Congrats on your purchase! Rotating with your existing shoes is a good idea. I did that too. I still do actually, when one of my shoes is at the cobbler.

Renovateur is good but not strictly necessary. Black pommadier will give some nourishment to the leather and help to cover scuffs as well and is a good starting point for your shoe care.

More importantly get a brush for brushing off dust before and after use. It doesn't take long, only about 10 seconds each shoe. Try to get a horsehair brush, the nylon brushes you get at the supermarket shoe care section are a bit too stiff IMO. Unless you've been in mud or something then you need to wipe it down with a damp cloth or tissue first.

If your shoes are a bit tight and are difficult to put on when new (it should be that way if you've bought the right size), always use a shoe horn when putting them on. There's no going back from a bent and crushed heel counter.

Use shoe trees if you have them, 2-3 minutes after taking them off. In our heat/weather, it's necessary to allow the bulk of the humidity to escape your shoes first.

thank you from a lurker here!

zeve looks affordable for me.

whats the price range for P Lal, WJ and Co? any other option for below 500? been wearing bata ambassador all this while since i dont wear leather shoes to work. only for special occasions. otherwise itd be safety boots or sneakers.

I think you might be able to get the lowest range of Loake shoes in P Lal for just over 500. That is the Made in India Loake L1 collection.

zellleonhart just bought a Loake Shoemaker range, which is a step above the L1. How much was it bro?

WJ and co, the cheapest shoes they carry are Carmina, which can be had for just under 1.9k:
https://www.wjandco.com/collections/carmina-shoes

My 3 year old Cheaney Balmoral just came back from the cobbler. New topy and heels. Topy not topy brand, but heels Topy brand

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Work done was just about decent. Some leftover glue on the heelstack. Different color on the welt just after the topy where he sanded it, needs some creme/dye.

I say decent work as all of these 'issues' I can fix myself. I'm using this pair today, everything feels ok, so no harm done...I hope.

https://www.facebook.com/jufrirepair/