I use leather honey for my soles. That's why it was invented in the first place was for leather shoe soles. The inventor did tests with a mailman using leather honey on one sole and not the other. The untreated shoe was re-soled 2 times before the treated one wore out.
You applied the Sole Guard to the right shoe, but at 2:20 you claimed that you applied it to the left shoe. By showing how poorly the right shoe repelled water, you proved that Sole Guard is ineffective. If it can't even protect against a light stream of water, then it has no chance of protecting against snow or puddles of water.
Phil B., you make an excellent observation! Did you ever get a response? The sole guard was indeed applied to the right shoe. Then the right shoe was demonstrated to have no sole guard. WHAT GIVES Kirby?
This is a huge comment. I have my doubts over the product and the wisdom of treating leather soles like this based on some of the comments on here and another video I saw. Comments from cobblers would be welcome. I find leather doles strange though in that they don't all seem to behave the same way so I wouldn't like to generalise
I'm going to put in my 2 cents here. The stuff he applied is nothing but leather oil. Leather oil is NOT for water proofing leather. It is a penetrating compound that prevents leather from drying out. If you want your leather soles to be "waterproof" (more like water resistant) you have to apply a surface finish e.g. beeswax or leathergrease/creme . A surface finish doesn't penetrate, but sits on the surface.
Go back and have a look at the video, the demonstration of applying the Sole Guard is done on a different pair of shoes to the ones used for the water repellent test. That's sloppy but is not evidence for the conclusions you draw.
@@skapiggie LoL, what are you on? No, it's the exact same shoe. The uppers are the exact same and the wear on the sole is the exact same. Kirby has many nice vids but this vid and product is BS.
Hi Kirby. Thank you for your thorough videos. I am a craftsmanship enthusiast and fanatic for quality products. With that comes the responsibility to nurture and preserve the items for as long as possible. Your videos are paramount to disseminate good practices in keeping well crafted, quality clothes and shoes in great shape for a long time. Thank you.
1) The right shoe was the one being treated at 1:21 2) The left shoe is the one claimed to be the treated shoe at 2:31 3) The right shoe (the treated one) at 2:44 obviously is not as repellent compared to the "untreated" shoe. So, can you clarify this for me?
demon69120 haha. I'm 100% sure that it's not "just vegetable oil," otherwise it would not have taken Avel two years to come up with the formulation. But try it and let me know how it turns out!
looks good, I found this video as I've a pair of leather sole boots that will just drink water. They don't appear to have ever been saturated. Just playing around- I have a feeling doing that would just make my soles softer for the asphalt.
@@kirbyallison I goggled it. It is literally 100% vegetable oil. No different to cooking oil. In fact you'd be better off using it to fry some bacon than putting it on your shoes!
Comments made by Phil Burninhell below need a reply from the hanger project. I've confirmed his observation by watching this vid several times. The sole guard was applied to the right shoe in the beiginning of the video. You then poured water on the right shoe and observed and commented how poorly the right shoe repelled water. Additionally, I purchased the sole guard from you over the holidays & applied several coats to (2) pairs of shoes. i was not able to achieve the water repelling characteristics you demo on this vid. I like several of the Saphir products but, I and your subscribing community need to really know about the effectivity of this product. It is quite expensive; it's worth it if it works, it's not if it doesn't
It's bogus. It doesn't work. I've been doing shoe care for over 20years. You need a hard wax to seal out water from leather for any length of time. For this video they propably sprayed the underside, of the other shoe, with the Saphir Super Invulner water repellent for Suede shoes. Then you will get the effect he got on the sole he didn't oil. The Saphir shoe cremes and polishes are the best in the world though. But this product is BS.
@@PerfectionHunter Somehow the oiled side looks drier that the un-oiled side. As a leather worker I question that, oil spreads throughout the entire leather over time or until it gets to thin to spread, to wather proof it would have to saturate the leather witch isn't good when you want toughness.
