Shoe Polishing

[knlgskr]

Have had good results with Cadillac Boot & Shoe Care, Lincoln EZ Clean, Lexol products, Obenauf products, Neatsfoot Oil. Proppert's, Griffin, Esquire, Kellly's/Lynn Boot Cream/Polish, are/were good products but may no longer be manufactured. A retired British SAS Warrant Officer told me that on black footwear a coat of black polish followed by a coat of brown polish followed by another coat of black polish would do wonders and I can vouch for this method. I shined shoes in a barber shop and leather quality seems to be as if not more important than the product(s) used. Lincoln is what I see most shoe shine people use nowadays but Angelus, Kiwi, Meltonian, Allen Edmonds, have given good results also. Haven't tried Saphir but imagine it is good; probably not many if any inferior products for leather care on the market nowadays and those that have stood the test of time are likely all worth using/trying.

 

[Cogwulf]

Have had good results with Cadillac Boot & Shoe Care, Lincoln EZ Clean, Lexol products, Obenauf products, Neatsfoot Oil. Proppert's, Griffin, Esquire, Kellly's/Lynn Boot Cream/Polish, are/were good products but may no longer be manufactured. A retired British SAS Warrant Officer told me that on black foot wear a coat of black polish followed by a coat of brown polish followed by another coat of black polish would do wonders and I can vouch for this method. I shined shoes in a barber shop and leather quality seems to be as if not more important than the product(s) used. Lincoln is what I see most shoe shine people use nowadays but Angelus, Kiwi, Meltonian, Allen Edmonds, have given good results also. Haven't tried Saphir but imagine it is good; probably not many if any inferior products for leather care on the market nowadays and those that have stood the test of time are likely all worth using/trying.

Using three coats of black polish does a great job, simply because all that the first two coats do is fill in the imperfections in the leather and the top coat gives the shine. I suspect that the intermediate brown coat is just doing the same thing via a more convoluted route.

 

[Doc4]

I've heard great things about saphir renovateur, some of the before-and-after photographs of its use on old abused shoes are remarkable. It costs a fortune though.

... so do good shoes.

 

[pcumby]

I was told by a salesperson at Johnston and Murphy that Kiwi and other brands found at drugstores contain alcohol that can dry out leather shoes. Is there any truth to this? Should I be concerned?

I have to weigh in on this one as well
I have a pair of Leather cap toe oxfords that have only ever seen Kiwi Black polish
They were purchased in the late 80's and outside of some much needed sole repair they are immaculate

A tin of polish, a Kiwi brand polishing cloth and an old toothbrush are all that is necessary to produce a mirror shine on a quality leather shoe

Once an adequate base coat has been laid down weekly maintenance is a breeze

 

[ducatisteve]

I started using Leather Honey after reading about it on realmenrealstyle.com and I am really sold on it (as a conditioner). For polish, it's always been Kiwi, usually about once a month.