***The official Alden thread *** Share enthusiasm, reviews, sizing, advice, and photos.

[kwhitelaw]

Tempting I know . . .

I think the eyelets would be a deal breaker for me. or I'd buy and then send for taps and eyelet changeout.

 

[FrankCowperwood]



Is this on the Barrie last?

They are on the Aberdeen.

 

[ReppTiePrepster]

Quote:
I'm on board with you!

 

[Burton]



They are on the Aberdeen.

There is a Barrie contingent, a modified contingent and even a plaza contingent, but no Aberdeen. I wish they did more on the Aberdeen.

 

[Alcibiades]



There is a Barrie contingent, a modified contingent and even a plaza contingent, but no Aberdeen. I wish they did more on the Aberdeen.

Aberdeen, Grant and Tremont are my favorite lasts (as long as the retailer orders E widths)

 

[sevenfoldtieguy]



gorgeous. makes me re-consider passing up whiskey LWBs all these years.

Speaking of whiskey, Sky Valet has 10.5D and 12D available in the PTB - for $630. Someone should jump on this.

http://www.skyvalet1.com/Alden-9905_p_196.html

 

[sevenfoldtieguy]



There is a Barrie contingent, a modified contingent and even a plaza contingent, but no Aberdeen. I wish they did more on the Aberdeen.

Me too.

I have 6 shell pairs on the Aberdeen.

 

[violethour1951]

Ravello SWBs, Barrie last

 

[sevenfoldtieguy]

...

Any of the Alden lace-ups in #8 shell cordovan would be my suggestion. Unless required for formal evening wear or business purposes I prefer anything but black.[/quote]

Be careful here.

Today I am wearing my black shell monochromatic saddles (model 993) - Barrie last, no storm welt, 270 degree welt. One of my most comfortable pairs, and considerably sleeker than most Barrie lasted models. But, in fairness, they are being worn for business dress.

http://aldenshop.com/Store/DrawProducts.aspx?CategoryID=48&ParentID=94&PageID=&Action=

 

[100 yrs]



has anyone had any issue adding a topy to a double waterloc sole? wondering about the oil in the leather causing an issue with the adhesive. i'm gonna need to do something, i almost busted my tail today on slick marble after walking on the wet sidewalk

i will soon find out about this, just dropped the shoes in question off at the cobbler. he said it requires a different glue than the normal leather sole would need.

 

[Alcibiades]



^ i like including the decimal point for 8.0

has anyone had any issue adding a topy to a double waterloc sole? wondering about the oil in the leather causing an issue with the adhesive. i'm gonna need to do something, i almost busted my tail today on slick marble after walking on the wet sidewalk

On this topic, what is the purported benefit of the double waterlock sole? I have a few (CXL chukka, whiskey Indy), but I find they don't seem to offer any advantages on wet pavement. I've seen retailers say that the sole lasts longer because the oil protects them from water, but Alden's regular double leather soles last a long time as well. I understand the advantage of the single flex welt oiled sole (found in suede chukkas, loafers, etc) - the oil makes the sole softer, which makes a more comfortable shoe out of the box (and goes well with styles like suede loafers or chukkas where the user may go sockless). But I haven't been able to find a real advantage of the double waterlock.

 

[Bakes11771]

On this topic, what is the purported benefit of the double waterlock sole? I have a few (CXL chukka, whiskey Indy), but I find they don't seem to offer any advantages on wet pavement. I've seen retailers say that the sole lasts longer because the oil protects them from water, but Alden's regular double leather soles last a long time as well. I understand the advantage of the single flex welt oiled sole (found in suede chukkas, loafers, etc) - the oil makes the sole softer, which makes a more comfortable shoe out of the box (and goes well with styles like suede loafers or chukkas where the user may go sockless). But I haven't been able to find a real advantage of the double waterlock.

I don't own any, but I thought that ^ was it. The oil prevents the leather from absorbing the water so that the sole doesn't become soft when wet and wear down more quickly. Are you saying that it still absorbs the water and becomes soft and wears down quickly on wet pavement?

 

[Papa Doble]



Today I am wearing my black shell monochromatic saddles (model 993) - Barrie last, no storm welt, 270 degree welt. One of my most comfortable pairs, and considerably sleeker than most Barrie lasted models. But, in fairness, they are being worn for business dress.

http://aldenshop.com/Store/DrawProducts.aspx?CategoryID=48&ParentID=94&PageID=&Action=

I have not given the monochromatic shell saddle much thought, but lately it's been growing on me.

 

[Alcibiades]



I don't own any, but I thought that ^ was it.  The oil prevents the leather from absorbing the water so that the sole doesn't become soft when wet and wear down more quickly.  Are you saying that it still absorbs the water and becomes soft and wears down quickly on wet pavement?

From what I can tell, Alden's double leather soles and double waterlock soles wear down at about the same rate - both wear down very slowly. I haven't noticed an advantage of the double waterlock sole, but maybe I am missing something

 

[hokie3000]

I have no objection to this method. However, I do wonder if any on this thread have used this method and then returned the shoes/boots because they deemed the fit improper. If so, was the return allowed?

If a retailer has a no-crease policy, there is no way they would take them back. And even for the retailers that do not have a no-crease policy, this seems like quite a stretch (a full 3 hours of walking).

I have always wondered this myself. Please share if you have experience with this.