Made from oil and had to be modified in a lab to be water resistant. Oil that had to be modified to be hydrophobic. Really Kirby? I have a pair of Brooks Brothers (by Alden) leather sole bluchers which I rotate every other day for work with a similar pair by Allen Edmonds. I was curious about this concept of conditioning leather soles so I began giving the BBs a rubbing of conditioning oil about once a month. I did not set this up as a proper experiment by recording times, measuring thickness of wear, etc. I am however confident in saying that the conditioned soles wore down about 2x faster with all other factors being equal. The soles also became too soft and flexible to the point of it changing, not for the better, the support of the shoe with each step. Once the wear was sufficient I had the BBs recrafted by Alden themselves (at least six months ago) and have not treated them since. The soles are wearing now like when they were new - strong and supportive. I will not be treating the soles of leather shoes again. Also of note, the soles were not water proof or even water resistant when treated with an oil type conditioner. Without coating leather in plastic or rubber, it simply cannot be waterproofed and leather with the weight of a person pressing down against it is not even water resistant. Physics does not allow it. In short, soft leather will wear faster than hard leather and conditioning softens it. Treat with love the shoes’ leather upper, but the opposite with the soles. Thank you for making this video as it is a topic which I find of interest. But with all due respect, it sounds like a product made specifically to treat leather soles is made of snake oil.
Hey Seth - thanks for your comment and great points! Bespoke shoemakers actually pound out leather dress soles to condense the fibers to make them longer-lasting, so I can see what you are getting at. I'm shooting a video right now comparing the Saphir Sole Guard, Neats Footoil, and 100% Vegetable Oil and will post the video before the end of the week. Water can cause the premature wear of leather dress soles exactly because of what you are describing. The more they absorb water, or leather conditioner, the more the fibers expand and the softer the leather becomes. Thus, allowing the soles to wear prematurely. I wouldn't recommend conditioning leather dress soles super often, but I"m interested in the Saphir Sole Guard's ability to help waterproof for men whose shoes are often exposed to water. Of course, a rubber dress sole is best for water, but we all get caught in the rain from time-to-time. I'll report back!
@Seth_ Your logic makes sense. And I say this after I spent an hour applying Sole Guard to quite a few of my shoes this evening... Which I now regret, because I'd rather have hard unconditioned leather soles take some rain water than fragile but conditioned leather...
Really enjoy your videos. In regard to this particular topic: How long would you recommend between applications of the Saphir Sole Guard, for at pair of shoes that are worn almost daily in primarily wet weather in the winter? Thanks in advance.
That is so wrong. Saphir Sole Guard does not leave a nano like layer on the sole after the application. I've tried it on numerous shoes with multiple layers of SSG oil. It sucks up water like a thirsty cowboy. So what are you not telling us?
A tale of woe to tell you about! I have a pair of brown oxfords that I've had for a number of years, rarely worn. They are from a chain store here in England and are their own brand but of decent Italian construction with Blake stitching. Following your various videos I have recently changed my shoe care regime, from a beeswax polish that i used to buy direct from an English honey farm as one of their by-products, to Saphir shoe cream. I didn't know about Shoe Guard and instead used a UK product said to protect the soles without affecting and leaving marks on carpets. I wore them to a garden party recently where it rained (typical English summer!). Unfortunately the next morning I had what I can only describe as a white tide mark around both shoes. I suppose that the damp had got in underneath through the stitching which I hadn't paid attention to, the rest of the shoe being protected. The uppers now have a permanent mark in them which I haven't been able to lose even though I've tried treating them with Renomat and re-polishing. I guess the moral of the story is pay attention to all parts of the shoe, don't forget the sole stitching as I did. The upside is that i can treat myself to a replacement pair and I think a trip to Jermyn Street is on my to-do list. Keep up the fine work, Kirby.
Archie Bishop wet the shoe evenly and let them slowly (chill place no heat no sun) dry should remove the mark. Then use the usual routine to polish and shine....
