Cobbler Union - Bespoke-Inspired, Small-Batch, Luxury Men's Shoes - Official Affiliate Thread

[ruscle298]

Hey Ruscle. I've recently purchased 2 pairs of shoes from TLB Mallorca and one pair of shoes from Cobbler Union.
TLB: Dark Brown suede penny loafer (Martin) and Vegano Brown Double Monks (Keaton)
CU: Dark brown museum calf semi Brogue. (William III)

I've worn the double monks and semi brogue for 4 times so far and they are holding up very well. The leather on both are soft and supple to the touch. My William III broke in after the first wear and there were no discomfort whatsoever. The double monks were a little stiff at the first two wear but it has soften up.


And to answer your question....

1. Both pair are comparable in my opinion. I believe both pair have metal shank but don't take my word for it. The Artista Line is definitely the more premium line and the quality of the leather is top-notch based on my first impression in one of my local stockist. The shape is a lot sleeker and sharper than my William from CU.

2. They do not offer any resoling/re-constructing service.

3. The semi brogue that I've received from Cobbler Union was not "perfect". I'm hesitant to use the word "perfect" because I've not received any GYW shoes without any sort of minor imperfection. However, I can confidently say that Cobbler Union provides an outstanding customer service. You can read more about my first impression here. On the other hand, the welt wasn't as clean on the TLB double monks.


It boils down to your preference. Do you want something a little more sleek? Do you want real leather stiffener? Do you want a more pronounced fiddleback/beveled waist? If it's a yes then go with Artista.
1
But the finishing on the sole on my William III is extremely nice (aside from the "crack") and I've been finding myself reaching for that pair more often. Whichever brand you chose to go with, I can assure you that you will be getting a quality, well-made product. I strongly believe that you will not go wrong with either pair.

Thank you for your insight & experience. I just found out Artista &
C. Union both use metal shanks. I also just found out that TLB has a reconditioning/re-soling service for about $200usd.
I just bought the black wholecut from TLB Artista & C. Union. I'm looking forward to trying them on & comparing them. Congrats on
finding shoes from TLB & C. Union that meet your standards. Enjoy them!

 

[bryanljs]

Thank you for your insight & experience. I just found out Artista &
C. Union both use metal shanks. I also just found out that TLB has a reconditioning/re-soling service for about $200usd.
I just bought the black wholecut from TLB Artista & C. Union. I'm looking forward to trying them on & comparing them. Congrats on
finding shoes from TLB & C. Union that meet your standards. Enjoy them!

Likewise! I'd love to see an update from you. Do let us know the quality/first impression of both pairs when they arrive!
Cheers

 

[bryanljs]

Oh yeah. Does anyone here own a pair of Benjamin UR from cobbler union? (Suede Chelsea in Tobacco colour)

How's the colour of the Tobacco suede? Is it more of an orangey-brown or light tan?

Can the Cobbler Union team/Daniel comment on this?

 

[bryanljs]

Really liking my recent Cobbler Union Francis V monk straps; curious why they did not add an elastic to the buckle which allows the shoe to be "slipped-on" like a loafer and if not, then why make the strap slightly wider than the buckle making it very difficult to attach ? Other than that the shoes are very comfortable and the insole provides great arch support as well.

View attachment 1225799

Those looks fantastic man! Initially I wanted to get the Francis III but they were sold out.. and they've been replaced with this version. How's the fit on this like? Is it narrow? Those looks like it's very sharped angled and may cause a problem for my little toe.

 

[Sfroide3]

Oh yeah. Does anyone here own a pair of Benjamin UR from cobbler union? (Suede Chelsea in Tobacco colour)

How's the colour of the Tobacco suede? Is it more of an orangey-brown or light tan?

Can the Cobbler Union team/Daniel comment on this?

Got one pair (actually for sale UK8). Here is a little pic I took for you:

First one is Greats Royale Nick Woodster in light tan suede (actually it's a very very light tan)
Second one is the Cobbler union in Tobacco suede (not reddish at all in my opinion)
Third is a Meermin in polo suede (reddish as you can see)

I hope it will help you.

 

[andrel42]

@bryanljs Actually on the 2 wear my right foot got very sore (huge blister) where the captoe bends. I anticipate it needed a bit more stiffener then what is there. Not sure I can wear them again but they are not too tight in the toe.

 

[bryanljs]

Got one pair (actually for sale UK8). Here is a little pic I took for you:

View attachment 1229631

First one is Greats Royale Nick Woodster in light tan suede (actually it's a very very light tan)
Second one is the Cobbler union in Tobacco suede (not reddish at all in my opinion)
Third is a Meermin in polo suede (reddish as you can see)

I hope it will help you.

Hey, thanks for the photos. I Appreciate it. I've actually contacted Sara from Cobbler Union in July regarding the colour of the Benjamin UR and she told me the original (older) colour of the boot was this... which I've taken from the eu site.

She also mentioned that they are bringing back to this colour soon and I actually need/want a Chelsea boot as i'm heading for to Sweden in the next few weeks and this might be the perfect Chelsea with storm welt. I very much prefer the reddish hue of Tobacco with the Chelsea.


The current Benjamin UR in "Tobacco" Suede is a little lighter which I've taken from their american site... similar to the ones you shown me.

Did you purchase them earlier this year before they changed the suede colour? Also, how's the Meermin Chelsea (Comfort, durability and style)? Which one do you prefer? Thank you for helping me make a decision.

