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Allen Edmonds Appreciation Thread - reviews, pictures, sizing, etc...

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ridethecliche

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I meant re: pricepoint. Most Cole Haan's are essentially fashion shoes. Their lunargrand shoes make me want to puke. Though realistically, their pricepoints are similar. Same with Johnston and Murphy and a few other brands that are sold at Dept. Stores like Macys and Nordies. At that pricepoint, it's not much of an upsell and you get much more for the price.

@gringodaddy , I'm sorry to hear that your experience sucked. Think it's possible that you just got a bad pair that made it past QC for whatever reason?

I have a pair of daltons that I wear out in the snow sometimes too if there's crud on the ground on the walk to the train.

Honestly, I'd probably have a bad taste in my mouth if I'd had your experience. Did you take them back to the store at all?
 
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gringodaddy

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At the pricepoint they're in, AE competes with brands like Cole Haan...That choice is a no brainer.

AE doesn't advertise itself as a luxury shoemaker. They are after the average guy that might check them out after getting tired of having to buy a new pair of dress shoes every year/other year because they fall apart.

A pair of brown and black AE's will work fine for a business wardrobe for atleast 5 years if taken care of and resoled etc. At that pricepoint you might have one pair of shoes from CJ/AS and that's potentially after a resole for each shoe.

Do you speak from 5 years of personal experience of rotating two pair of AE's in your business wardrobe? If so, how many resoles over that time?
 

ridethecliche

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Do you speak from 5 years of personal experience of rotating two pair of AE's in your business wardrobe? If so, how many resoles over that time?

Nope. For that, mostly going by what user's have echoed over here re their shoes. On average 2 heels per sole and a sole tends to last a year or two depending on the rotation.

I topy many of my leather soled shoes, but that's another story.
 

chinngiskhaan

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I doubt most in this thread would compare Allen Edmonds to Cole Haan. Perhaps I'm wrong. Granted, I've had Cole Haan shoes that lasted far longer before repair was needed than my only pair of AE's. Never again, for over $300 a pair.
I don't think it's really fair to judge the quality of a brand based on a single experience (one pair of shoes) though I do understand your frustration in that regard. If my first pair of AE's turned out that way, I would likely have the same attitude toward the brand that you do. However, my first pair of AE's have been great. They look and feel better than when I bought them about a year ago.

Also, you don't really need to spend over $300 for a pair of AE's as they are frequently on sale for less than $300. My first pair cost me about $250 and my second pair the same.
 

DNSamurai

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For what it's worth, I was in the AE store today to return my way too small Patriots. There was another gentleman in there who asked the SA: "So would you say Allen Edmonds is similar to Memphisto?" SA responded: "Definitely not. We are much more similar to a company like Alden or Churchs."
 

gringodaddy

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I understand AE often run great sales and I know it is a brand that has built great loyalty. When I bought my Randolph's I wanted them, damn waiting for a sale to happen. Given the vaunted reputation AE has for quality, I thought they'd be worth it at retail. They haven't lived up to that unfortunately, nor would they have on sale.
Not trying to sway others, just wanted to give voice to my experience comparing AE and AS or CJ made Peels.. Going back through this thread I see a lot of others with qc issues and I wonder how AE has retained such a loyal clientele when they often deliver a flawed product, but I digress. Suffice it to say I have little patience for products that don't deliver, and don't mind paying a premium for those that I find do. Fortunately BB also runs frequent sales and I have a corporate discount card (15% off at all times) , so the CJ and AS made Peels, while more expensive, are within a price point I can stomach, particularly given their proven (to me) quality.
 

gringodaddy

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For what it's worth, I was in the AE store today to return my way too small Patriots. There was another gentleman in there who asked the SA: "So would you say Allen Edmonds is similar to Memphisto?" SA responded: "Definitely not. We are much more similar to a company like Alden or Churchs."

