Custom Bats Cricket Forum

Equipment => Other Gear => Topic started by: velvetsky01 on February 27, 2019, 10:52:24 AM

Title: Alternative to Shoe Goo
Post by: velvetsky01 on February 27, 2019, 10:52:24 AM
Hi all

I was wondering if there were any cheaper alternatives to Shoe Goo at all?
I know there was a thread on this around 3 years ago

Just didnt know if anyone has tried anything else and what success they have had?

Thanks
Title: Re: Alternative to Shoe Goo
Post by: WalkingWicket37 on February 27, 2019, 12:46:07 PM
Wood varnish on the toe.
Cheap as chips, easier to apply than shoe goo and a tin will last forever.

As it starts to wear off simply give the toe a light sand and apply another coat

https://www.diy.com/departments/ronseal-clear-satin-outdoor-varnish-0-25l/127567_BQ.prd (https://www.diy.com/departments/ronseal-clear-satin-outdoor-varnish-0-25l/127567_BQ.prd)
Title: Re: Alternative to Shoe Goo
Post by: edge on February 27, 2019, 01:03:38 PM
I find not using a toe guard of any kind is both successful and cheaper than Shoe Goo. Can't remember how much I last bought a tube of SG for but it doesn't stick in the mind as all that dear anyway?
Title: Re: Alternative to Shoe Goo
Post by: Seniorplayer on February 27, 2019, 01:38:10 PM
Just to pickup on Cams post find that yacht wood  vanish works well as it repels damp/ water
Title: Re: Alternative to Shoe Goo
Post by: velvetsky01 on February 27, 2019, 02:42:04 PM
I find not using a toe guard of any kind is both successful and cheaper than Shoe Goo. Can't remember how much I last bought a tube of SG for but it doesn't stick in the mind as all that dear anyway?

No you can pick it up on ebay/amazon for under £10 with postage

I just wondered if anyone had tried anything else

Varnish sounds like it could work to protect it from moisture
but doesnt SG just give it alittle bit extra protection or am I wrong?
Title: Re: Alternative to Shoe Goo
Post by: Psi on February 27, 2019, 02:55:09 PM
What do people have against toe guards? Don't these protect from knocks and moisture? It surely can't affect the feel or pick-up can it?
Title: Re: Alternative to Shoe Goo
Post by: Kulli on February 27, 2019, 03:02:15 PM
The Rubber ones often hide damage you should be fixing and can sometimes trap water against the bat rather than letting it escape.
Title: Re: Alternative to Shoe Goo
Post by: WalkingWicket37 on February 27, 2019, 03:07:39 PM
No you can pick it up on ebay/amazon for under £10 with postage

I just wondered if anyone had tried anything else

Varnish sounds like it could work to protect it from moisture
but doesnt SG just give it alittle bit extra protection or am I wrong?

The amount of "protection" offered by a toe guard or shoe goo is so minimal it isn't worth worrying about in mu opinion.
At the end of the day you're using a bit of willow to hit a 5.75oz hard ball. A couple of mm of rubber glued to the toe isn't going to provide any meaningful protection against the damage that could be caused.

Toe guards and shoe goo are essentially only to protect the toe from moisture too.
Title: Re: Alternative to Shoe Goo
Post by: edge on February 27, 2019, 03:30:04 PM
The only thing a toe guard of any normal variety can do is protect the bat from moisture, and they don't do that great a job of that - as Kulli says they can often actually make it worse. Never understood what the need is for them and all that ever happens is you end up with a bit of rubber flapping off the end of your bat!
Title: Re: Alternative to Shoe Goo
Post by: Mattsky on February 27, 2019, 04:19:58 PM
Shoe Goo, by its very nature, is designed to take a pounding. Being that it plugs holes in the soles of shoes.  ;)
I go a whole season with it on the end of my bat, and it's still going strong by the end. It's tough stuff. Mind you, that may say more about my length of time at the crease than anything else...
It does a better job than a flappy toe guard. It does offer protection from bat tapping and running your bat into the crease, and provides protection from moisture. It's also lightweight and flexible.
It won't mitigate the danger of the toe cracking from a quick yorker, though - but nothing does.
It takes a bit of care, but it can look very neat. Just don't lick it! (It's probably carconogenic.)  :(
Title: Re: Alternative to Shoe Goo
Post by: Kulli on February 27, 2019, 04:31:01 PM
Sometimes shoe goo seems to take really well and anothers is falls off after a game or two, haven't really been able to figure out why.