@@StSdijle Thanks Stefan. I've written these off now as I have already tried to rescue them and applied polish. They were a favourite and well worn in comfortable pair but it's time to replace them. But thanks again for the tip, something to remember for the future.
Archie Bishop if it they deserved their retirement it’s all good. I live in the Belgian Ardens. Our winters and the salt they use on the streets make this fix way more needed. Otherwise I would spent my entire income on shoes ;)
Kirby, congratulations on your comprehensive videos! It would also be nice if you could share with us the makers and models of the shoes featured in the videos. That pair is really really nice!
Thumbs down for not explaining to us why the right sole, which received the sole guard, absorbed more water than the left sole, which didn't receive sole guard.
In one of your video "how to remove scratches and scuffs " you said to take care for deep scratches we can use alcohol based liquid polish so can we apply this alcohol base polish which u mention in this video.
Kirby, thank you for this (once again) informative video! One question: how frequently do you apply this product? Let's say with a pair of shoes I wear once a week...
Kirby, could you please create a video on REMOVING salt stains? I live in Canada and the Winter has already taken its toll on my Allen Edmonds, despite my best efforts to avoid the inevitable. Would love to hear your tips and tricks for removing the stains. Thank you!
Anthony H so I have found that the best way to get rid of salt is to simply apply a wet paper towel (get it completely wet and wrong out most of the water. You want it saturated but not dripping) over the area that has the salt staining. Press the towel against the leather well and it’ll stick. Leave it until it’s mostly dry and take a look. Repeat this process until the stain is gone. Note that addressing the salt stain removal must be done as IMMEDIATELY as possible. Once that salt is in, you may still be able to remove the stain but it will absolutely scar your leather.
Hi, I highly admire your posts from Styleforum.net, I believe the thread was called Shoe Shine Sunday Challenge or something .. It educated me a lot, especially in how to make that mirror toe cap shine on finer shoes like Edward Green or Crockett Jones .. Nice channel you have here as well, however I would personally never use the leather soles in wet or rainy conditions. I would rather invest in a rubber overshoe that I would carry in the briefcase in case of a sudden rain than to count on the layer of oil .. Now I know what someone might thing - Hey I can't just go around carrying the pair of rubber overshoes with me, however, If you are watching these types of videos, and you are a shoe aficionado - I'm sure you can! Keep up the good work!
Hi. Juist saw this flick and asked my shoemaker for oil. Her advise: I can sell it to you. However, she went on, I believers ill advised. For if it soaks through the sole to the welt, it might make it hard to impossible to replace the sole if needed. She said, that is because even if it is a Blake stitch or Goodyear they first need to glue the sole and if the leather is all soaked in that oil this becomes a nightmare.
How effective do you find this product? It's fortuitous timing because I was just about to have a pair of AE's resoled with a dainite sole for our rainy months. I'd prefer to stick with a leather sole, but I'm not aware of how this would handle the heavy rains we can get in August. I cycle my shoes daily so they wouldn't be exposed every day, but at the same time I'd still expect them to get some repeated exposure to wet streets and occasional puddles.
zeromga The Sole Guard is effective, but I'll never be as effective as a dainite. If you're really looking for serious protection, you can't go wrong with a rubber sole.
Thanks for the reply. Sounds like I'll go with the dainite sole for this pair just to have a heavier weather sole and put an order in for some Sole Guard for the rest of my pairs. :)
zeromga You could always try the Sole Guard for a little bit and see how it works for how you use your shoes. Worst case, you replace the leather sole with a Dainite, which you would have done anyway. Sole Guard fantastic, but not designed for day-in day-out use in water. It's effective, just not magic. 😉
Haha, sounds fair. I was already boxing these ones up to go out with the plan for the rubber sole, so I don't mind sticking to that plan. But I've got plenty of other pairs that will benefit from a little extra water resistance either way. August can be pretty rainy here, but there are plenty of days with a brief rain and light moisture, so the Sole Guard sounds good for helping mitigate water absorption on those days.
