Is it OK for Ecco shoes sole to crack in less than 2 years?

[Flieger]

I hate hate hate hate hate hate Ecco shoes.

A guy who lived in our studenthouse could never wear sneakers because he got smelly feet in them. So instead he walked around in good leather shoes with a leather sole. No problems with that kind of shoe and his huge feet actually looked proportional to his body due to the nice lasts his shoes were on.
He had heard about Ecco and their 'breathing' sole and wanted to try Ecco sneakers.
So when he walked into the room where we were having dinner he showed us (4 guys) the shoes and he was devastated when we explained him how we disliked the styling. But he had one last claim we couldn't (yet) refute and that was the 'breathing' sole.
Well needless to say in about one week after wearing those Ecco sneakers he had to keep them in the hallway instead of his room because he couldn't bear the smell.

 

[Xericx]

Every pair of Ecco's I've had cracked. I had a pair of their "dress shoes", they were pretty bad.

Also have had 3 pairs of the Ecco "Trek" shoes (goretex hiking shoes)...they cracked as well....you can get them replaced but they do crack at about 2 years (think they're about $75 to do so). I bought them at nordstrom, complained and they gave me a new pair though. It is a manufacture defect, not one of use (since the traction was in good condition).

 

[Sartrolliast]

Industrial waste + Asian child labor + $0.14/lb. shipping cost to US = $0.15 per pair Ecco shoe.

The big expenses are advertising and the trucking to Walmart.

Enjoy them.

 

[eightysixed]

I bought a pair of Ecco "City" bluchers sometime around 2002 and only wore them three or four times. Got them on sale and meant to use them in the rain or traveling. I packed them away in their box and stored them in my closet for about four years because I didn't like them very much. I finally got around to wearing them again. On their first day out, I noticed a funny feeling and when I checked the bottom of one of my shoes, I found that much of the heel and other parts of the sole had disintegrated into pieces, pretty much like crumbling a styrofoam cup. Weirdest thing I've ever seen happen to a shoe. Kind of funny to see shoes that still looked brand new, too early to really even develop significant creases, and have the sole fail like that. Perhaps I could/should have done something else but I was so angry I tossed the shoes into the trash when I got home.

 

[Flieger]

In many ways I hate them more than Crocs.
I did not know that was possible.

 

[Nick V.]

Ecco's niche is comfort. When you try them on in a store they feel great.
However, the soling material that they use tends to dry out quickly. When that happens the sole cracks or disintegrates. For those with Ecco's don't store them above normal heat or cold. That speeds up the deteriorating process. Also, try to wear them regularly.

 

[MyOtherLife]

2 pair of ECCO's over here. +2 years and going strong. Not one problem.

 

[Drew Goodall]

Essentio,

It is difficult to say whether or not they should have cracked, alot depends on what you have been doing in them, (for example, if you have put them in a vice or something!) At a push I would say 'no' assuming a life or normal wear and tear.

As a side point dependent on where in the world you are, I know where you can get them resoled!

Good luck


Drew

 

[casemods]

Originally Posted by Essentio

Is it OK for Ecco shoes sole to crack in less than 2 years?.

You can usually tell by the material.

Funny thing is, I bought some columbia boots that looked real plasticy, but my skate shoes are all cotton or something. I still have this pair of DVS's that have taken a beating...

You can usually tell by the material/how it looks/feels

 

[upnorth]

Originally Posted by Essentio

Is it OK for Ecco shoes sole to crack in less than 2 years?

Hell no, it is definitely not OK. These should crack in 6 months or less. You definitely have a problem with yours.

Truth is, if you buy these and wear them infrequently or put them away for one or two season, the soles become brittle and will disintegrate. You need to flex and bend them often to "remind" the soles they still have useful life. Even then, up till a certain point of regular use, these will still give way.

Like Nick said, Eccos' niche is comfort. And by comfort, it means they tend to be designed to make the wearer feel supported and comfortable very quickly with little or no break-in by use of synthetic materials with a lot of give and paddings. This usually clinches the sale because people make decisions the moment they first put on the shoe. In the long run, I think they are pricey, and don't keep well, they don't have the ability to mould to your feet like cork does and the leather has that gaudy logo of theirs sticking out like a sore thumb.

They may be useful for people with very tender feet and needs to walk alot, or who need quick instant break ins, or alternatively as bad weather shoes.

 

[Sebastian_Flyte]

I had a pair of outdoor Ecco shoes-- the soles didn't start crumbling till 10 years later.

 

[Bartolo]

I bought 4 pairs of Eccos in late 2001 - early 2002, and all 4 are still perfectly fine. No cracked soles, and the uppers are in quite decent shape. I still wear them to work in really crappy weather (like the cold rain and snow we're having in Boston today) or use them for long summer vacations where I have to pack light and walk miles every day in a city. I've trudged 6+ miles/day in them and been perfectly comfortable.

 

[Horridge]

"Is it OK for Ecco shoes sole to crack in less than 2 years?"

No -- not OK, but regrettably common.

The problem of suddenly disintegrating Ecco soles is extremely widespread.
Google: ecco soles fall apart
to see what I mean.

It is difficult to know whether the problem is a bad batch, or whether some types of soles
always show this problem.

Ecco refused to refund or replace for my shoes -- which had only been worn a few times before the soles turned to mush.

They must know about the problem (see Ecco on wikipedia) but they do nothing !

 

[epa]

Originally Posted by Essentio

I think it is made of polyurethan... which most probably means that it cannot be replaced...

Back in the days when I was living in Sweden wearing crappy clothing, I acquired some Ecco shoes. One pair was, I believe, some kind of wingtip design. It was called citywalker, I think.

For me, at that time, it was an expensive shoe. Fairly soon, the sole broke away form the upper. I was used to wearing rubber sole shoes and to taking them to a guy for mending when the sole started to get worn out. To my big surprise and frustration, this guy told me that due to the way the sole of this Ecco shoe was joined to the upper (vulcanization?), there was nothing he could do about it.

I never purchased any Ecco shoes again.

My favourite shoes nowadays are Carmina and Santoni.

 

[foodguy]

wow, i'm amazed at all the hate for ecco. i've got 4-5 pairs in regular rotation, one pair more than 10 years old, another very near to that, and they hold up really well. granted, i work in a very casual office environment and normally wear them with jeans or khakis.