Allen Edmonds Seconds Quality

Seconds usually just have a scratch or something on them. It will never be very noticeable. I have three pairs of AE seconds and I'd be hard pressed to tell you what is wrong with them. AE are great shoes, but to buy firsts a full retail ($300 or so) I might choose something else--Loakes or Sargent or some of the other English shoes in that price range from pediwear or herringshoes.

I agree with Jack. A second is usually a very minor cosmetic blemish that is not noticeable unless you are staring straight at it. Any firsts that I buy become seconds after a few wearings, so I think if you can find an AE second in a size and style you like, you try it.

I can't find anything wrong with my "seconds" AE Sohos. I would not hesitate to buy seconds again from AE.

I just picked up a pair of seconds. No noticeable defect at all.

How do you buy AE seconds?

Give the Shoe Bank a call at the factory in Wisconsin...262-284-7158. They have a great selection in most sizes and are more than happy to ship them to you. I just received a pair. The cheapest I could find them elsewhere was $325...Shoe Bank price $207 and not a thing wrong with them. IMO never buy first quality AE as they are just not worth it.

http://www.allenedmonds.com/mens/all...ington-1.shtml

Another way to pick up AE seconds is on their ebay store, this is actually Allen Edmonds not just some reseller. Their user name is allenedmonds.

Some are seconds, others just closeouts.

I have a couple pair from them and the issues were barely noticeable, one only had a minor dye stain on the sole and another had a scratch on the sole.

After wearing any shoe for a day, it will become a "second". I've bought several pairs of AE's from ebay sellers with great reviews without problems. Well worth the money saved IMO.

Twotone

I agree....the 2nd is a better value.

I have purchased a good many A-E seconds, maybe 35 pairs or so. On the majority of them, whatever made the shoes "seconds" were indiscernible to my eyes. Admittedly, this was a few years ago, before A-E was sold, and so I'm not sure if that is as true today.

Good advice above, particularly to buy from an AE factory store or their ebay shop.

Most seconds have hard-to-notice flaws. But I have seen quite a few that were dodgy--mismatched color, uneven burnishing, fading, cuts in the leather, etc. Buying direct from AE (or at the very least a reseller with a hassle free return policy) protects you just in case you do get that odd second with a flaw you can't live with.

I bought a new pair of AEs for a wedding down in Destin. On the way down there, we stopped at the outlets in Destin (which happened to have an AE factory store). They had a pair of the PAs that I had just bought, same size, same color, about half price. I literally went out to my car (still packed for the trip) and brought in my brand-new AEs to compare them side-by-side to the factory seconds. No one could tell a difference. I looked the shoes up and down, and couldn't see anything wrong.

Bottom line? I wouldn't hesitate to buy a pair of factory seconds.

A qucik entry of Allen Edmonds folowed by your size in ebay will pull up many selsctions from the factory in your size, some dc'd and some seconds, all good values IMO.