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GrantStone

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I have noticed something that I find interesting, there is another shoe thread here on SF, where regularly people post things like :"Is this a first or should I return it to get seconds pricing?" and then include photos of some defect that got through QC and into the customer's hands as firsts. I haven't seen anything like that on the GS thread, ever. We should be happy and proud that we are the owners of such fine footwear, from a company that cares about it's customer base. Ok, off the soapbox, back to regularly scheduled programming......

We really do appreciate this and make an effort to catch QC issues before shipping. I can promise you we do have these issues but sometimes it's more of an inquiry whether it should be acceptable.

Loose grain is probably the most common of course because most want a CXL that looks like shell. Some pairs might have very tight grain throughout but for the others, we just do our best to explain it is part of the larger bovine articles.

There are plenty of other issues as well but sometimes I feel like internet purchasing has made a monster out of this. If someone saw a loose grain quarter in a retail store but the salesman explained what it was, it would be settled without any further concerns. When purchased online, a good percentage of customers return it automatically without asking because they wont want to go back and forth by email and feel like the brand is trying to pull one over. The ability to return the product with no questions asked also seems to play a role in this where driving it back to the store and dealing with customer service is something people might rather avoid.

So I decided to exchange my boots for a larger size. I think my toes will be thanking me for years to come.
I should have gone with the 10.5D in the longwings too, sadly they are out of stock now in both black calf and dune CXL.

Where did I mess up? Taking the online fit advisor’s advice without emailing Grant Stone first. There’s a moral here, guys. I don’t think it’s that the fit advisor is bad, but my feet are a little unusual.

In hindsight, I downsized too aggressively (a whole size down from brannock measurement) in an attempt to compensate for my narrow heel and low volume foot. The split reverse welt is pretty unforgiving in the way of accommodating extra toe splay.

I don’t know if I’ve ever seen it mentioned, but the Leo last to me feels like a low volume fit compared to other GYW shoes, especially over the forefoot. This is not a bad thing, but worth considering.

Is there anyone reading who would entertain trading a 10.5D GS shoe/boot for my 10D Dune Longwings?

Sorry about that. When in between sizes, we do always prefer to size up versus down. The customer might feel the shoe/boot is a bit full at first but we would completely agree with your decision that if it feels uncomfortably snug, don't try to break it in. It will just lead to a poor experience in most cases.
 

audog

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Loose grain is probably the most common of course because most want a CXL that looks like shell. Some pairs might have very tight grain throughout but for the others, we just do our best to explain it is part of the larger bovine articles.
And that is one of the appeals of CXL, for some of us :)
 

woofmang

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So, I'm also on the Filson Bag thread, and posted a pix of a bag I picked up at an estate sale, my GS cap toe boots are in the photo. Someone ask if they were GS, I replied yes. That poster then said this: Yeah, the shape of these are so awkward, they stand out. I don't think they are awkward, I kind of like them....
Clearly the user in question is insufficiently socialized.
 

mak1277

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Well said, the GS cap toe boot is not the "sleekest" of boots, but in no way awkward. The Leo last doesn't lend itself to a "sleek" presentation, but it is so damn comfortable, who cares.

Actually that's a good question. I would probably put "visual appeal" slightly ahead of "comfort" when choosing footwear (excluding my hiking shoes and slippers).
 

bl@ster

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So, I'm also on the Filson Bag thread, and posted a pix of a bag I picked up at an estate sale, my GS cap toe boots are in the photo. Someone ask if they were GS, I replied yes. That poster then said this: Yeah, the shape of these are so awkward, they stand out. I don't think they are awkward, I kind of like them....

Utterly ridiculous. LOL, that guy probably thinks these 2 pair look real purdy:

1296732

1296733
 
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audog

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Actually that's a good question. I would probably put "visual appeal" slightly ahead of "comfort" when choosing footwear (excluding my hiking shoes and slippers).
I have a good friend who is a shoe-nut, she has as many pair of shoes as I have boots, probably more. Her mantra is, "they may hurt but damn they look good". She is used to stuff not fitting correctly and maybe even hurting, she's a former runway model....and could still be one, even at 58 yrs old- great genetics.
 

Neo1

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So I decided to exchange my boots for a larger size. I think my toes will be thanking me for years to come.
I should have gone with the 10.5D in the longwings too, sadly they are out of stock now in both black calf and dune CXL.

Where did I mess up? Taking the online fit advisor’s advice without emailing Grant Stone first. There’s a moral here, guys. I don’t think it’s that the fit advisor is bad, but my feet are a little unusual.

In hindsight, I downsized too aggressively (a whole size down from brannock measurement) in an attempt to compensate for my narrow heel and low volume foot. The split reverse welt is pretty unforgiving in the way of accommodating extra toe splay.

I don’t know if I’ve ever seen it mentioned, but the Leo last to me feels like a low volume fit compared to other GYW shoes, especially over the forefoot. This is not a bad thing, but worth considering.

Is there anyone reading who would entertain trading a 10.5D GS shoe/boot for my 10D Dune Longwings?

Interesting.

I got the Diesel boots in a 6.5D based upon the advice of going the same size as with the Barrie last. This wound up being a full size down from brannock (7.5C to 6.5D). I found the boots to run more snug in the heel and tighter at the vamp than the HM out of the box, but still felt ample volume. After about 10 full day wears, the left boot is quite loose and the right is moderate. I always find CXL to stretch a ton and have to factor this in.

