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JohnGOhio
48
Aug 25, 2017
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   This may help for the true  horsehide cordovan owners out there. I have 6 pairs from about 35 years to 5-6 years old. Per an ALDENS shoemaker, at a trunk sale many years back, you should always use a cream or polish specifically made for horse hide cordovan. If you must use polish then use it springily as a second or third coat.  The cordovan need to "breathe" more-so  than other premium leathers .  And because it is a "tighter or harder" leather you can get a good shine with cream and elbow grease. You can even "spit shine with cream... just not as easily as with polish. And using a good conditioner /cleaner to start with is a major advantage is your shoes "sheen". ( Per Alden's . not per John )
  I can tell you  this from personal experience. Part of true cordovan's appeal and beauty, is being able to feel it "roll" beneath your fingers. Even using polish made for true cordovan will build up and that wonderful feeling of the "roll" is not as pronounced. Kind of like that "ping" that a S.T. DuPont lighter is known for, or that wonderful "wobble" of a Valjoux  775x series movement. You can even learn to feel the leather and KNOW if it is true cordovan.
    I would say nothing against You tube , but than I remembered "isn't everything we read on the internet true? Even when one site says "Yeah" and another says "Nay"?
  Still I think you all know to take some of You Tube's videos with a grain of salt. ( I am NOT condemning New Yorker's posted video either.)
   All jokes aside, most premium shoe company's cream and polish is rated for their brand and any others. I have even seen special polish for that extra sheen made specifically for horse-hide cordovan. And it is not just the shoe manufacturers. Most premium polishes/creams are rated for premium leather including exotics leathers and true cordovan. I am a chemistry major and applied it in my working days and can say that now with the advancements in chemistry and electronics for machines testing and measuring individual components, major leaps or advancements are made  in 4-5 year increments for everything from shoe cream/polish to care wax.. Yeah I know, computers are ever 2-3 years.   Mainly because your computer doesn't have to go through many "health and safety"  agencies, like the FDA.
    And, if your not sure about a product, call and ask. I have called everyone from  Allen Edmonds, Alden's and  Cole Haan, all the way up to  John Lobb. They have always given me an answer. They may have to contact someone more knowledgeable,  and it may take a couple of days, but always a definitive  answer. I usually like to call when I have questions of that nature so I can ask about something I am aware of that may  "seemingly" conflict with what I was told. For me it is just easier than multiple emails or "live chat" on the website. No typing and no forgetting part of your rebuttal typing as opposed to talking. It is worth a few dollars to protect a 500.00 plus ,in todays dollars, pair of shoes, or even a 200.00 pair of shoes.
   Respects- John
< EDIT>  I should have stated though I have not personally used  Saphir, I am aware they have an exceptional reputation. Too, a friend in Chicago swears by them. But he also thinks Montecristos are better than certain Cohibas and Drew Estates. So what does he know?
Aug 25, 2017
SHiNe.tO
48
Jan 18, 2018
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JohnGOhiothank u brother
Jan 18, 2018
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