Working Shoe for Young Exec - Part 3

urbanturban

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Care to explain? Thinking of getting a pair from them but the thing is i have been wearing GYW like loake and herring for years, may not be able to get used to cemented sole..

I find Loake Capital last to be so comfortable for my feet.
 

xtwis7

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Yanko loafers at a great bargain. Less than 100euros.
tF2Fs8P.jpg
 

ShoeEnthusiast

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Hi like to check where can I get a nice Oxford for less than $200? Any lobang?

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Can try CNES shoemaker, they have a blake stitched line that costs $190 if I'm not wrong.

They were having discounts on their older models, but sizes were limited. Not sure if it's still ongoing though
 

ShoeEnthusiast

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Renovateur is not a need in every shoe care collection IMO,

All you need is a cleaner, a cream polish and wax polish if you like the shine.

Renovateur is good for restoration of shoes, or for very dried up leather. But if you were to do your normal shoe care routine regularly, no need for renovateur at all.

Be careful on waxing on treated/corrected grain leather though, renomat will destroy your shoes when you try to remove the shine
 

ShoeEnthusiast

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Renomat will not remove patinas.

If it does, it is usually a user problem - using too much renomat/using too much force.
 

ShoeEnthusiast

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Ah.... yes. They do have a tendency to leave residue if you are using on the areas that crease. I usually give these areas a quick brushing after wearing them and flexing the areas in the morning before i leave for work to minimize the residue.

You can also use wax/creams in a lighter shade if you are concerned about the residue. Different leather and shades will react differently to these so you should try a little on inconspicuous areas before applying to the whole shoe.

Neutral cream will not leave residues, provided you buff it off properly.

As for wax, you should only wax the parts of the shoes that don't crease (like the toebox and the heel), but other than that, wax will definitely leave residue.

The residue is actually from wax cracking (think of playing with candles when we were young, liquid first, then starts to solidify and a little pressure results in it cracking). Similarly, the residue is basically the wax cracking from the creasing.
 

ShoeEnthusiast

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Please enlighten us. How much is too much renomat and too much force?


One tilt of the bottle is enough (around the cap size). There should be no pressure used at all, kind of like how you would shine your shoes, renomat can even be used as a general cleaner if you're adventurous enough.

Renomat is alcohol based I believe, and that's what's causing the stripping of patina. But if you apply a gentle coat, there should be no removal effects (from personal experience)
 

spencert

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One tilt of the bottle is enough (around the cap size). There should be no pressure used at all, kind of like how you would shine your shoes, renomat can even be used as a general cleaner if you're adventurous enough.

Renomat is alcohol based I believe, and that's what's causing the stripping of patina. But if you apply a gentle coat, there should be no removal effects (from personal experience)

Thanks, I almost ruined my Cornu Blu because I try using it to strip of hard wax on the toe caps. Had to send in for burnishing to save it. Won't risk it again though. Safer to use leather cleaners or Turpentine.
 

ShoeEnthusiast

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Thanks, I almost ruined my Cornu Blu because I try using it to strip of hard wax on the toe caps. Had to send in for burnishing to save it. Won't risk it again though. Safer to use leather cleaners or Turpentine.

Yup, renomat in general is very aggressive, and especially if its your first time using it, you need to be careful. Some previous comments have shared to try on inconspicuous spots first and yes, do try it at somewhere not noticeable (I usually do it on the shoe tongue for my oxfords).

Like you mentioned, yes safer removal will be to use leather cleaners or turpentine products.

Little trick for a safe removal of wax through my own experiments, use a boar hair brush on the shine first, then use neutral wax and coat the parts with wax (don't buff!!), and let the old shine dissolve for about 10-15 minutes, then using a cloth and some light pressure to "scrape" it off. (a little bit of fingernail through the cloth helps for very stubborn wax).

Same thing for renomat, I used to just layer my shines with a lot of renomat and used quite a bit of pressure to remove the shine (a lot of elbow grease and very tiring). But after reading an insta post (forgot the handle), I experimented with brushing the shine (boar hair), layering with one-two coats of renomat, and letting the renomat dissolve the wax for about 10 minutes, before "scrape-ing" away with a cloth. Less elbow grease and I believe safer as well due to less renomat being used.

Ultimately, shoe care is a lot on experimenting and everyone will tell you different things. A shoe shine lesson/workshop will be a good investment (I started experimenting after a workshop with Straits Establishment a couple of months back).

I believe Mason & Smith does shoe shining workshops as well, so do keep a look out for those if you're willing to spend a bit to learn (personally learned a lot for myself) :D
 
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spencert

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Yup, renomat in general is very aggressive, and especially if its your first time using it, you need to be careful. Some previous comments have shared to try on inconspicuous spots first and yes, do try it at somewhere not noticeable (I usually do it on the shoe tongue for my oxfords).

Like you mentioned, yes safer removal will be to use leather cleaners or turpentine products.

Little trick for a safe removal of wax through my own experiments, use a boar hair brush on the shine first, then use neutral wax and coat the parts with wax (don't buff!!), and let the old shine dissolve for about 10-15 minutes, then using a cloth and some light pressure to "scrape" it off. (a little bit of fingernail through the cloth helps for very stubborn wax).

Same thing for renomat, I used to just layer my shines with a lot of renomat and used quite a bit of pressure to remove the shine (a lot of elbow grease and very tiring). But after reading an insta post (forgot the handle), I experimented with brushing the shine (boar hair), layering with one-two coats of renomat, and letting the renomat dissolve the wax for about 10 minutes, before "scrape-ing" away with a cloth. Less elbow grease and I believe safer as well due to less renomat being used.

Ultimately, shoe care is a lot on experimenting and everyone will tell you different things. A shoe shine lesson/workshop will be a good investment (I started experimenting after a workshop with Straits Establishment a couple of months back).

I believe Mason & Smith does shoe shining workshops as well, so do keep a look out for those if you're willing to spend a bit to learn (personally learned a lot for myself) :D

Thanks for the detailed explanation. I have a boar bristle brush lying around. Will try with turpentine. Removing hard wax layer by layer is really tiring. :s13:
 

Shalomp

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anybody can comment on benjamin barker shoes?

are they goodyear welted? can they be resoled?

are they made of genuine leather? :s11:
 

ShoeEnthusiast

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Hey guys, any opinions on Aldo, Pedro or Black Hammar shoes?


Aldo and pedro are fashion brands, using cementing for the shoes and overpricing their products. If you really want, Aldo usually sells their older models at huge discounts at departmental stores like Taka/Tangs. Never tried personally, but my friends say they fall apart pretty quick with heavy abuse (3-6 months) and aren't comfortable.

Haven't heard of black hammer shoes before so unable to comment

If you're looking for cemented shoes, I would say the better looking ones are either E&C or Ardenteal. But I personally would save up a little bit more to a budget of $200-$300 and get some stitched shoes
 

ShoeEnthusiast

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anybody can comment on benjamin barker shoes?

are they goodyear welted? can they be resoled?

are they made of genuine leather? :s11:

At their price point, I doubt it is goodyear welted. But no experience with them so maybe someone else can provide better insights
 
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