What is the best value shoe maker you know?

[unprocessed]

I see your problem. If you went custom they sell for about $435 but offer the lasts in E, F ,G , and H, and you could get everything the way you want, just a thought

My custom made TLBs took about a week to make, which is incredible turnaround for shoes that didn’t exist when I ordered and included customizations not offered in their RTW. Worth emailing them to see your options and turnaround time, they’re super responsive too.

 

[KtSty]

TO BE CLEAR:
ZEB shoes do not use HW (hand welting), they use "Plain veldtschoen", which is construction when lining and toe stiffener are cemented to the insoles outer side and upper leather is attached to the midsole by stitching with sole stitcher machine and adding strip of leather aka "fake welt". So to sum up ZEB shoes are not welted, they do not have any welt. They are not hand stitched, they use machine to attach midsole and outsole. And ZEB shoes do not use any "special construction he developed himself" this construction already was in 1915 when Lotus catalog was printed.
Thank You

Interesting discussion. What is the connection between insole and upper then? Looks like there is no direct connection aside from the cement between lining/stiffener and insole?

 

[aj2603]

I think Sagara boot maker from Indonesia should be mentioned in this discussion

They offer shoes and boots around 250-300 USD (including free shipping)

They offer full grain veg tanned leather. Handwelted construction.
You can customise everything u want on the boot.

I am attaching a few pics of my boot from them

 

[chandelle]

No, I agree. They're tough to break in.

I just assume, if you're asking people on the internet about value, you're probably looking to spend as little as possible. Meermin is about the cheapest you can go without sacrificing too much on leather and construction. But you're going to want to budget some time to break them in.

I have a fair few pairs of Oxfords... a dozen or so from Vass and a pair each from EG, Church's, C&J, Cleverley, Septieme Largeur and a few others. A Meermin pair too is among them and is a real favorite. Zero break-in time and it fit the contours of my feet perfectly. The quality of the leather isn't quite EG or Vass but the build quality is wonderful, considering what I paid for it.

 

[slepsnys]

Interesting discussion. What is the connection between insole and upper then? Looks like there is no direct connection aside from the cement between lining/stiffener and insole?

Yes, You are right in ZEB shoes, lining is cemented to the insole outside, there is no other connection apart cement between insole and lining. Upper leather have no direct connection with insole at all, it is turnout and stitched a directly to midsole. Also keep in mind that leather strip that runs around shoes and looks like welt it is not a welt, it is decorative strip on top of turnout leather. If You remove this strip from Zeb shoe, it will fill not fall apart, because it is decorative strip unlike in goodyear welted or hand welted shoes.
Thank You

 

[slepsnys]

ah yes it’s an imaginary welt, forgot sorry

You don't have to say sorry to me, You should say sorry to Your costumers for not saying and not clarifying that this is not a welt and Your shoes don't have welt. Thank You

 

[Panama]

I have a collection of Loakes, Barkers, and Cheaney's. Loakes 1880 and Barker professional/hand crafted seconds are widely available. Cheaney's are good value in seasonal sales. I just bought a Loake Shoemaker discontinued NOS in a clothing store for £99.00, and Googling online appears many stores are priced the same. All of my seconds were less than Barker/Loake/Jones made in India GYW's. The best value must be a Barker Handcrafted for £79.00 where the flaw is virtually invisible to the naked eye.

Loake 1880 Aldwych second roughly £89.00.

 

[Sartorium]

Value is subjective. What do you like about the brands you linked?

For my definition of "value," which places probably a fair bit more on my aesthetic preferences, "foot feel", and less on $/wear, Justin Fitzpatrick @The Shoe Snob makes the best value shoes on the market. The lasts and styling decisions agree with me, whereas Meermin looks stodgy, traditionalist, and boring.

 

[Braid]

I have a collection of Loakes, Barkers, and Cheaney's. Loakes 1880 and Barker professional/hand crafted seconds are widely available. Cheaney's are good value in seasonal sales. I just bought a Loake Shoemaker discontinued NOS in a clothing store for £99.00, and Googling online appears many stores are priced the same. All of my seconds were less than Barker/Loake/Jones made in India GYW's. The best value must be a Barker Handcrafted for £79.00 where the flaw is virtually invisible to the naked eye.

View attachment 1333782

Loake 1880 Aldwych second roughly £89.00.

Where would you get Barker handcraft at that price? When I went to the factory store they were around 160£ if I remember well.

 

[clee1982]

Shoes are like other things, once you go up, hard to come down... I sold nearly all my CJ besides boots and casual loafer.

My top of the line now is AM as GG/EG in general doesn’t fit me that well sold all except one GG in MH71, tried JL various time but never end up buying. Also tried Vass but end up not buying and go to AM directly (AM finishing is definitely above Vass). If I can try EB in person maybe I would give a shot, otherwise don’t feel the hassle of online returning...

had to sell some Carmina due to fits as well (split tassel loafer on Forest EEE), and don’t plan to buy in the future either but I do find Carmina’s last very attractive.

tried my first pair L&T this week, just on the look alone I would say Carmina’s last is more attractive (my only L&T is on their new soft chisel L last for the lazyman). Good value but I would not personally get dressier shoe from them, but some kind PTB in grain as beater definitely (the lazyman was semi beater for me as well, so I’m ok with the price).

 

[WhyUEarly]

@clee1982 was curious what you thought of Lof&Tung. I couldn't get over how soft the insole was.

As for Enzo Bonafe, I would recommend them for shell cordovan. For calfskin, good quality but you're not missing out on much. Most of their lasts are pretty high instep fyi

 

[clee1982]

High instep is good for me! I don’t like shell (or rather I don’t prefer shell, especially as far as I’m concerned it’s more expensive for not a lot benefit from my stand point of view).

 

[clee1982]

Speaking of L&T seem to be a lot people request Utah, is it a good beater? Or I’m better of stick with some kind of hatch grain

 

[clee1982]

In terms of insole, do you mean soft or some kind of bouncy ness? Didn’t really notice in one day wear guess will pay more attention next time

 

[WhyUEarly]

Speaking of L&T seem to be a lot people request Utah, is it a good beater? Or I’m better of stick with some kind of hatch grain

Yea Utah is a good beater leather but very soft and supple. It's more matte and hard to mirror polish than a hatch grain. It's great value because Utah was only previously easily found at Edward Green. I'm actually trying to sell my pair of L&T Utah oxford.

In terms of insole, do you mean soft or some kind of bouncy ness? Didn’t really notice in one day wear guess will pay more attention next time

The insole is soft and a bit bouncy on my pair at least. If I press my finger on the insole, it noticeably compresses. I imagine lots of people like it for comfort but I'm not a fan. Also don't like the last.