Okay, I've heard enuf about the horrors of Kiwi shoe polish that I'm willing to try something different.
Anyone care to suggest some better (less leather killing) brands?
Last edited by yachtie (2008-03-23 19:33:35)
AFAIK, the only leather-killing polish made by Kiwi is the Parade Gloss. It has been posted in the fora that Edward Green uses Kiwi in finishing their shoes, which should tell us something. My friend Greg Kramer, who is one of the world's top holstermakers, uses Kiwi neutral in finishing his holsters. I used Kiwi for many years with no ill effects although I mostly use A-E Premium Shoe Polish these days mostly for the exact color match-up with my A-Es. I think any wax shoe polish is harder on shoes than the creams, but an occasional application of a leather conditioner should offset this. The aforementioned A-E polish (the kind that comes in the tube) is a mixture of wax and cream, BTW.
Some men consider Lincoln much superior to Kiwi. I have used Lincoln polish, but I could never discern any appreciable superiority over Kiwi.
I do not shine my own shoes anymore but when i did, i used either the edward green, the AE "carnuba" stuff or...the dreaded kiwi. Howd they get their name, or should I wiki that?
Last edited by The_Shooman (2008-03-24 09:45:50)
^^^ Agree 100%, best to use shoe cream and just accept a less shiny shine.
What about using the Meltonian cream? This seems to be the alternative available at regular shoe shiners, though it tends to change the shoe color more than the wax.
I've also taken to keeping a bottle of leather lotion and a horsehide brush in the desk drawer at the office. I only need 1/3 the shoeshines I used to get.
Last edited by The_Shooman (2008-03-24 08:44:31)
Last edited by The_Shooman (2008-03-24 09:57:47)
^ Workers in the Eddie Green factory might get a discounted price. So getting shoes to last a score might not be an issue for them.
Last edited by The_Shooman (2008-03-24 10:12:55)
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Last edited by Voltaire's Bastard (2008-03-24 11:22:45)
Last edited by Voltaire's Bastard (2008-03-24 13:57:24)
This will be more useful to Shooey than others but RM Williams makes excellent shoe polish and leather conditioner. They strongly recommend that Kiwi should be kept well away from their boots. I use RMW products on all mine be it Edward Green, John Lobb Paris, Vass, or JM Weston.