Care for calf and cordovan shoes, for someone who hates polishing shoes..

[multiccy-csa]

Dear all,
I'm looking for members' advice on the best way to take care of shoes and boots made from calf leather and cordovan, with the very minimum of faff and fuss. I've heard it best to leave the 'polishing' to the experts (ideally relatively infrequently), but one should at least apply some sort of cream relatively frequently (once per month or so, depending on wear?), to keep them looking smart and in as good condition as could reasonably be expected for someone time-poor/lazy.
i) is this a fair summary? if not, what did i get wrong?
ii) what is considered the best all-round product for this, for each of calf leather and shell cordovan?
i hear Saphir is the best game in town, but they have a bewildering array of products to choose from. Pate de Lux?
Medaille d'Or seems to be superior, but is it worth it? and with Mink oil, macadamia, beeswax, carnauba or what...?! And which for calf/cordovan? I'm pretty sure they should be different products, but i'd love to hear otherwise.
Or how about Venetian shoe cream? also seems to be discussed a lot, but more in the US than the UK.
I would really appreciate any thoughts/insights/experience down this rabbit hole.
Many thanks indeed.

 

[ladislav.jancik]

I can talk only about calf leather shoes. I brush them with shoe brush after every wear, put in the shoe trees and store them in dust bags. I apply only nourishing/conditioner cream approximately one time a year, but I have a pair of black oxfords which I didn't nourish for 5 years and they are perfectly fine. I use Bick4 Leather conditioner only, because it is completely wax free. That's about it.

 

[stylenwby]

If you aren't going to polish very often, I'd just brush the shoes/boots with a horsehair brush once a week to keep it clean and use Venetian shoe cream once every couple months to keep the leather hydrated. If they look like they need some color, I myself use the saphir beaute du cuir (blue line cream polish) in whatever color shoe you have, let it dry and brush them out. I like to keep it simple 😌. You'll go deep in the rabbit hole if you try to go after a mirror shine polish. ✨️

As for the cordovan, saphir makes a cream conditioner just for that type of leather. I don't have cordovan and it's a membrane that you're trying to polish, so I can't really help you there.

Good luck!

 

[JFWR]

You can have your shoes polished at most cobblers for five bucks a pop or for the gentlemen on the street/train stations for about the same. Why not just do that?

But if you want a "no fuss" shoe routine, get a bottle of the Saphir Beaut de Cuir cream polish, apply over the whole shoe, and horse hair brush once every four-five wearings to bring out the shine. As others said, brush/wipe the shoes before wearing.

Your shoes won't shine very much (soft shine) but they will be hydrated.

Don't be such a bum, though. A nice pair of shoes should be well cared for. Or again, you can pay people to make them look good.

 

[Fifty150]

Mink oil, macadamia, beeswax, carnauba or what...?!

Mink oil is usually used for dried out leather. Oil also softens, conditions, and makes the leather water repellent. Since oil and water don't mix, water can't penetrate and saturate leather which is oiled. There are different oils. Mink oil. Neatsfoot oil. Bear oil.

Beeswax. This is for boots which are worn in harsh conditions. The product is designed to permeate and coat the leather, so that water will not penetrate. You want a dry boot, so that your feet stay dry. I like this on my motorcycle boots.

how about Venetian shoe cream?

Medaille d'Or

Pate de Lux?

i hear Saphir

There are products. And there are brands.

Opinions vary. Everyone will have a different viewpoint, when it comes to what to do, what to use, and what brands to buy. I personally do not care what the brand is. Some people think that makes all the difference.

The product does the work. The technique produces the aesthetic result. If you put a whole bunch of shoe polish, make a huge mess, and the shoes don't have that spit shine look because you don't know what you're doing....... the shoe polish is still doing what it's intended to do. Shoe polish, no matter which brand, is typically carnauba wax. It coats the surface of the leather to protect it. Liquids should bead off. If you have the right technique, it works into a spit shine, or mirror shine.
I'm not an expert. I used to get my shoes shined at Nordstroms. I've gotten my shoes shined at airports, casinos, on the streets downtown........ and paid all sorts of different prices. I also paid attention. Here are my observations.

Most shoe shiners will start with cleaning the shoes. The most common product was saddle soap. You can do this. It's pretty easy.

The next step, usually, was a cream of some sort. Some places used cream polish with color. Other places used a cream with no color. Think of this step as similar to when you put lotion on your hands. No brand discloses their ingredients, as blends are proprietary. To me, they can't be all that different. Leather lotion. Leather cream. Cream polish. Different shoe shine places have their own preferences of brands, but it was usually Step 2.

Step 3 was always the carnauba wax. This was where the technique really stood out. This is the part that takes skill.

 

[Blastwice]

How to care for cordovan shell:

• Buy multiple pairs. (Trust me, you will do this anyway.)
• Dust them at least once a month.
• Brush after wearing.
• Cream, polishing, handwork - yes, you can. You do you. The shoes will outlive you whether you do or not.