***The official Alden thread *** Share enthusiasm, reviews, sizing, advice, and photos.

[Ahab]



Allen Edmonds certainly makes cordovan shoes and they are under $500. even:
http://www.allenedmonds.com/aeonline/cati2_Shoes_1_40000000001_-1_______130213_subcategory?
I believe they source their cordovan from the same place as Alden too, Horween.

Whiskey? Ravello?

 

[Ahab]



Yeah, and I bet they stand up when they piss.

No. I think they have no problem expecting Edward Green shoes for Alden prices and complaining all day when they do not get what they want. Not only do I think they sit when they pee but I think they use one of these and need their mommies to help:

 

[WhoKnewI]

Cigar is still pretty expensive and no. 8 is more than $600.

 

[Ahab]



NYR - I think you're dead wrong on this issue. I own 7 pairs of Alden shoes some of which have been purchased over 10 years ago. I own both cigar and ravello shell shoes and neither have had any discoloring issues or construction issues. Some of these are on their 3rd resoling and are by far my favorite shoes in the collection. Being from New England I also like to give business to a local company that still makes quality items here in the USA. None of these current quality issues had ever been present until every single hipster with a macbook pro and a fixed gear bike decided Alden was the "cool" shoe to own. It seems like Alden can't keep up with demand and is sacrificing quality for $$$, and I'm not the only long time Alden wearer saying this. I think these issues should be brought to the attention of the forum, who accounts for quite a large percentage of Alden customers. That's if any long time Alden guys still browse these forums, or maybe it's just a bunch of brand worshiping hipsters that think Alden could never do anything wrong?
FWIW - I would have no problem at all if said line was towards the heel on one of my shoes but I really think it's inexcusable to let that pair out of the factory with a line through the entire toe box, and you wouldn't have to hire any addition personnel to notice something like that.

I am surpised to hear you say this. I would have pegged you for a hipster from your posts.

 

[HorseHide]



No. I think they have no problem expecting Edward Green shoes for Alden prices and complaining all day when they do not get what they want. Not only do I think they sit when they pee but I think they use one of these and need their mommies to help:

I am surpised to hear you say this. I would have pegged you for a hipster from your posts.

What about jamesbond (and all other "hipsters" for that matter), stand up or sit down?

 

[Ahab]



What about jamesbond (and all other "hipsters" for that matter), stand up or sit down?

People who come to a fan thread and constantly complain, often about trivial issues, do not seem like stand up guys to me. YMMV

 

[Patito]

This thread is no longer a pleasant place to read about Alden shoes. Please leave the high horses and toilet pics at the door. Perhaps there should be a better place to post unfortunate QA experiences.

 

[zippyh]

I think some of the people in this thread have never looked that closely at a pair of C&J shell. They have similar issues to Alden shell in terms of blotchiness or color variations. But C&J only seem to offer a color similar to Cigar so it's not as obvious as on Whiskey or Ravello. Plus my C&J shells seem to suffer from water spotting more than any Aldens I own.
When it comes down to it, there are three companies that offer cordovan shoes in regular stock which are widely avaiable and are under $1000; Allen-Edmonds, Alden, and C&J. And if you want dress boots under $1000, Alden is the only game in town.
The Alden issues with stiching is of course inexcusable.
I have no comment on the made in India Florsehims.

Allen Edmonds certainly makes cordovan shoes and they are under $500. even:

http://www.allenedmonds.com/aeonline/cati2_Shoes_1_40000000001_-1_______130213_subcategory?

I believe they source their cordovan from the same place as Alden too, Horween.

No ****.
And they're not under $500 when not on sale.

They all get their cordovan from Horween.
Maybe some of the bitching should be directed towards them.

 

[k11]



They look like cigar or possibly very old #8, but I would bet on Cigar.

As for whiskey I would just brush. Brush a lot. I would not put wax on for months. I have whiskey and the wax seems to attract dust which then gathers and makes a darker areas. Just brush and wear and then brush when you take them off. I would also use a separate brush for my lighter colored shoes.

