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How much do you pay for a shoe-shine?

shoeguide

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All depends what sort of service you want.
Its like saying how much should I pay for a haircut.
If you want a cheap snip go to the £5 barber if you want a good job go to the £100 hairdresser!!
Im from london there are awful ones and good ones shoe snob and london hilton park lane are best and charge more than say burlington arcade which is cheap but they are much better
 

SirGrotius

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I have a shoe-shine kit but after two kids I don't have time. I usually pay $5-$10 per shine and the latter is when they use a shoe cream too.
 

archetypal_yuppie

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Unless you have a good deal of polish, wax and skill you won't be able to achieve the high-gloss shine these guys can achieve, they look better than new (and they do it in a few minutes tops, so it's on with the commute).


Beware. Many of these guys use products with that contain alcohol or other chemicals that are bad for your shoe leather in the long run. They also tend to produce a shine that might look like crap quite soon, vs. one done with proper products & technique, since the application is more superficial. The upside is that you quickly get a high gloss shine.

For this reason, I actively avoid getting my shoes shined by others. I prefer to use the best leather conditioners and waxes to ensure longevity (and my shoes definitely hold a shine better). Saphir is popular on SF, though expensive.

Granted, this has more relevance for high quality shoes that you hope will last for 10 years than for beaters.
 

JayJay

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Beware. Many of these guys use products with that contain alcohol or other chemicals that are bad for your shoe leather in the long run. They also tend to produce a shine that might look like crap quite soon, vs. one done with proper products & technique, since the application is more superficial. The upside is that you quickly get a high gloss shine.
Truth. I got a shoeshine at a hotel in DC recently, and my shoes glistened. However, I later realized the guy had applied some sort of substance that was hard to remove and that made it difficult to sustain a shine for several days later. Never again.
 

gaseousclay

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All depends what sort of service you want.
Its like saying how much should I pay for a haircut.
If you want a cheap snip go to the £5 barber if you want a good job go to the £100 hairdresser!!
Im from london there are awful ones and good ones shoe snob and london hilton park lane are best and charge more than say burlington arcade which is cheap but they are much better


I don't know if i'd use the haircut analogy. there are plenty of expensive stylists that do a piss poor job of cutting hair. likewise, there are inexpensive stylists that do a better job than some expensive stylists.

but to answer the OP's question, I pay $0 because I shine my own shoes. plus, I don't trust anyone but myself to properly shine my shell cordovan shoes.
 

gambit50

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I was going to make the same point about the haircut parallels a couple of days ago but glad someone did.
Very true.
 

sparrow

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shoeguide

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Shoeshine has a stigma which many on here convey
Done correctly its an artform London Hilton has amazing by hand service
Gieves and Hawkes also
If in Toronto airport aswell
 

arnathor

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:slayer:
 
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arnathor

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I shine my shoes and my fellow workmate often does a long 3-4hr shine-a-thon for pocket squares that I make and then trade for his services.
 
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arnathor

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Gotcha! I'll edit that post and put it where it is appropriate, I figured you just used two caps by accident! Sorry boss!
 

Claghorn

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There is a nice and slightly overpriced bar here that provides shoe shines. Uses mostly saphir with some colonil. It's free (but the drinks are already marked up from the already marked up Seoul prices...10 bucks for a Pilsner Urquell rather than the standard 8)
 

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