# brown shoes: neutral polish or Saphir dark brown cream polish?



## gaseousclay (Nov 8, 2009)

since I plan on buying a pair of the EG Beaulieu's in dark oak I want to make sure i'm using the correct polish. with that said, I've read mixed reviews about the use of neutral polish with brown shoes. some have stated that it leaves a white residue, while others claim it's perfectly acceptable. I was checking the hangerproject site and they offer a Saphir dark brown cream polish which seems like the perfect match for dark oak.

I already have a tin of neutral wax polish but so i'm debating whether or not this will be sufficient or should I go with the Saphir cream polish instead? Is there any discernable difference between using a cream over a wax polish?


----------



## StylinLa (Feb 15, 2009)

The Saphir Dark Brown may be too dark for those shoes. It's very dark brown indeed and those shoes look a shade under beng that dark. 

I ope more an expert than I will weigh in, but I think the Medium Brown Saphir might be better.


----------



## gaseousclay (Nov 8, 2009)

side by side comparison


----------



## StephenRG (Apr 7, 2005)

Ask EG directly - and they have their own polish as well. (FWIW when I bought a pair just before :I moved to the US, they gave me a free tin of polish because they said it would be really hard to find the right polish in the US.)


----------



## unrooted (Sep 7, 2012)

If In doubt use a brown that is lighter in shade, the dark brown will not lighten no matter how light of a color you put on. Also get a good quality medium brown wax like saphir's, it doesn't take much to get a great shine with that stuff.


----------



## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

gaseousclay said:


> side by side comparison


 Mahogani is closest. Dark brown is *much* too dark, and will darken the leather, though not evenly.


----------



## gaseousclay (Nov 8, 2009)

Flanderian said:


> Mahogani is closest. Dark brown is *much* too dark, and will darken the leather, though not evenly.


to my eyes the Bordo looks closest.


----------



## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

gaseousclay said:


> to my eyes the Bordo looks closest.


Could be the monitor.


----------



## Ger (Jun 6, 2012)

I would try light brown or the middle brown, I agree the dark brown is too dark. I have a pair of C&J Hangrade Belgraves in Chestnut(Antique Calf) a color that is similar to your shoes. The guys in C&J recommended a tan polish for these which I use and it works just fine. As someone has already mentioned you should Ask EG directly.


----------



## Gurdon (Feb 7, 2005)

*Meltonian*

In my experience with EG shoes and Saphir and Meltonian polishes, Saphir is usually too dense and opaque to use on EG's. It lays down a uniform color rather than the somewhat transparent finish of Meltonian. The latter lets the subtlties of the shoes' natural leather and gradually acquired patina show through. The leather and finish of EG's are too nice to cover them up with Saphir.

The Sphir renovateur (sp) cream does a wonderful job of moisturizing and polishing shoes, and it is neutral in color. Whatever else you do, you should consider ordering some. Use it initially to moisturize the new shoes and then occasionally after a few wearings, or a walk in the rain. It is remarkable in that you rub it in and buff, and your shoes are wonderfully polished. Check out Shaver's on-going shoe polishing thread to learn way too much about the subject of polishing with neutral cream polish, and rarely, if ever, using wax.

I suggest you go to a store that stocks Meltonian cream polish and select the color that is closest to that of the shoes. It is not practical to try to do this on computer monitors.

After several months of wear, your shoes might benefit from a renewal of their underlying color. At that point I'd encourage you to order two or three jars of the Saphir cream that seem close and see how you like the results. I use Saphir on some of my shoes, rarely on the EG's.

Hope this is helpful. Welcome to shoes.
Gurdon

PS: I just noticed the color of the EG's in your post. The color doesn't look like the dark oak of the EG's I have that were designated as being dark oak. (It looks more like the bauxite swatch I looked at.) It may be the monitors. In any event there seems to be considerable variability in shoe color. It would be best to wait until your shoes arrive so you can take them with you to compare the actual shoes with the actual polish. The colors shown for Saphir seem reasonably close, but it is much better to compare polish with leather.


----------



## mhdena (Jan 4, 2008)

I have and use Kiwi Cavalier, Meltonian and Tana shoe creams. A medium brown or a white neutral should work.


