The 2023 Allen Edmonds (AE) Appreciation Thread

[Neo1]

You and I share the same experience. AE is one of the few vendors that sells shoes in wider fits and I can be confident that a pair sized in 8.5 EEE will fit. I have 10 pairs in rotation, all in the same size.

I'd like to explore other brands but since those require me to travel to a store for fittings, it is more challenging to find a good fit.

This is very interesting to me. Very.

I have enough of a sample size to say I've tried AE, Alden, Grant Stone, Quoddy, Rancourt, Red Wing & Whites and beyond a shadow of a doubt in my mind AE is the hardest to predict sizing wise. GS & Alden I can blind buy 6.5D or 7D depending on the last. AE I would normally start with a 7D on a welt or 7.5D on a handsewn but the chances are solid that it won't work on these newer lasts.

 

[mreams99]

You can go further. I've posted these before, my brother is a UPS driver. He resoled when they became to slippery on wet concrete.

View attachment 1875014

He did go heavier on his resole.

View attachment 1875017

If those were PA's he'd be in the sh!t with some... 🤣

There were a few comments recently regarding AE's as "fashion" boots when compared to real work boots. I don't disagree at all, but this use case is an interesting middle ground. My brother switched to several pair of AE HMs (one waterproof) after burning through $100 Hi-tec and Columbia hiking boots every 2-3 months for a few years. He says the AE's are significantly more comfortable, and last a lot longer. The dainite lasted 6 months, and the Vibram is lasting a year. His local resoles are about $100, so he is saving money. Given the improved comfort and the cost reduction, he is happy with the switch. And while he works his a$$ off, he doesn't need steel toe or anything like that. The only downside is that the 20-something drivers accuse him of wearing "old man boots".

Certainly not appropriate for construction or heavy equipment. I'm sure not going to be the one to tell him they aren't "work boots".

I’ve got a ways to go before my soles are as worn out as those. I also don’t want to wait until they’re too slippery.
I think that I would like to have a heavier duty sole put on them. I may also have a steel shank added.

 

[Neo1]

Alden shoes are kind of over priced besides their classics.

Where they shine is as a miusa boot company.

Frankly wouldn't buy their calf or suede, but would buy their cordovan all day.

Imo Alden shines in the boots dept. I'd take anything - calf, she'll, suede etc over AE. Regular shoes are a different story.

 

[mreams99]

Such a great story. Your brother's HM's and the brown CXL pair from @mreams99 have been my inspiration to beat up my latest pair of HM's. The Dainite really is insanely tough (though lacks in traction).

My brown CXL pair started as natty CXL. They turned brown over time as they were worn a lot.

 

[Neo1]

In many ways, the answer would be "Yes and No." Hear me out. He clearly find AE "boring and ugly" and describes them with his usual list of smells and bodily fluids. Juvenile, but he clearly trashes anything that does not fall into his personal taste. But after the trashing he then correctly points out:

1. The fact that they are so accessible in the USA make it easy for people to get a decent shoe.
2. Don’t forget that they are pretty much the only brand offering widths from A to EEEE.
3. And due to their frequent 50% sales you can buy them for 200-250$ which is not terrible.
4. The main problem with Allen Edmonds is the declining quality but what do you expect for a brand that produces a million shoes a year? (An issue that we repeatedly discuss here on the forum.)

At the end, while still being objective, he states AE "will serve you well."

Is this really what people believe is the biggest problem with AE? A decline in QC?

I'll sort of reiterate what I said before ... Why do I now own a chelsea from GS and an engineer boot from whites? It's because AE's versions aren't worth a damn. Rather than make something good, they put out 50 identity-less trainers, the Lucca remake, the sawyer. AE could have made an awesome engineer boot (NOT the discovery) but they'd rather just jump into every area than excel in a single one.

 

[MajorDash]

Is this really what people believe is the biggest problem with AE? A decline in QC?

I'll sort of reiterate what I said before ... Why do I now own a chelsea from GS and an engineer boot from whites? It's because AE's versions aren't worth a damn. Rather than make something good, they put out 50 identity-less trainers, the Lucca remake, the sawyer. AE could have made an awesome engineer boot (NOT the discovery) but they'd rather just jump into every area than excel in a single one.