Had a thought/idea but not sure it’s a good one. Was wondering if it might be a good idea to do so a quick sanding (with high grit sand paper) of the Leather sole and then do your steps. What do you think??
You can put a rubber sole protector on, but do not put a product of oil or grease on the soles if you're going to. Cement will not stick well, if at all, to oiled leather and it will not stay adhered.
They're great options for people that spend time outside in inclement weather. I wouldn't have them on all my dress shoes -- especially my more formal ones. But if you're someone that spends time outside walking in bad weather -- rain, snow -- it's great to have a pair of shoes or two with a Dainite/rubber sole.
So sole guard helps reduce the amount of water seeping into my sole? So while it doesn't make it advisable for me to walk in the rain, it makes it a whole less cringey every time I take a step, right?
I wear leather-soled shoes every day, rotating through four pairs of oxfords and two pairs of boots, and I walk a couple miles every day working in NYC. I often get caught in the rain or otherwise get my shoes wet. First thing I do when I get home is insert the shoe trees, gently dab them dry with a cloth, and rest them on their sides over night to air-dry. In my opinion, what you don't want to do is force them dry by scrubbing them with a towel or blowing them with hot air. I'm still skeptical about treating my leather soles with this^ vegetable oil-based product, as much as I would love to use it, for fear that conditioned leather actually wears faster on pavement despite being waterproof.
Hi, when should you first apply this polish to new soles, when they are brand new if after wearing them in (ie allowing the leather to develop a rough surface)?
Are these soles sewn on to these shoes? I’m fairly new to the show game, and all sewn leather soles that I’ve seen so far all have visible stitching on the bottom of the shoe. How can I check if a sole is glued or stitched if the stitching isn’t visible from underneath the shoe?
These are blind-stitched (also called channel-stitched). You can find videos demonstrating the process. I would say it's probably not possible to tell the difference directly, but I've never seen a cemented leather sole.
Has anyone found a way to prop your shoes upside down to let the Sole Guard dry evenly without smashing the uppers and without buying expensive equipment?
In one of your video "how to remove scratches and scuffs " you said to take care for deep scratches we can use alcohol based liquid polish so can we apply this alcohol base polish which u mention in this video.
I use leather honey for my soles. That's why it was invented in the first place was for leather shoe soles. The inventor did tests with a mailman using leather honey on one sole and not the other. The untreated shoe was re-soled 2 times before the treated one wore out.
Thanks for the info!
You applied the Sole Guard to the right shoe, but at 2:20 you claimed that you applied it to the left shoe. By showing how poorly the right shoe repelled water, you proved that Sole Guard is ineffective. If it can't even protect against a light stream of water, then it has no chance of protecting against snow or puddles of water.
Phil B., you make an excellent observation! Did you ever get a response?
The sole guard was indeed applied to the right shoe. Then the right shoe was demonstrated to have no sole guard. WHAT GIVES Kirby?
This is a huge comment. I have my doubts over the product and the wisdom of treating leather soles like this based on some of the comments on here and another video I saw. Comments from cobblers would be welcome. I find leather doles strange though in that they don't all seem to behave the same way so I wouldn't like to generalise
I'm going to put in my 2 cents here. The stuff he applied is nothing but leather oil. Leather oil is NOT for water proofing leather. It is a penetrating compound that prevents leather from drying out. If you want your leather soles to be "waterproof" (more like water resistant) you have to apply a surface finish e.g. beeswax or leathergrease/creme . A surface finish doesn't penetrate, but sits on the surface.
Go back and have a look at the video, the demonstration of applying the Sole Guard is done on a different pair of shoes to the ones used for the water repellent test. That's sloppy but is not evidence for the conclusions you draw.
@@skapiggie LoL, what are you on? No, it's the exact same shoe. The uppers are the exact same and the wear on the sole is the exact same. Kirby has many nice vids but this vid and product is BS.
