treatment is applied before warming your glove in the oven. It can be used on its own or applied before using a conditioning cream. This product is made in America.

Pros:

  • Works on vinyl gloves as well as leather ones
  • Speeds up the process of breaking up the baseball glove

Cons:

  • Sometimes requires multiple treatments

If you have a brand new baseball glove to break in and you want to spend a bit less time softening leather, you might like Hot Glove Treatment Instant Glove Break In. Results vary with this product. Some reviewers note that this spray produces results in a single treatment, while others mention applying it three or even four times before getting the desired results.

Hot Glove Cream Conditioner


Designed to clean, soften, and maintain leather baseball gloves, Hot Glove Cream Conditioner is made with Lanolin and Vitamin E. This cream helps leather repel moisture, yet it offers a lightweight feel. New gloves feel more flexible when Hot Glove Cream Conditioner is applied, and older ones are greatly improved. This product is made in America.

Pros:

  • Contains natural ingredients
  • Versatile product helps break in, maintain, preserve, and restore baseball gloves

Cons:

  • Some dark colors may develop discoloration with repeated exposure to sweat

Whether you want to break in a new baseball glove without putting it in the oven, or if you’d like to restore or maintain an older glove, you are likely to appreciate Hot Glove Cream Conditioner. This product does a good job of softening leather quickly, but it leaves no residue behind. It’s worth noting that some reviewers have successfully used this product on a variety of other items, including leather basketballs.

Nokona NLT Classic Leather Glove Conditioner


Nokona NLT Classic Leather Glove Conditioner speeds up the break-in process on new baseball gloves, and is useful for cleaning and maintaining your glove. Made with paraffin and mineral oil, it has a consistency similar to that of petroleum jelly, making for easy, spill-free application.

Pros:

  • Convenient tube
  • Hydrates leather well

Cons:

  • A few reviewers mention a greasy feeling

If you’re looking for a baseball glove conditioner with a light feel and you aren’t worried about using petroleum products, you might like Nokona NLT Classic Leather Glove Conditioner. While this is a small tube of conditioner, a tiny dab goes far and some reviewers mention the tube lasting for multiple seasons. It’s worth noting that overuse can lead to a heavy or greasy feeling that will take quite some time to clear up. If you overapply, you may be able to use a microfiber cloth to absorb some of the excess.

Pecard Baseball Glove Conditioner


Pecard Baseball Glove Conditioner softens leather and improves its suppleness while providing excellent protection from moisture. Designed specifically for baseball gloves made with oil tanned leather, it is useful for conditioning older gloves as well as for breaking in new ones.

Pros:

  • Specially formulated for use on oil tanned leather baseball gloves
  • Repels moisture well

Cons:

  • Costs a little more than some other formulas

Pecard is famous for its leather dressing, and Pecard Baseball Glove Conditioner gets high marks for its ability to restore softness to older baseball gloves by softening stiff fibers. Its ability to waterproof leather gives it a variety of other uses; for example, it can be applied to leather shoes and boots to help repel moisture, and one reviewer mentioned using it to restore an old leather jacket to good condition. While Pecard Baseball Glove Conditioner shouldn’t alter the color of most leather, it is advisable to use only a small amount, and to test a hidden area before applying to your entire baseball glove, particularly if the leather is light-colored.

Wilson Pro Stock Glove Conditioner


Wilson Pro Stock Glove Conditioner is designed to condition, clean, and restore leather baseball gloves in a single step. With natural ingredients including Lanolin and Vitamin E, it softens leather while revitalizing its look and feel. This conditioner enhances your baseball glove’s color so it looks newer, and it restores the natural scent of the leather. Besides being useful for breaking in new baseball gloves, Wilson Pro Stock Glove Conditioner is ideal for maintaining gloves throughout the playing season. This product is made in America.

Pros:

  • No greasy residue
  • Safe for use on most leather products, not just baseball gloves

Cons:

  • Sometimes darkens very light colored “blonde” leather; manufacturer recommends testing the product on an inconspicuous spot before application.

Whether you are looking for the best oil for breaking in a new baseball glove or a great product for keeping your favorite old glove in great shape, you are likely to appreciate Wilson Pro Stock Glove Conditioner. Many people find this balm easier to apply than a liquid product, and a little goes a long way. Several reviewers mention using Wilson Pro Stock Glove Conditioner to restore old baseball gloves that have been in storage for years or even decades.

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About thebaseballstop Josh in the content editor at thebaseballstop.com. When he's not writing and researching products he enjoys playing UFC on PlayStation and spending time with his two boys.

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