A Fine Pair of Shoes x Alfred Sargent MTO Thread

[scurvyfreedman]

Just got my invoice from AFPOS for my Blake MTO. About to pay the balance. Fingers crossed.

As per my regular situation my credit card doesn't want me buying goods from the UK over the internet, so I am on the phone with them to release the transaction....

And, payment is away.

With the holiday on Thursday and my office closed on Friday, I imagine I'll see these beauties on Monday.

 

[Afinepairofshoes]

Preview of the AS Blake in Burnished Oak mto for you

 

[gyasih]

^^those look great!

 

[scurvyfreedman]



Preview of the AS Blake in Burnished Oak mto for you

Absolutely stunning.

And, great customer service again from Sarah and Julian as Sarah just confirmed that she can change my shipping to my home.

 

[wurger]

Preview of the AS Blake in Burnished Oak mto for you

Absolutely stunning.

And, great customer service again from Sarah and Julian as Sarah just confirmed that she can change my shipping to my home.

Beautiful shoes, and Sarah and Julian proven themselves time and time again, shown by a change of address so you can get your shoes before the weekend!

 

[SuitedDx]



Absolutely stunning.

And, great customer service again from Sarah and Julian as Sarah just confirmed that she can change my shipping to my home.

Those are NICE! I have to say the burnishing looks much better than the standard Exclusive burnishing. It has a nice contrast more like EG.

 

[scurvyfreedman]

They're here!

Thanks to Sarah for changing the shipping address to get them here today. Very pleased with the shoes and the service from AFPOS. The delay is obviously a production issue at AS. But, the quality is very nice.

Some quick shots.

upon first try-on of the 48 last it feels a little tight, but I'm sure they'll stretch a little; length is spot on, heel is pretty solid for a first wear-

a little buckling on the inside of the right shoe only behind the ball of the foot- obviously fit is not perfect. Same thing happens on the same shoe for me on the C&J 348, but not the 363 boot last.

a better view of the burnishing- upon close inspection you can see a little stretching of the leather on the toe cap. No cracking as others have found on different shoes (not necessarily AS)

Overall, I really like the shape of the 48 in person. Not 100% positive on the fit yet.

Some quick observations- the sole finishing is finer than on C&J's handgrade collection- much nicer waist. The leather is on par, at least on initial inspection. We'll see how it does after a few wears. The burnishing is very nicely done. Significantly nicer than C&J benchgrade burnishing.

 

[wurger]



They're here!

Thanks to Sarah for changing the shipping address to get them here today. Very pleased with the shoes and the service from AFPOS. The delay is obviously a production issue at AS. But, the quality is very nice.

Some quick shots.


a little buckling on the inside of the right shoe only behind the ball of the foot- obviously fit is not perfect. Same thing happens on the same shoe for me on the C&J 348, but not the 363 boot last.

Yeah, I have the same buckling, even bigger on the 2 pairs of Tricker's 1829 shoes.

 

[Yowzer]

Is the buckling due to the shoe being wider than the foot?

 

[scurvyfreedman]

A few more tidbits-

The box says espresso not oak. I was concerned that the oak would be too light- I got a belt from AFPOS in oak some time ago and it's somewhat light than the shoesr. Could be the burnishing. Could be espresso is a handgrade color whereas oak is the exclusive color, much like C&J has two different chestnuts. I prefer the darker brown to the color of the oak belt. Definitely no complaints there.

The sockliner says AS handgrade, not exclusive for AFPOS. But, it's a half liner. The sole is exclusive. It's just odd that they would put the handgrade liner in, but cut it for a half liner (I assume the handgrade have a full sock liner, but I'm not sure). Could be that it's cut for the heel of the 48 last, so it's easier to work with, but it was a surprise.

The stitching is very uniform and well done. None of the finishing issues that others have had with AS MTO.

I wouldn't hesitate to do this again when AS restarts its MTO program. The only thing is, I would anticipate an 8 month delivery rather than 4 even if they promised 4.


*edited to change benchgrade to exclusive

 

[scurvyfreedman]



Is the buckling due to the shoe being wider than the foot?

It's wider behind the ball, but not at the ball. I have no room there. The left is a little tighter all the way. I have very low insteps, almost no arches at all. It's worse on the right than left, so that may be a factor.

 

[SuitedDx]



It's wider behind the ball, but not at the ball. I have no room there. The left is a little tighter all the way. I have very low insteps, almost no arches at all. It's worse on the right than left, so that may be a factor.

It's probably low instep/flatter arch. I have a little of this on some of my shoes. To me, the 724 has a nice higher arch but a combination with a flatter foot might affect this.

The shoes look great though!

On a tangent, sad to hear Chay appears to have parted with AS... I hope his successor is up to the task since Chay did an excellent job not only designing and marketing, but also with customer service. He was excellent to work with.

 

[laufer]



A few more tidbits-

I wouldn't hesitate to do this again when AS restarts its MTO program. The only thing is, I would anticipate an 8 month delivery rather than 4 even if they promised 4.


*edited to change benchgrade to exclusive

I would love to do MTO through AFPOS, I am not even hell bent on getting Hadgrade last on Exclusive specifications. I would be willing to do AS Exclusive MTO if there are interested parties. There are some really nice Excusive last and we would get to choose a leather too. Anyways I am open to suggestions.

 

[Afinepairofshoes]



I would love to do MTO through AFPOS, I am not even hell bent on getting Hadgrade last on Exclusive specifications. I would be willing to do AS Exclusive MTO if there are interested parties. There are some really nice Excusive last and we would get to choose a leather too. Anyways I am open to suggestions.

This type of mto is still possible but the minimum numbers of pairs to place an order has been increased to 15. Current order times are quoted at 6 months.

 

[justinkapur]



This type of mto is still possible but the minimum numbers of pairs to place an order has been increased to 15. Current order times are quoted at 6 months.

15 minimum orders?!?!? Damn good luck with that