Allen Edmonds Appreciation Thread - reviews, pictures, sizing, etc...

[kmdsimpson]



Any thoughts on the difference between using Reno v. Saphir shell cream on shell?
Specifically, I am wondering if you have any input on using it on AE walnut shell.

I have used both Reno and Saphir shell cream on my walnut shells and found that the Saphir shell cream left the walnut a bit hazy compared to Reno.

I've not yet tried either of these, but based on what I've read here and in several other threads, I think most people use only Reno. There is the "mac" method, which is someone who has come up with a popular care regime for shell in the shoe care thread. IIRC, he uses some polish, but only once in a while and very sparingly.

One other option is Venetian Shoe Cream. This is supposedly recommended by Nick Horween for shell. But again, I've seen comments from people here saying they prefer the Reno.

Sorry I can't direct to links (maybe I'll make a project for later): but check the shoe care thread, this thread, the C&J thread, and probably the C&J for Ralph Lauren thread, or search for these products, and you'll see.

In sum, my SUBJECTIVE opinion based on what I've read here:
1. Reno - most people swear by this
2. Venetian Shoe Cream - recommended by Horween; some people say it's overrated and prefer Reno
3. shell cream (any brand, not just Saphir) - very few recommendations. I think Mac uses sparingly, but he has a "method"

If it were me, I'd play it safe and start only with Reno, and then only applied rarely.

 

[adsmith4]

So i'm planning to buy a pair of the brown Cronmoks this weekend. Amazon has my size left, I have a 20% off coupon, but their picture of the brown and Allen Edmonds picture of the brown differ drastically. Any ideas on why this is? I don't have to go through Amazon but why not if they have my size and the color I want. Thanks

http://www.amazon.com/Allen-Edmonds...1_126?s=shoes&ie=UTF8&qid=1349448288&sr=1-126

http://www.allenedmonds.com/aeonline/producti_SF7135_1_40000000001_-1

 

[kmdsimpson]



Ninjablu:
On my Walnut Stands and 5th aves., and I suppose on yours, sole and heel is darker (chili ). So if h&s need major work, I use the chili heel & sole dressing ( which is more towards semi- transparent than the brown or black , which are a more solid, like paint ). Otherwise ( normal, just shine it ) I just polish with what I'm using on shoe.
For the shoe body ( based on my more than 50 years of shining my shoes ), I have always prefered Kiwi. I have tried AE's polish and find it has more dye in it, but doesn't give as much shine as the Kiwi wax. So what I do is make a mixture of 50-50 mix, AE walnut polish and Kiwi tan. I scope out the Kiwi and a squeeze of polish on to a pc. of plastic and combine with a pallet knife, to completely mix together. I feel I get the best of both -- conditioning the color ( AE polish ) and getting a better shine ( Kiwi ).
Roger

I have heard a lot of endorsements for Kiwi from many experienced shoe care folks. I think there's a good case to be made for a tried and true product. I used Kiwi on my Cliftons and have been happy with it.

 

[gooter]

the "brown leather" looks more like the AE picture than the Amazon one. Do a google image search for the Neumok in brown, as its the same leather.

 

[sevenfoldtieguy]



I've not yet tried either of these, but based on what I've read here and in several other threads, I think most people use only Reno. There is the "mac" method, which is someone who has come up with a popular care regime for shell in the shoe care thread. IIRC, he uses some polish, but only once in a while and very sparingly.
One other option is Venetian Shoe Cream. This is supposedly recommended by Nick Horween for shell. But again, I've seen comments from people here saying they prefer the Reno.
Sorry I can't direct to links (maybe I'll make a project for later): but check the shoe care thread, this thread, the C&J thread, and probably the C&J for Ralph Lauren thread, or search for these products, and you'll see.
In sum, my SUBJECTIVE opinion based on what I've read here:
1. Reno - most people swear by this
2. Venetian Shoe Cream - recommended by Horween; some people say it's overrated and prefer Reno
3. shell cream (any brand, not just Saphir) - very few recommendations. I think Mac uses sparingly, but he has a "method"
If it were me, I'd play it safe and start only with Reno, and then only applied rarely.

