Recrafting vs buying seconds

[Bobtben]

I've owned a pair of allen edmonds burtons I bought off eBay a few years ago and always thought I would recraft them because I've loved them. However I just purchased two pairs of seconds for the 2 for $250 deal and I'm anxiously waiting to receive them. My question is why would I recraft a pair of shoes for 125-150 when I could buy a brand new pair that is a second for the same price or less?

 

[forseti6]

A few reasons -
you love your shoes and want to prolong their life.
the model/color isn't available as a second
the seconds defects bother you
your shoes are broken in to perfection

Certainly with AE, it's a harder choice to buy new shoes vs recrafting them. This debate sways in the direction of recrafting for more expensive shoes.

I have had my AE Park Aves resoled twice already. The first time with regular soles, the second time with the half rubber soles. When the current soles run out, I might go the seconds route as I don't think the uppers are going to maintain it's integrity too much longer.