Allen Edmonds Appreciation Thread - Page 386

C&J > AE in every way. AEs are good shoes, but C&J are far superior in leather quality, construction, etc. I love my AEs, but I would be lying to myself if I said I didn't like my C&Js better. Just my $0.02.

As already stated, C&J are generally superior in quality, construction, finish, and has sleeker lasts. The benefit of AE is increased accessibility (in the US) compared to C&J, larger variety of styles/lasts, massive range of sizes and widths, and lower price. However, I think to the general non-SF public, most won't be able to distinguish between AE and C&J.

FYI, I was able to get a pair of the BB strands for $169 thru my normal guy. I would suggest trying a different store... YMMV
 

Thanks for the information guys! I thought so as well, suede Chukka boots look all the same and I thought quality wise they would be same as well. Dont wanna spend more then I should, but I guess I have to now 

+1. I have a few C&J's branded as Peal for Brooks Brothers. AE is a quality shoe, but there would be no comparison if price were not an issue.

So I finally got home to receive my second 2 for $200 order. This one has the brown/brown Strawfut and the suede Quinton. I'm not really enamored with either shoe. Both pairs of shoes have never been tried on. The Strawfuts are seconds that must have been caught right off the line, and I believe the Quintons are cloesouts.

The Strawfuts' blemish is black splotches all over the mesh, and it's quite noticeable. I know someone here had repolished the mesh to cover up glue spots. Not sure i'm into doing that much work, and/or whether it would permanently resolve the issue.

The Quintons are not bad, but they seem too similar to my RL Sandersons, even though the Sanderson is a blucher while the Quinton is an oxford, and the Sandersons have leather soles, while the Quintons have dainite-type soles . I might consider keeping as a foul weather shoe, but if I have to return them as part of the 2 for 200 deal with the Strawfuts, I'll probably do that.

Interestingly, I compared the soles of my Sandersons to my Quintons. Sandersons are on the 2 last; Quintons are on the 8. The 2 last is too narrow to me, and I'd forgetten that at the RL store I sized up 1/2. When I line up the soles of the shoes, they are almost identical. i.e.: the 2 last at 1/2 larger than the 8 is the same in shape, length, and width! I mean, really the same.... I wonder if that's why AE refers to the 8 as similar to the 2. Same for my Cliftons, which feel quite roomy to me. I just find it interesting and a bit odd.

Just back from a long trip, so maybe not feeling the AE love tonight. I'll sleep on things and see how I feel tomorrow.

My brown-on-brown Strawfuts also came with black splotches all over the mesh. On a hunch I tried cleaning the mesh with a wet fingernail brush and a few drops of Dawn dish liquid. It worked perfectly. They are as good as new. Might be worth a try, if you don't want to hassle with returning them.

Brooks brothers strand is 169, not Allen Edmonds strand.

Very complete explanation:)

You did not miss the sale. Call ae shoe bank .......

I see, thanks!

Since this is the "appreciation" thread, I'll start by saying that I presently own five pairs of AE shoes with which I have been very pleased, for the most part . . . but now I'm in the middle of a second frustrating experience with them. I bought a pair of shell cordovan Park Aves last month (first quality - not seconds), and they arrived earlier this week looking like crap.

I first tried calling customer service the day they arrived, and hung up after being on hold for nearly ten minutes. I emailed them shortly after hanging up, and have never received a reply. I finally tried calling again on Friday and got through this time. I politely described my concerns with the CS representative - that the shoes arrived with a very poor finish on them, that there were scratches in them, and the left shoe has an indentation in the upper above the heel. She replied that the issue with the finish is that the cordovan is "blooming". However, the condition of the finish on these shoes appeared to me as though they came right off of the assembly line, went into bags and the box and onto the shipping truck without so much as a cursory quality inspection, much less any attempt to buff or polish them for appearance.

The CS rep recommended that I give them a treatment with the cordovan care cream that I ordered with the shoes, to see if the finish would look better. I explained that the care cream was probably not going to address the scratches or the groove in the heel, so I would prefer just to send them back. I also asked if it would be possible for the factory to start on another pair to minimize my wait for a replacement, and she politely informed me that they couldn't - and it would be another five weeks for a new pair to be made after they receive the pair I'm returning.

I decided I didn't want to wait that long if I could avoid it, so I thanked her for her advice and opted to try the cream and see if I could live with the results.

I worked on them this weekend, and after two treatments of care cream and extensive brushing they certainly looked better, but nowhere near as nice as my shell Aldens or C&Js. The quality just doesn't seem to be there. To make matters worse, after getting the shoes cleaned up and inspecting them more carefully I noticed two small punctures in the upper of the left shoe. It looks as though this may have happened when they were stitching the welt, because the punctures are about the size of a needle and they are very close to the welt. Also, the distance between the two holes matches the stitching pattern. When I discovered these holes I really got pissed off about going to the trouble of trying to make them look better instead of just sending them back in the first place. Now they are definitely going back to AE, and I'm annoyed that I have to wait another month. I'll give them one chance to send me a better pair of shoes, and if the next pair has issues I'll send them back for a refund and will probably never try AE shell cordovan again.

I typically don't post negative reviews online without giving the business an opportunity to resolve the issue, but I feel in this case that I gave them opportunities to resolve this to my satisfaction (calling, emailing, calling again) and they failed. I'll include pics so you can see what I'm talking about.










I mentioned above that this is the second frustrating experience. They recently botched a re-heel on my Drydens, and when I sent them back to be done correctly they still came back with the heel base detaching from the shoe - which is why I sent them to AE in the first place. I've subsequently noticed that the heel on one of my Strands is starting to detach as well.

I really, really want to like Allen Edmonds because they are an American company that makes great-looking shoes; I've purchased eight pairs of their shoes and a couple of their belts over the past several years. However, they are making it difficult to get excited about doing business with them when I have to work through issues like this on their "first quality" products.

I sincerely hope that this ends well, and I will definitely post an update after the next pair arrives.

 

It is great to be enthusiastic about an American product like Allen Edmonds, but, we also need to realize that not all their shoes are manufactured in USA. It would be wise to find out which shoes are actually Union made USA and which ones are made in places like the Dominican Republic.

 

USA manufactured AE shoes are far better quality.

His Shell Cordovan Park Avenues are certainly made in the US. I think it is on the "ae by Allen Edmonds" line and a few other shoes that are made in the Dominican Republic. The website lists the country of manufacture for each model.

Whats a better shoe for everyday wear the PROVO or LEEDS?