To sole gaurd or not ?

Originally Posted by patrickBOOTH

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I think they are very tacky and ruin the look of a nie pair of leather soled shoes. For bad weather I recommend having a pair of bad weather shoes. Why would you want to be wearing EG's or Lobb's in the rain anyway?

I take it you haven't spent time or lived in England, have you?

thatguy, I think a few like this is a bit more fair. it's the one you and most people will ever see. one of these is vibram'd, the other one isn't. big deal? (ignore that these need a good polish!)

Originally Posted by KObalto

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SRSLY? Sounds like you haven't found a great pair of shoes yet.

I have plenty of nice shoes ranging from allen edmonds, to a pair of edward greens, some ferragamos, and some cheap crap too.

14 years would represent half of my life. I simply can't see finding a pair of shoes that are so irreplaceable that I'd be super upset if after a bunch of resoles they could no longer be fixed.

shockingly, I prefer more fashion forward lasts.

Originally Posted by Insensitive

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There's a world of shoes beyond Kenneth Cole. Move up and you might feel differently.

really, wow, I thought Kenneth Cole was the end all be all. to hell with the bespoke john lobb paris shoes, i'm gonna stock up on kenneth coles.

Originally Posted by KObalto

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You are probably just buying better boots than you are dress shoes. Are your dress shoes welted or glued?

For $150 you can get a good pair of boots if you know which brands to look for and what you are looking at as far as construction that will wear and last better than a comparably priced pair of dress shoes (assuming you didn't get either for an extremely discounted price. Where can you buy a pair of dress shoes for that price that would last well being worn everyday without any chance to rest? For the price of a good well made pair of dress shoes, you can buy a pair of boots that are custom made to fit your feet and constructed as well or better. Granted, you may have to spend some time looking for custom boot makers and wait several months or even years on a waiting list before they ever get made.

I guess someone else on this forum anticipated me.

I just had a pair of rubber topys (heel and toe) put on my new pair of Church's Pembrey loafers. They don't look different...

Only afterwards did I read the Church's card inside: "We do not recommend putting on stick-on soles, as these shoes have been technically balanced and these will cause additional strain and change the composition of the shoe."

Oh dear...

Originally Posted by DixieTexian

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For $150 you can get a good pair of boots if you know which brands to look for and what you are looking at as far as construction that will wear and last better than a comparably priced pair of dress shoes (assuming you didn't get either for an extremely discounted price. Where can you buy a pair of dress shoes for that price that would last well being worn everyday without any chance to rest? For the price of a good well made pair of dress shoes, you can buy a pair of boots that are custom made to fit your feet and constructed as well or better. Granted, you may have to spend some time looking for custom boot makers and wait several months or even years on a waiting list before they ever get made.

My experience with cowboy boots is quite the same. Even some of the lower end US made Justin boots would outlast probably three pairs of AE shoes combined.

Which boot brands to you prefer? I'm looking for a pair right now, and while I do like lucchese, they do seem quite overpriced.

Originally Posted by lithdoc

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My experience with cowboy boots is quite the same. Even some of the lower end US made Justin boots would outlast probably three pairs of AE shoes combined. Which boot brands to you prefer? I'm looking for a pair right now, and while I do like lucchese, they do seem quite overpriced.
I like my pair of Anderson Bean Boot Company boots that I am currently sporting. They are the trendy square toe double stitched boots for the most part, so if you are looking for something more timeless, they might not be right for you. However, the wide square toe is much more comfortable than the traditional toe, and I think it will be in style for quite a while if you wear them fairly regularly. ETA: Lucchese fit narrow, so while I wish they fit my foot better, I have strayed away from buying a pair.

Originally Posted by A.L.Z.

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I guess someone else on this forum anticipated me.

I just had a pair of rubber topys (heel and toe) put on my new pair of Church's Pembrey loafers. They don't look different...

Only afterwards did I read the Church's card inside: "We do not recommend putting on stick-on soles, as these shoes have been technically balanced and these will cause additional strain and change the composition of the shoe."

Oh dear...

Why did you do this btw?

Originally Posted by Quadcammer

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I have plenty of nice shoes ranging from allen edmonds, to a pair of edward greens, some ferragamos, and some cheap crap too.

14 years would represent half of my life. I simply can't see finding a pair of shoes that are so irreplaceable that I'd be super upset if after a bunch of resoles they could no longer be fixed.

shockingly, I prefer more fashion forward lasts.

You didn't say you never found a pair of shoes which you would make you "super upset" if they didn't last 14 years. You said you never found a pair that you would want to keep 14 years. I guess your last sentence helps explain this.

Considering fashion goes in cycles, its worth having shoes that last. Fashion forward now, fashion forward again in 20 years time!

Use the SEARCH FUNCTION.

Because some rich Swiss guy who appeared to know about shoes (he has a sufficient number of the good ones to make it seem so) highly recommend that I do so...

Don't get me wrong...I took it to a good cobbler, it looks absolutely awesome (can't tell that anything has been added), cost me $80....

But apparently I have destroyed the "technically balanced shoes and have changed the composition of the shoes"!

But also, the "ribbed" italian rubber soles have much better grip, especially in Canada where I live...I can wear these outside on ice now....also I like the "grippiness" of rubber soles than the "oiliness" of walking with leather soles....

Originally Posted by ThatGuy

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Hate to be an arse, but that looks cheap and tacky... if you are more concerned than waiting for your shoes to come back, or having them resoled, you are a small-timer. I can't comprehend why anyone would alter the balance and appearance of a shoe by sticking a piece of rubber over the sole. It's like gluing a water repellent layer of material underneath a crocodile strap to prolong its life. Very cheap and tacky... but you will get away with this one

I like shoes, so I notice things like this.

I can actually see your point. However:

• I only have four pairs of these screwed sole boots, and like to wear them all the time.

• The machine that does the screwed leather sole is located in Australia. I've been told it can be done elsewhere by hand, but nobody seems to know where.

• I'm a fairly hefty individual, who walks just about everywhere in London (wet or dry). My leather soles wear down quickly.

• This will save me carrying them over to Bond Street every time a resole is required.

I'm banking on the fact that most people wont notice. This is SF after all

Lear

Originally Posted by ThatGuy

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Hate to be an arse, but that looks cheap and tacky... if you are more concerned than waiting for your shoes to come back, or having them resoled, you are a small-timer...
Thank GOD for the Ignore List!

Originally Posted by well-kept

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It's not just the COST of a full sole replacement on good shoes that Topy or Vibram allows you to sidestep. It's that a resoled shoe will not feel exactly the same as it did with its original sole. Sometimes it will feel very different, to the point of being no longer wearable.

I agree with this whole heartedly. There have been plenty of times where I've had my shoes resoled and the shoes come back feeling totally different. I've never sent them back to the manufacturer for resoling because many times, it costs as much as 25-30% of the shoe itself to do so.

Throwing off the technical weighting and balance of a shoe by adding sole guards is a crock too - soles will wear down - does that mean that the more you wear them the more you're throwing the balance off? Those sole guards are thin as hell anyway.