Having picked up a pair of RM Williams comfort craftsman boots from one of the recent sales, I needed some leather care products (leather cleaner, polish and leather conditioner).
Managed to find a 20% off code for RM Williams official site (free shipping was already included).
Note: Footwear is excluded for the discount.
Clothing too.
Footwear excluded
Thanks cell. Updated title
Kiwi shoe polish, $5 at your local Woolworths and Coles.
Been using them for 10+ years on the RM Williams, work like a charm.
Yeah I did see that, looks like a good product.
I saw the Kiwi shoe polish comes in 38g and the RM Williams is 70g. So after the discount (and comparing kiwi 70g equivalent price), I just decided to pay the extra $4~ to get the RM polish.
Yep, dark tan (chestnut) kiwi and some Oakwood conditioner (the product for couches/automotive is cheaper than that packaged for shoes..). RM's now 5+ years old and going well with supermarket products.
For the conditioner, is it this:
https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/78141/oakw…
or this:
https://www.bunnings.com.au/oakwood-350ml-household-leather-…
@benchman: Other than the packaging, are they different? Bunnings ad shows someone putting it on shoes..
@benchman: I bet they are the same product in different packaging.
This is the one I have:
https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/775790/oak…
I'll be going to Bunnings when this runs out.
Rather buy the real deal for a few $ more after paying $400 for the boots..
What is the real deal tho? The label on the bottle of polish?
The colour is what I find important.
If you want to level up, I recommend Saphir polish. It's fantastic for adding colour to shoes and giving them a unique patina.
Obviously more expensive but I don't understand why a person would buy expensive gear and spend a little more to keep it preserved.
Well, because it serves the same purpose aside from what marketing would like one to believe. As long as it is regularly polished, the boots will be alright. Mine has survived the daunting European weather, and the typhoons in Asia.
$400 boot is not exactly expensive like some made by some of the finest UK shoemaker. It is meant to be a daily beater.
Rather, one should learn how to polish a pair shoes instead.
Saphir is the bees knees. It's expensive but you get what you pay for and pretty much just use their products on my shoes and any leather I care about (eg their mink oil is great on wallets and bags). In most instances I use the cremes because of the moisturiser that they have in them but, like no other shoe polish I've used, Saphir can take a pair of shoes from used to box fresh (assuming you know how to polish shoes which is probably more important that the product you use).
As a side tip, assuming you buy from Herring, the last time I got a pair of shoes from there they sell Saphir products cheap (wouldn't be worth it if you're buying them on its own but good to stock up on if you're buying a pair of shoes from there)
mink oil …
interesting…
Would Saphir Renovateur serve the same purpose as the leather conditioner from RM Williams? Around time to touch up my leather wallet and dress shoes…
Yes, it's a neutral (no added pigment) leather moisturiser. It'll protect leather while restoring the original colour to it, in some cases things will look close to new.
It's not cheap ($35-$50aud) so whatever you're working with has to be worth the material cost.
Kiwi is too drying. It will be more likely to make the leather crack. Especially bad if you have a thin leather like kangaroo. You could overcome it with regular conditioner but I'd avoid.
So you'd recommend getting the RM William Boot Polish over the Kiwi shoe polish to prevent cracking.
What about Oakwood Hydrating leather Conditioner verse the the RM William leather conditioner?
There's some mis-explained information here.
Polish's job is to add a reflective HARD layer to leather protecting it but also making it brittle. This is why polish is only supposed to be used on the toe or heel, low flex areas but also highly likely to get impacts.
Leather moisturiser softens leather, adds moisture to it and prevents it from cracking. A good moisturiser will ALSO make your shoes shine (but not as good as polish).
Overuse of polish, failing to moisturise or using polish in high flex/movement areas will cause leather to crack.
Again, I recommend Saphir Renovateur for an all round solution, then follow up with a polish on only the toe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAy1x0hcSCg&ab_channel=BootS…
Having used both the RM shoe cream is better for keeping shoe leather condition over the years. It is less likely to crack. But being a tight bastard I usually just use the kiwi stuff.
nah, i would go with rmw polish, it's a perfect match.
i would use kiwi on my $100 shoes.
im weird, but i will spend a little more for my polish for my $600 boots.
How important is it to use leather cleaner?
I'm definitely considering the leather conditioner and polish though
You only need leather cleaner if it is very badly soiled by mud etc. Personally, I brush every time after wearing the shoe, so it doesn't build up any dust and dirt.
The decision on conditioner and polish depends on the finish of your leather shoe. Which one do you have?
Got a recommendation on a shoe brush? I am paralysed by choice out there lol
Something with natural bristles like horse hair.
