** Quintessential Crockett & Jones Thread ** (reviews, quality, etc...)

[kant]

I think it's just a matter of preference and what you're willing to spend for a detail that will likely go unnoticed by the general public. Dainite is durable, easy to break-in, and has good traction on a wide variety of surfaces, and yet, it's on the lower end of the price range. I think there's some virtue to a well-rounded product at a reasonable price point.

 

[DorianGreen]

You've stumbled onto an overlying hypocrisy of this site and its users. They dwell on fit or fabrics yet wear sports watches with bespoke suits or dress shoes with denim. "Style' is in the eye of the beholder but lets be honest with ourselves here at least.

I agree with you, we are so used to see bad dressed people and incongruous outfits that we don't pay attention anymore. It's "normal" nowadays to see a suit with sneakers or a tailored sport coat with jeans and this image has become so common that we don't even perceive it as clashing, Everything goes.

Because it's been repeated so often and I can't think of anything less true.
Dainite studded is the best and ridgeway is uncomfortable.

Don't know, therefore my comment.

 

[kant]

I will say there's something about the sound of a leather sole on a hard surface that translates completely to the aesthetic of a dress shoe.

 

[Pascal1980]

I agree with you, we are so used to see bad dressed people and incongruous outfits that we don't pay attention anymore. It's "normal" nowadays to see a suit with sneakers or a tailored sport coat with jeans and this image has become so common that we don't even perceive it as clashing, Everything goes.




Don't know, therefore my comment.

Well, a dressy jeans in dark indigo or white in the summer, in a finer cotton, is quite dressy. I like to wear them with boots and derbies. Sports coats with fine dark indigo jeans, or even white ones in summer, are perfectly fine I think. A distressed jeans would completely look out of place with a sports coat or even a blazer. The blazer with a dress jeans combination was introduced in the 1980s when Armani outfitted Richard Gere and Julia Roberts for "Pretty Woman" and other actors in their movies. Hence it is nothing new or old.

A chino is of course better fitting with a sports coat. A suit and sneakers looks out of place, I agree. On the other hand, a high-quality sneakers that is sleek and made out of really good leather with a slim-fit sporty suit and a polo or T-shirt of equivalently high quality looks good in the sports & atheltic apparel industry, in a younger start-up etc. and is also not such a new trend. On the other hand, it looks out of place in an international law firm that charges several hundred euros or dollar per hour to its clients, or in an investment bank. There the fine tailored suit for oxfords, e.g. from Crockett & Jones, is the correct business attire.

As I work in consulting for the financial industry, I can wear almost anything I want, except for distressed jeans and jogging pants (Karl Lagerfeld would jump out of his grave and ask if I lost control over my life ;-) !! ) ;-).

Best regards

Pascal

 

[Ypuh]

Not a fan of Dainite either. Firstly, they're uncomfortable (hard) and second indeed slippery when wet.

I don't hate them enough to not buy them. Purchasing all my footwear on sale, in outlets or online platforms means I can be less picky, but leaves enough room for a future resole. Also walking a lot and 95% of the time it'll be dry and no snow outside, so opportunities enough to put some wear into new soles. Prefer almost all other branded rubber soles over Dainite; Victory, Heschung, Paraboot, Ridgeway, Morflex.

In short, I wouldn't buy another boot on Dainite since boots are winter-only for me. For shoes it's acceptable, but replacing them eventually. Ridgeway's probably my favorite, but need to look into alternatives for a city shoe.

 

[DorianGreen]

Well, a dressy jeans in dark indigo or white in the summer, in a finer cotton, is quite dressy. I like to wear them with boots and derbies. Sports coats with fine dark indigo jeans, or even white ones in summer, are perfectly fine I think. A distressed jeans would completely look out of place with a sports coat or even a blazer. The blazer with a dress jeans combination was introduced in the 1980s when Armani outfitted Richard Gere and Julia Roberts for "Pretty Woman" and other actors in their movies. Hence it is nothing new or old.

A chino is of course better fitting with a sports coat. A suit and sneakers looks out of place, I agree. On the other hand, a high-quality sneakers that is sleek and made out of really good leather with a slim-fit sporty suit and a polo or T-shirt of equivalently high quality looks good in the sports & atheltic apparel industry, in a younger start-up etc. and is also not such a new trend. On the other hand, it looks out of place in an international law firm that charges several hundred euros or dollar per hour to its clients, or in an investment bank. There the fine tailored suit for oxfords, e.g. from Crockett & Jones, is the correct business attire.

