Benefits of Channelled Soles?

Sartorially Challenged · Aug 3, 2007

What are benefits of channelled soles? What makes them better than "stitched aloft" soles?

Also, for those shoes with channelled soles, do cobblers restore the original condition when they re-sole the shoes?

grimslade · Aug 3, 2007

There are no "benefits." It's purely aesthetic. And the cobblers will not necessarily replace them with channeled soles unless specifically requested (and on the off-chance that the cobbler is capable of it and has the necessary materials to do so).

sho'nuff · Aug 3, 2007

i find the channelled sole very aesthetically pleasing and a major component in gauging decadence and substantialness in a shoe.

to the point of : if a premium brand name offers the same model/size/color of a particular shoe in two offerings, one in stitched aloft and the other polished oak channeled, if the latter was 100 dollars more, i would still get the latter.

but correct, it is purely aesthetic.

Sartorially Challenged · Aug 3, 2007

So is this something most cobbler are able to do? Or something that must be done at the factory?

sho'nuff · Aug 3, 2007

a cobbler may be able to put on a standard channel sole. but it would be the type where it is one standard tan veg-tanned sole with the channeled portion visible all the way around where the seam is.

the decadent rich soles in channeled that manufacturers put on their shoes, that are marks of their unique make, with their design like scafora, or their special wood /oak polished beauty like santoni, degree of thickness like dinkelacker, or the type of construction integrated in to the sole like a norvogese of mantellassi, these aspects might be minus from the cobbler channel sole.

tonylumpkin · Aug 4, 2007

While doing a bit of thrifting today I came across a pair of shoes that had been half soled, with the new portion of the sole channeled. The original part of the sole was not. I suspect from looking at the work that it took a considerable amount of time. I would love to find the cobbler that did the repair as he must be a true craftsman. My point being that yes there must be cobblers out there that will restore channeled soles when restoring a shoe.

jjl5000 · Aug 4, 2007

Are you sure they were chanelled?

I suspect (as I have seen this done before), the original sole is simply cut away and replaced with a half sole which is glued and not stitched at all. The stitching you can see evidence off on the top of the welt is probably the remains from the original sole which although severed (in order to remove the old portion of the sole), has not been un plucked from the welt.

tonylumpkin · Aug 5, 2007

I wish I had had my camera with me.

I thought the same at first, but there was a short span where the stiching emerged from the channel just before reaching the remainder of the original sole. In addition there was an ever so faint line where the flap of leather had been replaced in the channel. I would have bought the shoes just for this feature but they were an unfamiliar brand, nowhere near my size and priced excessively for a thrift store.

stickonatree · Aug 5, 2007

channeled soles just look more sturdy; i am always afraid that if the stitches got wet that they'd degrade more quickly...

ChicagoRon · Aug 5, 2007

Originally Posted by stickonatree

channeled soles just look more sturdy; i am always afraid that if the stitches got wet that they'd degrade more quickly...
That's interesting..... when I first realized that I was wasting money on crappy shoes like Kenneth Cole and Johnston and Murphy, I went immediately for Allen Edmonds. I had never heard of a Goodyear welt, but I saw those threads going all the way through the sole and I knew they must be sturdier. On my channel soled shoes, I am always afraid the channel will open up anyway with some wear.

jjl5000 · Aug 5, 2007

Originally Posted by tonylumpkin

I wish I had had my camera with me.

I thought the same at first, but there was a short span where the stiching emerged from the channel just before reaching the remainder of the original sole. In addition there was an ever so faint line where the flap of leather had been replaced in the channel. I would have bought the shoes just for this feature but they were an unfamiliar brand, nowhere near my size and priced excessively for a thrift store.

Fair enough! Still it does seem a little odd to me that the repairer would go to this trouble given the original sole was stitched aloft. It must look a tad odd what with the waist showing the stitching and all.

Holdfast · Aug 5, 2007

There is another advantage to channeled soles, not heretofore mentioned...

... if you happen to step in something unsavoury, it can really get into the thread on an open sole and never quite be got rid of, thus ruining the shoe. A channeled sole can be cleaned much more easily.

You may laugh, but I lost a pair of shoes this way once!

ChicagoRon · Aug 5, 2007

Originally Posted by Holdfast

There is another advantage to channeled soles, not heretofore mentioned...

... if you happen to step in something unsavoury, it can really get into the thread on an open sole and never quite be got rid of, thus ruining the shoe. A channeled sole can be cleaned much more easily.

You may laugh, but I lost a pair of shoes this way once!

ouch! Did you try a toothbrush to clean the welting threads?

Holdfast · Aug 5, 2007

Yes.

The toothbrush failed to remove all of the "tartar buildup"....

tonylumpkin · Aug 5, 2007

Originally Posted by jjl5000

Still it does seem a little odd to me that the repairer would go to this trouble given the original sole was stitched aloft.

Agreed, but you know how some craftsmen are...you do it the right way or you don't do it at all! I like the fact that there are at least a few of them remaining.

Benefits of Channelled Soles?

Senior Member

Stylish Dinosaur

grrrrrrrr!!

Senior Member

grrrrrrrr!!

Distinguished Member

Senior Member

Distinguished Member

Distinguished Member

Distinguished Member

Senior Member

Stylish Dinosaur

Distinguished Member

Stylish Dinosaur

Distinguished Member

Classic Menswear Featured products

FEATURED PRODUCTS

Similar threads

Featured Sponsor

Definitely full canvas only

Half canvas is fine

Really don't care

Depends on fabric

Depends on price

Forum Sponsors

Forum statistics

FOLLOW STYLEFORUM ON: