RANCOURT & Co. Shoes - Made in Maine

[Garrister]

Given that I don't live in the U.S. I'm not particularly interested in supporting the local labour force. I bought a pair of Rancourt under the assumption that the highest quality hand sewn shoes were made in Maine but maybe I was misguided.

You were not misguided. I would, in fact, characterize Rancourt as "the highest quality hand sewn shoes" both in craftsmanship and materials.

If I were you, I would not extrapolate one experience as a condemnation of every shoe made by Rancourt -- much less all shoes made in Maine. That would be what is generally known as a hasty generalization and it's logical fallacy.

Hasty Generalization

Drawing a conclusion based on a small sample size, rather than looking at statistics that are much more in line with the typical or average situation.

www.logicallyfallacious.com

 

[Fenners81]

You were not misguided. I would, in fact, characterize Rancourt as "the highest quality hand sewn shoes" both in craftsmanship and materials.

If I were you, I would not extrapolate one experience as a condemnation of every shoe made by Rancourt -- much less all shoes made in Maine. That would be what is generally known as a hasty generalization and it's logical fallacy.

Hasty Generalization

Drawing a conclusion based on a small sample size, rather than looking at statistics that are much more in line with the typical or average situation.

www.logicallyfallacious.com

Thank you, I have certainly not written Rancourt off as the pair i received were of excellent quality. If I remember correctly I was discussing a pair received by someone else with defects. After initially being unsure I am actually coming around to my baxter ranger mocs the more I wear them.

 

[colton2e]

So 'hand made in Maine' means a premium price for inconsistent and potentially flawed footwear? Count me out. Funny how some of their footwear is perfect but others not. Seems to me they take on too much work and that staff skill levels are quite disparate.

The only thing wonky on that pair was the outsole stitching. The other issues were more the poster not understanding the materials and construction of the shoes. Tiny holes from the lasting nails in this areas are not an imperfection they are part of the shoe. The soles look dirty because crepe rubber attracts dirt like a magnet and just sitting on a factory shelf will put a thin layer of dust on them. I mean what a thing to even complain about. Like are you not intending for your shoes to ever touch the ground? Were they bought to sit on a shelf in a glass case?

As for the price point that’s down to materials and US labor costs. At sub $1500 you’re not paying for perfection. Even $700 Alden’s have similar QC issues or worse. Then it becomes a customer service matter. Seems like they took the pair back because the customer wasn’t satisfied so there’s really no issue.

 

[Fenners81]

The only thing wonky on that pair was the outsole stitching. The other issues were more the poster not understanding the materials and construction of the shoes. Tiny holes from the lasting nails in this areas are not an imperfection they are part of the shoe. The soles look dirty because crepe rubber attracts dirt like a magnet and just sitting on a factory shelf will put a thin layer of dust on them. I mean what a thing to even complain about. Like are you not intending for your shoes to ever touch the ground? Were they bought to sit on a shelf in a glass case?

As for the price point that’s down to materials and US labor costs. At sub $1500 you’re not paying for perfection. Even $700 Alden’s have similar QC issues or worse. Then it becomes a customer service matter. Seems like they took the pair back because the customer wasn’t satisfied so there’s really no issue.

I guess it's a matter of consistency. I have exactly the same shoes with no visible lasting holes - why is that? Because of what I said previously in my view. I understand that the style of shoes i.e. hand stitched will lead to some irregularities but the aforementioned pair were in a different ballpark to the perfect ones I received. Its not about perfection, just what should reasonably be expected at the price point.

 

[colton2e]

I guess it's a matter of consistency. I have exactly the same shoes with no visible lasting holes - why is that? Because of what I said previously in my view. I understand that the style of shos i.e. hand stitched will lead to some irregularities but the aforementioned pair were in a different ballpark to the perfect ones I received. Its not about perfection, just what should reasonably be expected at the price point.

I don’t think the lasting holes are really that noticeable. The poster had to take a photo from like 2” away and circle them. Had he just posted a pic of the whole shoe 99% of people would have scrolled through without even seeing them.

Like I said the only real issue was the ugly outsole stitching, which wouldn’t affect the longevity or wearability of the shoe. But it is a detail you’d hope they’d do better. The outsole appearance is a complete non-issue.