Mr. Allison, important question: How often should you apply the sole guard? Once a month? Once a season? Once a year?
Hi Kirby. Thank you for your thorough videos. I am a craftsmanship enthusiast and fanatic for quality products. With that comes the responsibility to nurture and preserve the items for as long as possible. Your videos are paramount to disseminate good practices in keeping well crafted, quality clothes and shoes in great shape for a long time. Thank you.
1) The right shoe was the one being treated at 1:21
2) The left shoe is the one claimed to be the treated shoe at 2:31
3) The right shoe (the treated one) at 2:44 obviously is not as repellent compared to the "untreated" shoe.
So, can you clarify this for me?
They're different shoes.
"Crafted from 100 % vegetable oil"
Sweet, ill just go to my kitchen
demon69120 haha. I'm 100% sure that it's not "just vegetable oil," otherwise it would not have taken Avel two years to come up with the formulation. But try it and let me know how it turns out!
looks good, I found this video as I've a pair of leather sole boots that will just drink water. They don't appear to have ever been saturated.
Just playing around- I have a feeling doing that would just make my soles softer for the asphalt.
@@kirbyallison I goggled it. It is literally 100% vegetable oil. No different to cooking oil. In fact you'd be better off using it to fry some bacon than putting it on your shoes!
Thank you. I've started crafting leather soled shoes but I wasn't sure about conditioning that sole to protect it against the snowy, salty winters.
Should you apply it to new soles or let them wear in before applying.......thanks
Great video - never realised just how effective the seal is
I just applied Obenauf conditioner to my Allen Edmonds leather soles - they sure look good! Will apply conditioner regularly.
Comments made by Phil Burninhell below need a reply from the hanger project.
I've confirmed his observation by watching this vid several times. The sole guard was applied to the right shoe in the beiginning of the video. You then poured water on the right shoe and observed and commented how poorly the right shoe repelled water.
Additionally, I purchased the sole guard from you over the holidays & applied several coats to (2) pairs of shoes. i was not able to achieve the water repelling characteristics you demo on this vid.
I like several of the Saphir products but, I and your subscribing community need to really know about the effectivity of this product. It is quite expensive; it's worth it if it works, it's not if it doesn't
It's bogus. It doesn't work. I've been doing shoe care for over 20years. You need a hard wax to seal out water from leather for any length of time. For this video they propably sprayed the underside, of the other shoe, with the Saphir Super Invulner water repellent for Suede shoes. Then you will get the effect he got on the sole he didn't oil.
The Saphir shoe cremes and polishes are the best in the world though. But this product is BS.
@@PerfectionHunter Somehow the oiled side looks drier that the un-oiled side. As a leather worker I question that, oil spreads throughout the entire leather over time or until it gets to thin to spread, to wather proof it would have to saturate the leather witch isn't good when you want toughness.
Made from oil and had to be modified in a lab to be water resistant. Oil that had to be modified to be hydrophobic. Really Kirby?
I have a pair of Brooks Brothers (by Alden) leather sole bluchers which I rotate every other day for work with a similar pair by Allen Edmonds. I was curious about this concept of conditioning leather soles so I began giving the BBs a rubbing of conditioning oil about once a month. I did not set this up as a proper experiment by recording times, measuring thickness of wear, etc. I am however confident in saying that the conditioned soles wore down about 2x faster with all other factors being equal. The soles also became too soft and flexible to the point of it changing, not for the better, the support of the shoe with each step. Once the wear was sufficient I had the BBs recrafted by Alden themselves (at least six months ago) and have not treated them since. The soles are wearing now like when they were new - strong and supportive.
I will not be treating the soles of leather shoes again. Also of note, the soles were not water proof or even water resistant when treated with an oil type conditioner. Without coating leather in plastic or rubber, it simply cannot be waterproofed and leather with the weight of a person pressing down against it is not even water resistant. Physics does not allow it. In short, soft leather will wear faster than hard leather and conditioning softens it. Treat with love the shoes’ leather upper, but the opposite with the soles.