----------



## Barcelona (Aug 13, 2009)

Gurdon said:


> In my experience with EG shoes and Saphir and Meltonian polishes, Saphir is usually too dense and opaque to use on EG's. It lays down a uniform color rather than the somewhat transparent finish of Meltonian. The latter lets the subtlties of the shoes' natural leather and gradually acquired patina show through. The leather and finish of EG's are too nice to cover them up with Saphir.
> 
> The Sphir renovateur (sp) cream does a wonderful job of moisturizing and polishing shoes, and it is neutral in color. Whatever else you do, you should consider ordering some. Use it initially to moisturize the new shoes and then occasionally after a few wearings, or a walk in the rain. It is remarkable in that you rub it in and buff, and your shoes are wonderfully polished. Check out Shaver's on-going shoe polishing thread to learn way too much about the subject of polishing with neutral cream polish, and rarely, if ever, using wax.
> 
> ...


Dp you have any EG shoes in Burgundy Antique? If so, what color polish do you use on them? I'm thinking about getting a pair of the Inverness in this color but I'm not sure what color polish to use on them.


----------



## Gurdon (Feb 7, 2005)

Barcelona said:


> Dp you have any EG shoes in Burgundy Antique? If so, what color polish do you use on them? I'm thinking about getting a pair of the Inverness in this color but I'm not sure what color polish to use on them.


I'm away from home and can't check the polish cabinet. I have a pair of burgundy EG's, but I think it best to wait till you have the shoes and can take them to a store with a good assortment of Meltonian and select the color that actually matches the pair of shoes you have. Meanwhile, a jar of Saphir renovateur (sp) would be a good thing to have on hand, and on you shoes. That way, when your new EG's arrive you will be ready to give them a renewing polish and head to the Meltonian store.

Regards,
Gurdon


----------



## Malabar (Nov 9, 2012)

Saphir is definitely too dense for real expensive and perfect shoes.


----------



## David Copeland (Apr 6, 2013)

I own the Allen Edmonds version of your brown shoes, and when I go to the AE website there is a Live Chat with a specialist. They suggest to always use a Natural (with most of their shoes), versus what Hangerproject suggests with a color.

Perhaps a phone call to the factory would be the best course - or try the Natural and if you don't like it you can easily go with a color.

All my best,

David


----------



## sbpep (Mar 30, 2013)

While I have not yet had the privilege of owning any of the above mentioned shoes...yet... I fee like my experience attending a military college has given me countless hours of practice shining shoes and trying all types of methods/polishes. Personally, I am not a fan of the neutral polish. When I used to blitz my shoes for inspections and parades I tried using the neutral and was not that pleased with it. I found that the neutral polish is much harder to build up a good base coat. IMHO, having a good base coat is the key to getting a parade gloss. Also, if you get a lighter and light the polish so it flames for a few seconds, the melted polish works wonders for building up that coat and getting it in the pores of the leather.


----------



## Barcelona (Aug 13, 2009)

Gurdon said:


> I'm away from home and can't check the polish cabinet. I have a pair of burgundy EG's, but I think it best to wait till you have the shoes and can take them to a store with a good assortment of Meltonian and select the color that actually matches the pair of shoes you have. Meanwhile, a jar of Saphir renovateur (sp) would be a good thing to have on hand, and on you shoes. That way, when your new EG's arrive you will be ready to give them a renewing polish and head to the Meltonian store.
> 
> Regards,
> Gurdon


Gurdon,

One more question. Do you use any black polish on your EG's to maintain the antiquing that they have?


----------



## Malabar (Nov 9, 2012)

Last years I used a Saphire pate de luxe wax, but now I found its glossiness cheap and artifical, looking like cheap patent leather. 
So I prefer now to polish new pairs by only Saphir Gel (kind of leather balm) - it gives a perfect satin gloss, shaded but rich and respectable.
I humbly advice to use some conditioners or balms on the shoes of EG level.


----------



## gaseousclay (Nov 8, 2009)

Barcelona said:


> Gurdon,
> 
> One more question. Do you use any black polish on your EG's to maintain the antiquing that they have?


for what it's worth, I emailed EG about what type of polish to use with their dark oak austerity brogues and they said they use the Saphir mid-brown with a little bit of black on the toe box (but sparingly and only with the occasional shine). You should email EG


----------



## RogerP (Oct 31, 2012)

Gurdon said:


> The Sphir renovateur (sp) cream does a wonderful job of moisturizing and polishing shoes, and it is neutral in color. Whatever else you do, you should consider ordering some. Use it initially to moisturize the new shoes and then occasionally after a few wearings, or a walk in the rain. It is remarkable in that you rub it in and buff, and your shoes are wonderfully polished.


This.


----------