When it comes to price point I think this is just where we disagree. You’re thinking of price as some measure of expected “quality” defined basically as “consistency and uniformity of appearance”. But there is a lot that goes into the price of a shoe and frankly Rancourts are offered near the bottom of what can begin to be considered “quality footwear”. The price is more a factor of high labor costs in the US and expensive materials. They have excellent customer service as well which you have to consider.

You will get more consistency and uniformity from some large brand that’s producing massive volume using cheap materials, painted leather, and labor in Asia/Latin America and investing substantially in QC because they are trading off all the other factors to deliver consistency at a low price point.

It’s like comparing Bud Light to the local craft brewery or Olive Garden to a family owned Italian restaurant. This “price point” while higher than Sperry or other massive shoe manufacturers isn’t high at all when you get into the handmade/bench made footwear space where prices can easily exceed $600

 

[SmoothLefty]

My Color 8 beef rolls from the winter campaign are finally out for delivery.

I'm interested in darkening the soles a bit so there isn't as much of a contrast between the upper and the soles. Can anyone recommend a dressing/polish/leather stain? I haven't done this before but I know it's a thing.

 

[SpallaPerfetta]

Does anyone have Rancourt's in CXL Color 8 that can share pics? I am thinking of doing a Brighton MTO but want to see what the leather will look like. I read Rancourt does at least some of their own dye work so I'd like to see how close it is to their shell Color 8.

 

[FatTuesday]

My Color 8 beef rolls from the winter campaign are finally out for delivery.

I'm interested in darkening the soles a bit so there isn't as much of a contrast between the upper and the soles. Can anyone recommend a dressing/polish/leather stain? I haven't done this before but I know it's a thing.

Look at Fiebing's products. They're popular with amateurs and professionals.

 

[SmoothLefty]

This is my ninth pair of shoes from Rancourt and the first with any noticeable flaw. Right smack on the toe box. Is this the new normal? Are the glory days of Rancourt in the past?

Is this bad enough that you would return these?

 

[Garrister]

An old pair of Eastports with a Montello Tempest resole. This pair looks brand new again. Interestingly, the website shows a full rubber heel cover not a dovetail leather heel like shown below.

 

[Fenners81]

This is my ninth pair of shoes from Rancourt and the first with any noticeable flaw. Right smack on the toe box. Is this the new normal? Are the glory days of Rancourt in the past?

Is this bad enough that you would return these?

View attachment 2017977

It would bother me enough to return them. I regularly buy shoes from makers at a similar price and these would be weeded out by QC and sold as factory seconds. I don't care what people say about hand sewn etc - that isn't acceptable in $300+ shoes.

 

[GaiusM]

This is my ninth pair of shoes from Rancourt and the first with any noticeable flaw. Right smack on the toe box. Is this the new normal? Are the glory days of Rancourt in the past?

Is this bad enough that you would return these?

View attachment 2017977

Return them. If you don't they will let more and more defects slide.

 

[Mr Clemson]

Over 7 months now and still waiting for my preorder penny loafers. Again, I love Rancourt but this is beyond absurd. This is probably my last preorder with them as the savings aren’t meaningful when you wait over seven months for a shoe.

 

[Garrister]

This is my ninth pair of shoes from Rancourt and the first with any noticeable flaw. Right smack on the toe box. Is this the new normal? Are the glory days of Rancourt in the past?

Is this bad enough that you would return these?

View attachment 2017977

You are well within your rights to exchange or return them. Whether it bothers you enough to do so is only a question you can answer. For me, personally, I would try to determine with a high degree of confidence if I could remedy the blemish and, otherwise, see how noticeable it is while wearing. However, the location of the blemish is certainly troublesome and I would not hesitate sending them back if it bothered me or thought it irreparable.

 

[Garrister]

Over 7 months now and still waiting for my preorder penny loafers. Again, I love Rancourt but this is beyond absurd. This is probably my last preorder with them as the savings aren’t meaningful when you wait over seven months for a shoe.

I agree that seven months is not acceptable and well beyond the quoted delivery date. You will likely get a great shoe at the end of the day (some recent experiences detailed in this thread notwithstanding) but the wait time is silly. With these wait times, people are just better off waiting for a regular annual December sale and ordering something in stock.