Nick Horween uses Venetian. I am certain of it (email exchange between he and I). And I find Venetian to be a very decent product, and from time to time I use it. However, it does not infuse moisture like the Saphir products do.

 

[imainish]



Thanks for the info on the Leeds.
Saphir reno and Saphir shell cordovan cream each add moisture that the other products do not. That, to me, sets them apart from the other three. As to which I use and/or prefer on any given pair of shells, it really comes down to whether I need color added. If I need color added, I use the Saphir shell cordovan cream (burgundy, brown, black). If I don't need color, say, for example, many times with black shell, I will use Saphir reno or Saphir shell cordovan cream in Neutral. Incidentally, today I am wearing Alden color 8 chukkas and I have only treated those with reno. In my experience using Saphir reno and Saphir shell cordovan cream, they provide a very nice shine and I have not experienced one or the other leaving a haze.
For any of you out there that have the dark brown shell Strands, I would highly recommend a coat of Saphir shell cordovan cream in Brown. It transformed mine from a ho-hum chocolate brown to a wonderfully rich dark brown.
On lighter shells (AE walnut or Alden whiskey), I would suggest Saphir reno or Saphir shell cordovan cream in Neutral. The Neutral cream may slightly darken the shell (as happened to me - but intentionally - with a pair of whiskey LWBs), so to be safe you may want to just use the reno.
And for any of these products, use sparingly.
As for heel/sole dressing (someone else asked about this), it is a must. It is amazing how much better shoes/boots look when dressing is regularly applied.
A good weekend to one and all.

Great post and couldn't agree more about the heel and edge dressing.

 

[kmdsimpson]



So, after some hiccups, my custom Delrays in burgundy cordovan finally arrived:

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

I think they did a great job, and the cordovan looks flawless. I'm very pleased

Jubei, outstanding. I was more concerned with their execution than with your design skills. But they did a great job.

I've held off on buying the Delrays during this sale, because I've been comparing to the Meermins in cuero shell and also waiting to see how yours came out. I think I'm going to wait for a shell option in these, whether it ends up being offered by AE or MTO.

 

[sevenfoldtieguy]



Thanks for the info on the Leeds.
Saphir reno and Saphir shell cordovan cream each add moisture that the other products do not. That, to me, sets them apart from the other three. As to which I use and/or prefer on any given pair of shells, it really comes down to whether I need color added. If I need color added, I use the Saphir shell cordovan cream (burgundy, brown, black). If I don't need color, say, for example, many times with black shell, I will use Saphir reno or Saphir shell cordovan cream in Neutral. Incidentally, today I am wearing Alden color 8 chukkas and I have only treated those with reno. In my experience using Saphir reno and Saphir shell cordovan cream, they provide a very nice shine and I have not experienced one or the other leaving a haze.
For any of you out there that have the dark brown shell Strands, I would highly recommend a coat of Saphir shell cordovan cream in Brown. It transformed mine from a ho-hum chocolate brown to a wonderfully rich dark brown.
On lighter shells (AE walnut or Alden whiskey), I would suggest Saphir reno or Saphir shell cordovan cream in Neutral. The Neutral cream may slightly darken the shell (as happened to me - but intentionally - with a pair of whiskey LWBs), so to be safe you may want to just use the reno.
And for any of these products, use sparingly.
As for heel/sole dressing (someone else asked about this), it is a must. It is amazing how much better shoes/boots look when dressing is regularly applied.
A good weekend to one and all.

Just to be clear, my comments above relate to the care of shell. For calf I typically use Saphir reno and shoe creams from Alden and AE.

