Thanks to this forum, hardwax oils, specifically Rubio Monocoat was recommended to me. I used it on a job last week and can really see its advantages. The downside of course is cost, so I've been compiling a list of other options and the cost per sq.ft. Rubio's advertised advantage, right there in the name, is that you only need to apply one coat, whereas the others all recommend more than one. My next step is to purchase samples of the lower cost options and test coverage and appearance as a function of the number of coats, on a few different species of wood. Having tested Rubio with multiple coats, the appearance definitely improves with more coats, so I'd like to know how much the name is a marketing gimmick vs reality.
Here's the list of the products I could find. Please let me know if you have any other product or testing suggestions. Coverage is the minimum reported by the manufacturer. Currency is USD with exchange rates, when applicable, from the week of May 8, 2022.
Product $/ GAL Sq.ft./ GAL $/sq.ft. (1 coat) Country of Origin Livos Kunos 174 893 0.19 Australia Whittlewax 254 1222 0.21 Australia Interbuild 208 814 0.26 Sweden OSMO Polyx 242 946 0.26 Germany Odies 739 2366 0.31 US Fiddes 258 814 0.32 UK Treatex 162 488 0.33 UK Pallmann Magic Oil 454 1325 0.34 Germany Bona 298 810 0.37 Sweden Rubio Monocoat 437 1137 0.38 Holland Vesting 715 1630 0.44 Holland Synteko 610 0.00 Sweden