Just wondering what product is best to use on your shoes to get that patent-leather look. Right now I am using Kiwi liquid polish, but I don't get the glossy look so many other guys do. Any suggestions?

It's called a spit shine. It takes some work but it is worth it. Can't just paint it on.

If you want to get that look, suggest you do the following: First, use paste polish and lots of elbow grease (and a good shoe brush) to get a quality shine on your shoes. Then use Griffin liquid polish to get the high gloss shine. Kiwi is a waste of time.

You can get Griffin from the eReferee Mall under basketball accessories. Remember that the best way to care for your shoes is to only use paste wax after every use. The use of the liquid wax will give you the high gloss shine, but it will also make the leather more brittle and shorten the life of the shoe.

Well there is always Leather Luster. I have used it and found it to be a very good product. Never had a problem with it making my shoes brittle or cracking. There is another product that can be purchased from a military PX I think it's called Spit Shine......Tried it last year....work pretty good.........I spent 5 years in the Military "spit shining" my boot and don't really want to spend my time in civilian life doing the same. :)

Hi there Ron...(this is DJ)...actually that stuff is called SHAPE-UP, and you can also order it from The Officials Choice company...that's the only place outside of a PX I have found it...

Matt,

Ron is correct. Leather Luster is just about the best thing going for basketball shoes. You can order it from their web site or you can send your shoes to them and they'll do them for you. Here's the web address.

http://www.leatherluster.com/

If you're not interested in Leather Luster, try this.

1 - Strip your shoes using finger nail polish remover.
2 - Use Kiwi Leather Dye and let it dry.
3 - Use a black leather polish paste and apply a liberal amount to the shoes.
4 - Using a cigarette or grill lighter, melt the polish into the shoe leather. Just avoid the rubber soles.
5 - Buff them with a sprinkle of water and polishing cloth.
6 - Just touch them up with the paste polish once a week.

If that's too much work, KIWI make a polish called Honor guard that gives the best shine of any of their products. But it does tend to crack eventually and has to be stripped and re-applied.

Hopefully, something here helps!

Tony

I have also tried with some success using some of the leather care car products such as Armorall or Turtle Wax for leather products. After applying a paste wax and buffing my shoes, I spray on one of these products and let it sit for about 15-20 minutes and then I polish it out with a soft cloth. This also gives it a high gloss shine.

I just got in a new product from purchase official supply, it is called Magic Shine. It comes in a large aresol spray can. It works on all colors. I just applied it to my Run-n-ref shoes and they turned out great. You need to have a good base of polish first, I used kiwi black liquid then the Magic Shine. It costs $5 per can and can be ordered from http://www.calltheobvious.com, Basketball accessories. It has the same luster as Leather Luster but without all the stripping required for LL. Stock #SH-MS Magic Shine Shoe Spray. I think you will like it.

Jerry,

I hate to tell you this but in a couple of months you're shoes will look terrible. Magic Shine is absolutely horrible for peeling and cracking. I speak from experience.

Tony

I personally am not an advocate of really shiny shoes. I think it falls under the catagory of not being noticed. I just use kiwi paste and buff it out. Plenty of shine and protection without the cracking and peeling. But...for those of you who really want shiny, a company call The Officials Choice has a shoe that is almost patent leather. It requires no polishing. They brought a pair to show us at our interpretation meeting. Too shiny for my tastes but many ofthe guys really liked them. Their phone number is
1-800-480-4477.

Her's another uniform question.

Pants...Pleats or no pleats?

Have fun - -suppref

NO PLEATS!!! I think they look baggy & sloppy. They make thin guys look not-so-thin and make heavier guys look, well, heavier-than-that.

Just my little opinion...

Re: shoes. I use Leather Luster on my shoes and love it. I put about 5-6 very thin coats on (drying them completely between coats). Before each game, I give them a spray with Pledge furn. polish, wipe away any scuff marks, and I'm ready to go in 15 seconds. A good application of LL has lasted me from 2-2 1/2 seasons with only minor peeling just now beginning to show where the shoe bends.

dk

I agree, use the paste wax & elbow grease, your shine
will be fine. As for pleats: Up until this year, no
pleats. This year, pleats!

Hey Dave, do you really use shoes for 2 1/2 years?

Hey Dave, do you really use shoes for 2 1/2 years? [/B][/QUOTE]

Sure. I use them ONLY for "in season" games. I don't work summer ball - unless it is a clinic. I work about 65-70 games per year, don't do rec leagues anymore, so they tend to hold up.

Now back when I was working 200+ games per year, I was going thru shoes like toilet paper.....

dk

Just joined in and was interested in the topic. I've not used to many different types of polish, but the best thing I've used is paint. I used model car paint and gloss on my run-n-refs and it worked great. I'm looking for something different though.