Yes, that's Blackrock.
This is the Lexol I use.
One more! Lexol conditioner, 1 liter. Half hour left on this one
And another foam cannon
I hear mink oil is of dubious quality and in general organic products cause the leather to more quickly deteroriate.
Mink oil and Obenauf's etc. are made for very harsh conditions - unless you're wading through the countryside, it's like putting on a scuba suit when there's a light drizzle outside. If you live in a city, you're fine. Said products will not cause a 'quick' deterioration - it's over a long period of time. They will also cause the leather to darken and lose some of its depth of color.
What's the deal with cleaning? I'm leaning toward Saddle Soap to clean my boots. How effective is, say, using just a boot brush, regular soap, and wet paper towels to clean dirt from your boots? Can you use a clean t-shirt rag to clean?
Saddle soap dries out leather - it's soap, after all. It's overkill for regular boot care. A damp cloth or rag works fine for cleaning regular messes.
I'm leaning toward using regular polish and no waterproofers or sealant. Do boots need polish or just shoes? Does polish protect at all? Does the polish process clean at all? I'm assumming you match the polish color to your leather. How important is this match--do you have multiple brown polishes or just one?
Waterproofers and sealant are unnecessary - leather is naturally water resistant and needs to breathe. If they get wet, dry them with a cloth then put in your cedar shoe trees (or crumpled newspaper) to absorb excess moisture. Polish isn't really essential on workboots like those Apaches (since the aesthetic is based around getting them scuffed and beaten up), but it can be used to hide scuffmarks if you want to keep them pristine (IMO missing the point). Polishing doesn't clean by itself, and will probably trap stuff underneath. The importance of the match depends on how specific you are about the boot's color. I don't remember if the Apaches are a pull-up leather, but on boots made of pull-up leather you can get rid of scuffs simply by rubbing them until they disappear.
I am planning to buy unvarnished cedar trees and a boot brush for cleaning, as they appear to be necessary for the life of the boots. Do you have any suggestions? It seems like most are the same in quality.
Just buy split-toe shoe trees made of actual cedar (instead of plastic etc.). As long as they're in the right size, you're fine.
It appears that you're really overthinking this. Leather is naturally very strong and water-resistant, and doesn't need to be babied with a massive variety of products - at least for a workboot like the Chippewa Apache (high-end dress shoes may require more finesse).
Here's what I do:
1) Put cedar shoe trees into the boots when they are not in use.
2) Every couple days, wipe down the boots with a damp cloth or brush to get rid of accumulated crap.
3) Every ~3 months, take out the laces, clean the boots thoroughly with a damp cloth, then clean the welt with a wet Q-tip. Wait for an hour (until they dry), then condition with Lexol and an old t-shirt. Wait for four hours, then re-lace them. Ready to wear. Bam.