Polishing - wax or cream?

[8-Ball]

Does it depend on the leather? Which is better to use and why?

 

[ManofKent]

Originally Posted by 8-Ball

Does it depend on the leather? Which is better to use and why?

Creams seem to penetrate the leather better, wax gives a slightly higher shine. I generally use cream first then a little wax as a finishing touch on the toes and heel.

 

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by ManofKent

Creams seem to penetrate the leather better, wax gives a slightly higher shine. I generally use cream first then a little wax as a finishing touch on the toes and heel.
Same here, I use both cream and wax on calf. On shell, I use wax only.

 

[Joffrey]

I use cream only.

 

[grimslade]

Originally Posted by JayJay

Same here, I use both cream and wax on calf. On shell, I use wax only.

I almost never wax cordovan because it doesn't seem to need it. I do use AE's cordovan cream, which the cordovan seems to take to. I was recently trying to bring up a shine on a pair of cordovan chukkas with Alden paste wax and getting nowhere. Switched to AE cream and did much better. Not exactly a statistically significant sample size I know.

I use creams much more often than waxes. When I need or feel like a high shine, I tend to go to the shoe shine stand and pay the $4 for it.

 

[2Scoops]

Same. I prefer less shine however.

 

[jsherman02]

The SA @ Crockett and Jones (New York) told me one should never use cream because it can change the color and ruin the leather....I questioned her on this as I have ALWAYS heard that POLISH can ruin leather..not cream.

I use cream, then wax.

 

[grimslade]

Right. And Paolo Scafora says neutral cream is all you need. I think the truth is that whatever works for you, works.

 

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by grimslade

I almost never wax cordovan because it doesn't seem to need it. I do use AE's cordovan cream, which the cordovan seems to take to. I was recently trying to bring up a shine on a pair of cordovan chukkas with Alden paste wax and getting nowhere. Switched to AE cream and did much better. Not exactly a statistically significant sample size I know.

I use creams much more often than waxes. When I need or feel like a high shine, I tend to go to the shoe shine stand and pay the $4 for it.
Same here, I also use wax very sparingly and rarely on shell cordovan.

 

[youngScholar]

I use cream, particularly if there are scuffs that need taking care of, then wax on the toe.

 

[Steven Aver]

I never use wax on my shell, only cream, I find wax always leaves Cordovan "hazy".

An Alden rep even recommend not using wax. I use Alden Cordovan boot cream on my Cord shoes and they look fantastic.

 

[jjjohn]

You need to use both.
Use cream in a regular base. About once a month (depend on how often do you wear them), use a good shoe wax to polish your shoe.

You need to spray some water to the brush before using the wax (this is a trade secert).

 

[ThinkDerm]

I use both. Cremes are taken up especially quickly by shoes that don't have leather with a natural "luster" - I find that my c and js really just soak up any bit of color possible from cremes. I actually love this, because I am able to change the base color to a more unique, richer deeper color.

 

[the_economist]

Originally Posted by jsherman02

The SA @ Crockett and Jones (New York) told me one should never use cream because it can change the color and ruin the leather....I questioned her on this as I have ALWAYS heard that POLISH can ruin leather..not cream.

At one time or another, I think I've heard that everything ruins leather. Some say this, some say that, some are no doubt right, but others must be wrong. I get confused and just use what makes the shoe look the best, as long as it's actually made for leather. For me that's cream, because I like rich color without high shine.

 

[QuintinG]

I would use cream. I have found waxes in the past tend to add a barrier to leather, which only builds over time.

Good creams tend to work into the leather and enhance it. I also recall reading somewhere that some waxes can actually cause dust and dirt to stick to it.

Kind Regards,

Q
Who's That Guy
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