**The Official Shoe Care Thread: Tutorials, Photos, etc.**

[Fred G. Unn]



Lexol and Bick4 conditions better.  Wax/cream polish waxes better.  Damp cloth cleans better.

Have you tried GlenKaren cleaner/conditioner? Just curious if you have an opinion. I've been liking it lately. Seems like a fairly high wax content, and quite a bit of color ends up on the cloth, but pretty good overall results.

 

[striker]



So Lexol & Bick4 better than Saphir overall??? I thought Saphir already the top notch nowadays??

Saphir has a boat load of products under their range. Lexol and Bick4 is widely available in the States and conditions very well without the "European premium". Saphir creams and polish are good but if not available, alternatives are not bad choices.

Renovateur is not a pure conditioning product, it strips off old waxes so you can build it up again. There are conditioning agents in it but I don't get why it is being constantly pushed as the gold standard for conditioning leather.

 

[blacktaro]



Saphir has a boat load of products under their range. Lexol and Bick4 is widely available in the States and conditions very well without the "European premium". Saphir creams and polish are good but if not available, alternatives are not bad choices.

Renovateur is not a pure conditioning product, it strips off old waxes so you can build it up again. There are conditioning agents in it but I don't get why it is being constantly pushed as the gold standard for conditioning leather.

Since it strip off old waxes, would using Reno every 2 weeks harm the shoes? (assume I don't wax/polish the shoes at all, only conditioning using Reno)

 

[Fred G. Unn]



Renovateur is not a pure conditioning product, it strips off old waxes so you can build it up again. There are conditioning agents in it but I don't get why it is being constantly pushed as the gold standard for conditioning leather.

Since it strip off old waxes, would using Reno every 2 weeks harm the shoes? (assume I don't wax/polish the shoes at all, only conditioning using Reno)

Saphir Renovateur and Reno'Mat are quite different products. Reno'Mat is the one to use when you want to "strip off old waxes." Generally when people abbreviate to "Reno" they mean Renovateur, but as there is a lot of confusion between the two products, it's much clearer if you simply use the full name. Personally I don't use Renovateur every two weeks, but provided you are using only a tiny pea sized amount per shoe, and your shoes are getting a decent amount of wear (several wearings), it's probably ok. Reno'Mat every two weeks is definitely overkill IMO. Others will disagree about even using Renovateur at all, but I personally have never experienced any negative issues with it.

 

[blacktaro]



Saphir Renovateur and Reno'Mat are quite different products. Reno'Mat is the one to use when you want to "strip off old waxes." Generally when people abbreviate to "Reno" they mean Renovateur, but as there is a lot of confusion between the two products, it's much clearer if you simply use the full name. Personally I don't use Renovateur every two weeks, but provided you are using only a tiny pea sized amount per shoe, and your shoes are getting a decent amount of wear (several wearings), it's probably ok. Reno'Mat every two weeks is definitely overkill IMO. Others will disagree about even using Renovateur at all, but I personally have never experienced any negative issues with it.

I have 3 shoes for works in rotation so each have approx 2 wears per week, so 4 wears between every conditioning. I guess it should be fine? How often do you use Renovateur on your shoes? What will happen if I overuse it?

I always assume that leather is similar to human skin and it can get dried out quickly, especially in hot urban tropical weather. Thus, I tend to moisturize shoes as frequent as possible.

 

[chogall]

Have you tried GlenKaren cleaner/conditioner? Just curious if you have an opinion. I've been liking it lately. Seems like a fairly high wax content, and quite a bit of color ends up on the cloth, but pretty good overall results.

No I have not tried it. Maybe in the future.

Since it strip off old waxes, would using Reno every 2 weeks harm the shoes? (assume I don't wax/polish the shoes at all, only conditioning using Reno)

Depends.

But IME, renovateur works much better on shoes with layers of built-up waxes.

 

[FelixTheFinn]

Yup. Thus my comment it really depends.

I went through two bottles of Reno (the old much bigger bottle) and 1 small new Reno bottle before I stopped using Reno for conditioning.

I went through the mirror shine everything phase to shoe cream only phase, and now I am back to the heavy wax shine phase again; heavy wax protects shoes much better.

