I wanted to inquire to all of you to ask what shoe polish do you use to shine your shoes with? I have used Leather Luster in the past on two different occassions, and I am not a fan anymore because of the stickiness it has to it even after it completely dries.

I am not a big fan of the polish honigs sells either, because it does not seem to the job and hold up quite as long. And I am not a big Kiwi fan either because that stuff seems to peel.

So, I am looking for a good High Gloss liquid shoe polish that will last a long time and I will not have to apply before every game and ruin the leather of the shoes.

Any suggestions?

John, I personally like the Kiwi "paste" shoe polish. It's not sticky, it doesn't peel, and I only apply it maybe once every other week. In between, if they need a quick shine, I'll use one of those silicon "buffer" things, if you know what I'm talking about. I'm not really sure what they're called, but I think they're made by Kiwi too.

I like Griffin's shoe polish. It is a liquid that you apply with a dauber. It shines well and lasts a long time.

If the Leather Lustre is sticky, that means you didn't properly prepare the shoes.

I'd guess that's true for the kiwi problem you're having as well -- or that you're applying it over something other than leather.

I forget the name of what I use, but it comes in a tub, is kind of a cream, you apply it with a sponge, no buffing needed.

Griffin works relatively well - dollar store. That's what I use now.

The best I've ever had was Shoe Spray put out by Amway. You spray it on. It's clear and dries hard. Looks like patent leather and lasts for weeks. Used to use it for my baseball shoes too. Dust it off after the game to a great shine...

They quit making it about 5 years back... what a shame.

Bob is it called Tub Stuff? ;)

[Edited by DownTownTonyBrown on Nov 18th, 2003 at 02:16 PM]

Absolutely correct, Bob!! I have the Leather Luster product and did NOT follow the instructions for the first application. Hence, my shoes were sticky. I had to strip off the first layer and go back to the instructions. Wha-lah...after following the procedure properly, my shoes look great! I have not touched them in 3 weeks (after 7 game/scrimmages) and they still look like I polished them yesterday!

I'm a big fan of "Shape-Up." They sell it at POS.

Pretty easy to use, one stroke application. Gives a patent like shine. Shine lasts for quite awhile, just the occasional buff with a soft cloth.

Used it on a new pair of shoes at the beginning of last season, and then reshined the shoes just before the post-season.

The only draw back is that it only adheres to leather. If you've got any rubber or plastic on your shoe (tongue, or side of sole) it will peel off, usually leaving black flecks on your hand -- just be careful when you apply to only put it on the leather.

In the past I took my shoes to a guy at a repair shop. He would dye the shoe black first. If you really look at a new shoe it is dark, dark, dark, grey and dying the shoe makes a difference. Then he would use some paste polish. This sounds like a lot but it makes a big difference. If anyone is living in or been to Las Vegas they have probably run across many officials who use this guy. There is even a guy in LA that mails his shoes to Vegas to get them shined. It also allows for shoes that aren't totally black to be used.

I also use Shape-Up on my shoes. It does a good job and they actually have multiple products depending on what your needs.

Here is their direct web site.

http://shoe-stuff.com/shapeup.htm

I use stuff similar to Bob's. I think its called Urad shoe cream, it cleans the shoe and gives them a good shine.

Armor All and Pledge.

I am a Shape Up fan. It makes the shoes look great and lasts for a couple of weeks with only touchups needed then.

Can you get Shape-Up in Indiana somewhere from shoe repair center or local distributor?

If you are having trouble with Leather Luster and you are willing to dish out the bucks, you can send you shoes to Leather Luster and they will do them for you.

I buy this polish called "Honor Guard"

AK Ref:

I also use the Kiwi "Honor Guard." I get it from my brother who lives on a local air force base. Have you had any problems with using it? How often do you re-apply, etc.? I usually use a high gloss paste first, then on occasion, re-apply the Honor Guard. I haven't yet mastered the "patent leather" look yet however.

Kiwi
 

I use Kiwi paste was first. Pre-season ritual to get ready for the season. Before you use the paste, use rubbing alcohol to remove anything on the leather. Do this if it is a brand new pair of shoes or older ones you want to strip. Rub in the paste to a "spit shine". Then before each game I use the Kiwi Elite Liquid polish to touch them up. Not a leather luster like shine but a nice spit shine look.

Mregor

Shape-Up does wonders!!

shoe polish
 

Polish is good, but it doesn't give the high glow that wax does. Try some shoe wax, I think it works better then polish.

NEVER EVER use a liquid polish on leather shoes. It will cut the life of your shoes in half! I was in the shoe buseness for 22 years so this I know. The best is to use a cream not a past like kewi, then go to your shoe repare shop and buy a can of what they call "spray shine", use this after your shine your shoes with the cream. You'll be very happy with the results.