Thank you for making this video as it is a topic which I find of interest. But with all due respect, it sounds like a product made specifically to treat leather soles is made of snake oil.
Hey Seth - thanks for your comment and great points! Bespoke shoemakers actually pound out leather dress soles to condense the fibers to make them longer-lasting, so I can see what you are getting at. I'm shooting a video right now comparing the Saphir Sole Guard, Neats Footoil, and 100% Vegetable Oil and will post the video before the end of the week.
Water can cause the premature wear of leather dress soles exactly because of what you are describing. The more they absorb water, or leather conditioner, the more the fibers expand and the softer the leather becomes. Thus, allowing the soles to wear prematurely.
I wouldn't recommend conditioning leather dress soles super often, but I"m interested in the Saphir Sole Guard's ability to help waterproof for men whose shoes are often exposed to water. Of course, a rubber dress sole is best for water, but we all get caught in the rain from time-to-time.
I'll report back!
Thank you for the response. I definitely look forward to seeing the new video and what happens with your comparison!
Hi Kirby. I've been enjoying all of your new posts. Have you conducted these trials? I'm curious to see 🙂
@Seth_ Your logic makes sense. And I say this after I spent an hour applying Sole Guard to quite a few of my shoes this evening... Which I now regret, because I'd rather have hard unconditioned leather soles take some rain water than fragile but conditioned leather...
Seth _ what you say makes a lot of sense
Really enjoy your videos. In regard to this particular topic: How long would you recommend between applications of the Saphir Sole Guard, for at pair of shoes that are worn almost daily in primarily wet weather in the winter? Thanks in advance.
Hi Kirby, you applied the oil to the right shoe but the right shoe absorbed the water lol
That is so wrong. Saphir Sole Guard does not leave a nano like layer on the sole after the application. I've tried it on numerous shoes with multiple layers of SSG oil. It sucks up water like a thirsty cowboy. So what are you not telling us?
A tale of woe to tell you about! I have a pair of brown oxfords that I've had for a number of years, rarely worn. They are from a chain store here in England and are their own brand but of decent Italian construction with Blake stitching. Following your various videos I have recently changed my shoe care regime, from a beeswax polish that i used to buy direct from an English honey farm as one of their by-products, to Saphir shoe cream. I didn't know about Shoe Guard and instead used a UK product said to protect the soles without affecting and leaving marks on carpets. I wore them to a garden party recently where it rained (typical English summer!). Unfortunately the next morning I had what I can only describe as a white tide mark around both shoes. I suppose that the damp had got in underneath through the stitching which I hadn't paid attention to, the rest of the shoe being protected. The uppers now have a permanent mark in them which I haven't been able to lose even though I've tried treating them with Renomat and re-polishing. I guess the moral of the story is pay attention to all parts of the shoe, don't forget the sole stitching as I did. The upside is that i can treat myself to a replacement pair and I think a trip to Jermyn Street is on my to-do list. Keep up the fine work, Kirby.
Archie Bishop wet the shoe evenly and let them slowly (chill place no heat no sun) dry should remove the mark. Then use the usual routine to polish and shine....
@@StSdijle Thanks Stefan. I've written these off now as I have already tried to rescue them and applied polish. They were a favourite and well worn in comfortable pair but it's time to replace them. But thanks again for the tip, something to remember for the future.
Archie Bishop if it they deserved their retirement it’s all good. I live in the Belgian Ardens. Our winters and the salt they use on the streets make this fix way more needed. Otherwise I would spent my entire income on shoes ;)
Why didn’t you put the guard on the heel too?
Kirby, congratulations on your comprehensive videos! It would also be nice if you could share with us the makers and models of the shoes featured in the videos. That pair is really really nice!
Thanks! I try to make a point to mention that in every video... these are a pair of bespoke G.J. Cleverley wholecuts!
I have a question about this video. Is it possible to applied the Sole Guard when the JR soles are brand new? thank you.
