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What is the best value shoe maker you know?

dieworkwear

Mahatma Jawndi
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thanks for the recommendation dieworkwear.

Have you or anyone heard of this shoemaker?

http://zapateriasestelles.es/

What makes Meermin better than them?

They have GYW, calf-leather shoes for €100

No experience with Estelles.

FWIW, I've seen a lot of companies in the last ten years come out with GYW shoes, made from full grain leathers, as consumers get wiser to shoe construction. But while they sound great on paper, they're often not that great in person -- maybe it's poor quality control or the leathers aren't as nice. Or the lasts are just ugly.

Meermin's shoes are stiffer than most at first, but I've found they break in after, say, a few days of easier wearing. Maybe you wear them when you know you'll only be out for a few hours instead of a full day. But the quality is genuinely good and the designs are handsome. I don't know if there's really anything more to it than that.

Depending on your location and experience with other brands, I would say stick to a company that not only provides good value, but also can take easy returns. If you're just starting to build a better shoe wardrobe, it can be dicey buying from overseas companies since you may not really know your size (even if you think you do).

I've owned Loake and Meermin. My Loakes eventually developed a loose grain wrinkling issue, but it's hard to say whether maybe that was partly about how I treated them (they were basically beater shoes). Meermin's shoes were stiff, but are fine now. I mostly wear Edward Green and Templeman nowadays, but they're much more expensive. I think they'e provided me the best value in the way Andy describes, but it depends on what you're looking for.
 

smittycl

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I would call Edward Green aspirational for most of us. Very nice but very pricey. I'm an Allen Edmonds guy (yes, as sick of walnut as the rest of you!) and am slowly upping my game to Alden. Living and commuting in the city puts a lot of miles on my shoes and I appreciate AE's easily accessible recrafting program. I'd hate to drop the coin for Edward Green then chew them up. Almost grabbed a pair of EG loafers at Sid Mashburn's sale but passed.

Still, will spring for them at some point. Worried I might like them too much and start spending like mad...

I bought my daughter a pair of Grenson Chelsea boots which she loves. They seem very well made.
 

smittycl

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I visited a great store in Munich last year that stocked Vass. Very nice. Didn't buy any as I was already at my duty-free limit. Who carries them here in the US?
 

smittycl

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No Man Walks Alone.
Thanks. I've bought lots from them but never shoes. Always prefer to try on in store when possible rather than play the return game.

Maybe worth a shot, though.
 

madhat

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In the UK there is Loake which makes high quality shoes for great value.

I was also told about this Spanish shoe maker
Meermin recently.
There is also Estelles in Spain.

I travel a lot so I would like to get my shoes from whoever has the best price/value.

I'm wondering if a company in a developing country such as Mexico or India could provide the same quality for less money.

Can anyone recommend a great shoe company that provides the best value?

Also, how would you compare the quality of the shoes in these three websites?

https://www.loake.co.uk/
https://www.meermin.es/
http://zapateriasestelles.es


Thank you so much!
Allen Edmonds, on sale. The leather quality is better and the break in is easier than Meermin. You can have them recrafted through AE directly or through a third party. I'm not going to say all of their models are winners, but they are still a good deal when you grab them on sale for $250.00.
If you like a bit chunkier, more Alden styled shoe, Grant Stone has excellent quality for the cost. GS is making their products in Xiamen, China.

Also, if you are willing to do some digging, vintage brands (Florsheim back in their hayday for instance). You can find a pair of NOS or worn a handful of times shell longwings pretty easily on ebay for $250 or so.
https://www.styleforum.net/threads/...reciation-tips-maintenance-and-advice.526196/ is a good place to start asking if you are interested in this.
 

Mykii

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RM Williams, Carmina, Alden. While not all cheap, they deliver unrivaled products at the price IMO.
 

masernaut

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Alden and Rider Boot for rtw. DW Frommer for custom.

For a long time, people recommended Bexley, a French brand, but I haven't seen them mentioned for a while.

Alden? You're kidding... With the amount of QC problems and the ever increasing cost, you can get better value from a multitude of other shoemakers. Unless you're specifically talking about American shoemakers - then Alden and Allen Edmonds are the only two that come to mind.
 

WhyUEarly

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I would say Beckett Simonon is excellent for sub-$200. I wouldn't want to deal with Meermin break-in.

YMMV but the first shoe where I feel like I'm not really compromising much in quality is Carlos Santos. For boots, Rider Boot; I don't think they're capable of putting out a low-quality shoe or boot; Ron would make it right.

Above that price point, I would say it's really foot-dependent. Whichever company has teh lasts that fit your feet the best would affect the perception of value because ultimately I believe fit is king.
 

daizawaguy

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Have had CJ Hand Grade for years (first bought 10-15 years ago), and swore by them as my go to everyday shoe as the best value around. I recently purchased a new one and whilst nothing visually seems to have changed, the upper leather is so stiff after 3 months that I'm thinking the quality of leather they use has certainly changed, and while they had my value for money vote (for me beating EG and GG, at half the price), they've lost that due to quality of leather uppers.
 

mosy

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If you like Allen Edmonds styles, their shoes on sale cannot be beat in terms of value. For $250 you get a well crafted gyw shoe, comfortable out of the box. With recrafting these shoes can last you over a decade.


Another option I recently encountered is the Itlaian brand Velasca. Most of their styles are a bit chunkier, but very stylish nonetheless.
 

clee1982

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Well, maybe the question can be reworded another way such as best value for price <x, where x is 150, 300, 500, 1000 etc
 

clee1982

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For me personally the best value sub 500 is CJ (which is also Antonio Meccariello GW line, but I don’t own any of their GW shoe so can’t comment).

Around 1k best value for me is Antonio Meccariello (AW/HW), personally would pick it over EG/GG.
 

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