Surprisingly Cheap but Good Brands

[aj2603]

Interesting.. I agree on lot of things u said there .. yes they r a direct to customer brand. they are priced bellow 200 dollar. at that price range u can't really expect excellent quality...

what are ur thoughts on J.FitzPatrick shoe brand ?

 

[SimonC]

what are ur thoughts on J.FitzPatrick shoe brand ?

Justin as an individual has an excellent ethos - he's a proud advocate for the industry, whether his products or those of 'competitors'.

My experience with his shoes is that others might have surpassed him in quality-price ratio, but he has a number of unique designs / make-ups. That is where his value lies - in innovating, and producing something you won't see elsewhere.

 

[aj2603]

Justin as an individual has an excellent ethos - he's a proud advocate for the industry, whether his products or those of 'competitors'.

My experience with his shoes is that others might have surpassed him in quality-price ratio, but he has a number of unique designs / make-ups. That is where his value lies - in innovating, and producing something you won't see elsewhere.

so in terms of quality around that price point who would you recommend ?

 

[Oshare]

Interesting.. I agree on lot of things u said there .. yes they r a direct to customer brand. they are priced bellow 200 dollar. at that price range u can't really expect excellent quality...

what are ur thoughts on J.FitzPatrick shoe brand ?

I'm sure Thursday Boots products would be better than what most people wear -- which is usually disposable footwear with cemented construction using synthetic materials. So Thursday Boots seems like they're doing their best to provide a decent product at a price point that would be affordable to more people.

But for under $199 and still turning a profit, you need to cut costs wherever possible. I think that boils down to:

• Time (and worker experience level) spent on construction and attention to detail
• Materials used, mainly in terms of leather quality

I think that with shoes you get what you pay for. Personally I think the sweet spot for "good" shoes (very subjective term there!) starts at about $500 and goes up to about $800. So that would be a significant expense for many people.

Below that range and you can get shoes that are somewhat decent... but you'll need to be using cheaper labor (obviously moving manufacturing to places with lower labor costs, and possibly using less experienced/skilled workers) and lower quality leathers. I won't name the company, but as an example I tried 2 pairs of GYW shoes from a sub-$300 brand and: the left and right shoes are not quite symmetrical on one pair, the soles started to squeak while walking, the leather developed large and very visible creases, and they don't take a nice shine IMO. They're still very serviceable shoes, but definitely not among my favorites.

Beyond $800, and I think you're running into diminishing returns on your money. You'll be paying a premium for workmanship and materials that I think are real... but you'll be paying much more for smaller improvements in quality.

 

[aj2603]

All my shoes as of now have been bellow the $300 mark.. couple of johnston & murphy's etc.... but now i am thinking of getting into the next segment ..
Had shortlisted it down to 3 companies:
1. Allen Edmonds
2. Crockett & Jones
3. J.FitzPatrick

 

[Oshare]

All my shoes as of now have been bellow the $300 mark.. couple of johnston & murphy's etc.... but now i am thinking of getting into the next segment ..
Had shortlisted it down to 3 companies:
1. Allen Edmonds
2. Crockett & Jones
3. J.FitzPatrick

I don't mean to knock sub-$300 or sub-$200 shoes. They have their place and there are some decent shoes to be had in that range. But I do think the manufacturers need to quite aggressively shave costs wherever possible in order to meet that price point. Where they cut costs may be visible to discerning customers, or become more evident after a few wears.

From your list, I'd seriously consider Crockett & Jones if you can afford to take that step. Their construction is top notch and they use good quality leather. Very classic.

Allen Edmonds today is a shadow of what it used to be. Vintage Allen Edmond shoes were quite good, but I don't think their current shoes are worth the price.

Never looked at J. FitzPatrick.

 

[SimonC]

+1 - C&J may be a little more expensive than the others you have listed, but the pairs I have taken a beating and still look great.

 

[aj2603]

yes .. i am planning to buy a C&J. the problem is i live in India.. where J&M is considered a premium shoe. so i can only buy on my next trip to London

 

[knittieguy]

Unfortunately, they seem to have raised the prices the last time I checked, but for years Lands End knit ties were a great bargain. The quality was, in my opinion, on a par with Paul Stuart, Kent Wang, and several others I've tried, and possibly even made by the same Italian manufacturer (I've always suspected Nick Bronson manufactured most people's knit ties).

 

[stylish_raven]

personally I think these are not well cared for, despite the leather quality. On the other hand the leather looks as more typical of the belly of the animal, lower standards.

 

[Brookston]

Robert Barakett Pima cotton t shirts. Fantastic, and can find them NWT on eBay sometimes for $25-30. More expensive than a lot of t shirts, but they last forever, and feel fantastic.

 

[knittieguy]

personally I think these are not well cared for, despite the leather quality. On the other hand the leather looks as more typical of the belly of the animal, lower standards.

which shoe are you referring to?