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

[Papa Doble]



^ wrong setting bruh

Agreed, I recommend setting your preferences to 100 posts per page.

 

[DCRoyal]

i called before ordering these from TSM the other day (did not have a description yet). the fellow on the phone told me they had the double waterloc sole (picture seems to confirm). so i believe the description up there now is in error, probably copied and pasted from another chukka model. i think the double oak leather sole is the normal double leather sole. i'll confirm friday when the shoes arrive.

waterloc vs. oak

vs.

i'm actually surprised TSM was able to produce this model, it always seemed like alden was pretty good about letting retailers have claims to a particular custom make-up (i.e. non stock shoe), and as you mentioned leather soul had previously done this one. although i'm even more surprised a brown cxl chukka isn't a standard model.

I own this model from TSM. I can confirm it is a double waterloc. And it's a great shoe. Was beating myself up for not getting in on the LS version however long ago and then the same thing popped up on TSM.

The double waterloc is getting a lot of play lately. And people like to tell you you can't topy it, but you absolutely can.

 

[stanford88]



Sign me up... 11 pairs in a year and a half!

You guys make me feet better about my 7 in a year in a half.

 

[dusttruffle]

The double waterloc is getting a lot of play lately. And people like to tell you you can't topy it, but you absolutely can.

I imagine it is very similar to the sole used on Wolverine 1k boots. The fact it is oil filled does make it difficult to topy. It took me three attempts, only on the last attempt did the cobbler say he used "double the glue" (whatever that meant). Luckily the topys were of a "lifetime guarantee" variety (which as far as I could tell was a way to get £5 extra for it) turned out to be worthwhile as they started to peel off twice in the space of a month - and each time were replaced with as new. I don't know if it made a difference but there were applied to the sole when brand new. Perhaps if the sole has been allowed to get more scuffed up it might have been different (although the cobbler did sand the surface).

 

[DCRoyal]

I imagine it is very similar to the sole used on Wolverine 1k boots. The fact it is oil filled does make it difficult to topy. It took me three attempts, only on the last attempt did the cobbler say he used "double the glue" (whatever that meant). Luckily the topys were of a "lifetime guarantee" variety (which as far as I could tell was a way to get £5 extra for it) turned out to be worthwhile as they started to peel off twice in the space of a month - and each time were replaced with as new. I don't know if it made a difference but there were applied to the sole when brand new. Perhaps if the sole has been allowed to get more scuffed up it might have been different (although the cobbler did sand the surface).

interesting. I have had three pairs done and not one word from the cobbler. And he would have absolutely let me know.

 

[Beatlegeuse]



You guys make me feet better about my 7 in a year in a half.

If I wasn't relegated to waiting years for pre-orders, I think I would have clocked in at around 8 pair in 2 years (only currently have two of them in my closet, waiting on 5 other pre-orders, plus the Thor boot if that ever gets confirmed by Alden)

 

[SuitedDx]

QUESTION: has anyone used RenoMat to clean their shell? I know Ron Rider used it to clean a pair of black boots; however, Alden does use some special coat for the sheen and I am wondering if RenoMat takes that layer away.

 

[rcb35]

I have been looking for a brown lwb and have narrowed it down to the brown calf from AoC AF104 or the Brown CXL from leffot. I kind of wish the CXL had blind eyelets. Work is business casual so khakis and such. I have never owned a CXL shoe before does it require extra maintenance?

 

[dslonghorn4]

Thanks MI planner and sevenfold. I think I may pony up and send them off to B Nelson. I've had minor work done in Chicago but I haven't had anything major done nor read rave reviews of anyone here in particular.

Not sure where you had your "minor work" done, but try giving Marcelo at Gus' Shoe Repair a call (Belmont location). I had him convert a pair of Ravello cap toe boots the opposite way, commando to leather sole. Turnaround time was fast and they did a great job.

 

[turkey_sandwich]

Thanks dslonghorn... I've only ever gone to the Shoe Hospital. They have done well for the most part but one pair of boots I brought to be resoled came back with some kind of uncomfortable lump under the ball of the foot and they refused to do anything about it.

 

[handconstructed]

... and over time, as you wear and care for them, the shoes will develop a patina that will help to make inconsistencies less noticeable.

 

[stevent]



Though Alden is a great choice, I find it interesting that he chose to go to the "Alden thread" to ask what brand of shoes he should consider.

(Yes, there are people in this thread who will have good advice, but going to a branded thread to ask about brand choices isn't going to yield very objective responses.)

HOLY BAJEEZES. You done got bit bad by dat dur Alden bug.
Been said already, but this is great advice. One of my favorite aspects of this thread on SF is the relative level of "tolerance" that exists in comparison to other threads. Not every shoe here is everyone's cup of tea, but it doesn't bar respect amongst commentators and the mutual appreciate most have here. Sure, you see a lot of Cigar LWBs, for example over the last few pages, but everyone posting such has gravitated to that look based on their own personal preference, and now have found a place to express that.

If OP chooses to indulge in Alden, you're welcome here to chat, comment, ask questions. But move into Alden because it resonates with who you are / who you want and aspire to be. Not because they're getting blog hits, or are suddenly trendy, etc. It will be much more fulfilling for you, buying one pair of shoes you love for $500, and then really loving them as opposed to racking up a ton of pairs that you collect for show's sake.

(Not wanting to imply kwhitelaw in this at all)

Yeah this thread is a lot nicer and much more reasonable than most others

Hey Alden peeps, I came across a good deal on a pair of Alden longwings on the barrie last. If one foot is a 11C and the other is a 10.5C on the brannock would a 10D work on the barrie last or would they be too small? Thanks guys.

I think you could make it work, are they shell or calf or suede?

If anyone's interested, eBay/PayPal ruled in the buyer's favor, despite the following evidence. Note that the listing was titled "Alden for Brooks Brothers", claimed only that Alden manufactured the shoes, and the pictures clearly showed only "Brooks Brothers" on the insole.

1. An email from Alden SF confirming that they make the shoe.
2. An email from the Alden factory confirming that they make the shoe.
3. This video of Kathy from Alden DC, where at 44 seconds she explains that BB sells Alden shoes without Alden branding.
4. The Q&A section for this Alden for BB shoe, where someone asks "Who makes these shoes?" and BB answers "The manufacturer is Alden for Brooks Brothers."

Perhaps I should've put a disclaimer such as "While Alden makes these shoes, there is no Alden branding on them." But, it took PayPal less than 2 hours to make a ruling, and they never followed up with me, so I'm not convinced that it would have made a difference.

Did you get shoes back at least? Unfortunate news

 

[sevenfoldtieguy]



Burton, others:
Is replacing the leather soles on my Officer Indys with a commando soles something that requires a really good cobbler? I contacted Alden and they refuse to do the work. I love these shoes and if anything happened to them I would be pretty upset. Is sending to B. Nelson the best option or does anyone know of a good cobbler in Chicago?
Thanks!

BNelson does a commando sole but it is different than Alden's commando sole. Nick will send you a pic if you ask. Moulded Shoe will do an Alden commando sole.

 

[kwhitelaw]

Quote:
lol no worries.. I've always been big into boots, just hadn't made the jump to USA until recently.. after learning about the yearly Alden price increases, I realized that if I were to ever want a pair, it'd be wise to grab them now before I get priced out of the shell game..

 

[Alcibiades]

On the subject of whether the Atom is dress or casual, this is a photo of the Atom from Leffot's tumblr - this looks pretty dressy to me: