Topy or toe taps?

[hymo]

My gait causes the toe tips of the soles of my shoes to wear out alarmingly fast. I had one of my shoes Topy'd very nicely, but I was wondering if I should use toe taps for the others instead, since I can see that a Topy strains the welting quite a bit. Shoe manufacturers all seem negative about Topys, but they never seem to say anything about toe taps.

What are your experiences?

 

[luftvier]

Originally Posted by hymo

My gait causes the toe tips of the soles of my shoes to wear out alarmingly fast. I had one of my shoes Topy'd very nicely, but I was wondering if I should use toe taps for the others instead, since I can see that a Topy strains the welting quite a bit. Shoe manufacturers all seem negative about Topys, but they never seem to say anything about toe taps.

What are your experiences?

Heel and toe taps. Just do eet.

 

[furo]

Topy.

Shoe manufacturers want you to believe them because they will get more $$ from you for recrafting or replacing a shoe once the sole wears out. A topy will prolong and preserve your soles, and can easily be replaced once worn down for $10-$20 a pair.

I pay $12.50 ea for mine, the guy does a great job, and they look and feel just fine. I also have the same problem as you, where the tips of the sole wear out much faster than the ball of the foot.

And best of all, topy will probably outlast your taps.

 

[Xiaogou]

Originally Posted by luftvier

Heel and toe taps. Just do eet.

Agreed. What is the point of having leather soled shoes only to cover them up with a piece of rubber. They make rubber soled shoes....

 

[fritzl]

Originally Posted by Xiaogou

Agreed. What is the point of having leather soled shoes only to cover them up with a piece of rubber. They make rubber soled shoes....

+1

 

[furo]

Originally Posted by Xiaogou

Agreed. What is the point of having leather soled shoes only to cover them up with a piece of rubber. They make rubber soled shoes....

The way I understand it, a leather soled shoe with a topy can usually be re-topy'd or recrafted with a new sole, whereas many rubber soled shoes cannot.

So that's the point of having a leather soled shoe. Here's what mine look like today, with a topy:

 

[hymo]

Your Topy is leather-coloured!!! I've only ever seen black before.

 

[DocHolliday]

I like Topies. I'm wearing a pair of Paul Smith boots today that I'm going to have Topied, and they'll look even better once I do.

 

[musicguy]

I wear out my toes really fast, so I use toe taps (and heel taps).

 

[Nick V.]

Originally Posted by hymo

My gait causes the toe tips of the soles of my shoes to wear out alarmingly fast. I had one of my shoes Topy'd very nicely, but I was wondering if I should use toe taps for the others instead, since I can see that a Topy strains the welting quite a bit. Shoe manufacturers all seem negative about Topys, but they never seem to say anything about toe taps.

What are your experiences?



It's strictly a matter of importance/preference to the user.

I constantly hear negative remarks about sole guards by the makers and on occasion their sales reps. Some of the things I've heard are: They make the shoe less flexable...not true. They don't allow the sole to breathe into the shoe. The sole can't breathe into the shoe because the soling leather is too thick and the grain is to tight. They throw the shoe off balance. You got to be kidding! Sole guards are the thickness of a dime. The sole has to be roughed prior to the sole guard being applied....making the net difference thinner than a dime. Do you really think that slight of a difference constitutes the shoe being out of balance? Straining the welts???

The funny thing is that when I challenge the experts on their positions they NEVER back it up with legitimate evidence. So I go strictly on my experience and will until convinced otherwise. My experience tells me that if any of the above are remotely true it's not enough to decide against sole guards if you like them.

On the other hand.....some like the feel of walking on leather. So I understand why they are against sole guards. They don't mind replacing leather soles as needed. Depending on their rotation, amount of use and, how they wear (hard or light) may see no need for sole guards.

Others have more of a need or desire to prolong the life of a shoe. If that's the case adding a sole guard that prevents the leather from wearing, is non-skid, waterproof, protects the sole stitching from wearing through, saves $ on re-crafting, without doing any relevant damage to the shoe....is the way to go.

It only depends on what's important to you.

 

[ferguscan]

Originally Posted by furo

The way I understand it, a leather soled shoe with a topy can usually be re-topy'd or recrafted with a new sole, whereas many rubber soled shoes cannot.

So that's the point of having a leather soled shoe.

** The material of which the sole is made is irrelevant to re-soling. A shoe with a welted rubber sole can be re-soled just as easily as one with a welted leather sole.

People like leather soles because they can be thin and sleek, and they provide much feel for the ground underneath your feet. Comfortable, yet stiff and sturdy.

Stuart

 

[furo]

Originally Posted by ferguscan

People like leather soles because they can be thin and sleek, and they provide much feel for the ground underneath your feet. Comfortable, yet stiff and sturdy.

Stuart

See Nick's post above. The sleekness is hardly disrupted by a dime-thick rubber topy.

 

[DandySF]

From an aesthetic perspective I prefer a clear toe tap and a heel tap that matches the heel (either clear or black).

 

[Kent Wang]

Where can I get clear (or leather-colored) topys?

As far as taps, I much prefer the look of a flush tap. The local cobbler here only has these rubber things that he nails on top of the sole. I see pics here of metal taps where a small part of the tap is shaved off and the tap is nailed on so that it's flush with the sole. Where can I get that?

Do I have to go to New York for all this? How about LA? I'm going there in February.

 

[furo]

Originally Posted by Kent Wang

Where can I get clear (or leather-colored) topys?

As far as taps, I much prefer the look of a flush tap. The local cobbler here only has these rubber things that he nails on top of the sole. I see pics here of metal taps where a small part of the tap is shaved off and the tap is nailed on so that it's flush with the sole. Where can I get that?

Do I have to go to New York for all this? How about LA? I'm going there in February.

Most decent cobblers should be able to procure the tan colored topy material if they don't have it on hand

Not sure about the other stuff; I haven't tried taps since the topy does the job