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post #43156 of 51202
2/8/13 at 1:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CalceoAdamator View Post

Hello everyone... glad to join your thread as a new member... and Alden enthusiast...

Welcome.  

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post #43157 of 51202
2/8/13 at 1:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by lagsun View Post


+1 on the Navy suede. What are the pants?

 

Uniqlo, slim chinos.

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post #43158 of 51202
2/8/13 at 2:18pm
First good snow review of 403's. Slippage is not too bad, much worse than lugs though. Wet feet, going to get some snoseal.
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post #43159 of 51202
2/8/13 at 2:23pm
I don't know if this will help with your scuff mark, but Saphir has a cream that is specially made for cordovan. You can find it here: http://www.hangerproject.com/closet/saphir-cordovan-shoe-polish.html#.URV1zhG9KSM
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post #43160 of 51202
2/8/13 at 3:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ThArtOfWardrobe View Post

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
I know I won't get much sympathy here but needed to vent. I have a modest shell collection, but of the 5 pairs I own I've had issues now with 4. Yesterday I scuffed my cigar plain toes. Not a big deal, I know that's going to happen. Today I woke up and began working on them, but after using a deer bone (lightly) and brushing, a second area which resembled the scuff appeared. See pictures below. The scuff on the left was caused by wearing and the circular one on the right from caring for the shoes.

I know that shell is thought of as a tough leather and I would never deny its aesthetic appeal, but I have found it to be anything but resilient. And I should say that I have been firmly planted on the side that babies shell, despite its reputation for being a tough material. The only pair with which I have not had an issue is a color 8 LWB floor model from 2002 that I picked up last year. I love that shoe. The leather feels thicker than my other shells and has never had any issues. I'm not holding Alden solely responsible for Horween's material, which may or may not have been better several years ago. But I do hold Alden responsible for the quality and longevity of their product.

I'm also about to send back a pair of kudu boots which now have speed hooks that have rotated and trim stitching that has come undone. At best I can accept this as natural wear, even though I've owned them for less than a year and only wear then 2-3 times per month. Still, my Wolverine Addisons have never had any issues and have had at least 5 times the wear. Definitely not as comfortable as my Aldens but at I'm not dealing with customer service on a boot that's half the price.

Anyway, it currently looks like my shell run is over unless Alden steps up on the cigar plain toes and can somehow fix them. I feel my expectations for quality are aligned with the price of these shoes. I may try a another pair of non shell in the future but for now it looks like there's more shell for you guys.




As others have said, this is pretty fixable with Reno and/or some kind of paste wax (Alden, Kiwi, Saphir, etc).

As for your general point, I have scuffed my Ralph Lauren cordovan Marlows in a similar vein. Scuffing seems to be an issue with cordovan generally, not just Alden shoes.

Cordovan is very tough and durable in the sense that it lasts a long time, it develops a patina with wear and tends to shine up very easily. However, if you value uniformity in a shoe, or get upset with things like creases or scuffs, cordovan in general may cause you more grief than its worth. The leather itself seems to be more vulnerable to this type of stuff. The top English shoemakers prefer to work in calfskin for a reason.

The fact of the matter is that regardless of the scuff, your cigar plain toes will still look better than 99% of footwear and when shined well will attract significant positive attention. By all means take care of your shoes and care for their appearance, but to get the most enjoyment out of Alden you will have to let some of this stuff go
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post #43161 of 51202
2/8/13 at 3:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sevenfoldtieguy View Post


I have probably 60% AE brushes and 40% bought thru the above website (the "executive" brushes). I have found the quality to be comparable. The folks at shoecaresupplies are very nice to deal with. Their shine cloths are decent too.

Thanks for the tip on the executive.  Going to order some now.

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post #43162 of 51202
2/8/13 at 4:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhiPsi32 View Post




Speaking of brushes, I need to find my suede brush  .  .  .

Phi, digging your new compositions. Shoes are pretty nice, too.
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post #43163 of 51202
2/8/13 at 4:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alcibiades View Post

As others have said, this is pretty fixable with Reno and/or some kind of paste wax (Alden, Kiwi, Saphir, etc).

As for your general point, I have scuffed my Ralph Lauren cordovan Marlows in a similar vein. Scuffing seems to be an issue with cordovan generally, not just Alden shoes.

Cordovan is very tough and durable in the sense that it lasts a long time, it develops a patina with wear and tends to shine up very easily. However, if you value uniformity in a shoe, or get upset with things like creases or scuffs, cordovan in general may cause you more grief than its worth. The leather itself seems to be more vulnerable to this type of stuff. The top English shoemakers prefer to work in calfskin for a reason.

The fact of the matter is that regardless of the scuff, your cigar plain toes will still look better than 99% of footwear and when shined well will attract significant positive attention. By all means take care of your shoes and care for their appearance, but to get the most enjoyment out of Alden you will have to let some of this stuff go

Quoted for awesomeness. The third paragraph is one of the better comments I've ever read about cordovan's pros and cons
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post #43164 of 51202
2/8/13 at 4:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jereth View Post

First good snow review of 403's. Slippage is not too bad, much worse than lugs though. Wet feet, going to get some snoseal.

Neocork is useless in snow/ice.
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post #43165 of 51202
2/8/13 at 4:35pm
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

 

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bakes11771 View Post

I agree, shell is rather fragile in the sense that it isn't hard to make a permanent indentation in it, compared to calf.  Maybe if you get the shoes refinished the scuff will be resolved?