 

[ruscle298]

Likewise! I'd love to see an update from you. Do let us know the quality/first impression of both pairs when they arrive!
Cheers

I will provide and update and pictures, along with the Carmina black wholecut I purchased about 3 weeks ago. I will be interesting comparing the 3 black wholecuts.

 

[Sfroide3]

Did you purchase them earlier this year before they changed the suede colour? Also, how's the Meermin Chelsea (Comfort, durability and style)? Which one do you prefer? Thank you for helping me make a decision.

The pair I have is the lighter color that I bought this year.

About meermin. I would say it's a totally different approach. Quality is definitely cheaper. I had to reglue the heel after 3-4 wears. It's not a storm welt. But stitching density is the same so that's very positive. The sole is way lighter. It's not a dainite but a "ciry" rubber sole. They also have dainite on different colors chelsea. Style is very similar. The "storm welt" add a little something to these chelsea boots. Round shape. Leather quality ... well it's suede so there is not much to say. It's sanded ! I would pick the cobbler but not the suede version considering the "storm welt" and the beautiful leather finnish they do offer. If you are interested in the practical aspect of the "storm welt", buying a suede chelsea doesn't make sense to me. Storm welt is good against water but suede hates water.

Comfort comparison is complicated as I bought the cobbler union too small so it's not a fair comparison.

 

[bryanljs]

The pair I have is the lighter color that I bought this year. About meermin. I would say it's a totally different approach. Quality is definitely cheaper. I had to reglue the heel after 3-4 wears. It's not a storm welt. But stitching density is the same so that's very positive. The sole is way lighter. It's not a dainite but a "ciry" rubber sole. They also have dainite on different colors chelsea. Style is very similar. The "storm welt" add a little something to these chelsea boots. Round shape. Leather quality ... well it's suede so there is not much to say. It's sanded ! I would pick the cobbler but not the suede version considering the "storm welt" and the beautiful leather finnish they do offer. If you are interested in the practical aspect of the "storm welt", buying a suede chelsea doesn't make sense to me. Storm welt is good against water but suede hates water. Comfort comparison is complicated as I bought the cobbler union too small so it's not a fair comparison.

Hey, thank you for the in-depth comparison. I finally pulled the trigger and ordered 2 pairs; the Benjamin uR and Alex uR. I honestly like the subtle storm-welt on the Chelsea and it's hard to find any maker that offer this particular feature. I've been exchanging emails with their staff regarding the colours and it looks like I've found the "tobacco" that I've wanted. Something that doesn't look like Tan or Biege as I like the orange/reddish undertone.

The 312 last, although the widest last, doesn't look bulky and bulbous based on all the photos I've seen. I had a hard time deciding between CU, Lof & Tung and TLB but CU keeps back coming to me.

I may do a follow up here to help some of you decide whether or not to purchase from them but so far, my William III has been holding up very well. They are having sales right now so you guys might want to take a look.

Cheers!

 

[Daniel__G]

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[Daniel__G]

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[txm22]

@Cobbler Union any reason you decided against a fiddleback/beveled waist combo on the Robert? I thought that was standard for your leather sole options.

 

[bryanljs]

Hi all,

I had purchased a pair of William III oxford 2 months ago and wrote about them on reddit. My first impression was... mixed due to the flaws, particularly the misaligned crack at the outsole and misaligned broguing perforations. The broguing perforation was considered minor, for me at least... but the crack was bothering me. However, after owning the shoes for almost 2 months (and 5 wears), I must say that my initial annoyance has dissipated. The shoes are incredibly comfortable and the city last is generous across the toebox. Needless to say, I was never really bothered by the crack at all. Sure it looks.. unattractive but wearing the shoes means I never really look at the sole until I took the shoes off and put it at my shoe rack. The outsole finishing is without a doubt, beautiful and I really appreciate the slight beveled/fiddleback waist. The team have since address my concerns through emails and offered to "Compensate" me with a few different options. I love the shoe and have decided to keep them while paying for them at a lower cost.. taking the flaws into consideration. They really went above and beyond to address my concerns and I can't emphasis that enough. For anyone looking at Cobbler Union, don't be afraid to reach out to them regarding any of their products as i'm sure they will be more than happy to assist you. I'm a very happy customer and as you can tell from the post on top, I have purchased 2 more and they will be arriving soon. I will definitely be posting my pictures over here when they arrive.

 

[bryanljs]

@Cobbler Union any reason you decided against a fiddleback/beveled waist combo on the Robert? I thought that was standard for your leather sole options.

I have a feeling that they are removing that particular feature from their line moving forward as mentioned by Daniel in an interview with Stitchdown. You can read the full interview with Stitchdown here but this is what Daniel said regarding the beveled waist in the interview.


"Coming from a bespoke shoe, you always have a beveled waist. So as we developed our collection, we worked with a master shoemaker to come up with our own sole. And at the time, I was obsessed with that and I thought it was the key to our success. So we did the beveled waist, and came up with a different shank. And in a way we created a mess, because that’s a lot of handwork for $395. So from what I’ve learned, now a lot of the new shoes will not have that. Especially because also in the US, you will not find a lot of cobblers who can resole that whole thing. They can resole the shoes, but not recreate that beautiful waist. "

I'm not sure if i'm interpreting this correctly but I hope someone from the team can address this here.