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In Praise of Trickers

aj_del

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Any idea if the Trickers ebay store will deduct VAT for shoes shipped outside EU.
 

brescd01

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Trickers has its good points and its bad points. I think its shoes use better leathers than Sargent for example. Of course, Sargent is in evolution so difficult to talk about that brand. But many of Trickers' designs are clunky (a plus in country shoes if you ask me but not other sorts of shoes) and the finishing is not always so good.

I know I wrote a few months ago that I wish most of my shoes were Trickers. But I go back and forth, its lasts are not as comfortable for my foot as Sargent or Green for example, though this is just anatomy, not quality.

One amusing thing, I just noticed in the picture of the Regent (the right one), the same flaw (one of several) in my own Regents, the curled piece of leather on the throat (what is this called?). It is incredibly annoying. I am not taking anything away from people who collect Trickers, you have chosen well, though some of the designs posted above are the kind of fugly things that got me into trouble when I started building my shoe collection by ordering from Pediwear, sight unseen.
 

hobscrk777

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Here is my lone pair of Tricker's:

Tricker's Durham Wingtips ("Coffee" Brown)
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Wes Bourne

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Originally Posted by brescd01
One amusing thing, I just noticed in the picture of the Regent (the right one), the same flaw (one of several) in my own Regents, the curled piece of leather on the throat (what is this called?). It is incredibly annoying.

That small half circle piece of leather that covers the stitching/tacking between the bottom eyelets? I think the curling is due to that leather being so thin, not an actual defect. In time, I expect the left shoe will look the same.
 

Vox Populi

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Tricker's are in a different league to AS - better construction, better leather. Storm welts are standard on Tricker's. I don't think that's the case with AS. AS uses a lot of corrected grain. Tricker's leather is of excellent quality. Tricker's boots are solid and robust, AS feel flimsy.

Tricker's country collection is what they are known for. Old fashioned, clunky, distinctive in a good way. The 4444 last (found on the Bourton, Ilkley, etc) and the 4497S (Grasmere, Burford, etc) are really comfortable. I particularly like their zugs which polish up to a very dark brown. You can also polish them up to a dark burgundy with a dark red polish. The Grasmere is the best practical country boot available from any of the Northampton makers. It really shrugs off foul weather, water, mud and snow. It's closer to walking boot than country boot really. The C&J Snowdon looks a great boot, smart and light, but I'm not sure about their oak wax hide. Not for me.

If you want a heavy country brogue on a very nice, conservative (not clunky) last, I'd recommend Grenson's Albert, which is a really beautiful shoe. The leather is excellent, the colour of the Rosewood great. They do the Albert in black, so it would work well with a suit.

I'd say that leather quality on Tricker's, Grenson and Crockett & Jones is probably about the same. They are all in the same price range. To be honest, you have to jump up to C&J Handgrade or EG to get the very best. EG are the very best RTW IMO. Fabulous shoes.
 

koolhistorian

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Frankly, Tricker's are the most comfortable shoes that I've bought in the last year - I have a Savile, (black captoe), a Piccadilly (beechnut) and a Newbury Cigar Cordovan. There was no painful break in, no problem staying all day in the shoes, etc. The 4537 last is the best fit I have in some years, so I think that I will go on the Mafoo way, buy Tricker's as the one shoo
 

kev777

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Ive always had the feeling Trickers are the most underated of the Northampton made shoes. I have various pairs from rugged boots to horsebit loafers made for Gucci with beautiful channeled soles and i concur they are both comfortable and extrememely well made. Worth every penny especially from Retricker and Graham @ salsalocust both on ebay.
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chroMe

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love my purple ones from present x trickers collab - next pair will be from belfast bureau
 

brescd01

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Originally Posted by Vox Populi
Tricker's are in a different league to AS - better construction, better leather. Storm welts are standard on Tricker's. I don't think that's the case with AS. AS uses a lot of corrected grain. Tricker's leather is of excellent quality. Tricker's boots are solid and robust, AS feel flimsy

These are the kind of fake comparisons that remind me how I got into trouble with Northampton shoes in the first place. Trickers makes shoes with corrected grain, and AS only uses corrected grain on its lesser lines. Storm welts are not "standard on Trickers", they are standard on Trickers' country shoes. I think you have to try shoes from each line of each of these makers to compare. But this is the same kind of idiosyncratic approach that marginalizes Church's, which are still admired the world over. How Grenson and Trickers, each of which have their flaws and flawed models, got street cred while AS lost it, I don't know.

And that curling is ugly, therefore a defect.
 

Vox Populi

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I meant to say the storm welt was standard in their country collection - my ommission. On the plus side, AS do veldtshoens, Tricker's do not. However, I don't think matters too much - the Tricker's Grasmere is IMO a much better quality boot. Better than the Kelso, which I've also owned. You would, I suppose, expect a better boot - the Grasmere is £80 - £90 more.

I'm not aware of Tricker's using corrected grain. Can you give an example? The Jermyn Street Collection, 1829 Collection, City Collection and Country Collection are all, to my eye, made of good quality leather. I suppose there might be the odd one or two, but these would be the exception, rather than the rule. Driving shoes, Corniche stuff? To sum up, from having owned several AS and Tricker's my experience tells me that Tricker's are generally much better quality than AS.

Some makers do, of course, have good or bad styles. RMW's boots are much envied by all quality makers no doubt. Grenson have some lovely 'Rose' shoes and some unremarkable ones.

A forum is by definition chinwag stuff! The only true test is to compare shoes against shoes, in the flesh, so to speak. Alas that's not possible in a forum, so we all blow hot air at each other. If you go from there then the forum is a marketing tool: it gets people interested so they buy.

As Wilde said: "The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about"
 

brescd01

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I think the Corniche line is made with corrected grain, that is right. In any event, I think Trickers leather is slightly better, over all, than AS. But I think AS's quality control might be a little better. Again, each of these makers has so many lines, plus, we speak as if we see all that they make on sites like Pediwear. Trickers makes a huge number of gaudy models for various markets, and AS makes a lot of lovely shoes for specialty markets as well.

So far as boots, the AS boots look fugly to me. So do the Trickers.

Plus, I think AS is in evolution and will be or is making a lot more of the higher end shoes and fewer of their "classic line" shoes. Trickers' lasts are fugly, sorry. AS's, in general, are not, though I have had to throw out exceptions. In terms of value, I think you could do very well with shoes from both.

I would be very curious for someone to compare, say, AS's best loafer with Tricker's Chicago model and Weston's classic loafer, in terms of longevity. You have to compare apples with apples.
 

DeadDJ

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Hey, I'm trying to figure out some sizing stuff. I'm almost certainly going to get the Malton with a Commando sole, which only comes in the wider 6 fitting. Anyone have any insight on this? Is it significantly wider? I'm already going to be sizing down 1/2 size since I've heard the country collection requires it.

Also, I know this isn't the exact place for it but there isn't a Grenson thread, but same problem. I want a boot that is basically discontinued and I only found ONE place selling it in the wider G fit. Any experiences of insight?

Thanks.
 

mr monty

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