What to do with new shoes?

[Andrew0409]

I just purchased my first pair of quality shoes from Vass. I'm wondering if I'm supposed to use something to care for the leather right out of the box? I see Saphir is popular, but they have many products and I'm not 100% on what I'm supposed to do with brand new shoes.

 

[Phileas Fogg]

If it’s suede, then spray it with nano-protector.

Otherwise, I would just leave them be. Wear them. Don’t abuse them. Brush them after each outing and use shoe trees. If you notice the finish starting to dull a bit and lose its luster, then apply product. I’m more partial to using a conditioner vs. wax polishes as I like shoe to have a healthy glow vs. a shine.

depending on how often you rotate through your shoes, and controlling for climate, you really should only need to do this perhaps once / quarter.

Over the years, I’ve learned the less the better. When dealing with quality shoes, like Vass, there’s already some hand burnishing that’s applies when it leaves the shoppe. Just enjoy the craftsmanship. You wouldn’t douse a dry aged rib eye from Pete Luger’s with A1 sauce, would you?

 

[Mindfree]

I would condition them with Renovateur and usage of shoe trees is a must for quality shoes.

 

[Camerashy]

If you have burnishing on your shoes I personally would not used Saphir Renovator as it may remove some of the finish.

 

[Mindfree]

If you have burnishing on your shoes I personally would not used Saphir Renovator as it may remove some of the finish.

That’s right. Renovateur does have cleaning agents. So if the shoes have any burnishing or patina, do not use renovateur

 

[Andrew0409]

If you have burnishing on your shoes I personally would not used Saphir Renovator as it may remove some of the finish.

Alt English * F - Vass Shoes

Alt English * F - <p style="text-align: left;">The traditional cap-toe Oxford with a seamless heel. With its perfect lines, this model is a perfect formal shoe that can be worn to the office, funerals, weddings, evening events, and as such, it is very versatile. Traditionally these are the...

vass-shoes.com

So these black cap toe should be fine?

 

[Camerashy]

Yes

 

[FlyingHorker]

Nothing. Just brush them vigorously with a horsehair brush.

 

[FlyingHorker]

Reno is renowned for being a harsh cleaner. No idea why one would use that on a pair of new shoes.

The Problem with Saphir Renovateur

Saphir’s Medaille d’Or Renovateur has been called “liquid gold.” Men who are obsessive about their shoes often recommend it as the...

putthison.com

 

[stuffedsuperdud]

I have never used renovateur and don't ever intend to, because it seems like 90% of the time, applying it is only step one of a two-step process, step two being to breathlessly log onto this forum the next morning with pictures of a quarter-sized discoloration on one shoe and frantically asking what to do to fix it.

 

[Andrew0409]

I’m so confused. Some people say yes and some no. Maybe just the cream is fine?

 

[Phileas Fogg]

I’m so confused. Some people say yes and some no. Maybe just the cream is fine?

this is pretty much all I use for routine conditioning.

Saphir Pommadier Cream Shoe Polish

Saphir's Pommadier Shoe Polish is an exceptional product for restoring finishes and achieving soft polishes on your leather shoes. It's an all-natural Cream Polish based on beeswax, turpentine, and shea butter and contains more pigment than a Wax Polish.

www.hangerproject.com

 

[stuffedsuperdud]

I’m so confused. Some people say yes and some no. Maybe just the cream is fine?

Okay so the short story is, new shoes are, contrary to popular opinion, quite wearable out of the box. Leather is very durable when it is on the cow and doubly so after tanning. Tanning makes it a crosslinked polymer material so ignore any talk of how it needs moisture via conditioner "because it's a skin" or any such bunk. Now what it can do is get a bit stiff with time, which you can restore with a bit of shoe cream or conditioner, but that's hardly ever necessary with new shoes unless for some reason they had been sitting on a shelf for years and years.

Now if you do want to do something, yes start with the cream. It has a bit of wax on it that confers an additional measure of water resistance, which I like, though again, the shoe itself is already quite water resistant out of the box. You can find instructions on the shoe snob blog on how to properly apply this stuff.

You can then go in with some wax polish, the paste that comes in a tin. Again, a little bit goes a long way. Don't use more than 2-3 coats, as you will start creating a hard layer that will crack at all the creases and bending positions. On the toecap, if you are so inclined, you can use the wax to buff to a mirror shine. You can also do the heels since that is the other part oft the shoe that is reinforced and thus will not bend, but no one sees the heels so I don't really know how that became a thing.

EDIT: Wax polish is mostly to add some shininess and an extra degree of water resistance. It does relatively little to change the shoe color, though I've recently only used neutral wax just to be extra safe, especially with light-colored shoes.

 

[Shen]

One piece of advice is that you might need to break in the new shoes which takes some wear. So, I usually avoid putting them on if I need to wear them an entire day without the possibility to change. Otherwise, you might end up getting blisters on your feet before lunch and endure the rest of the day in agony.

Edit: For the first wears I use them for shorter walks and so until I feel that they have been properly broken in.

 

[Despos]

Lots of opinions, here is another