I know KixKote has been discussed on here so sort of wanted to created an open discussion.

I've painted 200+ pairs of shoes (mostly football cleats) over the years using a combination of Angelus and Jacquard paints. Eventually I started making my own mix with an intercoat and urethane additive to improve durability, and honestly it worked really well. Outside of normal football cleat wear, I never had any major durability issues.

When KixKote started getting a lot of attention (especially after Dillon's videos), I figured it was the next evolution and could replace my entire paint system. During Flip Week I sent in all of my old paint products (over 30lbs worth) and switched everything over.

After using it for a while, I'm honestly not sure where I stand. I'm curious if other people have had the same experience or if I'm missing something.

Cons I've noticed:

• It's basically impossible to hand paint with a brush, regardless of the additives or ratios I've tried.
• The colors don't seem as vibrant or saturated as Angelus or Jacquard.
• Stencils don't seem to stick and lay flat as well over KixKote.
• I still get stencil lifting, so I haven't really seen an improvement there compared to my old paint system.
• The metallics have been pretty disappointing. Compared to other brands, they barely look metallic.
• More expensive than other brands.

Pros:

• Durability? Maybe. This is the one I'm still unsure about. I don't keep personal pairs. I sell everything I paint, so I rarely get to see how they hold up months later. If you've been using KixKote long-term, I'd really like to hear your experience.
• Their Soft Feel + Paint + Water mix does seem to produce a softer finish than Angelus with Too Soft.

At this point I'm honestly leaning toward switching back to Angelus, but that would mean buying an entirely new paint collection again.

For those of you who've spent a lot of time with KixKote:

• Have you found it to be significantly more durable?
• Have you figured out any tricks?
• Have you switched back to Angelus or another system?

Just sharing my own experience and curious if it's been has been similar to everyone else's or if there's something I'm overlooking.

Has anyone switched over and has had the same issue while using KixKotes that vinyl leaves the sticky residue on the shoes/cleats?

I’ve tried various vinyls and chatted with other customizers who have ran into this issue. It has to be some sort of chemical reaction since I never had this issue with Angelus.

Also, the sticky residue from the vinyl is near impossible to get off so it’s sort of a headache. Any help is appreciated!