Allen Edmonds Appreciation Thread 2016 - News, Pictures, Sizing, Accessories, Clothing, etc

[RTD1]

Directly from the factory seems to be the best deal. 2 sets for $20 (if I am reading this correctly):
http://www.woodlore.com/shoe-trees-...justable-cedar-shoe-tree-order-qty-1-2-pairs/

That's a smoking deal, but not a fan of the string loop design. They also have the regular ones on that site you posted for $24.95. Also a great deal, but have to spend $50 to get free shipping.

 

[Jackboot]



Directly from the factory seems to be the best deal. 2 sets for $20 (if I am reading this correctly):
http://www.woodlore.com/shoe-trees-...justable-cedar-shoe-tree-order-qty-1-2-pairs/

I saw that factory offer a few days ago. But the ones woodlore is offering have the very narrow heel. I have read many times that this design of shoe tree can damage the heel of the shoe due to the small pressure point. I definitely won't use this style of shoe tree. In contrast, the standard "full" shoe tree that they make (same as the JAB ones) has a full heel, just like your foot.

 

[mingus2112]



The ones I see from Cedar Elements don't appear to have the expanded toe part (solid instead). Perhaps I just couldn't find the others on amazon. Nevertheless still a good option.

These are the ones I ordered:
Cedar Elements Twin Tube 2 Pack

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LV49HDA

They are not solid, they're the expandable toe ones.  And free Prime shipping.

See above - Those are the ones I got. $40 seems $5 more than the $35 Massdrop is getting, but with the free shipping you save a couple bucks.

Yet another option for y'all: Jos Bank Shoe Trees are currently 2 for $25. Made by Woodlore. Your choice of solid or split toe. If you buy $100 worth of stuff in-store, you get an additional $20 off.

The "epic" shoe trees look nice, but personally I don't think they will make a lick of difference in the maintenance of your shoes. I'd rather buy the solid toes from JAB for about 50% less.

On a related note, the last time I bought shoe trees from JAB I paid about $6.50 per pair. Unfortunately I think those days are gone. I'm going to buy another 8 pairs today, so $10 per pair. I think this is the least expensive shoe tree option these days.

Those are what I used to get. Buy 1, get 3 free. You're right, though, I haven't seen those deals in years. There is a difference between the "epic" style trees and the regular trees. Two, actually. The first one, having the knob on the top, is a big deal for easily removing them. Seems like a little detail, but in the morning it means the world! I'm thinking of putting knobs on my regular trees, actually. They were cheap enough that they're still cheap when I buy the knobs.

The second is that some shoes need the extra volume in the vamp and up the tongue. Loafers, especially. Maybe it's just my experience.

The six pack is still the best deal on epic-style shoe trees.

Massdrop's WL epic deal is always more expensive than amazon after shipping and tax.

Yep - but only by a few bucks.

 

[FaRKle]

Yep - but only by a few bucks.

When you're talking about $20 shoe trees, an extra $3.33 off is pretty significant...

I've come to appreciate the extra support of the epic-style trees over the cheaper split and full toe version. Makes the shoe easier to work with when polishing and conditioning. I'm in the process of replacing my cheaper shoe trees with epic-style ones so the multi-pack works for me.

 

[ProfilaBinding]

Loake Badmintons arrived this morning. Fortunately I'm working from home today as the FedEx delivery required signature. Unfortunately my wife is also home and asked what was just delivered and would not accept "nothing, don't worry about it" as an answer.

Apologies for the non-AE content:



Definitely could have ordered another 0.5 size down, but they're not terribly big and I'd wear these with slightly heavier socks anyway.

Bringing the discussion back to AE - does anyone know if they typically refresh sold out items during the RDA sale? I want to get a Manistee belt in Dark Chili but 32/34/36 are all sold out already.

lol, busted.

Loakes can be tricky to size. My 7.5 E Park Aves and 7 F Aldwychs are nearly identical in fit and size. If I had taken the website advice of ordering 7.5 F, that would have been a mistake.

 

[mingus2112]



When you're talking about $20 shoe trees, an extra $3.33 off is pretty significant...

I've come to appreciate the extra support of the epic-style trees over the cheaper split and full toe version. Makes the shoe easier to work with when polishing and conditioning. I'm in the process of replacing my cheaper shoe trees with epic-style ones so the multi-pack works for me.

I didn't mean $3.33 wasn't a big deal. On the contrary. If they're the same thing, and you have to buy several, it adds up. I'm all for spending more for quality, but the Cedar Elements ones are pretty damn close. I'm looking at them both right now and they're not exactly the same. They have a slightly different shape to them. But the length and girth are the same. The Cedar elements ones just aren't as "finished" (the woodlore has rounded edges on some of the parts that don't even touch the shoes) and seem to have thinner hardware. The cedar isn't as pretty, either, which I don't care about. The movable toe piece moves easier on the Cedar Elements one. The springs on the Woodlore ones seem "stuck" and don't seem like they'd move at all inside a shoe.

All told, i'll be ordering the six pack of Cedar Elements. Unless I can get them for the same price or cheaper, I'll hold off on ordering more Woodlores. They're great shoe trees, but $3 is $3 and I don't see $3 extra value.

