John Lobb or Crockett and Jones

[aspivo]

Hi,
New to this forum. Also new to buying good quality shoes.
I'm looking into buying a black shoes and Barney's have some sale. Between the two, which would be a better buy? I want to have a good quality shoes that looks sharp. Also, the John Lobb shoes does not have my size. Is it safe to buy the JL a half size smaller?
I'm tempted to buy these but not sure if I should. Or should I just buy something else at regular price?

https://www.barneys.com/product/john-lobb-city-ii-balmorals-503913948.html

https://www.barneys.com/product/crockett--26-jones-hallam-cap-toe-balmorals-500132596.html

Can anybody who've owned JL and C&J give me your advise.
thanks in advance

 

[papado]

Hi,
New to this forum. Also new to buying good quality shoes.
I'm looking into buying a black shoes and Barney's have some sale. Between the two, which would be a better buy? I want to have a good quality shoes that looks sharp. Also, the John Lobb shoes does not have my size. Is it safe to buy the JL a half size smaller?
I'm tempted to buy these but not sure if I should. Or should I just buy something else at regular price?

https://www.barneys.com/product/john-lobb-city-ii-balmorals-503913948.html

https://www.barneys.com/product/crockett--26-jones-hallam-cap-toe-balmorals-500132596.html

Can anybody who've owned JL and C&J give me your advise.
thanks in advance

You shouldn't be buying Lobbs if you're not sure of your size because they are not a cheap investment. I personally like Lobb better but it's also twice (if not 3 times) more than C&J so it's up to you and your budget. If you have plenty of shoes then a JLP can't hurt, but if you're looking to build out your collection you can't go wrong with the C&Js.

 

[circumspice]

Buy the shoe that fits.

 

[ValidusLA]

Don't buy a $1K+ shoe out of your size.

Comparing JL and CJ shoes isn't really functional. They are in a different quality and price range. Most people would argue JL shoes are "better" but CJ are also quite nice. Depends what you want to spend.

 

[maxalex]

Also note that the current Barney’s sale is final—no returns. I just bought a pair of CJ balmorals in the sale (my size in the Lobb was sold out), but I already know their 10.5 M fits me perfectly.