Yuketen vs Quoddy vs Oak Street bootmakers. The Ultimate Showdown

Which is the best and why? Post in the poll and make yourself heard

I prefer Sperry

Yea, where's Sperry or Sebago

Oakstreet is way too derivative, nothing interesting coming out of that brand. Prefer Yuketen for the variety of styles they produce/ materials they use/ etc.

Originally Posted by mpcec

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Oakstreet is way too derivative, nothing interesting coming out of that brand. Prefer Yuketen for the variety of styles they produce/ materials they use/ etc.

X2

Originally Posted by mpcec

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Oakstreet is way too derivative, nothing interesting coming out of that brand. Prefer Yuketen for the variety of styles they produce/ materials they use/ etc.
i tend to agree with your yuketen comment, they do use more interesting materials and what not of the three but osb did get the vibram sole on a oxford before the rest. i think we also need to remember they are a VERY new company (less than a year old), as such, should wait a little while to see what they do in the future. what did yuketen and quoddy do their first year? i would be willing to bet it was the basics as well.

At what point is someone going to post that it doesn't matter they're all ugly and played anyway?

As far as end product goes, without a doubt, Yuketen. There's always a range of styles with interesting leathers.

As far as value/what I'd actually buy next, Oak Street, as their prices are decent and the designs, while not as interesting as Yuk, are solid.

Quoddy is really a manufacturer--their best "styles" are pretty much store requests that they then decide to sell direct.

IMO, quality of build is close enough among these three as to be not differentiable.

I ABSTAIN

Worth reading this post in the Epaulet thread, from Mike.

Full context here: http://www.styleforum.net/showpost.p...postcount=5061

Originally Posted by Epaulet

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Good points, and this is something that I've discussed in length with a few in-store customers.

Just like the UK Northampton brands (Loake, Sanders, Alfred Sargent, Trickers ), the facilities in Maine producing handsewn footwear for Yuketen, Quoddy, Eastland Made in Maine - and now Epaulet - share similar patterns and construction techniques. The styles that we're doing are existing shapes that have been around for years. If you look closely then you can see some small differences. But overall, the shapes will always be the same. This is what they do in Maine. We switched it up with Natural Chesapeake and Natural Chromexcel, but there wasn't an opportunity for me to really tweak the basic design this season.

.....

And with regards to the other brands, you can't go wrong buying moccasins from any of us. Yuki of Yuketen is hands-down one of the most brilliant footwear designers on Earth. We still actively carry his line, and will continue to do so (our new Yuks launch next week). Quoddy speaks for itself. Eastland Made in Maine, and Oak Street both have great reputations for quality, and deservedly so.

Although it seems like these shoes are everywhere, they represent a tiny, tiny fraction of the mens shoe market as a whole. I imagine that an individual Nike facility can churn out more units in a month than the entire state of Maine does in a year. These people are artisans, and having more styles, more choices, and more brands utilizing their skills can - in my opinion - only be a good thing. The brilliance of Alden is that their special makeup program allows a huge range of individuals to put their stamp on classic shapes with unique mixes of uppers, soles, and lasts. With handsewns, I hope that all of the brands producing in Maine can carry along that feeling of excitement and variety.

Originally Posted by oboy_oboy

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Worth reading this post in the Epaulet thread, from Mike. Full context here: http://www.styleforum.net/showpost.p...postcount=5061
i wonder if eastland or rancourt is making those? anyone know? they look very eastland to me.

I like Quoddy. Pricing seems to be reasonable, quality is great, and variety is good too (places like South Willard always get some great colors). They are all pretty close though.

Just ordered some quoddys.

That should tell you something.

Originally Posted by jet

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Just ordered some quoddys.

That should tell you something.

Haha. I'm trying to sell some dope SWxQuoddy's (that I'm second guessing), where does that leave us, jet?

Originally Posted by tonio028

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Haha. I'm trying to sell some dope SWxQuoddy's (that I'm second guessing), where does that leave us, jet?

ill give ya $15 (shipped). thats about what quoddys are worth.

^ So are you telling me they're worth what you're willing to pay?

Originally Posted by tonio028

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^ So are you telling me they're worth what you're willing to pay?
relax. it was a joke. actually, that is one of the few sw quoddy productions i like. they are my size too ... but two pair of quoddys is enough for me.