 

[kmdsimpson]



Thanks for the info on the Leeds.
Saphir reno and Saphir shell cordovan cream each add moisture that the other products do not. That, to me, sets them apart from the other three. As to which I use and/or prefer on any given pair of shells, it really comes down to whether I need color added. If I need color added, I use the Saphir shell cordovan cream (burgundy, brown, black). If I don't need color, say, for example, many times with black shell, I will use Saphir reno or Saphir shell cordovan cream in Neutral. Incidentally, today I am wearing Alden color 8 chukkas and I have only treated those with reno. In my experience using Saphir reno and Saphir shell cordovan cream, they provide a very nice shine and I have not experienced one or the other leaving a haze.
For any of you out there that have the dark brown shell Strands, I would highly recommend a coat of Saphir shell cordovan cream in Brown. It transformed mine from a ho-hum chocolate brown to a wonderfully rich dark brown.
On lighter shells (AE walnut or Alden whiskey), I would suggest Saphir reno or Saphir shell cordovan cream in Neutral. The Neutral cream may slightly darken the shell (as happened to me - but intentionally - with a pair of whiskey LWBs), so to be safe you may want to just use the reno.
And for any of these products, use sparingly.
As for heel/sole dressing (someone else asked about this), it is a must. It is amazing how much better shoes/boots look when dressing is regularly applied.
A good weekend to one and all.

I think I posted before reading this. Great advice, based on experience.

http://www.hangerproject.com/closet/shoe-care/saphir-mdo-shoe-polish.html

Kirby is also usually available online to chat and is very willing and able to help out with questions. I highly recommend.

 

[JubeiSpiegel]



Jubei, outstanding. I was more concerned with their execution than with your design skills. But they did a great job.
I've held off on buying the Delrays during this sale, because I've been comparing to the Meermins in cuero shell and also waiting to see how yours came out. I think I'm going to wait for a shell option in these, whether it ends up being offered by AE or MTO.

It is my understanding that any shoe available for customization on the AE website can be made in cordovan. My SA checked with corporate to make sure it was ok, and sure enough, it was. Only draw back is price really, cordovan shoe prices + SMU...

No regrets on my part, i'm very pleased indeed. I'll see if i can get them to make me a shoe in cappuccino cordovan next

 

[gooter]

It is my understanding that any shoe available for customization on the AE website can be made in cordovan. My SA checked with corporate to make sure it was ok, and sure enough, it was. Only draw back is price really, cordovan shoe prices + SMU...

No regrets on my part, i'm very pleased indeed. I'll see if i can get them to make me a shoe in cappuccino cordovan next

 

[New Shoes1]

Jubei, outstanding. I was more concerned with their execution than with your design skills. But they did a great job.
I've held off on buying the Delrays during this sale, because I've been comparing to the Meermins in cuero shell and also waiting to see how yours came out. I think I'm going to wait for a shell option in these, whether it ends up being offered by AE or MTO.

I much prefer Jubei's Delray in burgundy cordovan to the Meermin split-toe cordovan on the Rui last. On the other hand, I much prefer the Meermin longwings and plain toe to the Macneil and Leeds. Whatever you like, we all benefit with AE now having a competitor on price and quality.

 

[g.michael]

...

I was one of those that recently had to strip the factory finish on shell, not that I wanted to. My shell Leeds from ~5 years ago were the same condition and I should have stripped those when I got them too. Both are burgundy however my burgundy shell Cambridge were fine as were both of my shoes in shell walnut. It is the AE cordovan shoe cream I believe that causes the problem. There were chunks on top of the leather buried in the finish. And the overall appearance was muddy. I had a jar of AE burgundy cordovan cream a couple of years ago that did the same thing. When I touched up one of my shoes with it once it hit the air it would create chunks much like a skim film that forms in a can of paint that is exposed to air. Most AE shoe care products are pretty good but I avoid the cream now.


Thanks for the clarification--I agree--Cordovan and cream do not go together. I've never seen what you described on the AE shells I've looked at/purchased but it sounds terrible.

 

[g.michael]



So, after some hiccups, my custom Delrays in burgundy cordovan finally arrived:

I think they did a great job, and the cordovan looks flawless. I'm very pleased

Those look phenomenal!! Congratulations. I first thought that was a Leather Soul makeup or something--it just looks incredible. Did you have to wait 9 months like you have to with Alden? (joke)

The color looks really good too--i assume it's their new finishing?

 

[elbastardocalvo]

LOVE the MacNeil! Waiting on my burgundy shells from the shoebank. I hate waiting.

I really like them too. I wear them mostly as a casual shoe.