B.Nelson does a great job - Page 17

I've recently come to learn about B.Nelson and will send my next new pair of shoes to him for the flush metal plate job.

But just out of curiosity, most people will put flush metal plates on the toes and plastic taps on the heels. Why not do flush metal plates on the heels as well?

noise. bad for floors. unnecessary. many reasons.

Thx for quick response. But wouldn't having flush metal plates at the toe already be, 'nose, bad for floors', etc? How much worse can it get if one wants flush metal plates at the heel?

I ask because I think the flush metal plates at both ends would look awesome. Has anyone ever tried this?

Personally I'm against plastic taps on the heels as it changes the way your foot sits on the ground. Like having a 19" rim on the right rear of your car with 16" rims one the other three corners.

The metal toe plates being flush doesn't cause this problem but many are tougher on the toes of their shoes than anywhere else, especially initially. Replacing a toplift is more economical than having to resole the shoe because of quickly worn toes. Why no flush metal plates on the heels you ask? Well, IME the rubber inserts on most higher end shoes are very durable. Hard wearing. Plus, since your foot strikes at the heel and not the toe it would create problems due to loss of traction, etc. Ever walk in shoes with a full leather toplift?

Still, some have them installed so YMMV.

 

Toe plates are not noisy at all since you rarely strike with your toe, but it does scratch wooden floors if you stride hard enough.

 

Metal plates, nails, or v-cleats at heel will be loud due to metal directly striking on marble/cement.  The other downside is that it has poor traction on polished surfaces such s marble or tile.  If you skate well, shouldn't be a big problem.

I'm not sure how unnecessary makes any sense. I think they totally are. It's cheaper to replace a pair of $3 heel taps than a $30 - 40 dovetail heel.

How high end do you have to go before the rubber inserts are "durable?" My AEs wear just as quick as any other cheaper shoes that I have had in the past.

much worse. everyone's heel hits the floor when they walk. toe plates are only necessary relative to your gait, in this case, people slide the front of their foot backwards ever so slightly which rubs the toe. these are the people that need them. even then, it's a sliding against the floor. were they on the heel, it's a digging punch like motion which can create divets in the floor. even stationary, most put their weight on their heel. not on their toe.

well to answer both these.... the rear is useful, but not metal, the original question related to metal. use rubber/plastic. which is what b. nelson recommends.

for the second one, my john lobb rear rubber portion are noticeably more durable than any other shoe i own. for what reason, i don't know, but i work them for two weeks regularly before having nick put on rubber taps and you can't even tell they were worn.

Maybe a shoe expert with knowledge of the different materials used in toplifts can answer this, I'd like to know, too.

Bris is referring to replacing the rubber heel lifts, not the entire heel. My cobbler charges $10 a pair for this.

I usedto get heel taps, but I stopped a while back. I feel if you get good quality JR soles by the time your heel wears, even the plastic part, it is time to get a full resole anyway.

Thanks for all of your comments on this thread.
Flush mounted heel plates are called “segs”.
They are available to me but, I won't offer them. Reason is if I wouldn't use something on my own footwear I wouldn't use it on a customer's.
There's a few reasons I don't like them.
1. They can cause slippage.
2. They are hard.
3. They can cause damage to flooring.
4. And last, years ago when segs were popular they were applied to a leather top-lift. Today almost all high-grade shoes are made with a combination (leather/rubber) top-lift. In most cases the rubber portion of the top is thicker than the seg. That means when the seg gets screwed in the screws would have to go through the remaining rubber and possibly not be able to grab the leather. That’s not a solid connection which can lead to the seg pulling loose. The only way to apply segs correctly is to remove the existing combination top-lift and replace it with a solid leather one. This ensures that the entire screw is going through all leather making it solid.

IMO the cons far out-weigh the pros of the product.

I brought my AE shell Polos into VIP/B.Nelson last week for a resole/heel/metal taps. Stopped by to inquire about it and, after speaking with Jose, just left my shoes to have it done. I was thinking of getting new heels and living with the current soles until there was enough wear, but figured I may as well do it now.

After I got home and thought about it, I was really confused about VIP/B.Nelson and if they were the same. I emailed Nick and he responded as soon as he got home (on a sunday night. . .after getting home from an out of state family function!) to let me know that they were, in fact, the same entity. Been emailing back and forth with Nick a little bit and he's been super responsive about my shoes. Guys like this are worth the extra money (and train ride, like I needed to take) just for the responsiveness and service.

I'll be posting some before/after shots in the AE Appreciation thread when they come back. I'm super excited!

Thanks again, Nick!
-James

I'm not sure if they replace the entire heel or not, but getting the layer where the dovetail is to look like new, costs $30 - $40 at the places I have gone here in NY.

I've gotten all-rubber lifts replaced for $25, so I am guessing a dovetail heel lift would cost about this at the same place.