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Allen Edmonds new budget line?

post #1 of 9
9/20/11 at 5:23pm
Thread Starter 
Hey everyone, I'm a relatively new member. I've been lurking for close to a year now, but this is my (gasp) first post.

Has anyone seen Allen Edmonds new budget shoe line in person? Are they worth considering? Here's a link to their New Haven shoe on the Allen Edmonds website: http://www.allenedmonds.com/aeonline/producti_SF3014_1_40000000001_-1

Negatives:
  • Made in the Dominican Republic.
  • Rubber sole.

I would wear these as every day work shoes - I'm not going to wear my nice shoes to the office. What do you think?
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post #2 of 9
9/20/11 at 9:00pm
They don't look half bad, but I haven't seen them in person. Not a fan of rubber soles on anything other than boots, but that's a personal preference.

What's the reasoning for not wearing your nice shoes to your office?

Also, cheaper shoes or not, you should still wear them on rotation (aka every other day at the most). You need to give the leather time to recover from foot perspiration.
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post #3 of 9
9/20/11 at 9:25pm
It appears that this new line is intended to compete with Rockport, Ecco, Stacy Adams, some Florsheim models, etc...perhaps a 'starter' shoe line to induct younger men into wearing Allen Edmonds.
These are glue jobs. The rubber sole is glued / fused to the upper. The upper is using inferior leathers compared to their higher lines. They are also out-sourced. For the same money or a bit more you can get AE factory seconds or pre-worn firsts or even wait for their tent sales, etc. Pay attention to whether or not a shoe can be re-crafted (re-soled) or not. This model you linked to cannot be re-soled however, there are many rubber sole models of AE that CAN be re-crafted. To have the option of re-crafting gives your shoes a second, even third life after the original sole is gone. This saves money. I am not outrightly disrespecting this line as I haven't seen them yet. Other brands like TOD's also have non recraftable shoes with rubber soles that are rather tough and cost a lot more than these so who knows. Jury is out.
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post #4 of 9
9/20/11 at 9:51pm
Thread Starter 
forseti6, I live in New Mexico and I've noticed that my shoes tend to magically accumulate scuffs, scratches, and etc. Also, the work culture here is business casual to the extreme. Not my style, but c'est la vie. Very nice shoes would be terribly out of place.

Man of Lint, thank you. I'm not going to buy a shoe that's glued together. Do you have any suggestions for other black dress shoes in the sub-$200 range?
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post #5 of 9
9/20/11 at 10:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bruschetta View Post

Man of Lint, thank you. I'm not going to buy a shoe that's glued together. Do you have any suggestions for other black dress shoes in the sub-$200 range?


You could start here:
http://www.allenedmonds.com/aeonline/cati2_Clearance_1_40000000001_-1_1_image_0_N_127607_127607_130263_subcategory


Discalimer:
Again, for clarification purposes, I am not saying their new 'budget' line isn't good quality for the money because I haven't tried them on or seen them in person. I can only go by the photo on their website at this point. They may be great, I can't say for certain. Just not my thing.

Edit-
After having just read Nick V's wonderful interview with Allen Edmonds CEO (http://www.styleforum.net/t/266713/nick-v-interviews-paul-grangaard-ceo-allen-edmonds)
I wish to state that I personally own and enjoy 30 pairs of Allen Edmonds shoes and have never had a single issue with any of them. Great product all around.
Edited by Man Of Lint - 9/20/11 at 10:59pm
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post #6 of 9
9/30/11 at 4:48pm
Thread Starter 
I just thought I'd update this thread with my decision: I wound up buying a pair of Sanford and Fifth Avenue shoes directly from Allen Edmonds' outlet store in Port Washington Wisconsin. The total for both shoes was ~$400 due to the sale they have going on.

Man of Lint,

AE may sell good shoes, but that isn't a reason to excuse them when they choose to sell inferior quality shoes alongside their regular lineup. It lowers the brand's value.
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post #7 of 9
9/30/11 at 8:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bruschetta View Post

I just thought I'd update this thread with my decision: I wound up buying a pair of Sanford and Fifth Avenue shoes directly from Allen Edmonds' outlet store in Port Washington Wisconsin. The total for both shoes was ~$400 due to the sale they have going on.
Man of Lint,
AE may sell good shoes, but that isn't a reason to excuse them when they choose to sell inferior quality shoes alongside their regular lineup. It lowers the brand's value.

Did you buy them in store or were you able to call in to see if they had them and have them shipped?
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post #8 of 9
9/30/11 at 8:33pm
Thread Starter 
Winston,

I called and ordered over the phone. The store's # is 262-284-7158. They didn't have the exact models that I wanted in my size, but they suggested some in a similar style / last.
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post #9 of 9
10/2/11 at 10:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bruschetta View Post

Hey everyone, I'm a relatively new member. I've been lurking for close to a year now, but this is my (gasp) first post.
Has anyone seen Allen Edmonds new budget shoe line in person? Are they worth considering? Here's a link to their New Haven shoe on the Allen Edmonds website: http://www.allenedmonds.com/aeonline/producti_SF3014_1_40000000001_-1
Negatives:
  • Made in the Dominican Republic.
  • Rubber sole.
I would wear these as every day work shoes - I'm not going to wear my nice shoes to the office. What do you think?



AE has always made some shoes that were 30-40% less than their regular line usually the more sport or walking types although even these were made like the regular line and had that 1 piece leather footbed (there were no removeable insoles that I know of) and of course they were made in the US. Shoes are made by craftsmen and it may not matter much where they are made as long as AE has good quality control and inspectors so being made in the DR or anywhere else is not a sign of an inferior shoe. AE makes shoes in Wisconsin but also has some made in Maine and other places so it's basically the quality you're looking for and not necessarily where it was made. Most things including cars etc are made from components that come from all over the place. I'm sure that AE buys their leathers from a number of places in and out of the US.

 

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