Alfred Sargent Handgrade - Pictures

Originally Posted by Groover

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Just been sent some pics of a pair I've had in the pipeline for a while.

AS Hangrade Milton w/o Medallion

Antique Museum Calf
48F Last
[...]

Beautiful shoes, very tasteful.

Originally Posted by patrickBOOTH

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I like how they do that slightly bevelled edge on the welt so it is not flat. It is a nice touch.

Originally Posted by Redwoood

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Beautiful shoes, very tasteful.

Thanks.

I'm looking forward to receiving them.

Wow, very nice, Groover. I'd never seen that by anyone but Lobb. And you got these for a better price (edit: I assume), with the details you wanted.

Groover, you give me hope that perhaps AS has finally got their act together as far as the leather quality is concerned.

My handgrades have aged very poorly that I considered never going back to AS.

Originally Posted by upnorth

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Groover, you give me hope that perhaps AS has finally got their act together as far as the leather quality is concerned.

My handgrades have aged very poorly that I considered never going back to AS.

I'm sorry to hear that. Which shoes were they?

I've had several pairs of HG spec shoes over the past 18 months, none of which have shown any signs of premature age.

Originally Posted by Groover

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Thanks.

I'm looking forward to receiving them.

The kid done well!! Excellent choice G. Hope you're well?

Clint

Originally Posted by clintonf

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Hiya, sorry for my tardy response. I've been giving your questions some thought. I will try and answer your questions as best as I can.

1. I look forward to seeing the double monks - I'm glad that I provided some inspiration to you.

2. The 99 Last is my best last and works for me. However, the AS48 is pretty similar in fit to the 99 last (so I've been told). So, you'll be fine with this choice.

3. The angle of the double monks for me are still something special to behold and I would recommend that you continue along this route. You will be able to get the "standard" double monks a little later down the line.

4. For reference, I've got orders for a pair of Standard double monks and a pair of "swept back" single monks.

I'm not sure when the single monks appeared. However, the double monks (in blue suede) turned up this morning.

To conclude, go for it. I'm confident that you'll be very pleased with the results.

Regards

Clint


Well here they are - I went for the AS 48, added a medallion, and went for a red-brown colour. I couldn't be more impressed - so cheers for the inspiration.



They're in a better class than any other shoes Ive handled - e.g. C&J, Vass, EG RTW. I'm not knowledgeable on construction but the look and feel of these shoes has to be experienced first hand. The leather is flawless, thick and supple; the colouring is rich and lustrous and brings out the grain and texture. The stitching is perfectly aligned and robust. The last and general shape is sleek without being delicate, a perfect balance front and back, and I especially like the low cut quarter. (the shoes also fit v well); and the soles are beautifully beveled and waisted and cut very close to the upper, making the shoes much sleeker than any other double-soled double monk I've seen.




And Chay Cooper is a real gent.

From the pictures, they look like a very nice pair of shoes. Nothing more important then a happy satisfied customer.

They're in a better class than any other shoes Ive handled - e.g. C&J, Vass, EG RTW.

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Easy statement, much harder to prove. Specially on Vass and EG.

Easy statement, much harder to prove. Specially on Vass and EG.[/quote]

Unless you see these shoes of course you'll have to take my word for it . But I can tell you these particular AS HGs are superior to the Vass and EG I own because 1. the leather is without a single observable flaw 2. and is thicker (which I happen to like on a double monk) 3. The stitching is faultless. 4. The presentation box is unique 5. London waist. The pics don't really do them justice.

S must have taken notice when Tony worked them through the production requirements for his RTW line. This newly acquired knowledge is flowing into the recent As models.

Still not sold on it the whole concept though. Too much "me too" for me.

Originally Posted by 888style

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AS must have taken notice when Tony worked them through the production requirements for his RTW line. This newly acquired knowledge is flowing into the recent As models.

Still not sold on it the whole concept though. Too much "me too" for me.

Comments like these just make no sense to me and are completely unfathomable. AS have been making shoes since before any of us were born. I am sure that Paul and Andrew Sargent have forgotten more about shoe making than most people will ever know. I don't want to take anything away from G+G, but to say (because there was a connection between the two companies at one time) that AS copies G+G is to ignore the fact that there has been very little new in men's shoes for about 50 years. Elsewhere on this board, you have people saying that only German shoemakers use aniline calf. People really spend the vast majority of their time on this presenting disinformation.


Crockett

EG


AS

G+G



Dates the companies were founded:
Crockett & Jones: 1879

Edward Green: 1890

Alfred Sargent: 1899

G+G: 2006

Now of the old guard, I will admit that AS is a bit of newcomer-- only being in business for 112 years, but G+G was founded in 2006.
Really it is G+G who are the newcomers to the business. The styles they make have been around since the 1940's. People may like their shoes, but to paraphrase an old joke--"who is copying whom?"

Those are some great shoes - hard to tell diff in quality just from those photos, which I guess is your point

Originally Posted by Pliny

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Well here they are - I went for the AS 48, added a medallion, and went for a red-brown colour. I couldn't be more impressed - so cheers for the inspiration.

They're in a better class than any other shoes Ive handled - e.g. C&J, Vass, EG RTW. I'm not knowledgeable on construction but the look and feel of these shoes has to be experienced first hand. The leather is flawless, thick and supple; the colouring is rich and lustrous and brings out the grain and texture. The stitching is perfectly aligned and robust. The last and general shape is sleek without being delicate, a perfect balance front and back, and I especially like the low cut quarter. (the shoes also fit v well); and the soles are beautifully beveled and waisted and cut very close to the upper, making the shoes much sleeker than any other double-soled double monk I've seen.

And Chay Cooper is a real gent.

I'm so glad that you're happy with them. Call me biased, but I think that they look pretty "Dope". Wear them in good health.

I'm not going to add much to above, other than to say that I think if the truth be known, most people will have their "favourite" makers and some will go to great lengths to justify why.

I dodge those discussions because, as has been noted, most maker's shoes will bear some similarity to each other. Some will have good points, some will have bad points, but none of them will generally be bad.

For me, the shoes have to be of an acceptable standard, after that it's the other stuff which are more important to me, such as customer service (both pre and post sales). As I write, I've yet to find Customer Service better than Chay at AS.

But that's just my opinion and choice....

Cheers

Clint

nick (pliny) - i dont like the buckles on the dbl monks - too clunky. JL and santoni use more refined monk buckles

mm I originally asked for a D shape but they didn't have them. but now I think the square is good - a contrast to all the curves.