Def need conditioner. Polish is also nice but moreso just to bring back colour.
Leather cleaner is for removing stains, polish and wax from your shoes, but its use degrades the leather so you must restore the moisture to the leather (using a leather moisturisher).
It's extremely niche in its use, but if you end up needing it you kinda need it.
I can't seem to find anywhere to use the discount code on their website
Go to checkout and there'll be a section for "promotion code" (under order summary)
I must be going blind - found it, thanks
Thanks OP. Got a chestnut polish and 500ml leather conditioner for $37.60. Paid with Coles MasterCard.
Had the boots for 1.5 years and never had the tools to do any maintenance. Time to pull the trigger
You bought $500 boots and nothing to maintain them?
$399 during a sale. I don't use it often since wfh, and to be fair it's still in good condition. But yea, no excuses now. I was waiting for a sale lol
Should condition every 3 months regardless of whether you wear them or not.
I bought a RRP $450 boots at the op shop for 10% that, thus never thought about it that way
The polish doesn't do much to protect right? It only makes the boots look good?
I think the conditioner does all the heavy lifting in protecting the leather?
Polish provides a barrier to what your boots encounter each day.
The cleaner removes old polish, the conditioner restores the leather and the polish provides a layer of protection.
I found this site had great info. I had no idea what maintenance I should be doing before.
https://www.ahume.co.uk/blog/the-ultimate-rm-williams-boot-c…
I grabbed the Warwick comfort craftsman in a recent sale. Is it the tan coloured polish I should be using?
Go with the natural
Yup. I emailed RMW directly to ask the best polish colour for the Warwick boots - they also said to go with natural.
Tip for deciding on polish for any coloured shoes, if in doubt go natural (also go natural if you have different coloured stitching on the shoes so you don't change your white stitching to burgundy … not I am definitely not talking from experience ;-) )
They’ve upped their price from $17 to $19 on the polish.
Cheers OP, picked up some polish and conditioner.
I have recently purchased Comfort Craftsman in chestnut. Is the best polish to get chestnut or natural?
Chestnut
Polish is not as good. I tried neutral doesn’t shine my boots like Kiwi.
Worth noting the promo code also discounts their limited selection of Akubra hats. Cattleman for $175 is decent.
Thanks, going to cop some polish and conditioner. Can anyone recommend their brushes? Is it really even required?
I don’t have RM brush but highly recommend a quality horsehair brush to buff out the polish. I use Trimly’s made in Germany brushes.
thanks! i've skipped the brush for now. I'll probably pick one up from trimly when i get a shoe tree too!
The prices on most of the shoe care products have been increased in conjunction with this promotion. $17 —> $19. FYI.
Prices on most items going up this morning. eg boots now $649 (were $595).
Looks like this was an expected increase in pricing … wish I bough on Sunday night to save $3 😂😂😂
In the spirit of full transparency, we’d like to inform you, our loyal community, that a price increase will come into effect across many of our products, including boots, apparel, leather goods and accessories, from July 4th 2022.
This price increase is a result of the rising cost of raw materials such as leather, the cost of our manufacturing, most of which takes place on Australian shores, exchange rate pressures and the rate of inflation.
Where did you read this? Email?
Yeah email sent out this afternoon to those subscribed to their mailing address.
reckon it's worth using products like the conditioner on some $99 florsheims?
They used to be the ozbargain standard shoe before RM Williams. I thought they cost a lot more than $99 though. Losing my memory.
They really don't come close. Unless they used to make better quality shoes than they do now. I've bought a few that were either really uncomfortable/cheap feeling or didn't last a year.
I think Florsheim Imperial are the “real” ones. Even back in the day they were a 2 year dress shoe (nothing like RMs).
How does DIY cleaning compare to places like mistermint? or anyone have a recommendation where I should take my shoes for a clean/recondition?
Maintenance? DIY. Armed with the right products for the right leather, it's easy and quick. It's a bit like washing a car: do it often and it's pretty easy. Let the inside and outside get absolutely ruined without ever looking after it, then it's off to the pros.
Repair: A local cobbler who know's what's up. Otherwise mail it somewhere you trust.
I am not the biggest fan of Mister Minit.
Awesome TY!
Works for belts as well
$139 > $111
I brought a $12 pair of used brown Aquila's. Then a Brush and Polish cloth for $6 from coles and a $5 kiwi tan coloured polish and the shoes look good now. Never brushed shoes before, very therapeutic to brush while looking at ozbargain. My
brother laughed when I showed him the picture of the $12 shoes. https://imgur.com/a/qk9hwha
The promotional code is invalid
code not valid, was the promo ended?
Thanks OP - bought some polish.