-James

 

[RTD1]

lol, busted.

Loakes can be tricky to size. My 7.5 E Park Aves and 7 F Aldwychs are nearly identical in fit and size. If I had taken the website advice of ordering 7.5 F, that would have been a mistake.

I guess this is one of those places where having a high arch is a benefit. With bluchers, I can always lace looser or tighter to adjust to the width of the foot. Even though the Badmintons are a little big, it's still not like I could close the flaps all the way. On the flipside, with my AE Leeds in 10D, they're a little tight but I can accommodate by lacing looser. Whereas with a Bal, especially on the 65 last, I resigned myself to the fact that I'm always going to have a larger than optimal V-gap regardless of what size I get.

 

[FaRKle]

I didn't mean $3.33 wasn't a big deal. On the contrary. If they're the same thing, and you have to buy several, it adds up. I'm all for spending more for quality, but the Cedar Elements ones are pretty damn close. I'm looking at them both right now and they're not exactly the same. They have a slightly different shape to them. But the length and girth are the same. The Cedar elements ones just aren't as "finished" (the woodlore has rounded edges on some of the parts that don't even touch the shoes) and seem to have thinner hardware. The cedar isn't as pretty, either, which I don't care about. The movable toe piece moves easier on the Cedar Elements one. The springs on the Woodlore ones seem "stuck" and don't seem like they'd move at all inside a shoe.

All told, i'll be ordering the six pack of Cedar Elements. Unless I can get them for the same price or cheaper, I'll hold off on ordering more Woodlores. They're great shoe trees, but $3 is $3 and I don't see $3 extra value.

-James

I think we're on the same page here

.

I have genuine Woodlore epics as well as generics (a couple unbranded ones from eBay and Songmics). Surprisingly, I felt my Woodlore ones weren't as well finished as the Songmics. The Woodlores were rougher and had more wood dust come out of the spring channels. The Woodlore ones did have longer springs though and thus more length adjustment (which I didn't need, so there wasn't really a benefit to that). The generic unbranded ones I have were just as good as the Woodlores, but again, didn't have quite as much length adjustment.

I haven't tried cedar elements' brand yet, but I suspect there's really no tangible difference.

 

[cc808314]



I guess this is one of those places where having a high arch is a benefit.  With bluchers, I can always lace looser or tighter to adjust to the width of the foot.  Even though the Badmintons are a little big, it's still not like I could close the flaps all the way.  On the flipside, with my AE Leeds in 10D, they're a little tight but I can accommodate by lacing looser.  Whereas with a Bal, especially on the 65 last, I resigned myself to the fact that I'm always going to have a larger than optimal V-gap regardless of what size I get.

Did you drop 1 or 0.5 from your US size?

 

[Jackboot]



I haven't tried cedar elements' brand yet, but I suspect there's really no tangible difference.

I don't know this for sure, but I suspect that major quality difference between shoe trees is the quality of the cedar used. For example, Allen Edmonds first quality shoe trees seem to be the deepest, darkest red color and the most potent smelling. I think this means the cedar used is from the heart of the tree. I've purchased AE seconds, and did not notice any difference in the finishing of the trees, but the wood used seems of somewhat lower quality to me - more marbled and less potent. JAB trees are similar to AE seconds in my experience. I'm guessing that the Chinese "cedar elements" and similar trees use the lowest cost Cedar available.

Again, I could be wrong on all this. And it only matters to the extent that you are anal about such minutia and think that the species of wood actually matters for shoe trees at all.

 

[RTD1]

Did you drop 1 or 0.5 from your US size?

1

Here's an interesting picture. AE Strand in 10E. Alden LWB (Barrie) in 9.5D. Loake Badminton in 9 UK (G-fitting last).




They're actually all about the same length. The Strand is by far the narrowest of all 3. The Loake is the widest. The Alden LWB is right in the middle. Of the 3, the Alden fits me the best. I swear sometimes that the Barrie in 9.5D must have been modeled on my foot while I was sleeping or something.

 

[St Hubbins]

I'm looking to get my first double monk strap. What's everyone's thoughts on the St. John vs. the Mora 2.0?

I'd have to say the Mora. For some reason, I feel the double monk is suited to the plain cap toe and I also like the shape of the 108 last versus the 1943. Of course, it's all subjective provided that both lasts will work for your feet.

 

[St Hubbins]

Hey - I love my Carlyle. The problem is that even though it's shell, because it's sleek with a plain toe it's still very dressy. I'm in a pretty casual environment and usually wear Dockers (gasp!) and a shirt. I'm the epitome of cheap clothes, expensive shoes. I find myself wearing bluchers and balmorals with a lot of brogueing (think the Strand). If you will wear it, get it. It's beautiful.

Hey, you're pinching my line (and my look). Of course, I'm willing to overlook it assuming that my royalty check is already in the mail.

 

[middlepP]

McTavish Monday! Love these shoes so much!

 

[pbrandes]

New Shelton 2.0's - sorry, couldn't wait for an "S"-day for an alliterative maiden voyage. These are my new favorites, the 201 last redesign is fantastic - sleeker silhouette but still high instep-friendly.