The high end Chinese Shoe Thread

[vriche]

What is the price for hephaestus? What did you pay for yours? They look incredible!

Thank you! It was $515 for GYW with the lasted trees, metal tips and shipping. But I opted for HW, so it was $615.

 

[clee1982]

So pretty comparable to Xibao/OctTenth/Yeossal in price term then, would be interesting to hear your opinion on how they compare.

by the way now Yeossal affiliate thread is closed, do any of you guys has sizing experience with Yeossal’s last, saw some stuff on B&S...

 

[clee1982]

I believe so, excluding embargoed countries like Cuba and the DPRK of course.
As far as your previous question, I'm not sure what fees DHL or other shipping companies may charge, I only know of those duties from US Customs. Probably best to contact DHL and ask them.

oh on the DHL stuff I’m referring to when it’s over $800 I know they charge bunch absurd processing fee that you can’t get around in addition to import duty, so usually skip DHL when it’s over $800...

 

[vriche]

So pretty comparable to Xibao/OctTenth/Yeossal in price term then, would be interesting to hear your opinion on how they compare.

by the way now Yeossal affiliate thread is closed, do any of you guys has sizing experience with Yeossal’s last, saw some stuff on B&S...

I’ll do an unboxing video for each one as I’m expecting a SpTD pair from Yeossal as well then I’ll make a video comparing all 3.

 

[acapaca]

So pretty comparable to Xibao/OctTenth/Yeossal in price term then, would be interesting to hear your opinion on how they compare.

by the way now Yeossal affiliate thread is closed, do any of you guys has sizing experience with Yeossal’s last, saw some stuff on B&S...

On me the YR8 last (Scotts model) fit full in the instep. My guess is that the OT lasts are pretty similar to the Yeossal ones.

 

[Kangnamstyles]

So pretty comparable to Xibao/OctTenth/Yeossal in price term then, would be interesting to hear your opinion on how they compare.

by the way now Yeossal affiliate thread is closed, do any of you guys has sizing experience with Yeossal’s last, saw some stuff on B&S...

I’m planning on doing a comparison of four Y shoes in four different lasts, one Oct 10, and one Wayman once they all arrive in the next few weeks.

 

[ashwinrao1]

Hephaestus is great. They respond rapidly via their account on Facebook and via Thanh Le's personal account. Their quality is great, through their nongrain leathers seem to crease on me a bit more than I'd like. I have a standard width. He will ask for your measurements, and decide which last to put you in. He fit me into his legacy (L) last, and it's honestly perfect. The fitting is nearly bespoke. I now have 3 pairs, including a wingtip derby (my first pair), a pair of customs (that I designed and he made; a really cool option if you are up for it), and a pair of annonay dark brown grain split toes which are the best of the bunch (leather is not creasing, and this design and last work well. Vladimir went for the same idea in black grain....Cost is around $450-$550, depending on leather, whether or not you get a lasted shoe tree (yes, please do, as they are great), and whether you get a wooden box (which then entitles you to a 5% discount moving forward). I am very happy with Hephaestus and consider the qualitty to be up their with brands such as Y by Yeossal, and others. They compare quite favorably to much higher end shoes. If he upped the game of his patina leather, I think they'd truly be hard to beat, as you can customize as much as you wish, and he's game to work with you on that. Turn around times are generally about 1-2 months, though he quotes 30 days. Shipping from Vietman is through a regional post and hand off. My first pair took 2 weeks. The next 2 pairs took 3 days...go figure

 

[ashwinrao1]

 

[clee1982]

On me the YR8 last (Scotts model) fit full in the instep. My guess is that the OT lasts are pretty similar to the Yeossal ones.

doesn't help that Yeossal use "Euro" sizing while OctTenth use UK sizing, not sure if the conversion on Yeossal is "same" either...

edit: if instep is high in general then I'm good, but I worry about toebox, and I read various description on Yeossal that says x fits narrower etc., wonder how "narrow" is narrower...

 

[acapaca]

doesn't help that Yeossal use "Euro" sizing while OctTenth use UK sizing, not sure if the conversion on Yeossal is "same" either...

edit: if instep is high in general then I'm good, but I worry about toebox, and I read various description on Yeossal that says x fits narrower etc., wonder how "narrow" is narrower...

Yeah, Yeossal has almost a proprietary sizing model, I seem to remember. Mine were listed as 41/7.5, when normally it's 41.5 that is the 7.5 equivalent with most brands.

At any rate, I saw those shoes for sale. Great value!

 

[vriche]

Here’s my Yeossal unboxing video of the Balmoral GMTO from May. I’d say from my experience, the Yeossal SG65 fits narrower than the Oct. Tenth Pu last.

 

[clee1982]

Here’s my Yeossal unboxing video of the Balmoral GMTO from May. I’d say from my experience, the Yeossal SG65 fits narrower than the Oct. Tenth Pu last.

ah no go for me then...

 

[vriche]

ah no go for me then...

They do have a wide though. I'd say reach out to them and they can advise you better. They can also make adjustments to their lasts.

 

[clee1982]

Well I was looking at B&S

Y by Yeossal Eber Austerity Brogue

EBER model in SG65 last, French box coffee calf with tapered heels. Handwelted Should fit a size 8.5 UK with normal to high instep. complete set Trees included Worn once Price is firm. I will not be replying to best offers

www.styleforum.net

 

[hkoldguy]

Didn’t know you guys will be discussing Hephaestus in this Chinese shoes maker thread, I have just received my pair last week and here are some of the photos.

I have opted for the handwelted option with metal tip, which on second thought, might not be the best idea.

Overall I think the shoes are great, the fit was good following the instructions to measure the feet. As you can see the upper stitching are tidy and neat. Not sure about the leather quality yet as I have only wore them once but so far I feel the leather is quite good.

Why did I say the Handwelted and metal tips could be mistake? If you look at the stitching of the sole, it seems they are quite far apart, and they can definitely be a bit more dense. Particularly when he has used a very high spi wheel marking, the two contrasts look a bit odd. Furthermore, you will see the wheel marking at the toe area have appeared to be gone, which again is very big contrast of what they are the rest of the shoes.

for the metal tip, I just prefer one to be smooth. As you can see from the side view, the nails are popping out slightly which is not what I prefer.

overall this is still a good pair of shoes for the price