Proper heel height

whenever I buy new shoes the heels do not sit completely flat on the ground. There is usually about 1/8th or 3/16th inch of "air" in the back of the heel because the front part of the shoes are just a tiny bit lower. I do understand however that when my feet are in the shoes and I am standing on the ground, everything soft of evens out because there is weight pushing down on the heel.

Lately, however, I've noticed that whenever I get my shoes re-heeled or re-soled, my cobbler grinds out the front part of the heel so that it sits completely flat on the ground without any weight bearing on it. This makes the shoes lie flat on the ground but it seems to take some mid-sole support away from my shoes.

For those of you who really know shoes, how are they supposed to sit when there is no weight bearing on it? Is my cobbler doing the right thing?

first of all, i dont know what brand name shoes you bought , but most decent brand names like Allen edmonds and the like and above,
the heel will be generally flush with the floor when set on the floor without wearing it.

usually the shoe are made that the front sole part dips down to about even keel with the heel level .

there is the opposite effect that happens when a special order of a double sole gets constructed on a shoe so then the heel lifts up slightly at the front.

Most of my shoes lift a bit at the back of the heel when placed on the floor without a foot in them.

Originally Posted by shoe

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first of all, i dont know what brand name shoes you bought , but most decent brand names like Allen edmonds and the like and above,
the heel will be generally flush with the floor when set on the floor without wearing it.

I have AE, JM Weston, To Boot, RM Williams, Church's and they all lift a bit in the back of the heel when there is no weight bearing on it. I'm trying to find out if that is the norm.

Are you talking about the shoes before they are worn, or after some wear but before being resoled? Looking at some Allen Edmonds side-view pics on zappos, I think it is normal for shoes to come this way, but you would get better info from one of the folks here who owns a bunch of unworn shoes.

I guess my cobbler is doing needless work?

Originally Posted by MellonC

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I guess my cobbler is doing needless work?

No. He is doing the right thing.

Originally Posted by MellonC

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whenever I buy new shoes the heels do not sit completely flat on the ground. There is usually about 1/8th or 3/16th inch of "air" in the back of the heel because the front part of the shoes are just a tiny bit lower. I do understand however that when my feet are in the shoes and I am standing on the ground, everything soft of evens out because there is weight pushing down on the heel.

Lately, however, I've noticed that whenever I get my shoes re-heeled or re-soled, my cobbler grinds out the front part of the heel so that it sits completely flat on the ground without any weight bearing on it. This makes the shoes lie flat on the ground but it seems to take some mid-sole support away from my shoes.

For those of you who really know shoes, how are they supposed to sit when there is no weight bearing on it? Is my cobbler doing the right thing?

As a shoemaker (and practically a cobbler too, as I repair my own products), I must say: your cobbler does the right thing, what the shoe manufacturer should have done.
The front of the heel can go up 2-3 mm from the ground (this is the way I learned to make shoes from my masters), but the back never. The reason for that: that shoe upper is not "relaxed" on the last, during the making, so can shrink the sole a bit. The handmade shoes stays on the last for 2-3 weeks, the machine made ones only a few hours - this is the main problem.

Originally Posted by MarcellHUN

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As a shoemaker (and practically a cobbler too, as I repair my own products), I must say: your cobbler does the right thing, what the shoe manufacturer should have done.

Thank god you found this one. "Nobody" would have trusted or believed me.

Originally Posted by grimslade

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Most of my shoes lift a bit at the back of the heel when placed on the floor without a foot in them.

loafers too?

Originally Posted by fritzl

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Thank god you found this one. "Nobody" would have trusted or believed me.

I should have mentioned that I absolutely agree with you.. I do. And I guess all the people who have ever visited a shoemaker workshop or had a chache to talk with a shoemaker.

Originally Posted by grimslade

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Most of my shoes lift a bit at the back of the heel when placed on the floor without a foot in them.

You should have saved the money you spent at Barney's for the shoe repair jobs.

Originally Posted by fritzl

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You should have saved the money you spent at Barney's for the shoe repair jobs.

I'll take some pictures so you can insult my shoes in the flesh.

You shouldn't take things too serious. I just picked up your self described "dilemma" with your latest shoe purchase, that's all. Chin up

Originally Posted by MarcellHUN

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The front of the heel can go up 2-3 mm from the ground (this is the way I learned to make shoes from my masters), but the back never.

Originally Posted by fritzl

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Thank god you found this one. "Nobody" would have trusted or believed me.

Originally Posted by MarcellHUN

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And I guess all the people who have ever visited a shoemaker workshop or had a chache to talk with a shoemaker.

From Jun Kuwana's site
http://homepage2.nifty.com/cobblers-web/index.htm

a number of bespoke Cleverley shoes.
All share the characteristic that the back of the heel is slightly off the ground:










Does that mean the people at Cleverley do not know how to make shoes,
or that they subscribe to a different philosophy?

"There is more than one way to skin a cat!" (sorry, RJman)