Allen Edmonds Appreciation Thread - Page 797

Quote:

Originally Posted by bucksfan 

 

From the shoe owner's perspective, it is somewhat noticeable, from the perspective of others simply observing the shoes, certainly not noticeable.  (except for those of us here).  The real differences are in the details - in the C&J (for RL) shoes that I have, there are absolutely no stitching errors, double-stitches or holes missing thread.  The soles are stitched perfectly.  The heels are attached without any errors (not true for some of my AE or Aldens).  The fit and finish is just a notch above.  However, I will say I have gotten perfect shoes from AE also - just not every pair.  

 

The question (rightly asked) is whether it's worth the price difference.  

 

 

Great! - Enjoy your sabbatical and take care of your shoes.  Please post pics.  There are not enough pictures of well worn-in shoes on this thread!  Instead of a "cold turkey" sabbatical, I have chosen to strategically add to my collection, when a deal is too good to pass up, and only for a specific $ amount per year.  

 

It seems the focus around these fora is about acquiring, when it should be (in my estimation) about enjoying and caring for the shoes and clothing items we have.  To that end, here are my shell MacNeils today (about 18 months old at the moment).  

 

 

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

 

 

 

(as a side note, can you tell I just got a new phone with a decent camera?)  More pics to come!  

 

 

 

LOL - once you cross over the line (more shoes than your wife) you get comfortable with it.  For me, it's more about how much closet space I'm given.  I don't want to be the guy who needs to store shoes in other closets in the house.  

Very well said!!  Thanks for reinforcing that and reminding me not to be so obsessed about holy grails.

I'm 7.5E on the infamous 5 last (Strand).

1)What size is recommended for me on the casual Neumoks (also 5 last)?  Do I need a different size because of the material difference?

2) Also, size recommendation on the Elgin (also 5 last and different material)?

Thanks

Quote:

Originally Posted by 0ShinAkuma0 

 

Well put, I have to agree with this. 

 

Alright, I'm fairly new to the world of nice shoes, my favorite shoe brand is Allen Edmonds (clearly). I have a question, well first let me state that I'm able to see the clear difference in quality from a high quality shoe like AE to that of a brand like Cole Haan, Florsheim, Stacy Adams, etc.

So why am I unable to see the difference from AE to the more expensive "nicer" shoes like John Lobb and Edward Green? I see them and I come to the conclusion that AE looks to be of equal quality (or even better in some cases). What am I missing here, is it an instance of paying big money for a brand, but it doesn't necessarily reflect proportionally the level of quality? 

From what I can tell from people's opinions on certain forums and threads, it seems that people think AE is somewhat of a "gateway" nice shoe that will lead you eventually to the nicer shoes like E.Green/J.Lobb etc. I'm just having problems understanding this.

I'll chime in here as well since I really enjoy this topic of conversation.  Everything Bucksfan said is quite right.  The difference between AE and the "nicer" shoes like John Lobb and Edward Green is in the details until you cross the line of bespoke shoes.  There are a good number of threads on SF that are rather amusing to read with people battling out the pros and cons of different manufacturers.  It is also crucial to define "quality" before embarking on such a discussion.  I think there is a difference between "quality" and "craftsmanship."  Quality being the durability of the shoe, its ability to withstand the test of time and use.  Craftsmanship being the attention to detail, or how refined the shoe looks as a work of art.  I don't think that even the most diehard AE fans can really argue that the Lobbs and Greens, etc., are at a different level of craftsmanship.  However, the quality of the AE's is within acceptable tolerances.  I don't think you will get more walking miles out of Edward Greens over your AE's.  Afterall, the concrete that you are walking on doesn't care about what your shoes are, it will grind down leather without discrimination.  It takes somewhere on the order of 200 different steps to make a quality goodyear welted shoe, and this holds true for all brands (AE claims 212 steps, Lobb claims 190).  There are ways to slash quality while still using the goodyear welted process, such as using fiber or leatherboard insoles rather than natural leather.  I tend to go after the AE's that use the full natural leather insole to eliminate a weak link.  As Bucksfan touched on, the smaller shoe manufacturers put in the time to make sure all the stitching is perfect, heels smooth, broguing straight, etc.  Edward Green, for example, uses pig bristle to sew their uppers together rather than sewing machines with needles.  This allows for smaller holes and tighter stitching (more stitches per inch).  It is noticeable to the shoe enthusiast's eye, but not to the general public.  All of this is what you are paying a premium for above the cost of a pair of AE's.  I think it is generally safe to say that as long as you are wearing a goodyear welted shoe made by any of the "SF approved" manufacturers, you have a shoe that will last as long or longer than any others with the exception of the hand-welted shoes.  All that said, there is a case that can be made that once you cross the line of bespoke shoes (or any hand-welted shoe with a holdfast rather than gemming) you have entered into a higher realm of quality.  The debate then goes to how frequently gemming fails in the real world and whether it is worth the price jump to get into hand-welted and bespoke shoes.     

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikeman 


Thanks! tTo be honest, I am not sure what kind of leather it is, though, Im not very well versed in leathers... yet.
Is CXL just horweens name for their calf? Does AE source their leather(other than shell) from Horween?
Lastly, how would you guys care for these, as far as polish and stuff goes? Just hit them with some reno or venetian shoe cream?

CXL is more of a tanning recipe than a particular hide, it is not just their name for calf.  See Horween's article: http://horween.wordpress.com/2010/03/23/chromexcel%C2%AE-2/.  AE does source alot of their leather from Horween (Shell Cordovan, CXL, and Dublin to name a few).  As for the other questions, I'll leave that to someone with more experience with it. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikeman 

[...] Is CXL just horweens name for their calf? [...]

Actually, Chromexcel is made from cowhide instead of calf: http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/forum/showthread.php?107207-Chromexcel-Breakfast-of-champions!&p=1132155#post1132155

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJTraveler 

Here's an interesting tid-bit about how AE creates the new bourbon color.  This quote comes directly from AE's facebook page:

 

"..they originally start out walnut, but we hand burnish the darker finish/detailing onto them."

 

Very interesting!

I wonder what polish to use, then. I hear the old Bourbon is different (though I bought some on clearance). They still don't have a new Bourbon polish. Would using Walnut be the closest thing? The worry is it would lighten it to just plain Walnut over time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kentyman 

 

I wonder what polish to use, then. I hear the old Bourbon is different (though I bought some on clearance). They still don't have a new Bourbon polish. Would using Walnut be the closest thing? The worry is it would lighten it to just plain Walnut over time.

Don't use the walnut polish.  That will definitely lighten them.  For now I would use Saphir Reno to give them a good conditioning and polish.  Maybe AE will come out with a bourbon polish in the future.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kentyman 

 

Actually, Chromexcel is made from cowhide instead of calf: http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/forum/showthread.php?107207-Chromexcel-Breakfast-of-champions!&p=1132155#post1132155

They use other leathers besides cowhide as well.  Horsehide (not the shell area) is another leather they make CXL out of.  The Kudu leather (according to Leather Soul) is calfskin that has recieved the CXL treatment. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by charliebrown2 

I'm 7.5E on the infamous 5 last (Strand).

 

1)What size is recommended for me on the casual Neumoks (also 5 last)?  Do I need a different size because of the material difference?

 

2) Also, size recommendation on the Elgin (also 5 last and different material)?

 

Thanks

^ Bump.  Thanks.