Alden Plain Toe Blucher vs Red Wing 9042 Beckham

[Thomas Duhamel]

Can anyone comment on the difference between the two shoes. Seems as if they are both good year welted. Is the leather difference and craftsmanship of the Alden worth the extra 100$ over that of the Red Wing Oxford. If anyone could speak on the fit of either of these it would be appreciated as well. I usually fall between a 10 - 10 1/2 and can wear either a D or E

Thanks for any information here are two links just for comparison sakes.

http://www.theshoemart.com/alden-me...432s_ald_m_plain_toe_blucher_barrie_last.html

http://www.shermanshoes.net/store/product3232.html

 

[zippyh]

Welcome to SF.

Just based on looks alone I'd get the Red Wings.

I have no experience with that particular pair of Red Wings but I take the same size in Alden Barrie and RW Gentlemen Travellers.
You might want to check out this thread.
http://www.styleforum.net/t/65734/red-wing-gentlemans-traveler/1455
There's also a gigantic Alden thread in the Streetwear & Denim subforum.

 

[dddrees]

That picture of the Alden's may not be all that attractive. However I have that pair of shoes and I can assure you they are worth the price and they look better in person than in that particular picture. See second pair of shoes from left.

 

[Thomas Duhamel]

The Alden's do look sharp in that picture. I figured style wise they were similar enough. Was just curious if anyone had any experience about comfort or construction. I will probably make some sort of decision on this by the end of the week. Let you all know which side of the argument wins out, price / quality (if there is a big difference). Especially as they would essentially be a knockaround / walking shoe.

 

[dddrees]

The Alden's do look sharp in that picture. I figured style wise they were similar enough. Was just curious if anyone had any experience about comfort or construction. I will probably make some sort of decision on this by the end of the week. Let you all know which side of the argument wins out, price / quality (if there is a big difference). Especially as they would essentially be a knockaround / walking shoe.

I don't have the Red Wing shoes your talking about. I do know my Red Wing boots seem to be fairly well built. But when it comes to shoes I think if I had a choice I would always chose Alden first.

If unsure you could always order from a place where you have the option to return the item if you don't like it once you recieve it.