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What are some quality shoe care products?
The military practically pushes Kiwi products on servicemen, and the military is known for shining boots (although all services now have an authorized no shine boot). I have heard that Kiwi dries out the leather. What are good products that provide a good bang for the buck and do not cause harm to the leather?
It isn’t the kiwi brand itself that causes the leather to eventually crack. Any wax polish used by itself will do this. Wax polishes seal the leather effectively keeping moisture from getting in or out. It will not condition the leather.
Cream polish will condition the leather so it will not dry out and crack the way wax polish does but it wont waterproof either like wax does. You also won’t get the shine like you do with wax.
The trick us to use both alternating with every polish. That way you get the benefits of both.
By the way….I still would recommend kiwi.
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While in the military I always used Kiwi Brand, I had a problem with cracking of the leather after prolonged use, but I did nothing else for the leather care.
I believe that in order for proper care of leather shoes and boots is to remember that leather is basically skin, and it will dry out and also absorb water and oils. So in order to get the most out of your leather shoes, especially the expensive brogues that we cherish, we have to make sure the leather is properly nourished with conditioners, and then cleaned of dirt, and grime, the use of a good Cream polish is essential to insure that the leather absorbs the proper oils as well as the dye, I use the wax polish to seal the shine.
The products I use are the Saphir Products, I use the Saphir Reno’ Mat a couple times a year for deep cleaning, then I add the Saphir Dubbin Graisse to the shoes, and allow it to absorb a couple of days, the next step is I apply the Saphir Renovateur, then I go to the Cream polish putting at least 3-4 coats on it polishing in between, once this is done I then use the Wax polish as the last step.
I know this sounds like a lot of work, but this is done a couple times a year, the rest of the time I brush off the dust, and light surface dirt, followed by a wipe down with a damp cloth, I will either use a cleaning leather cleaning soap along with the Renovateur, or just the Renovateur to nourish the leather, a light coat of cream polish, followed by wax polish, this I do a couple times a month.
Daily..this is after the shoes are well conditioned, I just brush the shoes off, maybe a light application of Renovateur and the brush, and cloth polish.
I have used a few other brands, but I absolutely love the Saphir Products, it is more expensive than Kiwi, but I think the Saphir line is well worth it… Especially if you own good quality shoes costing hundreds of dollars a pair.. like Edmond Allens, Johnston n Murphy, Ferragamo, Testoni, Brugali, shoes made from leather that should last 20-30 years… except resoling..
The Saphir Products are hard to find in stores, I buy mine from the Hanger Project, because they have the entire line, they explain the how to use the products.
Hope this helps.
Robert
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LikeDislikeAlso, remember a good leather conditioner to apply every month. Leather Honey is a great brand and makes the leather feel great after the application. It keeps the leather from drying out and helps to waterproof it, too.
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