What are various shoe sole protection options (toe taps, etc.) benefits? and cost?

[pg600rr]

I have never added any type of sole protection to any of my dress shoes but have seen a nuber of member pictures on here with eiher toe taps, something similar on the heel, and/or a thin piece of black rubber on part of the sole area... I had a few questions.

1. are these items worth adding to any and all of my leather soled shoes?
2. if so which should I add (just one or all), it seems like the rubber insert would be the best to have?
3. I am assuing you can just go to any cobbler for this, if so what is the average cost?

Thanks for the info, I have a few new pairs of shoes and am thinking about adding some sole protection before wearing them.

 

[glowell222]

I'd say it's worth adding the toe tips and the replaceable heel-but only when the shoes are ready for re-soling. I find that toe tips greatly extend the life of my soles, as my stride tends to wear out the tips of my soles quicker than the heels for some reason. FWIW

 

[lee_44106]

I put heel protectors/taps on mine. I don't put taps on the toe part because it becomes like tapping shoes with the noise it makes.

I also buy and put on my own heel taps. It's very easy with a hammer.

 

[Philip1978]

When you put a heel tap on, does it feel weird when you walk?

 

[lee_44106]

Originally Posted by DrCool1978

When you put a heel tap on, does it feel weird when you walk?

Not really.

sometimes on harder surfaces like tile you'll get tappy sounds, but that's it.

 

[flipster]

If I want my shoes to survive the English winter, I have to topy them. That'll set me back 20 pounds or so.

 

[fritzl]

Originally Posted by flipster

If I want my shoes to survive the English winter, I have to topy them. That'll set me back 20 pounds or so.

why don't you split into leather and protected soles from the beginning? that's what experienced people would do, without flipping.

 

[Gutman]

Nothing looks worse than wearing away the tip of the sole, as it effectively ends the life of the entire sole. Get toe plates if your shoes wear out this way. Mine do. Depends how you walk.

Wear on the heals is much easier to fix, even if it's uneven. I have heal plates on some shoes, but try to avoid it because it sounds quite clacky.

 

[scugger]

Originally Posted by lee_44106

I put heel protectors/taps on mine. I don't put taps on the toe part because it becomes like tapping shoes with the noise it makes.

I also buy and put on my own heel taps. It's very easy with a hammer.

agree with this.

i have the most wear on my outer heal. it's very easy to install with hammer. i also have the taps on my toes, although i don't need to replace nearly as often as the heels.

 

[DandySF]

The plastic toe taps I've had installed are not at all noisy. The toe of the sole is the first thing I wear down so the toe tap makes sense for me.

 

[david809]

Re: noise of toe taps, I don't really notice it, even with metal taps. There are also softer plastic and rubber taps that do not make noise at all. You can get a clear rubber toe tap that is pretty unobtrusive in appearance. Rubber toe taps should be less than $10 at your cobbler.

I like toe taps better than a half or full Vibram/Topy. I usually wear out the toe pretty quickly, but not the rest of the shoe. I like the feel of leather sole to floor. Also, I think the thin layer of rubber over half or all of the sole alters the appearance of the shoe. People have very different opinions on this issue, though, so just saying this is my personal preference.