What do you use now instead of reno? I think I will keep on using reno for some shoes, but especially boots I just don't think it's cost efficient.

Felix

 

[chogall]

Bick4/Lexol and just shoe creams. I like Collonil.

For my boots I just use water and hard bristle brush to wash the outside, let dry before generous amount of Lexol/Bick4. And then shoe cream, and then smear tons of wax on toes.

I still use reno to dissolve top layer wax of mirror shine before shining again.

 

[blacktaro]

I've just realized that there are two lines in Saphir Wax which are Saphir Medaiile D'or and Saphir Saphir beaute du cuir. Which one has better value and would the Medaiile D'or worth the extra bucks? I did some searches but there is no clear answer for those two. Did I miss anything?

 

[hoho11]

Hi all,

Any ideas how to fix the creasing/bubbling below?

It's like the creases have caused ripples in the leather. I think most likely the leather is slightly defective, but taking them back isn't an option. I'm thinking of taking them to a cobbler, as these are otherwise a very nice pair of shoes...would they have any means of fixing it?

Thanks

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Hoho, you cant.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

I think I can say it was me who started the downfall of Renovateur and caused a shitstorm on here. Do a search, you'll see.

I used it regularly on a rotation of shoes years ago and they all ended up cracked and in the garbage. My older shoes that only got Lexol treatments years before Reno was ever available lasted far longer and took far more abuse. In general you just have to use your own judgement and a bit of logic to tell what a product is doing. Reno might have conditioning oils it in, but it is largely a beeswax based product. When you buff it, it shines. I just feel it is more of a polish than anything else. It doesn't sink into the leather and penetrate the finish like a conditioner should. It sits on top and buffs shiny. If it was penetrating it would disrupt the finish to a degree. Also, too much wax and oil on shoes attracts dirt and dust which act like sandpaper in the creases. Furthermore if you are stripping your shoes and adding straight oils to your shoes over saturating the fibers the fibers turn into a wet rag. Think of how easy cardboard is to rip when wet. Same thing for leather. I've had far better results using lighter conditioners less frequently that actually sink into the leather. This is why I have developed a preference for emulsified conditioners. Because of the water content it is hard to over apply them because the water will fill the pores of the leather along with the oils and the water will evaporate out leaving behind the oil. I also have developed somewhat of a preference for synthetics like Lexol, or engineered products like Leather Doctor. Lexol is synthetic and it won't oxidize and cause problems, Leather Doctor's products evaporate out where oxidation isn't an issue either.

Most of these fancy products are for people to use and see some sort of immediate result. Wow! Look how shiny these are that must mean they are clean and moisturized! No, it doesn't, it means you shined them with beeswax.

This isn't to say that there aren't applications for these products. If you maintain a mirror shine on the toe and heels of your shoes a dab of reno literally the third of a size of a pea swirled on the mirror shined area and buffed will bring back an excellent shine in between full polishing sessions. Also, Saphir polish in general I find to be very good. I think they impart the nicest pigmentation out of what I have used.

I know it is shameless self promotion, but No Man Walks Alone is an affiliate and I love them so I guess it is ok... I think some newbies to shoe care should read my series of posts at the No Man Walks Alone tumblr page. The good thing about them is I just write logical things based on my experience and it is totally product neutral so using the logic you can make up your mind on what products you would like to use. Links here:

http://nomanwalksalone.tumblr.com/p...asics-of-leather-shoe-care-by-patrick-booth-i
http://nomanwalksalone.tumblr.com/post/122282765206/how-leather-is-made-and-why-it-is-important-by
http://nomanwalksalone.tumblr.com/post/123043694126/bad-things-happen-to-good-shoes-part-1-by
http://nomanwalksalone.tumblr.com/post/123474684001/bad-things-happen-to-good-shoes-part-2-by

 

[Munky]

Goodness, Patrick, that's quite an array of articles! Thank you. Sincerely yours, Munky.

 

[DWFII]

pB,

Really well done articles. Very well written and very informative. Should be required reading for everyone in this thread...newbie or old hand.

Stay acidic, my friend.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Thanks DW, credit goes out to Unbellragazzo for helping me stay clear and on point.