The tip

The tip – Handling light streaks and compressed suede

2026-08-15

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The nappy surface of suede is very different from regular smooth leather, and people often seem to have less knowledge about some of its special characteristics. Two such things are the light streaks that commonly appear where the shoes bend, and how the nap can become completely flat after, for example, lying on its side in a shoe box. Here we explain why this happens and what you can do about it.

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The tip

The tip – Insert shoe trees straight away

2026-04-12

By

Jesper Ingevaldsson

I sometimes hear from people that they wait with inserting shoe trees after they’ve taken their shoes off, to let the worst moist evaporate first. While I can understand the logic behind this, it’s definitely not what’s best for your shoes. Here’s why you should basically always insert your shoe trees straight away after use.

The tip – Saphir Medaille d’Or Nappa conditioner

2026-02-15

By

Jesper Ingevaldsson

One of the most underrated products in Saphir Medaille d’Or’s extensive range is, in my opinion, their Nappa cream. It’s a product without solvents that only contains nourishing ingredients like jojoba oil and wheat protein, but no waxes, so it leaves the pores of the leather fully open. Ideal for many situations, for example when you want a fully natural patina to develop, for sensitive leathers, and for the often neglected but very important care of the leather lining.

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The tip

The tip – Why gap between welt and sole are common

2025-12-29

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Jesper Ingevaldsson

If you have Goodyear welted shoes or other similar construction methods with stitched outsoles, you may still get gaps in between the welt and midsole or outsole, especially if it’s of rubber. Here I explain the reason for this, why you don’t have to worry too much about it, and how to fix it if needed.

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The tip

The tip – Don’t worry about metal shanks in shoes at airport security

2025-06-22

By

Jesper Ingevaldsson

Many are worried about getting shoes with metal shanks – the reinforcement in the arch – due to them not want to have issues at the metal detectors at airport security. In almost all cases there’s no problems to have shoes with metal shanks though, and you won’t have to take your shoes off in the security control. Here’s why.

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The tip

The tip – Don’t use fingers behind the heel to judge fit

2025-05-25

By

Jesper Ingevaldsson

A common suggestion to asses the fit of a shoe, and something that many people use regularly, is about placing a finger between the heel of the foot and the inside back of the shoe. But the info you get from this is more or less useless and doesn’t give any relevant information. Here’s why.

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The tip

The tip – All shoe eyelets are reinforced

2025-04-27

By

Jesper Ingevaldsson

A common misconception is that the only way to reinforce eyelets on shoes are metal or plastic inserts in the holes. This is not the case though, all shoe manufacturers have the holes reinforced with a reinforcement tape backing which isn’t visible. Learn more in this article.

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The tip

The tip – Never clean shoes in a washing machine

2025-03-14

By

Jesper Ingevaldsson

I can understand that it’s tempting to just throw dirty shoes in a washing machine on a gentle cycle, get them out looking much cleaner and think all is good. At least more and more people are doing it nowadays, especially with sneakers and similar. Problem is that shoes are not built to go through the stress that a machine wash incur and you’ll risk damaging them in several ways, and significantly shorten their lifespan. Learn why in this article.

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The tip

The tip – Why you always should brush off shoes after use

2024-11-22

By

Jesper Ingevaldsson

A common shoe care advice is to brush off your shoes when one come home, to remove any surface dirt. Most think this is solely due to appearance, but that’s only one part of it. The more important thing is that doing this can significantly prolong the lifespan of your leather shoes. Here I explain why.

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The tip

The tip – Don’t use spiral shoe trees

2024-07-07

By

Jesper Ingevaldsson

Still today the most commonly used shoe trees in the world are ones with a front part and a big spring that is bent to be placed against the heel. This type of shoe trees are in fact bad for your shoes, in the worst case they may even destroy them. Learn why in this article.

The tip – Handling light streaks and compressed suede

The tip – Insert shoe trees straight away

The tip – Saphir Medaille d’Or Nappa conditioner

The tip – Why gap between welt and sole are common

The tip – Don’t worry about metal shanks in shoes at airport security

From the archive

The tip – Never clean shoes in a washing machine

Reflection – Shoes ugly side

Buying tip – Crockett & Jones and Loake at 50-80% off

Buying tip – The new budget brand Orban’s

The tip – Don’t use fingers behind the heel to judge fit

The tip – All shoe eyelets are reinforced

The tip – Never clean shoes in a washing machine

The tip – Why you always should brush off shoes after use

The tip – Don’t use spiral shoe trees

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