Looking for the answer of this question. Have you apply it to your JR yet?
I keep a sponge tipped paint brush for application and find that to be a good method.
excellent video.
Thumbs down for not explaining to us why the right sole, which received the sole guard, absorbed more water than the left sole, which didn't receive sole guard.
Oh shit, I didn't even notice that
U r right!
different pair of shoes. note the decorative holes on toe section
In one of your video "how to remove scratches and scuffs " you said to take care for deep scratches we can use alcohol based liquid polish so can we apply this alcohol base polish which u mention in this video.
You said that it should be used sparingly. Is it because it darkens or discolors/removes dye? Thanks!
Hi, Kirby. Thanks a lot for this video! How often do u apply sole guard to your shoes? Thanks!
Every 2-6 months with regular wear should be sufficient.
Kirby, thank you for this (once again) informative video! One question: how frequently do you apply this product? Let's say with a pair of shoes I wear once a week...
Roland Bogaerts That's a good question! You'd be good every two-three months.
did you clean these before applying the sole guard?
Kirby, could you please create a video on REMOVING salt stains? I live in Canada and the Winter has already taken its toll on my Allen Edmonds, despite my best efforts to avoid the inevitable. Would love to hear your tips and tricks for removing the stains.
Thank you!
Anthony H so I have found that the best way to get rid of salt is to simply apply a wet paper towel (get it completely wet and wrong out most of the water. You want it saturated but not dripping) over the area that has the salt staining. Press the towel against the leather well and it’ll stick. Leave it until it’s mostly dry and take a look. Repeat this process until the stain is gone. Note that addressing the salt stain removal must be done as IMMEDIATELY as possible. Once that salt is in, you may still be able to remove the stain but it will absolutely scar your leather.
Sole Polish is “Sold Out” Please restock soon!
Hi Kirby - what’s the benefit of keeping the leather dress sole exposed rather than covered with a rubber sole from a local cobbler?
How can get those soles, I make shoes too and I really need them
Would this work on leather or suede moccasin soles?
Hi,
I highly admire your posts from Styleforum.net, I believe the thread was called Shoe Shine Sunday Challenge or something .. It educated me a lot, especially in how to make that mirror toe cap shine on finer shoes like Edward Green or Crockett Jones ..
Nice channel you have here as well, however I would personally never use the leather soles in wet or rainy conditions. I would
rather invest in a rubber overshoe that I would carry in the briefcase in case of a sudden rain than to count on the layer of oil ..
Now I know what someone might thing - Hey I can't just go around carrying the pair of rubber overshoes with me, however, If you are watching these types of videos, and you are a shoe aficionado - I'm sure you can!
Keep up the good work!
Hi. Juist saw this flick and asked my shoemaker for oil. Her advise: I can sell it to you. However, she went on, I believers ill advised. For if it soaks through the sole to the welt, it might make it hard to impossible to replace the sole if needed. She said, that is because even if it is a Blake stitch or Goodyear they first need to glue the sole and if the leather is all soaked in that oil this becomes a nightmare.
Use obenauf conditioner instead of oil
How effective do you find this product? It's fortuitous timing because I was just about to have a pair of AE's resoled with a dainite sole for our rainy months. I'd prefer to stick with a leather sole, but I'm not aware of how this would handle the heavy rains we can get in August. I cycle my shoes daily so they wouldn't be exposed every day, but at the same time I'd still expect them to get some repeated exposure to wet streets and occasional puddles.
zeromga The Sole Guard is effective, but I'll never be as effective as a dainite. If you're really looking for serious protection, you can't go wrong with a rubber sole.
