Sole Oil

This is one of the most debated shoe care product categories. It is a conditioner only used for the leather soles to prevent it from cracking which would require resoles. Depending on how often you wear your shoes and the environment, reapplication could be every few months to maybe once or twice a year. There are also claims that sole oil is waterproofing for leather soles but there really isn’t any product where the effect is obvious. If anything, a good amount of sole oil will slow down water from soaking through the entire sole.

Some people don’t like using sole oil because it makes the sole temporarily slippery. Others say that it does not make the sole last longer and for oak bark tanned soles like JR, it’s unnecessary. In my experience, using Tapir Sohlen Pflege, Boot Black sole conditioner, or Brift H sole oil doesn’t make my soles slippery if they dry overnight. I can’t comment on if they extend the life of the soles because I haven’t done an experiment where I take the same sole and only apply sole oil to 1 shoe for multiple pairs of shoes. In Seattle, it’s obvious that sole oil slows down how quickly the sole is soaked but does not actually provide waterproofing. I’ve been using Brift H sole oil which I believe is a copy of the Tapir sole oil but my #1 pick is the Boot Black one for being the most satisfying to apply and having a light scent.

I’m surprised I can’t find Justin FitzPatrick commenting on this topic which nobody can agree on. It’s not a part of his regular shoe care posts so it might not be something he thinks is important.

Sole Edge

This category is something I want to explore more because I think the condition of the sole edge contributes to the overall neatness and look of the shoe. If I had to pick between a shoe always being mirror polished vs the sole edge being in perfect condition, I would always pick the sole edge. The fastest way to tidy up the sole edge is to color it with cream polish during regular maintenance. However this will not penetrate welt and edge as well as using edge ink. There are edge inks for both rubber and leather soles. Some popular brands are Fiebings, Saphir, and Boot Black. I recently purchased the Boot Black one in black and I’m excited to try it out. To polish the edge, some people will use a hard wax like Saphir Mirror Gloss but I don’t use it to polish the uppers regularly so I looked for alternatives. Wax polish that is unused for a long time will eventually dry out. Eventually I will get the Boot Black Edge Crayon which will never dry out.

People will also use fine sandpaper to remove and fluff from the edge and keep it neat. Another optional step is to use an edge iron. Justin FitzPatrick demonstrated how to use a wooden one to flatten out the sole edge. There are also metal ones that are heated up to melt the wax on the sole edge.

I don’t know if I will ever get a sole edge iron but maybe one day I will go deeper in the rabbit hole.

Toe Taps

Steel or brass toe taps are usually installed by cobblers when the shoe is new. Some shoe manufacturers have also created the option to install it right when you buy the shoe. I think most people agree that if you walk in a way that frays the very front of the shoe, you should install toe taps. I have toe taps on all my leather soled shoes. Another spot that will wear is the very back of the heel but unfortunately a metal piece in the heel is very slippery and loud. Most shoemakers will have rubber in the very back of the heel and once it’s almost worn you can take it to a cobbler to replace the heel toplift.