C&J Handgrade Leather Quality?

[Harrydog]

Originally Posted by Avebury

I remember the manager at C&J's Royal Exchange shop in London saying that C&J Handgrades use the same leather that Edward Green use. I would however expect there to be differences in how the leather in its raw state is processed before being used to make shoes.

The chap in the Grenson shop said that they use the same leather as Edward Green for Grenson "Rose" shoes. Who knows really? Gossip, hearsay. Guess it's a trade secret as to where the makers get their leather from and which shoes are made from it.

Speaking of Grenson, I have been very pleased with the Grenson masterpiece made for the Paul Stuart's Choice label. They are at a similar price point to C&J Handgrade and are every bit as good...perhaps better. Grenson's take on the EG Southwold

I have the C&J Weymouth and there is no way they have the same leather as I have on my EG. The C&J leather seems thinner to me.

 

[bigbris1]

Originally Posted by Harrydog

Speaking of Grenson, I have been very pleased with the Grenson masterpiece made for the Paul Stuart's Choice label. They are at a similar price point to C&J Handgrade and are every bit as good...perhaps better. Grenson's take on the EG Southwold

I have the C&J Weymouth and there is no way they have the same leather as I have on my EG. The C&J leather seems thinner to me.
We have been victims of groupthink regarding C&J. I had a chance to get these for $200 and passed. I kick myself every now and again ever since.

 

[instep]

BB +1 - those Grenson's are lovely!!

FWIW, the C&J love here isn't really, to me, a SF groupthink: 1. most of the hubbub around C&J here revolves just one last - the 348 last - and not the handgrades; a search will bear this out 2. the C&Js BGs are at a good price point for those looking to move up from AE 3. the 348 is a 'fashiony' last that looks good on the younger (and smaller) men (with smaller feet) who predominate this forum (Not sure if smaller men predominate here? Look how quickly sz38 stuff moves on B&S!) ... so C&J thus is more popular here.

Originally Posted by Marbles29

I wish such a thread would have been started before I shelled out the extra moola for the Handgrades-- I wasn't aware that such dissension existed-- in past threads many emphatically testified to the superior quality of the Handgrades -- and I had no reason to repudiate what was said, in spite of visual evidence to the contrary: used Weymouths with creases abounding, I just assumed it was because they were full-cuts. Anyway, I don't mean to jump the gun by censuring the Handgrades, I'm sure they are of good quality and I only paid about 70 dollars extra for them.
Creases are IMO not only a function of finish, but also of fit and care. My left foot is quite different from my right (being nearly a 1/2 size smaller), and the L vs. R creases on any of my pairs of shoes are pretty dissimilar. Similarly, a pair of Aldens I had before I introduced trees into my collection is much the worse for the wear compared to my newer ('tree-ed') Aldens.

 

[glowell222]

I thought I was the only freak out there with one ped shorter than the other by a half size, though in my case it's the right foot. MTO is the best way to handle it, IMO.

 

[instep]

Originally Posted by glowell222

I thought I was the only freak out there with one ped shorter than the other by a half size, though in my case it's the right foot. MTO is the best way to handle it, IMO.
A funny (and true) story:

Once I was on eBay hunting for a bargain - I picked up a pair of C&J 'subs' for cheap. When they arrived, they looked perfect . I pored over the shoes, but couldn't find a single flaw - not a vein, blemish, crack, or uneven stitch was to be found.

So I tried them on - and they fit perfectly on both feet!

Only then did I realise that the L shoe was a little smaller than the R shoe, which was 'wrong' for everyone else, but 'just right' for me - a pretty serendipitous incident, I'm sure you'd agree.

Up till today they are the only pair in my collection which creases 'identical' on both sides.

 

[Marbles29]

Originally Posted by instep

BB +1 - those Grenson's are lovely!!

FWIW, the C&J love here isn't really, to me, a SF groupthink:

1. most of the hubbub around C&J here revolves just one last - the 348 last - and not the handgrades; a search will bear this out
2. the C&Js BGs are at a good price point for those looking to move up from AE
3. the 348 is a 'fashiony' last that looks good on the younger (and smaller) men (with smaller feet) who predominate this forum (Not sure if smaller men predominate here? Look how quickly sz38 stuff moves on B&S!)

... so C&J thus is more popular here.

Creases are IMO not only a function of finish, but also of fit and care.

My left foot is quite different from my right (being nearly a 1/2 size smaller), and the L vs. R creases on any of my pairs of shoes are pretty dissimilar. Similarly, a pair of Aldens I had before I introduced trees into my collection is much the worse for the wear compared to my newer ('tree-ed') Aldens.

And the 337 last...

 

[Smahatma]

Originally Posted by Marbles29

And the 337 last...
that is just a function of having so few choices in lasts when looking at the handgrade line (excluding C&J france) as compared to the several choices of benchgrade lasts although the 337 and 348 are actually fairly similar themselves

 

[Warren G.]

Originally Posted by Harrydog

Speaking of Grenson, I have been very pleased with the Grenson masterpiece made for the Paul Stuart's Choice label. They are at a similar price point to C&J Handgrade and are every bit as good...perhaps better. Grenson's take on the EG Southwold

I have the C&J Weymouth and there is no way they have the same leather as I have on my EG. The C&J leather seems thinner to me.

WOW

 

[TKDKid]

Originally Posted by Harrydog

Speaking of Grenson, I have been very pleased with the Grenson masterpiece made for the Paul Stuart's Choice label. They are at a similar price point to C&J Handgrade and are every bit as good...perhaps better. Grenson's take on the EG Southwold

Great shoes!

I also think Grenson Masterpieces (rebranded or otherwise) are slightly better than C&J Handgrades - the leathers they use seem to be a bit softer and nicer and the soles are trimmed closer to the uppers (on some of their models, anyway). Unfortunately they're not such a great fit for me and in any case aren't readily available in the UK any more.

 

[bc78]

Originally Posted by TKDKid

Great shoes!

I also think Grenson Masterpieces (rebranded or otherwise) are slightly better than C&J Handgrades - the leathers they use seem to be a bit softer and nicer and the soles are trimmed closer to the uppers (on some of their models, anyway). Unfortunately they're not such a great fit for me and in any case aren't readily available in the UK any more.

Not to thread hijack, but where can you find Grenson Masterpieces?

 

[TKDKid]

Originally Posted by bc78

Not to thread hijack, but where can you find Grenson Masterpieces?

They're no longer available under Grenson's own label.

You're left with the Stuart's Choice shoes made for Paul Stuart and the Poulsen Skone range made for New & Lingwood (which are currently on sale...).

 

[Lawman]

Guys, I've been running crazy at work, but should have some photos up tomorrow. As to my regimen and storage: I use crema alpina on them, per Rider's instructions, and buff the hell out of them. Usually, the shine is so good that I don't use polish at all. If I do use a polish, I use Allen Edmonds dark brown, very, very sparingly. As to storage, they are stored on shelves in my house, along with all the other brands. I will post pictures of my dark brown Weymouths (which are a year older, are wholecuts, and still have no creases) alongside the Audleys (which have spots, streaks and really incredible creasing and micro-cracking. I have also had the Weymouths a year longer than the Audleys (three years to two years). The amazing thing is, I have a very large rotation, and wear the Audleys MAYBE once a month, and probably less than that. Well, enough of this: on with the pictures tomorrow!