Thanks for the reply. Sounds like I'll go with the dainite sole for this pair just to have a heavier weather sole and put an order in for some Sole Guard for the rest of my pairs. :)
zeromga You could always try the Sole Guard for a little bit and see how it works for how you use your shoes. Worst case, you replace the leather sole with a Dainite, which you would have done anyway. Sole Guard fantastic, but not designed for day-in day-out use in water. It's effective, just not magic. 😉
Haha, sounds fair. I was already boxing these ones up to go out with the plan for the rubber sole, so I don't mind sticking to that plan. But I've got plenty of other pairs that will benefit from a little extra water resistance either way. August can be pretty rainy here, but there are plenty of days with a brief rain and light moisture, so the Sole Guard sounds good for helping mitigate water absorption on those days.
If my leather soles are butyl leather soles, can (and even should) I still use Saphir sole guard on them?
Had a thought/idea but not sure it’s a good one.
Was wondering if it might be a good idea to do so a quick sanding (with high grit sand paper) of the Leather sole and then do your steps.
What do you think??
so what is the reason that you don't apply it to the heel? just curios
Ricky V You could certainly apply the the bottom of the heels also.
Can you put the rubber protector on the shoe? Why/why not?
You can put a rubber sole protector on, but do not put a product of oil or grease on the soles if you're going to. Cement will not stick well, if at all, to oiled leather and it will not stay adhered.
Hi Kirby, could you please share some insights on how to take care of Dainite/rubber soles? Thank you!
They're great options for people that spend time outside in inclement weather. I wouldn't have them on all my dress shoes -- especially my more formal ones. But if you're someone that spends time outside walking in bad weather -- rain, snow -- it's great to have a pair of shoes or two with a Dainite/rubber sole.
Probably a silly question, but if you place the shoes sole down on carpet post-treatment, will that in any way reduce the treatment's efficacy?
Bill Khan Shouldn't be a problem. Just make sure sole has been allowed to adequately dry.
@@kirbyallison read the top comment.
How is ur hair this greasy
How often should this be applied?
Also, how come it wasn't applied to the heel? Thanks.
So sole guard helps reduce the amount of water seeping into my sole? So while it doesn't make it advisable for me to walk in the rain, it makes it a whole less cringey every time I take a step, right?
It'll help marginally... but you're right about it generally not being advisable to walk in the rain. That's the most important thing to remember.
Goodyear welted shoes are waterproofed by default that the inside of your feet wont get wet from rain.
Dear Mr. Allison, I have a question regarding leather soles. In case a leather sole gets wet, what is the best way to dry them? Thanks
I wear leather-soled shoes every day, rotating through four pairs of oxfords and two pairs of boots, and I walk a couple miles every day working in NYC. I often get caught in the rain or otherwise get my shoes wet. First thing I do when I get home is insert the shoe trees, gently dab them dry with a cloth, and rest them on their sides over night to air-dry. In my opinion, what you don't want to do is force them dry by scrubbing them with a towel or blowing them with hot air. I'm still skeptical about treating my leather soles with this^ vegetable oil-based product, as much as I would love to use it, for fear that conditioned leather actually wears faster on pavement despite being waterproof.
Thanks for your answer
@@XtianLinares Perfect advice. Use shoe trees and let them dry in the air on their own.
Hi, when should you first apply this polish to new soles, when they are brand new if after wearing them in (ie allowing the leather to develop a rough surface)?
@kirby Same question.
How can one keep the sole looking new or restore that new sole look as your shoes age?
Are these soles sewn on to these shoes? I’m fairly new to the show game, and all sewn leather soles that I’ve seen so far all have visible stitching on the bottom of the shoe. How can I check if a sole is glued or stitched if the stitching isn’t visible from underneath the shoe?
These are blind-stitched (also called channel-stitched). You can find videos demonstrating the process.
I would say it's probably not possible to tell the difference directly, but I've never seen a cemented leather sole.
Has anyone found a way to prop your shoes upside down to let the Sole Guard dry evenly without smashing the uppers and without buying expensive equipment?
Huberd!!!!!!!!!!!
In one of your video "how to remove scratches and scuffs " you said to take care for deep scratches we can use alcohol based liquid polish so can we apply this alcohol base polish which u mention in this video.