Never owned a pair of Alden (haven't found a pair that I found attractive and fit) but own a pair of Church's. No comparison, though SA's are paid to sell. My Church's are bullet proof though I don't think they fit me particularly well (they are so durable I almost with they'd die so I can replace them but I can't justify it yet), and I have learned to appreciate other brands lasts more. My experience with AE is above.
 

ridethecliche

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I understand AE often run great sales and I know it is a brand that has built great loyalty. When I bought my Randolph's I wanted them, damn waiting for a sale to happen. Given the vaunted reputation AE has for quality, I thought they'd be worth it at retail. They haven't lived up to that unfortunately, nor would they have on sale.
Not trying to sway others, just wanted to give voice to my experience comparing AE and AS or CJ made Peels.. Going back through this thread I see a lot of others with qc issues and I wonder how AE has retained such a loyal clientele when they often deliver a flawed product, but I digress. Suffice it to say I have little patience for products that don't deliver, and don't mind paying a premium for those that I find do. Fortunately BB also runs frequent sales and I have a corporate discount card (15% off at all times) , so the CJ and AS made Peels, while more expensive, are within a price point I can stomach, particularly given their proven (to me) quality.
I think a lot of those defects have been from people that bought seconds.

Honestly, had I had your experience, I probably would have been really hesitant to buy a second pair.
 

peppercorn78

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For what it's worth, I was in the AE store today to return my way too small Patriots. There was another gentleman in there who asked the SA: "So would you say Allen Edmonds is similar to Memphisto?" SA responded: "Definitely not. We are much more similar to a company like Alden or Churchs."


AE CEO is on record stating his goal isn't to compete with Alden or Britush GYW shoemakers, but rather to convert Kenneth Cole or Calvin Klein square toe buyers who may not have considered paying more than 80$ on shoes before.

Fascinating reddit AMA with him a while back. I'm sure someone can furnish the link...
 

peppercorn78

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^^ could be in some cases but that doesn't account for durability. at east one poster had a clear defect on a $600 special order though, a few pages back.
I'll acknowledge I walk up to five miles a day and I'm.tough on shoesl.


New York wear and tear is absolutely brutal on the stock AE soles, I've found, particularly in areas like mine where the sidewalks are paved with pebble cement.

I have a few pairs with JR or Dainite soles and they've fared considerably better.
 
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rydenfan

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Ok...we get you had a bad experience or don't like AE for whatever reason. Why make like 10 posts about it though in a thread of fans? Say your piece and move on
 

ridethecliche

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Ok...we get you had a bad experience or don't like AE for whatever reason. Why make like 10 posts about it though in a thread of fans? Say your piece and move on
Easy there.
@gringodaddy 's fine.
If you pay attention though, he's right. There are a lot of shoes (MTO's, off the rack, etc.) that are posted here that have some issues. Many choose to live with the issues, but it means that their QC isn't the best. Some of the seconds are even worse, with issues that should have relegated them to the thirds pile.

I wonder what the true % of issues would be if everyone that owned a pair or more of AE's actually stated the issues on their shoes. I haven't come across many, if any for that matter, posts about shoes like CJ's/Peal's etc having issues on their firsts. Maybe that contingent just isn't vocal about it or maybe AE needs to get a little bit better about QC.

People often come to this thread when they're considering a purchase. They should see both sides of the coin without one side overwhelming the other.
 
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Cold Iron

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Many thanks Cold Iron for posting the detailed description about the proper care of shell cordovan. I found it to be very informative. I have admired the look of your shoes for some time.
Thank YOU good sir! I am humbled by your statement and my procedure is not the only or maybe not even the best solution for shell, it is just what I do. It works for me and is based on the Mac method and my experiences, he is the expert in all things shell and I have studied his method extensively. AE shell is a bit different than Alden shell and experimentation has paid off for me. If I can share it and others have success with it or modifications to what I do and improve on it that is a good thing IMO.
 
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