Kent Wang Shoe Quality

[Charlesmbush]

Hello all, I've been looking over Kent Wang's site and the affiliate thread for a few days now, and I must say I am impressed all around (I came for the suits, stayed for... everything). I plan on trying out one of his suits as soon as funds become available. After I looked at his shoe selections, I realized I was in the market for shoes such as his as well. (Funny how that happens, isn't it?)

They look superb and their pricing for the ostensible quality seems enormous. After reading through a couple dozen random pages of the affiliate thread I didn't find any reviews of his shoes in direct comparison to other more recognized brands, and I'm just wondering if anyone can attest to their overall quality (comfort, durability, etc.) compared to similarly priced brands. (It seems like C&J would be a closer comparison, though these seem to be priced like high-end AEs, so comparisons to both would seem to be appropriate, or anything near either.)

I have been an AE convert for some time, though these prices and all the glowing praise heaped n Kent Wang has me wavering.

 

[cbbuff]

They are made by DC Lewis, who are 2 members of this forum that started a shoe company. They have gotten great reviews and are well regarded. Quality is at the C&J level with nice lasts.

http://www.styleforum.net/t/249297/introducing-d-c-lewis-footwear-affiliate-thread/0_100

 

[k4lnamja]

I guess the question is what is the adv. of buying from KW vs DC Lewis if it's the same item?

For me, I would buy from KW (even if it's higher which I don't know) b/c of his customer service.

 

[nerdykarim]

You may wish to confirm this with Kent and/or David, but I don't think every model on Kent's site is a DC Lewis shoe.

edit: David's a great guy and provides excellent customer service as well.

 

[AchtungBaby07]

to my knowledge only the single monk is from david and the rest are from kent

both have top notch service and is a great pleasure to deal with.

 

[Charlesmbush]

So, Lewis or Wang, either way they're still great shoes underselling the competition? KW seems to have a limited selection at present, is this normal? (The black Balmoral is a wonderful looking specimen, if only it came in brown or (heaven forbid) oxblood) If he had a more fleshed out lineup of shoes, he could make a name for himself on that alone, not to mention his already hyped suiting.

 

[Dayman]

The Handgrade brogue and the Handgrade monkstrap are DC Lewis shoes. The other three benchgrade models are Kent Wang shoes. I can tell you that the Monkstrap called Clayton is a awesome shoe for the price, im waiting fr more from DC Lewis. I have no experience with the benchgrades, but I am interested in the chukka. I'll let you know if i get it!

 

[JezeC]

any other reviewers for his Kent's shoe line?

 

[PiCcolocV]

There are several posts in the affiliate thread on this if you search enough.

I own the dark brown cap toes, and zero complaints, a whole different level than AE in terms of the leather and construction/details, and the last is perfect for the aesthetic I was going for. I am making every effort to make these my 20 year brown dress shoes.