I would think that an engineer boot would be a complete waste of development time for AE. Their core audience (dress shoes, dress casual shoes/boots, dress sneakers) wouldn't buy an engineer boot, and those who would have an interest in engineer boots in the first place wouldn't pay $500 for an AE boot when more established brands exist.

I think that the Liverpool Chelsea is a lot more appealing than the GS Chelsea, but the Liverpool is quite expensive these days...

 

[DawgPound]

Good morning/afternoon! Navy Landsharks today. The soles on these are so comfortable!

 

[smfdoc]

The thing that puts me off with him is the personal tastes that he has. He also is in love with shoe shapes that would never work for my feet.

Yeah, me too.

 

[Vincent George]

Imo Alden shines in the boots dept. I'd take anything - calf, she'll, suede etc over AE. Regular shoes are a different story.

I tend to agree. With a few outliers—I wear mostly Alden for boots and AE mostly for shoes.

 

[ProfilaBinding]

Alden plain toes and plain toe boots are the biggest attraction I have towards the brand. AE's biggest attraction for me right now are the interesting casual styles like the Rush Street, Black Hills, Kiowa, Overlord, etc.

 

[Neo1]

I would think that an engineer boot would be a complete waste of development time for AE. Their core audience (dress shoes, dress casual shoes/boots, dress sneakers) wouldn't buy an engineer boot, and those who would have an interest in engineer boots in the first place wouldn't pay $500 for an AE boot when more established brands exist.

I think that the Liverpool Chelsea is a lot more appealing than the GS Chelsea, but the Liverpool is quite expensive these days...

I think we're saying the same thing....it just isn't coming out that way

When I'm looking for a new platform, first place I'm going is AE. That's my first go-to for everything.

AE DID develop an engineer boot...it started with the Bowery and evolved into the discovery. They did invest in the development. My point, like you said, is why waste the time & effort with that when their time/effort is best spent elsewhere.

The liverpool is wildly different than the GS - I own one of each and I would never substitute one for the other. I let the original surrey go then got the re-release. I later got the GS because the surrey just wasn't that good and the discovery moved the needle in the wrong direction. But I started with AE.

 

[Neo1]

Alden plain toes and plain toe boots are the biggest attraction I have towards the brand. AE's biggest attraction for me right now are the interesting casual styles like the Rush Street, Black Hills, Kiowa, Overlord, etc.

Styles like those were literally what got me into AE to begin with.

 

[MajorDash]

I think we're saying the same thing....it just isn't coming out that way

When I'm looking for a new platform, first place I'm going is AE. That's my first go-to for everything.

AE DID develop an engineer boot...it started with the Bowery and evolved into the discovery. They did invest in the development. My point, like you said, is why waste the time & effort with that when their time/effort is best spent elsewhere.

The liverpool is wildly different than the GS - I own one of each and I would never substitute one for the other. I let the original surrey go then got the re-release. I later got the GS because the surrey just wasn't that good and the discovery moved the needle in the wrong direction. But I started with AE.

I guess I wouldn't consider the Bowery or Discovery boots as 'engineer boots', but maybe they are. Kind of like how the Alpine boot might be a monkey boot, but I wouldn't immediately call it that either.

But yeah. The Liverpool is much more of a dress boot than a casual boot like the GS is. I guess, personally, I probably wouldn't reach for a 'casual' Chelsea boot with a toe that round/blunt, not to say that it isn't an amazing boot if you aren't trying to avoid that aesthetic.

 

[JFWR]

Imo Alden shines in the boots dept. I'd take anything - calf, she'll, suede etc over AE. Regular shoes are a different story.

Yeah. Their boots are fantastic. AE has nice boots, but Alden has the best.

 

[MajorDash]

Yeah. Their boots are fantastic. AE has nice boots, but Alden has the best.

I just wish they made boots on something other than Barrie or TB. I probably need a EEE size on those lasts, and you can't get anything cool in EEE from Alden (imo).