"Samuel Windsor" Shoes??

[Anthony Jordan]

Buy with caution. I have been curious about these for a long while (as witness my earlier participation in this thread) and when I saw that they were offering a half brogue with an Adelaide throat in black (something I had been looking for for a long time but didn't have much of a budget to spend on) at a good price, I decided to buy a pair. This was from their £50 Prestige Collection. Bearing in mind that they describe their shoes as a G (relatively wide) fitting, and I take an 8 1/2F in every English brand I have tried, I was very surprised when I had to return my 8 1/2s on the basis that they were even tighter than the one pair Charles Tyrwhitt/Loake 8Fs I have in my collection. I had to go up a half size to the 9s, which are on the big size but bearable, especially with a thicker pair of socks. When you add to it that the shoes were scuffed in places coming out of the box and had two small holes punched for no apparent reason into one of the quarters, it added up to an underwhelming experience. Whilst the 9s are better they are not entirely satisfactory inasmuch as (small scratches on the leather aside) the toe punching (which forms an arrowlike shape) does not run along the centre line but on both shoes points off to the right, slightly in respect of the left shoe and quite markedly in the case of the right shoe! Aesthetically they are not too bad; the black leather/natural linen lining looks good and the proportions are fairly sound, although I feel that it might have looked better with a shorter toecap (and probably did in the 8 1/2). Although the leather is quite stiff and I think corrected grain it doesn't have that plasticky sheen that some corrected grain does. The sole has an open welt rather than being channelled (not that one would expect anything else at this point) and the heel would benefit from being combination leather and rubber rather than all rubber but the underneathh is overall reasonably well presented. At the sale price I would say that it is a reasonable shoe (provided you canget one with the right fit) but, although very substantially better than the really cheap shoes sold under the "Clifford James" brand or any other circa £50 shoe, for quality of finish and in points of detail it still does not compare favourably with the Loake 1880s and entry- to mid-level Alfred Sargents with which it should be competing, judging by its hype/branding.

 

[Disappointed]

I have Samuel Windsor shoes in the past - quality id definitely deteriorating. Had to replace heel and soles within 6 weeks of purchase. Customer service non-existant, just look for excuse to invalidate 'guarantee' . Avoid.

 

[Anthony Jordan]

My experience above wasn't bad enough to put me off completely and when two pairs of work shoes finally gave up the ghost, I ended up buying 3 pairs of the SW classic line, a black punched toecap Oxford, a black full brogue and a brown Oxford. The punched toecap Oxford is probably my favourite, even though a bit blocky and with a long toecap. The full brogue is a nicce shoe and rather slimmer than the Oxford. The brown Oxford has a better shape to it than the black, but the sheen on the leather is rather too strong and makes it look plasticky. I would say they are a good, traditionally styled first, economy or beater shoe (especially when bought in one of their frequent sales or as a multibuy deal) but I wouldn't go much further than that.

 

[gsugsu]

II have been wearing these shoes for a number of years AND THEY ARE AS GOOD AND PERFORM AS THEY LOOK!

1st and likely last post.

And damned if he wasn't right!

 

[CARBr6]

I have purchased 3 pairs of SW shoes.
Although my experience with 'good' shoes is limited I have so far found nothing wrong with the SW shoes.
They are comfy and serve their purpose very well, and I can't argue with £35 per pair.
I would say they are a great shoe if you are working to a budget. Not everyone can afford to part with the prices requested from the likes of Church's or Loakes, yet still need a good looking functional simple styled shoe.

 

[Geffinuk]

Utter garbage at grossly inflated prices. Their shoes would not pass as saleable "seconds" from one of the reputable brands. Best avoided.

 

[Quasimodo]

I bought brown suede brogues from Windsor. They were without doubt the cheapest suede I'd ever had. Bits of suede pulled off
as I brushed them. I realized immediately that these were nothing more than cheap Third World Country shoes, which in the country of manufacture, can be bought for a mere pittance compared to that being charged for them here. I have three pairs of what Windsor are calling ( Derby Prestige ) and charging £45 for. I bought them on Ebay They were being sold under the name of Maverick. And can still be bought. I bought a Black, Brown and Grey pair. I paid £19.99. Later I saw them on Ebay for as little £14.99 a pair. All Third World of course. But at the price I paid they were a good buy.

