The Leader is an almost identical copy of the Eclipse.  It was available in regular pattern mills in ten, twelve, and fourteen foot sizes, and in railroad pattern in sixteen, eighteen, twenty, and twenty-two and a half foot diameters. Both styles are so similar to the equivalent Eclipse that most of the ironwork even bears the same casting numbers, and almost all parts are interchangeable.

As was its prototype, the Leader mills are direct stroke side vane governed windmills.  The mill is governed by an adjustable wooden side vane which pushes the wheel away from the wind, while an adjustable governor weight pulls the wheel back to face the wind as wind speed subsides.

The Flint & Walling mills were painted with white lead paint and trimmed with red tips on the blades and trailing edge of the vanes, with the name of the manufacturers stenciled on the vane sheets in black.  According to company literature, "The Leader Mills are first dipped in a mixture of very high grade paint, and after being thoroughly dried a heavy coat of paint is put on the wheel with a brush; thus the wheel is entirely protected against either the sun or rain."

The major market for the Leader mills was the ranch country of the Great Plains in the Southwest, where they competed with the well establish Eclipse mills, which remained the most popular in the region until after WWI.

The fact that their parts generally were interchangeable with the Eclipse and its other copies was an important factor in promoting their sales. The manufacture's literature clearly points out that the mills were marketed for ranch use, noting that they are "very serviceable for stock farms and ranches" and that "a Leader Windmill....means an abundance of water for the stock....When they need it.  Stock always thrive better when supplied with plenty of fresh water."

Because they were sold most heavily on the plains and the Southwest, that is the area of the country where one would most likely see a Leader windmill.  They are not as common as the Eclipse, and one is fortunate to find an example that is still intact.