Shoe Polish

D

Drroly

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I've got a few mid-top end shoes and up until now I've used Kiwi polish on them. However, I've read on some of the clothes forums hat this is no good, as it dries out full grain leather.

I know this forum is frequented by many people of exquisite taste and sartorial elegance. With that in mind, what do you use to care for your best shoes?
 
Kiwi once a week or when needed and at the start of the Winter Season I use "Mink Oil" on all my shoes and boots.
I alway believed that when you met a person you could alway tell a lot about how they responded in a job situation as to how they took care of their footwear. One of the things that I always made available at any job that I worked was a box of different color shoe wax or liquid polish and a couple of good brushes. It was alway available to all the staff and surprising how many took advantage of it.
 
I agree with Kiwi. I'm easy oasy on the parade gloss, I've tried both standard and gloss on my highly polished shoes for over 20 years and I find them about the same, results wise.

If anything the parade gloss has a bit more "wetness" to it, a slightly softer polish but as I say, results have never differed.

The neutral colour kiwi is perfectly good polish for lighter coloured shoes as well. I guess any polish will dry out over time so the trick is to keep your shoes maintained, like any leather product. (My Brooks cycle saddle needs a good feed every month too).
 
Always found Cherry Blossom slightly waxier than Kiwi. If it's for a spit gloss shine I'm in the Parade Gloss camp, however I'd go for ordinary Kiwi if it's greater proofing you desire. I'm taking it that you won't want to go the melted beeswax or even the Dubbin route.
As a former instructor once told us, "We don't want our booties looking as if they were polished with a Mars bar, now do we".

JohnnyO. \:mad:
 
JohnnyO said:
Always found Cherry Blossom slightly waxier than Kiwi. If it's for a spit gloss shine I'm in the Parade Gloss camp, however I'd go for ordinary Kiwi if it's greater proofing you desire. I'm taking it that you won't want to go the melted beeswax or even the Dubbin route.
As a former instructor once told us, "We don't want our booties looking as if they were polished with a Mars bar, now do we".

JohnnyO. \:mad:
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no, did he tell you, you should see your face reflected in them:dodgy:
 
I have been using the polish from herring shoes recently. Colour on top, neutral for the sole.
 
Drroly said:
I've got a few mid-top end shoes and up until now I've used Kiwi polish on them. However, I've read on some of the clothes forums hat this is no good, as it dries out full grain leather.

I know this forum is frequented by many people of exquisite taste and sartorial elegance. With that in mind, what do you use to care for your best shoes?
Click to expand...

Most of my own shoes are top end Church's. And have always used the Premium brand Cherry Blossom, start with the premium universal protector (let it dry) then apply premium pure wax leathershine (let it dry) lastly premium nuetural cream. Buff to a high gloss.

I use all these product's on either Black, Brown, Light Tan. Did you know that Cherry Blossom polishes are the only polish's made in the U.K now.

Cherry Blossom is now owned by Granger's Internationl who also make a range of other wax's. Based in Derbyshire, excellent sales & customer service.
 
Tip for you . . .

When you polish your black shoes (that's proper polish, spit and polish and a duster) and you're looking for a really deep, almost wet-looking, parade square shine, every 5th polish use Burgundy / Ox Blood polish.

Black shoe polish (which is actually a very dark blue) will reflect only blue light.

Ox Blood / Burgundy adds depth by adding the reflection of red light.

I get comments on my shiny Oxford toe-caps at least once a week.
 
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