I am going to try. Thanks a lot!

 

[nurktwin]



LMAO! Have mommy get you a bottle: .

[/

Heh. I like how you only reproduced one photo from a suite of photos illustrating the underperformance Alden is exercising. I wouldn't have sent it back over a dangling thread, but it just shows the sloppy attention to detail. More importantly, here's the errant stitch hole you ignored in your attempt to ridicule my points. I guess you would find this acceptable on a $600 shoe. Perhaps if people set the bar so low that this type of sloppy execution is tolerated, you can expect more of it! Oh wait, extra stitch holes are really "handcrafted variations" that give each piece its "unique character."

 

[HorseHide]



People who come to a fan thread and constantly complain, often about trivial issues, do not seem like stand up guys to me. YMMV

Fair point.

This thread is no longer a pleasant place to read about Alden shoes. Please leave the high horses and toilet pics at the door. Perhaps there should be a better place to post unfortunate QA experiences.

True. Not that I'm seeking to be the last word on this afternoon's extended rant but ... most people find their way to this thread because of their appreciation of Alden shoes. Some (like me) have been wearing them for 30 years (probably longer since my dad wore them so I'm sure a few pair of my "dress shoes" in school were Aldens). Some are new to the brand. It really doesn't matter. What does matter is that there has been a marked increase in QC issues surrounding the brand. Not sure if it's because Obama is president, because the euro is high/low/on it's way to hell, because unions are ruining/saving the country. It's not for us to speculate. But when someone puts down $600 plus dollars (which most people would suggest is an obscene amount of cash to spend) on a pair of Alden shoes and must deal with some of the **** that's been depicted on this thread - well that's not cool. And this thread may be precisely the place to vent. Tom P reads this thread (he sponsors it). Steven T reads this thread. They spend lots of cash with (and, we hope, make lots of cash from the sale of) Alden. They are "interested persons" in this debate. Unlike the individual consumer, they have a voice which is heard by the Tarlow family. While some may bemoan the "hipsters" that have made Alden a shoe du jour, I can assure you that the margins Alden gets selling to the hipsters are far better than those they used to get selling to nurses and policemen. And those margins should help Alden pay a decent wage, invest in new equipment, train new employees and distribute nice fat profits to the owners (I am an unabashed capitalist after all). If those margins are only going in the owners pockets then we start buying other shoes, Tom P and Steven T shift lines and no one (except Alden's competitors) wins. I need to take a piss (and I do that standing up, peg leg).

 

[NAMOR]

This exchange has gone from a discussion of facts to a disagreement over opinions. As someone else stated, please create another thread or take this to PM. Most of the times, these discussions lead to solutions or suggestions for possible resolution but I dont foresee a positive outcome here. I value all of the opinions offered here as it has greatly increased my knowledge of all things Alden but now we are just going in circles. Can someone post a pic of their Aldens?

 

[Roguls]

I have good news for you all, bad for me: I'm selling my Pitt Boots - both pairs. Cigar and black shell.

And I am serious about trading as well. I definitely need a black boot, and would trade the cigar for a cigar indy any day. I have a small heel and wide forefoot and collapsing arches - all perfect for the trubalance and modified lasts. I will certainly consider trades for calf, too.

 

[Ahab]

Do people use Saphir Renovateur on shell?

 

[Patito]

Those Cigar Pitt boots are stunning. Wish they were 11.
Here's a bad photo of my favorite pair, after about a year's worth of thrice weekly wear.

#8 cap toe. Excuse the odd angle, wanted to show the color variation.

Also, this thread is priceless and there's no way I'd own shoes like this, or care about my shoes if it weren't for the thoughtful, shoe-obsessed folks here. Namor, a while back you posted hiking photos of some tobacco chamois indys that were... amazing. It looks like you've pretty well beat the hell out of them. I've been craving a pair ever since. How do you think they'd handle the occasional walk through city snow?