Toe taps - Page 2

Originally Posted by aportnoy

Never, though for purely asthetic reasons. I do have a few pair of Greens and Westons that have metal toe plates and they are noisy as hell.

Originally Posted by indylion

What type of style are you showing by wearing shoe taps/plates?

Originally Posted by Englandmj7

How many pairs of shoes do you rotate? I only have about 7 and even with wearing them one day a week the toe of my shoes starts to wear away insanely fast; the same goes for the outside corner of my heel.....it may also depend on your body weight. Either way, plastic toe taps can be purchased for $2 a pack (2 toe taps, 2 heel taps and nails) at most Walgreens/Longs Drugs, etc. etc. The ones I always buy are Kiwis. They already come with the staple attached and adhesive underneath; all the have to do is hammer in the staple/nails and you're set. It takes me about 1 minute per shoe to remove old ones and put on new ones and I usually get 15-20 wears before replacement. Unless you wear your shoes once every two months, it is stupid not to put on plastic toe taps. They are noiseless, cheap, and they work.....

As far as not being able to find metal toe taps goes, I found a cobbler down the street from me who has them, but I understand it is usually very difficult. Buy some online and have the cobbler do it......

Originally Posted by Englandmj7

How many pairs of shoes do you rotate? I only have about 7 and even with wearing them one day a week the toe of my shoes starts to wear away insanely fast; the same goes for the outside corner of my heel.....it may also depend on your body weight. Either way, plastic toe taps can be purchased for $2 a pack (2 toe taps, 2 heel taps and nails) at most Walgreens/Longs Drugs, etc. etc. The ones I always buy are Kiwis. They already come with the staple attached and adhesive underneath; all the have to do is hammer in the staple/nails and you're set. It takes me about 1 minute per shoe to remove old ones and put on new ones and I usually get 15-20 wears before replacement. Unless you wear your shoes once every two months, it is stupid not to put on plastic toe taps. They are noiseless, cheap, and they work.....

As far as not being able to find metal toe taps goes, I found a cobbler down the street from me who has them, but I understand it is usually very difficult. Buy some online and have the cobbler do it......

Originally Posted by lawyerdad

Well, I disagree with the "it's stupid" part.

Originally Posted by lawyerdad

on my EG's or other really nice shoes, I don't like them for aesthetic reasons. I don't spend a lot of time staring at the soles of my shoes, but I spend enough time sitting in various positions during the course of a typical day that I may find myself viewing, or exposing to others, either a bottom or profile view of my shoe. With my nicer shoes, I like the sleekness of the profile and also find a certain elegance in the flat patina of a worn leather sole.

Originally Posted by lawyerdad

Then again, I'm fortunate enough to have a gait or a build or whatever that leads the soles of my shoes to wear fairly evenly. If that were not the case, I might be more inclined to use taps.

Originally Posted by bengal-stripe

In an ideal world, people would walk their soles through evenly, right in the centre of the sole. But people walk differently and according to their individual walking pattern, put different stress at different sections of the soles. Some people have no problems with excessive wear of the tips, others do, particular if the shoes are pointed and elongated.

I ruin my toes in next to no time and, even as a child, had metal toe pieces nailed on. About six or seven years ago, I discovered toe pieces that were actually set into the sole. I believe that is the best way to protect the tips if you wear the toes hard. J M Weston and the German firm of Dinkelacker produce some of their heavier designs with these set-in toe pieces as part of the specifications. Otherwise you'll have to find a cobbler who can fit them. It's quite a delicate job and very few still can do it.

Second best solution are nailed on toe protectors in either metal or plastic. Third is an additional row of nails in the toe area. (I ruin these almost as fast as if they were not there.) But you might not be as hard on your toes as I am.

Toe pieces (even metal ones) don't make any excessive noise; metal heals make one hell of a noise. (I once tried them and had them removed a week or so later.)

Ultimately it all depends on your particular walking pattern.

Originally Posted by retronotmetro

Depending on the shoe, I can wear through the tips of a sole and into the welt in several months of once-per-week wear. Given the cost of refurbishing a pair of EGs or even C&Js, the economical choices are to choose between taps or cheaper shoes. I pick the taps.

Originally Posted by raley

What? This seems insane to me? Are you just heavy-footed or what? Or are the soles of EG's and the like just more fragile?

Originally Posted by Englandmj7

How many pairs of shoes do you rotate? I only have about 7 and even with wearing them one day a week the toe of my shoes starts to wear away insanely fast; the same goes for the outside corner of my heel.........