C&J shoe trees worth it?

[DaveDr89]

All,
I'm buying a couple more shoes from plal.com and was wondering if I should also get a couple of their shoes trees. They are a bit pricey at around 70 bucks, is it worth it, or should any regular cedar shoe trees do? I see in an old thread that cedarville epic shoe trees can be had for 20. Is there much of a difference between the C&J trees and these, i .e., are the C&J trees such perfect fit for C&J shoes, etc?
thanks!

 

[antirabbit]

get the epic....unless you are all about shoe tree aethetics!

 

[Hard2Fit]

Good question.
I was wondering the same thing about the C&J trees from Ben Silver.
Also, I've heard (or read) that they fit certain C&J lasts better than others.

 

[DaveDr89]

just checked, right now the C&J trees are around $77 from plal.com. For the 337 last how important is it that I get these? I looked at some old threads that suggested that the epic might be a bit wide.

ps - any suggestions for lighter trees for short travel?

 

[dr.no]

I like these very much - good spring action, narrow heel and nice finish - and they are very light despite being solid wood.

shoe tree

 

[flatfront]

Much as I love C&J shoes I don't own any of their trees for the simple reason of price.
No need to spend as much as they charge IMO. A quick google search will reveal there are many good trees for much less $$$.

 

[DaveDr89]

thanks ... is there a consensus on a particular one that is good for the 337 last? which do you use? I have some older cedar trees that I could use I guess but don't want to stretch them or increase creasing, etc.

 

[leon12]

I have a pair.. they fit the 348 and 337 rather nicely. I wasn't as concerned with the price since I own one pair of trees and rotate them through my C&J shoes after wearing.

The fit certainly isn't like a lasted tree, so if you can find something that fits well for a good price, go that route.

 

[gbs2102]

I forget which last they're based on; the NYC store manager told me some time ago. I suggest you give the NYC store a call to confirm. From my experience, they fit the 337 and 341 lasts much, much better than they do the 348.

 

[DaveDr89]

I've heard this a few times ... i.e., that one only puts the trees in for a day or so after wearing and leave the other shoes sans trees ... whereas others seem to own trees for every pair ... thoughts on this approach?

 

[Hard2Fit]

I think a shoe tree only needs to be in a pair of shoes for a day.
After that the benefits are minimal.
FWIW, I have no formal proof though.

 

[teddieriley]

(1) You don't need the C&J trees unless you like the look of having same branded trees in the shoes and can afford it.

(2) For $15 for trees, I don't see why one can't have a pair for every pair of higher end/nice shoes one owns. I could see one not wanting trees for $100 pair of beaters, but if you're dropping cash for $400 shoes, might as well get trees for that pair as well and leave them in whenever you're not wearing the shoes.

 

[PittDoc]

Originally Posted by DaveDr89

ps - any suggestions for lighter trees for short travel?

"Plastic" shoe trees from Wal-Mart are cheap and light - although I feel like I have to apologize to my good shoes after using them for travel. They have less "spring" in them than wooden trees so I wouldn't recommend them for long-term use.

 

[DocHolliday]

Or just roll up socks and stuff them in the shoes until you get home.

 

[LabelKing]

I have a pair of vintage Alan McAfee travel shoe trees in light-weight aluminum.