 

[Kim13]

Hello everyone

first I am great full and much appreciate the efforts for all that share their purchase experience here, it's been useful to read and get information about others purchase experiences.
however reading the contribution about shoes and Samuel Windsor in particular left me worried, I have ordered 4 pair of different style to be shipped overseas( where I am currently posted) and they are yet to be delivered but reading all about the negativity of the Shoes left me worried of the amount of money I have invested in shoes price and shipping cost. was it worth it ? I don't know. as much I found the writing is useful and helpful for other to read before they purchase, I do hope that if SW is somehow are monitoring this can approve their products and level up their quality level.
thanks for every one shared his experience.

cheers

 

[Drumroll46]

Oh dear,
I have a pair of Joseph Cheaney, a pair of Loakes, a pair of Church's and a pair of Tricker's. So, thinking I know a good pair of shoes when I see one I couldn't resist when a drinking buddy came in the pub and asked me if I wanted to buy a pair of Handmade English shoes by Clifford James. I replied that it depended on the size and the price. "11 and a half and you can have them for a fiver"...... turns out he'd bought them from a local charity shop for a fiver. I jumped at the chance seeing as they were so cheap and my size....... Big Big Big Big Big mistake!!!! They have literally fallen apart at the seams. I'm not bothered about the shoes falling apart or the fiver I unwisely invested in them but I am bothered that they can be marketed as handmade in England!
Discredits the rest of the best quality English shoes.
The Cheaney's are the best shoes I have by the way!

 

[rhone04]

Hey Gents, it is already 2017 and i checked again the website, they have GY welted shoes for 99 to 125 usd. Any reviews and experience with them. Good day

 

[Eucris]

At best the shoes are of shocking quality.

 

[Andrew Holmes]

This is the first time I have seen this forum and thought I'd contribute to this thread, having recently been intoxicated by the marketing of Samuel Windsor, which has tempted me down a path of unpleasantness a number of times over the past few years. A few years back, cutting corners and thinking about how to save money, I purchased one of their formal shirts, very much just to test the water and was very disappointed at the overall quality, particularly the fact that after washing once, it resisted all attempts at ironing, assuming a horrid "crepe paper" creasing that was impossible to remove with even the most concerted effort - the devil's work! I've been back with T M Lewin and Thomas Pink again for a while now, but irritated at having to have sleeve length tailored every time.

Anyway, not dissuaded by this experience, I was again recently tempted by their marketing as my cherished Barkers Oxfords and Brogues were reaching the end of their shelf life (all lasting over 10 years). I ordered a pair of SW prestige black brogues - and then to my surprise, noticed this thread and judging by the various cautionary messages, wondered if I'd made a mistake! Delivery is taking an eternity, but I will let you know what I think when they eventually arrive.

 

[rhone04]

i message the shoe snob justin on his fb message about SW shoes. "Sorry find those shoes to be terrible. Would never rate them.". Shoe snob, indeed i believe and trust him.

 

[GBR]



Last time I was home in The UK, I noticed an advert for these in a magazine (I forget which) and it caught my attention - 2 pairs of reputedly goodyear welted shoes for £100... unfortunately, I was on my way to the airport at the time so couldn't order any.


Just found that they have now created a website:

http://www.samuel-windsor.co.uk/Index_SamuelWindsor.cfm


Has anyone here tried them?? How did they hold up??


They don't deliver abroad, so I may have to get some when next back home if they are any good...


Thanks!

Absolute junk

 

[Andrew Holmes]

Further to my recent post, I duly received the ordered black full brogues from the prestige range. In honesty, for the price range, these on the face of it appeared to be very sound, with generally good attention to detail and construction. However, unfortunately, upon closer examination, the welting was a bit poor over a few inches on the right shoe and so with reluctance I returned these for a refund. Undaunted, I decided instead to order a pair of the black oxfords from the classic range and these recently arrived in good condition and with no quality issues.
These I find to be a decent shoe, leather not quite the same quality as my previous barker oxfords (recently consigned to the bin after surviving 12 years of hard usage) but nonetheless very reasonable. Welting was sound all around both shoes, fit and feel pretty good and comfortable when walking from the word go. I would say that aesthetically they would benefit from being a slightly narrower fit, nearer an F than the stated G fitting, which would make for a more elegant appearance and appeal to a rather more discerning market (no insult intended to the existing one). As it is, they do look a tad chubby. However, still superior I think to others in this price range. They do not currently give me any reason to suspect that they might begin to prematurely fall apart (as others on here have indicated) and seem robustly fashioned.