Best shoe in the 400-500 range?

[nickrut]

Been looking to take a step forward from Allen Edmonds into something in that next tier of quality. I've seen that the Alfred Sargent Exclusives seem to get good reviews, as do C&J's and Trickers.

Is there anything that really stands out in this price range from a quality standpoint? I wish I could justify the extra 2-300 needed for G&G's...maybe with my next promotion, who knows.

Appreciate any help!

 

[k4lnamja]

Church's and CJ's. You won't get GG for 2-300 more unless if you get lucky on B&S. However, I would wait to get G&G's

What are your sizes?

 

[silentfox74]

In terms of what readily available to acquire, I would say Church's, Tricker's, and Alden (coming from Allen Edmonds & Clarks). C & J seem to have a shortage of sort in most of the online store I frequently visit. You could try Carmina's online store, but after paying for custom, and shipping fee, the total cost would be over the 500 dollar range.

 

[nickrut]

So these are better than the AS Exclusive line? I think I want a more european last so Alden is probably out.

Thanks for the responses so far. I wear a 13 D or E in Allen Edmonds so they aren't so easy to find in the BS forum.

 

[SuitedDx]

S Exclusives are great. You can also get C&J BG directly from them and they will run $400 and change. Carmina will run around $500ish depending on the shoe. Vass is also an option and will run around $500ish too I think. I like Tricker's but their smart shoe lasts are closer to Alden so that might not be to your liking.

 

[usctrojans31]

Church's quality is very hit or miss and it uses A LOT of corrected grain. Tricker's is very nice, but can be rather boring. You mentioned that you're looking for a European last/style, can you be more specific? More details are always better to help recommendations.