Carmina Shoes - Definitive Thread (reviews, advice, sizing, etc...) - official thread.

I don't see how you could say they are trying to compete with EG and GG when their shoes are half (or less) of the price and no where near the same level of craftsmenship/detailing/finishing. As for Vass they are 25-30% less so even there it's not realistic to say they are in the same league.

I love my Carmina shoes (3 pairs so far) and I love my G&Gs (also 3 pairs). But they are completely different animals.

As for the slash in your shoes - I agree - should not have passed QC - glad they fixed you back up.

It's not even anything to do with the price. It's just weird to mention competitor brands when you're returning something.

Why didn't you just say "it didn't meet my expectations" or "they didn't fit well" or something?

Sorry if I wasn't clear, Hendrix.

I mentioned I was not happy, and received an e-mail back essentially saying there's nothing wrong with the shoes, and that they are "artisan", hand made, etc. (slightly shocking to hear from a retailer, especially when there were a few things wrong with the shoes). I replied back saying that I have owned, and do own, other "artisan" and hand made shoes - therein mentioning the brands - and none of them have these issues. In other words, I did not mention them up front to be rude or confrontational; I mentioned them after I felt that Betty tried to pull a bit of wool over my eyes by stating that, essentially, imperfections were to be expected because the shoes are hand made.

hendrix did not read the full post and skimmed it; thus, he misunderstood and had to have another post explaining original post, does that explain it?

Gdot said:

I don't see how you could say they are trying to compete with EG and GG when their shoes are half (or less) of the price and no where near the same level of craftsmenship/detailing/finishing. As for Vass they are 25-30% less so even there it's not realistic to say they are in the same league.
I love my Carmina shoes (3 pairs so far) and I love my G&Gs (also 3 pairs). But they are completely different animals.
As for the slash in your shoes - I agree - should not have passed QC - glad they fixed you back up.

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Agreed. I don't understand how anyone can say they're trying to compete with EG/G&G, and that price isn't an issue; it absolutely is an issue, and is in fact the single most important issue.

It's simple: Pay more, get more. Carminas can be had for less than half of the cost of the aforementioned brands, and it seems silly to expect the same product for a far lower price.

With that being said, what happened to Moo sounds pretty messed up, and we can only hope it was a fluke.

Moo, What $450 shoes that you've purchsed would you say have exceeded Carmina?



Gdot said:

Moo, What $450 shoes that you've purchsed would you say have exceeded Carmina?

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In terms of... ?

In terms of finishing - the crux of my post - the one pair of AEs I owned very briefly were finished better - and they were not close to $450. I am sure Carminas have nice materials, better lasts, and on the whole are likely better shoes, but in my limited experience with both brands, I would say AEs are finished better than Carminas.

Fair enough - I've not owned any AEs. But the quality looked pretty ok at the store.

Do you think the QA issues with Moo and others is linked to increased production demand? SF plus Epaulet, Skoketiebolaget, the Armoury and other places are new sources of orders beyond the domestic market? Or is it just the luck of the draw and to be expected at that price point? My two MTO's were well made and finished.

Certainly Moo's customer service experience was downright poor. But is there a parallel here with Meermin? One it became a SF darling there were all kinds of QA issues appearing. Might just be that with more members ordering the flaws are more evident than when they were still quite unknown. There are far more errors being reported about Vass here.



Mr. Moo said:

Sorry if I wasn't clear, Hendrix.
I mentioned I was not happy, and received an e-mail back essentially saying there's nothing wrong with the shoes, and that they are "artisan", hand made, etc. (slightly shocking to hear from a retailer, especially when there were a few things wrong with the shoes). I replied back saying that I have owned, and do own, other "artisan" and hand made shoes - therein mentioning the brands - and none of them have these issues. In other words, I did not mention them up front to be rude or confrontational; I mentioned them after I felt that Betty tried to pull a bit of wool over my eyes by stating that, essentially, imperfections were to be expected because the shoes are hand made.

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Ah ok, that makes sense.

Yeah, the "hand made" factor should never be an excuse for substandard work.

hendrix said:

Ah ok, that makes sense.
Yeah, the "hand made" factor should never be an excuse for substandard work.

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Ah yes, I have only had good personal experiences with Betty and Vass, so Im among the lucky ones.

But I am noticing some sort of trend among shoe makers who believe they have a good reputation to trade on.

When you deal with them, their responses seem to suggest they're doing you a favour by selling you their shoes. And my response to that is that they are quite mistaken.

I received my Ruby shell perf cap toes today in the Simpson last, and did a thorough sight check. Other than some minor ticky tack finish issues, the fit and finish are well within non EG standards. I am not a huge fan of the Simpson for tightness in the toe box, but could not pass up the Ruby which may have been run from the same production as Epaulet as I don't recall this model last year on the E-boutique. I now have have 3 pair of Carmina, (this my 1st direct purchase as never 12UK in stock) though have had many courteous, helpful emails with Betty regarding inventory and other business. There was an almost imperceptible dimple/ depression on the toe, and some blackish finishishing at the welt line, but absolutely acceptable to me. As an earlier poster said, Alden QC, at a similar price point, has caused me far greater problems in the past. Returns/ shipping? that's a different story, very easy with Alden or AE. Also, as I own one other shell from Carmina, these appear beefed up and heavier than the other, which I like. I love the company, inconveniences notwithstanding





Hell, you can't even tell on the pics

I haven't been reading this crap but I wore one of my Carminas tonite and they are fabulous stand-ins for my EGs



bespoken4me said:

I received my Ruby shell perf cap toes today in the Simpson last, and did a thorough sight check. Other than some minor ticky tack finish issues, the fit and finish are well within non EG standards. I am not a huge fan of the Simpson for tightness in the toe box, but could not pass up the Ruby which may have been run from the same production as Epaulet as I don't recall this model last year on the E-boutique. I now have have 3 pair of Carmina, (this my 1st direct purchase as never 12UK in stock) though have had many courteous, helpful emails with Betty regarding inventory and other business. There was an almost imperceptible dimple/ depression on the toe, and some blackish finishishing at the welt line, but absolutely acceptable to me. As an earlier poster said, Alden QC, at a similar price point, has caused me far greater problems in the past. Returns/ shipping? that's a different story, very easy with Alden or AE. Also, as I own one other shell from Carmina, these appear beefed up and heavier than the other, which I like. I love the company, inconveniences notwithstanding


Hell, you can't even tell on the pics

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Correction- this is my 4th pair. I have a suede split toe from the Armoury, that did have upon arrival, a finish problem. The suede was matted down on the heel counter, and couldn't be napped up. Also, very small area, but suede is a product that is fairly idiot proof



Mr. Moo said:

the one pair of AEs I owned very briefly were finished better - and they were not close to $450. I am sure Carminas have nice materials, better lasts, and on the whole are likely better shoes, but in my limited experience with both brands, I would say AEs are finished better than Carminas.

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GTFO!!