My general impression is that the vast majority of the J&M line is not of comparable quality to that of Allen Edmonds or Alden. First, I agree that their leathers seem to be of lesser quality; furthermore, I think the overall appearance, stitching, and "line" of the shoes are far less attractive. Finally, it is my understanding that they have basically given up on making Goodyear welted, benchmade shoes in the US -- they closed their major facilities in the US and now have only a very small group of employees in, I believe, Tennessee to do repairs/rebuilding of existing shoes; they may still be making a few of the Crown Aristocrats there, but I'm not certain. It's a pity that the US has lost yet another shoe maker.