As I work in consulting for the financial industry, I can wear almost anything I want, except for distressed jeans and jogging pants (Karl Lagerfeld would jump out of his grave and ask if I lost control over my life ;-) !! ) ;-).

Best regards

Pascal

As I said, it has become so usual and common that the most people see it as "right". It's not classic (you won't see such a thing in old movies from the 30s and 40s) and coherent: a tailored sport coat requires tailored trousers.

Jeans and chinos are properly workwear, they can't be dressy,

 

[jellyroller]

Quite surprised to read so many such negative judgements about Dainite, and, if it's really so bad, why the most producers keep using it so extensively.

I’ve wondered this myself. I rarely see anyone on SF with anything good to say about Dainite, yet Dainite is ubiquitous in GYW footwear.

My assumption is that most consumers (non-SF posters) don’t know/care about soles relative to fit/appearance and that it’s cost-effective for many of the Northampton makers to use Dainite.

 

[DorianGreen]

I’ve wondered this myself. I rarely see anyone on SF with anything good to say about Dainite, yet Dainite is ubiquitous in GYW footwear.

My assumption is that most consumers (non-SF posters) don’t know/care about soles relative to fit/appearance and that it’s cost-effective for many of the Northampton makers to use Dainite.

May be, still I would doubt that the Ridgeway, which seems to be everybody's darling, produced by the same brand incidentally, would be (much) more expensive.

 

[Humpty_Dumpty_Rises]

Ridgeway has established itself as the adored child on SF. But Vibram Londra is the new loved kid on the block.

See a post comparing both

threads/quintessential-crockett-jones-thread-reviews-quality-etc.227575/post-12030057

 

[Schweino]

Because it's been repeated so often and I can't think of anything less true.
Dainite studded is the best and ridgeway is uncomfortable.

Depends on where you live and work I guess. Dainite is okay on concrete/asphalt pavement but sheer suicide on cobblestones and marble floors when wet.

Ridgeway has established itself as the adored child on SF. But Vibram Londra is the new loved kid on the block.

I agree, I'm becoming a Vibram Londra fanboy also. It's just almost impossible to get here in The Netherlands unfortunately.

Gommus - St. Moritz also makes a Ridgeway-like sole with the softness and traction properties of Vibram Londra. Carlos Santos uses them for instance.

I also like the unbranded Rigdeway clone the Sendra factory uses (Lof & Tung, Sons of Henrey, Cavour, etc), but have yet to find out who makes them. Perhaps also Gommus because they seem to be identical in pattern and properties.

 

[TheLawBeard]

Dainite feels like I'm walking on a hockey puck. I *had* been a fan of Ridgeway but on my last trip I did about 30K steps in a pair of boots with Ridgeway and I was absolutely not happy afterwards.

Leather, combo soles (leather with a toppy), and Alden neo-cork are current preferences. Going to try out the Dr. Sole stuff sooner rather than later or Vibram's corded sole.

 

[DorianGreen]

This could be a good alternative to Dainite, Vibram Gumlite, here on a pair of Edward Green for Paul Stuart from the 90s.

 

[ha er]

the studded dainite of harborough rubber comp. is definitly not a sole designed for wearing on marble floors, its a sole for country shoes and boots.

I like it and can not charge them as uncomfortable in any way. Just a guess: here are posting a lot of gentlemen living on very small feet, size 7 and below. maybe a rubber sole wears the harder, the smaller the shoe applied on is?

 

[Ypuh]

Hah, all SF living on small feet?! That's a fun generalization that I haven't seen before. Put a smile on my face at least.

 

[Pascal1980]

Good morning,

I have a dainite rubber sole under my refurbished blake-rapid stitched chelsea boots, and a vibram-cleated rubber sole under my black winter chelseas, which also have a fur lining. I like both and have not experienced any hardness or so when wearning the shoes in bad weather. I prefer leather soles, which are unfortunately very slippery in rainy weather on the surface/pavement coatings applied in the inner city walkways to make the surfaces easier to clean. Also wet cobblestones are a nice balancing act with leather soles.

Regarding chinos and jeans, I like the style Armani made popular in the 1980s, which is still younger than the 30s and 40s ;-). Everybody to his/her liking. I have also dress pants, which I think look more "old fashioned" on a sporty 40-something that likes to cycle to office even in his suits and English oxfords ;-). For a smart casual look the dark indigo jeans and balzer with chelseas looks great I think. In summer white or beige cotton-linen chinos with cotton-linnen shirts and linen sports coats and blazer look also great I think, and are more breathable and comfortable.

Best regards

Pascal