Allen Edmonds Appreciation Thread - reviews, pictures, sizing, etc...

[hohneokc]



Just received my first pair of AE in the mail.  Got the Mcallisters in walnut, and they are beautiful!

Great choice - I have seen several here getting the walnut McAllisters. I picked up a pair myself a week or so ago and I think they are great - style, color, everything.

Chris

 

[bl@ster]



Does anybody have the Finch? I'm liking the tan/blue version. I have the Shelton which is on the same last and I'm wondering they 2 styles fit the same. I am wondering because I needed to go down 1/2 size from the McAllister to the McTavish which are also on the same last.
Chris

I have both and I've found that for me the Shelton's fit narrower so I wear a 12D in them and I wear an 11.5D in the Finch.

 

[aglass]

Officially started my AE collection with my first pair - Fifth Avenues in black (thanks GradSchooler!). Just beautiful shoes. If anyone is looking to offload some 10.5D AEs...

 

[JubeiSpiegel]



Putting on my Neumora this morning & the rear strap with the buckle broke off on the left shoe when I was buckling it.

The strap broke off above where the stitching was at. Took the shoes back to the AE store for a refund. Didn't want to get a replacement pair since the same thing could happen down the road again. I probably wore the Neumora about three times.

That is a shame, I ordered the Mora about a year ago, and I'll admit there was one strap that was coming undone. I gave them another shot after repair ( and price adjustment ) and they have served me well since. Sorry for the bad experience, I'll also comment that these stories are more frequent at present. It is a shame, especially when they leave a bad impression on someone new to more costly shoes...

 

[Essential]

what color are the shoes and what are they made of?

They're dark brown (called burnished brown or something) and I have no idea what it's made of. But it seems to have disappeared so I hope it's all good.

 

[kmdsimpson]



Thought I would post my comparison of the AE Amok as compared to an Alden 1493 snuff suede chukka.  I currently own olive Amoks (first run of Amoks, purchased on clearance at $99 - should have gotten a different color, but oh well).  Recently purchased an Alden 1493 suede chukka.  I suspect many have been curious about the differences between these two, I know I've been.  Let it be known that I'm a major AE fan, especially from a value perspective (factory second sales mean that most of my AE purchases are in the $150-200 per pair range - really can't beat this..).  I have around 12 pairs of AEs, and until now it had been the only brand that I own.

I anticipated purchasing the Alden 1493 and AE Snuff Amok to compare colors.  Your price comparison is $460 for a pair of the Aldens, to $250 for the Amoks.  Factory second Amoks would be $199. I can tell you that I've never spent over $220 on a pair of shoes before, the Aldens were a big jump for me...

I did not end up purchasing the Snuff Amok.  After receiving the Alden, I compared to my olive Amoks and found the following:

1. The quality of the Alden suede far surpasses AE's suede quality.  AE's suede isn't horrendous by any means, but Alden's is truly buttery smooth.  My AEs have only had about 4 wears so far, and there's already some marks that I know I'm gonna have a difficult time removing.  And they've been babied, in my opinion.  (Note that I did not clean these up at all before snapping the pictures below).  I feel I can confidently say that the Alden suede is going to hold up much better in the long run.

2. There are subtle differences in the shape of the shoe.  You'll notice that the AE is a bit more pointy in 2 aspects.  First, in the overall shape, the toe is a tad bit more pointy.  Secondly, the AE's cut a bit more pointy or forward where the quarters (??) meet the vamp (??) (somebody correct me if I'm using the wrong terms...).  The Aldens round downward at this area, and I personally prefer the rounded shapes of the Alden more.

3. The Alden has a small heel support on the insole.  At first, it was annoying...felt like a big piece sticking into my foot.  But comparing back and forth between the Amok and the Alden, the support is helpful and more comfortable.  As soon as I got used to it, I tried the Amoks back on and if felt like I was now missing something.  The support makes a difference in daily walking.

4. Better appearance of "layering" in the heel.  See side-by-side pics for what I'm referring to...

There aren't many other differences to speak of.  They both are 2 eyelet chukkas with an oil soaked sole and split-reverse welts.  The shape and the suede quality were my 2 big factors between the 2 shoes.

So, regardless of the price, I ended up keeping the Aldens.  My thoughts can be summarized as this: Nobody besides you, the wearer, is going to recognize the differences in these shoes.  They honestly look nearly identical.  If the little things change your opinion though, you're going to struggle with the AEs after trying the Aldens.  The Aldens are just a bit nicer.  Are they worth an extra $210-260 over the AEs?  No, not really.  The AEs are far and away a better value.  But, to me, the details made enough of a difference that I knew I wouldn't be truly satisfied with the AE version and I'd always be wanting the Alden pair.  I hope this helps anybody who's been on the fence one way or the other.  If you have money to kill, try the Aldens (I didn't, but hey..finances be damned..).  If you don't, please please please go with the AEs.  


I've included some pictures below.  Again, these are the olive Amoks versus the snuff Aldens, and I had originally planned to try the Snuff AEs until I saw the differences above...  Pardon the crappy cell pics.  Lastly - please note that I am normally an 8.5D in AE.  I took an 8E in the Aldens.  Feel free to PM if you have any questions about either of these.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Thanks for the nice writeup and pics. The Aldens definitely look nicer. Also, the Aldens look lined, while the AE are unlined?

 

[PhiPsi32]

Thanks for the nice writeup and pics. The Aldens definitely look nicer. Also, the Aldens look lined, while the AE are unlined?

Alden says unlined suede, but it's actually a 1/2-3/4 lining. Most of the vamp is unlined. The heel cup and tip are lined. It looks like a traditional lined shoe in photographs.

 

[seer]

Any one here have experience with the Malvern chukka (leather, not suede) - I just ordered a pair but a number of reviews on the AE site complained about squeeking - I have had boots in the past where the squeeking would not go away, no matter what I did. Any thoughts?

 

[Patrick R]

Any one here have experience with the Malvern chukka (leather, not suede) - I just ordered a pair but a number of reviews on the AE site complained about squeeking - I have had boots in the past where the squeeking would not go away, no matter what I did. Any thoughts?

The squeak goes away when the shoe is broken in. It took several weeks of being worn 2-3 times a week for me to break them in.

 

[csc67]



The squeak goes away when the shoe is broken in. It took several weeks of being worn 2-3 times a week for me to break them in.

I don't have any Malverns, but I returned three pairs of Strand due to squeak issues. Return the ASAP since the squeaking will never go away

 

[Patrick R]

Quote:
My leather Malverns squeaked obnoxiously for several weeks when I first got them and have been silent now for over a year. It was the tongue rubbing against the vamp. Like I said, it is typical of this shoe and it goes away once the shoe is broken in.

 

[NotoriousMarquis]

Dalton Owners: does anybody have any pics of their daltons with some regular wear and use?

 

[seer]

Thanks guys....

 

[calidist]

Has anyone special ordered Daltons with the mini lug rubber soles through AE's stores? I'm contemplating such and curious if anyone has any experience with it. That way I can get the Poron insole as well I think it'll be more comfortable and durable with this configuration (the SA quoted me $90 extra for both which isn't terrible).

 

[delmar]

I went to the Port Washington, WI AE outlet store and came away with a couple bargains. A pair of 11.5 3E Burgundy Macneil Cordovan seconds for $299.00 and a pair of 12 D Daltons in Dark Chocolate for $179.00. The Daltons were marked down lower than even the seconds price since they are a special order that was returned for one reason or another.