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Burton View Post

I have to disagree about shell. I think it is a tough and durable material. I purchased these boots in 2010 and have never ever babied them. Today they are caked with salt from walking in snow. With the recent resoles, they are like Monster Truck Indy's. biggrin.gif

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by MrDV View Post


I'm sorry to hear about your dilemma. I scuff my shell from time to time, it is upsetting but fixable. I use saphir Reno, this will fix 90% of my problems. I will also use a bit of brown or tan kiwi only on the affected area. Some will recommend only brushing, but Reno and a hair of kiwi will get you there much faster. (I have never used a deer bone)

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by sazon View Post


+1. This has fixed many a scuff for me

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by sevenfoldtieguy View Post


Saphir Reno and some Saphir shell cordovan cream (which comes in burgundy, dark brown, black, and neutral) will also typically do the trick.

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by CalceoAdamator View Post

I don't know if this will help with your scuff mark, but Saphir has a cream that is specially made for cordovan. You can find it here: http://www.hangerproject.com/closet/saphir-cordovan-shoe-polish.html#.URV1zhG9KSM

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Alcibiades View Post


As others have said, this is pretty fixable with Reno and/or some kind of paste wax (Alden, Kiwi, Saphir, etc).

As for your general point, I have scuffed my Ralph Lauren cordovan Marlows in a similar vein. Scuffing seems to be an issue with cordovan generally, not just Alden shoes.

Cordovan is very tough and durable in the sense that it lasts a long time, it develops a patina with wear and tends to shine up very easily. However, if you value uniformity in a shoe, or get upset with things like creases or scuffs, cordovan in general may cause you more grief than its worth. The leather itself seems to be more vulnerable to this type of stuff. The top English shoemakers prefer to work in calfskin for a reason.

The fact of the matter is that regardless of the scuff, your cigar plain toes will still look better than 99% of footwear and when shined well will attract significant positive attention. By all means take care of your shoes and care for their appearance, but to get the most enjoyment out of Alden you will have to let some of this stuff go

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by OfficeLinebacke View Post

Thanks for the tip on the executive.  Going to order some now.

 

 

 

Thanks everyone for the feedback and recommendations. The pictures I posted where taken after some Reno and Alden polish treatment (post scuff and deer bone) but I think I'll order some of the Saphir polish and try that. If anyone has used both the Alden and Saphir polishes and can comment on if they've seen a difference, I'd appreciate it. Thanks again for all your comments.

 

Alcibiades, big thanks for your super helpful post. Up until now I didn't realize that permanent variation due to scuffs is normal and should be expected with cordovan. This explains a lot and will help me to not stress about scuffs in the future. Good to know that it won't effect the longevity of the cordovan. Thanks for the education.

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post #43166 of 51202
2/8/13 at 5:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ThArtOfWardrobe View Post

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)











Thanks everyone for the feedback and recommendations. The pictures I posted where taken after some Reno and Alden polish treatment (post scuff and deer bone) but I think I'll order some of the Saphir polish and try that. If anyone has used both the Alden and Saphir polishes and can comment on if they've seen a difference, I'd appreciate it. Thanks again for all your comments.

Alcibiades, big thanks for your super helpful post. Up until now I didn't realize that permanent variation due to scuffs is normal and should be expected with cordovan. This explains a lot and will help me to not stress about scuffs in the future. Good to know that it won't effect the longevity of the cordovan. Thanks for the education.

I have used Alden paste wax and Saphir cordovan cream. I still use both. The Saphir will provide more moisture. Depending on your shade of cigar, the Saphir may darken it slightly (a feature of the Saphir I actually like as it gives the brown shell a richer color IMO). I have every color of Alden's paste wax and every color of Saphir. Both are good products.
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post #43167 of 51202
2/8/13 at 5:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sevenfoldtieguy View Post

I have used Alden paste wax and Saphir cordovan cream. I still use both. The Saphir will provide more moisture. Depending on your shade of cigar, the Saphir may darken it slightly (a feature of the Saphir I actually like as it gives the brown shell a richer color IMO). I have every color of Alden's paste wax and every color of Saphir. Both are good products.

This is good to know, inasmuch I've only ever used Reno on my cordovan. Thank you for the information -

There's a Saphir Neutral Cordo creme, correct? Would prefer to just buy one to cover Cigar and #8...
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post #43168 of 51202
2/8/13 at 5:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by El Argentino View Post

This is good to know, inasmuch I've only ever used Reno on my cordovan. Thank you for the information -

There's a Saphir Neutral Cordo creme, correct? Would prefer to just buy one to cover Cigar and #8...

Yes there is a neutral. I have used it on cigar and 8 when I didn't want to infuse any color into the shell. Just recently used it on my color 8 WT boots.
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post #43169 of 51202
2/8/13 at 5:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sevenfoldtieguy View Post

Yes there is a neutral. I have used it on cigar and 8 when I didn't want to infuse any color into the shell. Just recently used it on my color 8 WT boots.

I wonder if anyone has ever compared these to the Saphir wax pastes. My understanding is Saphir is beeswax. I have numerous containers of each but do not see anything on the Aldens to suggest the root. Seven - do you have anything on this?
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post #43170 of 51202
2/8/13 at 7:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sevenfoldtieguy View Post

I have used Alden paste wax and Saphir cordovan cream. I still use both. The Saphir will provide more moisture. Depending on your shade of cigar, the Saphir may darken it slightly (a feature of the Saphir I actually like as it gives the brown shell a richer color IMO). I have every color of Alden's paste wax and every color of Saphir. Both are good products.

Thanks very much. Your posts are always very helpful.
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