An Electric Shoe Polisher Will Make You Feel Like Don Draper At the Waldorf

Would you like to live your life in a four star luxury hotel, with room service and a maid to pick up your clothes, clean the bathroom and make the bed? Well, theoretically you can, but it would cost you hundreds of dollars a night, money which might be better spent on other, more affordable luxuries. A much better idea is to have a comfortable home, as luxurious as possible, and save the hotel money for when you actually have to stay away from home. However, some of those amenities might work in the home environment.

Years ago, many hotels had Dremel electric shoe polishers (buffers, actually) so you could rub the dust off your shoes and shine them up before that all-important meeting with the client. I’ve had one for over twenty years that I bought for $10 from the grand old Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia when it changed over to be the Fairmont (it has since changed back). Add it to your Corby of Windsor Pants Press and you will have the full hotel effect, not to mention shiny shoes and neatly creased pants.

There are two kinds: the kind with the long extension handle with the switch button on top, for standing use and the kind without. The handle is a key feature. Just walk up to the machine, reach down and push the button and the electric motor spins right up to do the work – so you don’t have to. You can use the handle to move it around a little while you move your feet (it’s a relative of the Dremel Moto-Tool, after all). The red and black buffing pads are supposed to be for black or brown polish, but they’re really just for show. It’s not really designed for polishing with shoe polish, anyway. That would be too messy. It works best for removing dust or for bringing up that final high-gloss shine after a fine spray of water. You can get one in perfect condition on eBay for under $40.

Affordability: 9                                 Luxury:9

Want more luxury? You can get a brand-new, Made in America Beck Diplomat (with the extension handle) or Deluxe (without) in your choice of chrome, brass or black for about $230, if you prefer that to mid-century vintage.