I just bought a new pair of combat boots, because the soles of my 7-yr old boots are starting to crack (I loved those boots!).

I bought the standard cheapo basic-issue set from clothing sales (because I'm a tightwad), and am having trouble getting a good shine on them. Anyone recently try this, and have any tips to pass on?  

I usually rub them down very well with alcohol to get that nasty purple dye off, then go with the cold water and cottonball approach.  But, these boots seem to have some kind of very finely pebbled finish that resists building up a good layer of wax.  

So, what technique do you use for a good polish on boots?

I used an old t-shirt. I'd wrap it around 2 fingers, and get a LITTLE polish on it by rubbing it in the polish, then I'd dip it into COLD water, and work it into the leather, tracing small circles. With a new pair of boots, it takes a WHILE, but my boots looked as good as patent leather when I was through.

Btw.......the issue boots are for field; jump boots take the best shine.

Spit and rub, spit and rub. dip in polish, spit and rub, spit and rub. always worked for my crappy boots. Did you break them in first? That sometimes helps. I used to always start out with a decent buff job for the first few weeks too.

You know you can get boots resoled right?
And just get some leather luster

real cotton balls, cold water and the kiwi parade gloss shoe polish...oh yeah, and a lot of time.

Not really worth resoling the old ones--their the one-piece rubber sole type as well.  

I've thought about leather luster, but I've never liked the poured plastic look or the buildup it made on my boots.  I'm a traditionalist--always liked the wax version.


Zardoz--hadn't thought about getting off my wallet and getting a pair of jump boots...may have to consider making these the field boots, if I can't do better.

Someone at work suggested 400 grit sandpaper to smooth out that pebbled finish.  Any thoughts?

I used a method similar to Zardoz's.  The only difference is I would use a spray bottle and spray a small mist onto the T-shirt BEFORE I would put the polish on there.  Try this:
Put the T-shirt around your finger.  Spray a light mist of water onto the shirt, then put just a small amount of paste on the shirt, (regular Kiwi paste, not the Parade Gloss stuff) and then rub it into the boot in small circles.  You don't have to press hard.  As the paste starts to work its way from the shirt onto the boot, the water will eventually mix into the paste and help it to shine.  Keep rubbing until you develop swirls in the paste.  When you see the swirls, you're almost there.  Just keep rubbing until it shines.  It's better to apply a little bit of paste at a time instead of gobs of paste.  I've done this to leather boots and have had several people remark that it looks just like patent leather.  As the layers of paste begin to build up, it gets easier to bring them back up to a shine.  Good luck!
Forgot to add, I used to use cotton balls and got decent results.  Then I started using a T-shirt and was able to get a mirror-like finish.  If you use cotton balls, be sure to use 100% cotton.  If you use cotton puffs, they are usually made out of cotton and polyester and won't give you a shine no matter how hard you try.  These are just my experiences.  

Leather luster? Man, that's cheatin'! In germany, before our first formation every morning, everybody looked everybody else over to see if their uniform was up to standard, and woe to anybody who showed up lookin' like a ragbag. At Ft Hood, however, we spent so much time in the field that as long as you got your boots all the way black and somewhat shiny, and your BDUs didn't look like you'd slept in 'em for the last month, you were alright.

In my time with Uncle's Navy, this tested and tried technique always worked:

All the stuff everyone else has already said, except... After applying the wax and 2-fingering it for the alloted amount of time, flip the boot upside down and get a bic lighter...

Fire up a flame and gently toast the front 1/3 of the boot (toe area) for a good 30 seconds.  - Do not scorch, burn or "melt" the wax -  actually you are "tempering or Melding the wax.  (insert appropriate BS about lining up molocules etc..)

Allow to cool while doing the other boot

Now spit, rub and buff..

Repeat (wth flame!)

Should cut total time to gloss by 40%

I'd be sorely tempted to take the boots to an automotive body and paint shop and have them shot in gloss black urethane with a flex additive.   Corcorans on the cheap, and in any style you want!

New G.I. boots always have a pehbly finish when you get them.  Don't try to sand the finish smooth or you'll ruin the skin of the leather!  The solution to the problem is the one you don't want to hear: LOTS OF POLISHING IS NEEDED.   Cold water, yes.  Spit, no.

I had some success with getting new boots into inspectable shape by applying a HEAVY coat of polish and letting them sit overnight before starting to buff them out.  More of the polish seemed to stay on the boot.

Make a boot raid in some other squad's barracks.   Find a pretty, well polished pair of boots in your size, gank them, and leave your new boots in exchange.

Don't get caught.

For future reference, if you're allowed to use other than standard G.I. issue boots, try out some of the other options.  Jump boots are comfortable, and they have less leather to keep shiny.    

I'd tell you what brand of boots I usually wear, when I wear boots, but I can't find the suckers!  They're approved for duty use and they're as comfortable as a worn-in set of sneakers.  Wolverines,  I think...?

I retired my first set of G.I. issue boots only when the steel shanks in the soles BROKE!!!  Never heard of THAT happening before!  
A pity, too.  They were chrome shiny and so comfortable I could run in them.  The key to that is that technically, they were a size too large for me.  Maybe that, combined with running in them,  is why the shanks broke?

CJ