Before, shoe brush options were much simpler; anyone who knew anything beyond the horse hair brush must have been an avid enthusiast or expert in shoe care. Twenty years ago, there weren’t too many choices beyond horse hair for various stages of shoe care and types of shoes, today there’s an almost limitless supply available that cater to different steps of care as well as shoe types. Even I only knew of and used horse hair brushes; even now when I am an experienced shoe shine expert I didn’t use or know of all these other options available.
Paul Brunngard is an expert when it comes to shoe brushes. They offer numerous styles and colors in four animal options: Horse, Boar, Goat and Yak. I was recently sent all four samples to test and try them out; each of these taught me something new which I am glad to share with all of you. Below is what I have discovered so far.
The Cleaning Brush
A Wild Boar brush is one of the latest innovations to hit the industry, featuring stiffer bristle brush that helps clean your shoes more aggressively than regular bristle brushes can. Sometimes this is necessary when dealing with boots or cleaning between the welt and shoe where regular brushes cannot reach.
If you live in an environment with a wet climate and generate large quantities of mud, this brush may be necessary for keeping footwear looking their best.
Learn more about shoe care here.
The All-Around Brush
One of the most versatile shoe brush options available to us today is a horsehair brush, as it offers multiple services without being limited by any single one. While it can clean and give a small shine, its abilities don’t surpass others for either result; but buying just this one saves money by eliminating duplicate purchases. As with other brushes, the bristles often start off stiff and need softening with use; therefore getting instantaneous shine results won’t occur with it alone.
Goat and Yak hair brushes are excellent at helping with shining. Their softer bristles add shine by dispersing wax into pores without ruining its shine; finer bristles help even further without losing that effect.
As I was initially confused when purchasing my brushes, I mistook one for another – in this video, I appear to discuss using a goat hair brush when actually I am using one with goat bristles in it.
Both are excellent tools that will assist in helping to bring out your shines.