What is the Best Value Shoe Brand for the Money

[dukenukem4ever]

Also don’t forget Paul Stuart and their never ending 25-40% off coupons. PS sells shoes made by CJ too.

 

[clee1982]

PS tends to get the sleek stuff like 348/360 etc ie more main steam today

 

[thedose]

Surprised TLB isn't scoring higher, but maybe not everyone here has had first hand experience with them

 

[Patrick1053]

Surprised TLB isn't scoring higher, but maybe not everyone here has had first hand experience with them

TLB is blowing the others away if you consider the fact that they are much newer, there are far fewer people who have tried them, and the brand is much small than the others on the list. Despite all that It is voted near the top.

 

[orange fury]

I voted Other for Allen Edmonds. They've arguably lost their way a bit over the past few years, but on sale, much of their line is still GYW and MiUSA. The variety of lasts/sizes and the number of stores/retailers makes it probably one of the most accessible options out there

 

[clee1982]

AE has the advantage of physical store (so try on) and lots of width option, otherwise given all the new Spanish/Portugal GYW shoe price I'm really struggle to recommend to AE to someone new (also I don't like how they look besides Strand..., but that's quite subjective)

 

[orange fury]

AE has the advantage of physical store (so try on) and lots of width option, otherwise given all the new Spanish/Portugal GYW shoe price I'm really struggle to recommend to AE to someone new (also I don't like how they look besides Strand..., but that's quite subjective)

I tend to agree re: Spanish/Portuguese makers, but I think accessibility for try-on's (and returns, if need be) make AE the better "value" for someone new (especially someone with a harder to fit foot). I've got a very "normal" 10.5D foot, so I wouldn't (and don't) hesitate to order shoes without seeing them first personally.

 

[clee1982]

oh yea the value of try on in person (and easy return) cannot be under stated

 

[JFWR]

AE has the advantage of physical store (so try on) and lots of width option, otherwise given all the new Spanish/Portugal GYW shoe price I'm really struggle to recommend to AE to someone new (also I don't like how they look besides Strand..., but that's quite subjective)

I think the aesthetics plays a factor in it.

AE on sale = the same price as all these Spanish makers. But I personally prefer AE's look over Spanish makers, and I think it is important when starting off with GYW shoes, to really get fitted to know what works, which only Carmina would allow you to do if you so happen to live in NYC.

I suppose it's a big stylistic question here. This is also why I like C&J. I like American and English style over continental.

 

[clee1982]

oh yea no doubt fit is king, looks sorry, just not for me...

 

[Jmr928]

AE has the advantage of physical store (so try on) and lots of width option, otherwise given all the new Spanish/Portugal GYW shoe price I'm really struggle to recommend to AE to someone new (also I don't like how they look besides Strand..., but that's quite subjective)

Agree on this one - Their shoes do nothing for me in the looks department. Accessibility is big but...

I tend to agree re: Spanish/Portuguese makers, but I think accessibility for try-on's (and returns, if need be) make AE the better "value" for someone new (especially someone with a harder to fit foot). I've got a very "normal" 10.5D foot, so I wouldn't (and don't) hesitate to order shoes without seeing them first personally.

I think as they get more and more out there this is less of a factor - Carmina for example has a store in NY where I can make returns if I need to in the US. Once your mindset shifts a little to returning due to sizing and treating it like a home try on it's less of a barrier. Obviously you don't want to abuse the shoes and you need to be willing to pay the up front cost but I can order almost any shoe that isn't MTO or GMTO and try it on and return it and don't need to feel bad about it. I don't want to abuse it for myself. That said, the paypal reimbursement for return shipping is great as well. If I only bought things I could get locally I'd have a lot of AE and nothing else.

 

[JFWR]

Agree on this one - Their shoes do nothing for me in the looks department. Accessibility is big but...

I think as they get more and more out there this is less of a factor - Carmina for example has a store in NY where I can make returns if I need to in the US. Once your mindset shifts a little to returning due to sizing and treating it like a home try on it's less of a barrier. Obviously you don't want to abuse the shoes and you need to be willing to pay the up front cost but I can order almost any shoe that isn't MTO or GMTO and try it on and return it and don't need to feel bad about it. I don't want to abuse it for myself. That said, the paypal reimbursement for return shipping is great as well. If I only bought things I could get locally I'd have a lot of AE and nothing else.

My problem with doing this is that you're basically trashing a pair of shoes to try on. This is kind of an abusive customer behaviour in the sense that they usually can only sell these shoes as 2nds thereafter.

I mean, I suppose you can be -really careful-, but generally me trying a pair of shoes on is going to mean wearing them long enough that I'm worried about messing the shoes up.

 

[clee1982]

really? I think I can tell if it's going to work at all in less than 1 minute, and pretty sure in 5 minutes, there are thing I might have to gamble (like is this going to stretch), but I just don't bother to gamble these days so...

 

[JFWR]

really? I think I can tell if it's going to work at all in less than 1 minute, and pretty sure in 5 minutes, there are thing I might have to gamble (like is this going to stretch), but I just don't bother to gamble these days so...

In the store, I try to tell within 5 minutes, but if I have a pair of shoes on at home, I feel like I want to wear them for about an hour and walk around in my house. Ideally, I'd even want to walk outside, but that would straight up ruin the shoe for returns, so I generally just walk around my living room.

I mean, sometimes it is obvious a shoe doesn't work. If my toes are crushed or my heels have like, 2 inches of space, no thanks.

I don't like the idea of buying several shoes explicitly with the idea of returning them and try to avoid this. I'm very cautious on this.

Amusingly: I just turned down a great deal on a pair of nice AEs because I think that the shoes would just not fit me.

 

[orange fury]

Agree on this one - Their shoes do nothing for me in the looks department. Accessibility is big but...

I think as they get more and more out there this is less of a factor - Carmina for example has a store in NY where I can make returns if I need to in the US. Once your mindset shifts a little to returning due to sizing and treating it like a home try on it's less of a barrier. Obviously you don't want to abuse the shoes and you need to be willing to pay the up front cost but I can order almost any shoe that isn't MTO or GMTO and try it on and return it and don't need to feel bad about it. I don't want to abuse it for myself. That said, the paypal reimbursement for return shipping is great as well. If I only bought things I could get locally I'd have a lot of AE and nothing else.

I failed to add the bolded part in my initial comment, but I absolutely agree. Accessibility today to some of these Spanish/Portuguese makers is far improved over even a couple years ago, and I expect that it'll only continue to improve to the point that eventually it won't even be a factor.

Edit: full disclosure, I started out by buying a bunch of AE's, and though I've moved on to other brands and sold off lesser worn pairs, they still make up a not-insignificant part of my rotation. I guess the place I'm coming from has been (non-SF) friends who I've recommended AE to because they have a location in their area where they can go try on different lasts. Sometimes those people have branched out to other makers, but usually not.