Now what I was really concerned about was the Traveler, which I understood to be on a lower volume last. Multiple forum members along with Josh & Wyatt recommended going to my normal 7D due to a lower vamp (concern was my very high right foot instep). I decided to go against all of their advice (in truth, the amount of shoes I've tried on in my lifetime would make most people's heads spin so I wasn't exactly flying blind) and get a 6.5D. Out of the box they felt damn snug and damn stiff. Two days wear later, man are they perfect.

So bottom line is you never can tell until you try.
 

Neo1

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We really do appreciate this and make an effort to catch QC issues before shipping. I can promise you we do have these issues but sometimes it's more of an inquiry whether it should be acceptable.

There are plenty of other issues as well but sometimes I feel like internet purchasing has made a monster out of this. If someone saw a loose grain quarter in a retail store but the salesman explained what it was, it would be settled without any further concerns. When purchased online, a good percentage of customers return it automatically without asking because they wont want to go back and forth by email and feel like the brand is trying to pull one over. The ability to return the product with no questions asked also seems to play a role in this where driving it back to the store and dealing with customer service is something people might rather avoid.

I guess I somewhat agree but I also think there are a lot more contributing factors than just the internet returns. I've been a loyal customer of AE for years, finally breaking from that this year with my first Alden. On that other thread, you will see intermittent "bursts" of posts about the collapse of everything, etc. But it's a little different than that. To me, AE is like a headless spectre, a boat lost in the water without a captain. They're pumping out sneakers like crazy. They put out tons of stuff with lots of foam padding and with lightweight welts. They've gotten into lots of sharper image esque marketing gimmick nonsense like featherwelt, stormwelt, weatherproof, waterproof. Theve stretched themselves into every Avenue to try to compete with....I dont even know anymore, while at the same time, letting their core styles drop in consistency and quality. To make matters worse, many of the sales staff are not only very inexperienced but also unhelpful, and they continue to raise prices while not making real improvements.

It would be one thing if they just tanked as a whole, but as was crystal clearly evident by the recent trunk show stuff in the chili and scuffed antique burgundy, they can absolutely put out a pristine high quality product if they want to.
 

GrantStone

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I guess I somewhat agree but I also think there are a lot more contributing factors than just the internet returns. I've been a loyal customer of AE for years, finally breaking from that this year with my first Alden. On that other thread, you will see intermittent "bursts" of posts about the collapse of everything, etc. But it's a little different than that. To me, AE is like a headless spectre, a boat lost in the water without a captain. They're pumping out sneakers like crazy. They put out tons of stuff with lots of foam padding and with lightweight welts. They've gotten into lots of sharper image esque marketing gimmick nonsense like featherwelt, stormwelt, weatherproof, waterproof. Theve stretched themselves into every Avenue to try to compete with....I dont even know anymore, while at the same time, letting their core styles drop in consistency and quality. To make matters worse, many of the sales staff are not only very inexperienced but also unhelpful, and they continue to raise prices while not making real improvements.

It would be one thing if they just tanked as a whole, but as was crystal clearly evident by the recent trunk show stuff in the chili and scuffed antique burgundy, they can absolutely put out a pristine high quality product if they want to.

My mistake, I was more or less referencing our experience with internet business and not commenting about the other brand.

One thing we have noticed is if we can have a dialogue with the customer instead of allowing them to return without contacting us, quite often we can settle the concern. Style Forum and Reddit has also helped as some post a concern and the audience will reply, usually with good information.

We have had plenty of pairs that I know we could sell in a retail store with small creases right off the shelf for full price but likely would get them back if shipped to a customer.
 

Hotel Cali

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I have noticed something that I find interesting, there is another shoe thread here on SF, where regularly people post things like :"Is this a first or should I return it to get seconds pricing?" and then include photos of some defect that got through QC and into the customer's hands as firsts. I haven't seen anything like that on the GS thread, ever. We should be happy and proud that we are the owners of such fine footwear, from a company that cares about it's customer base. Ok, off the soapbox, back to regularly scheduled programming......

My complaint would be: Why I am getting first when I pay for seconds pricing! ;)
 

nmh20

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We really do appreciate this and make an effort to catch QC issues before shipping. I can promise you we do have these issues but sometimes it's more of an inquiry whether it should be acceptable.

Loose grain is probably the most common of course because most want a CXL that looks like shell. Some pairs might have very tight grain throughout but for the others, we just do our best to explain it is part of the larger bovine articles.

There are plenty of other issues as well but sometimes I feel like internet purchasing has made a monster out of this. If someone saw a loose grain quarter in a retail store but the salesman explained what it was, it would be settled without any further concerns. When purchased online, a good percentage of customers return it automatically without asking because they wont want to go back and forth by email and feel like the brand is trying to pull one over. The ability to return the product with no questions asked also seems to play a role in this where driving it back to the store and dealing with customer service is something people might rather avoid.

I think credit to the manufacturing as well. Perhaps you’ve other outlets for the gnarly pairs (I.E. they never even make it to the U.S.) but even the 2nds I’ve seen could pass as 1sts.
 

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