***The official Alden thread *** Share enthusiasm, reviews, sizing, advice, and photos.

[mdubs]



I think I might be making my first shell purchase and this thread has a lot to do with that. Thinking of getting the AF18 from alden of Carmel which is the chukka with #8 cordovan with their commando sole. I wear chukkas more than anything else and I figure these should be as versatile as they come.

I've never ordered from them before and I don't see a phone number listed anywhere on their site. Is the best way to order from them by email? Also, I'm guessing they don't run any type of sales and discounts? Just wanted to make sure so I don't order it and then a week later they're running a 15% discount code.

Welcome to the thread. Adam used to run a brick and mortar store in La Jolla and then moved to Carmel. He is now online only orders and is near Seattle. He doesn't have a phone number, so you will need to order online and contact him via E-mail. He is fairly responsive if you E-mail him.

As others have stated, he will look out to make sure that you get what you need. He also meticulously inspects shoes before shipping them. Good luck!

-Mike

 

[matt92037]

Which store in La Jolla?

 

[tifosi]



Hopefully this post is enough on-topic for the thread . . . I'll be in Philadelphia in a few weeks and plan to do some shoe-shopping while there.  For Aldens, I figure making the trip to Sherman Brothers is a no-brainer.  What are the other go-to places in Philly for shoes?  BTW (and here's maybe the off-topic part) I'm not limited to Alden - suggestions for any other local stores that sell brands of similar or higher quality would be welcomed.  Thanks in advance!

Philly isn't all that good for shoe shopping, unfortunately. You'll probably get the most joy out of the AE store on Chestnut St. Sherman Bros is OK, but I'm not impressed with the Alden experience there.

Off topic: I can't stand Pat's or Geno's. I only eat cheesesteaks at Steve's Prince of Steaks.

 

[irishcafe]

Does TSM still email irregulars? If they do, can anyone email me their last list? Have not received any of them lately.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Subutai]

Philly isn't all that good for shoe shopping, unfortunately. You'll probably get the most joy out of the AE store on Chestnut St. Sherman Bros is OK, but I'm not impressed with the Alden experience there.

Off topic: I can't stand Pat's or Geno's. I only eat cheesesteaks at Steve's Prince of Steaks.

Tifosi, I agree re: Sherman bros and DEFINITELY agree re: Steve's Prince of Steaks!

 

[tifosi]



Tifosi, I agree re: Sherman bros and DEFINITELY agree re: Steve's Prince of Steaks!

Good man! Good taste in shoe shopping and steaks! haha

 

[rydenfan]



DiNic's pork sandwich is better than any cheesesteak.

I prefer Tony Luke's

And another vote for Pat's and provolone. Steve's is great too

 

[Alcibiades]

On toe topic of commando soled shoes and suits: I recently attended a meeting with a coworker. The coworker, a traditional gentleman, was well dressed in suit and tie... But was wearing hiking boots given the slush and such on the streets. Most of the slush was gone by then, so I went ahead and wore my BB wingtips. The overall point, though, is that when the streets are slushy and snowy, all bets seem to be off... Many of the AoC barrie lasted commando sole options (longwings, PTBs, boots, etc) are more than acceptable with suits under those circumstances.

 

[MoneyWellSpent]

Heard of Alex Shoe Repair, never used them.

B. Nelson will do a double leather if you ask him to. You'd have to discuss pricing with him. Not sure if I'd like the way a full strap would look with a thicker sole, but your call. If you allow the soles to get soaked from walking on wet pavement, the leather soles will wear much faster while they are wet and therefore softer. That could be why the wore so fast.

If you can go without the shoes for 6-10 weeks, you could send them back to Alden for refurb. Once you have had them resoled by another cobbler, Alden will no longer accept them for refurb. B. Nelson does a fine job, but only Alden has the original last to use for the recrafting. Not sure in actuality how important that is. Maybe MWS can shed some light?

I'm sure any of the 3 are capable of a resole.

There are very few cobblers I would trustfully send my shoes to, but B. Nelson makes the list of those I'm fully comfortable with.

That said, having the original last for recrafting is important under certain circumstances. If the gemming is having issues (which it probably isn't, statistically speaking), and if it needs to be repaired, the original last may be important. The reason for this is because the size of the shoe could be changed when regluing the gemming to the bottom of the insole. However, that depends upon the degree of repair needed. If only a small section needs to be reattached, it's a pretty straightforward procedure. However, if large segments have come loose, then it becomes more risky. B. Nelson fully understands this, and they won't do a shoddy repair job on something that needs the original last.

Having the original last also allows for the factory to "re-last" the shoe when they put on a new welt. When they remove the old welt, they will tighten the leather down, which will help straighten out some of the creases and stretched areas that the shoe has developed over years of wear. This isn't really safe without the original last.

Having the original last may help prevent any lumps from occurring in the insole when replacing the cork bottom filler, since the original last will fit the most tightly and help prevent over packing the bottom of the shoe. This is probably an overrated concern, but it is possible. If it does happen, generally it will flatten out to a desirable level after a few wears.

If the insole needs to be replaced, which Alden will do in extreme circumstances, the original last is mandatory.

On the flip side, one thing I like about using someone like B. Nelson, is that they will leave your original welt in place (assuming it isn't damaged or worn) and only replace the cork and outsole. This actually prolongs the life of your Goodyear-welted shoes by a large margin. A Goodyear-welted shoe can only take a handful of re-weltings before it can no longer be done and must be disposed of. That's because every re-welting punches new holes around the base of the upper when they stitch on a new welt, and eventually it will lose it's integrity just like a piece of perforated paper will tear on a dotted line. Leaving the original welt in place will mitigate this, and thus, the shoe can take more resoles because of it. Further, when B. Nelson does replace the welt, they do it by hand, and they make every effort to use the original holes in the uppers and inseam. Again, this will extend the overall life of the shoe for the same reasons. Factories don't do this. Factories automatically replace the welt using the welt stitching machine, which just "machine-guns" new holes in the upper when stitching on a new welt. Like I said, eventually you end up with too many holes and the leather will be prone to tearing. Because of all this, a shoe that is resoled at a place like B. Nelson could actually last far longer than a shoe that is consistently sent to the factory for recrafting, assuming you don't have major gemming problems (which is rare enough to not lose sleep over). But of you send them to B. Nelson, then Alden won't ever touch them again. So it's a bit of a game of Russian Roulette, or "pick your poison" if you will.

 

[halfnhalfnhalf]

Hopefully this post is enough on-topic for the thread . . . I'll be in Philadelphia in a few weeks and plan to do some shoe-shopping while there. For Aldens, I figure making the trip to Sherman Brothers is a no-brainer. What are the other go-to places in Philly for shoes? BTW (and here's maybe the off-topic part) I'm not limited to Alden - suggestions for any other local stores that sell brands of similar or higher quality would be welcomed. Thanks in advance!

Thanks to everyone who responded. I'm disappointed to hear that Sherman Brothers is not that great, but hopefully my experience there will exceed my now modest expectations. And, if I have any money left over to eat with, I now know where to get a good cheesesteak!

 

[mikeharo]



Thanks to everyone who responded.  I'm disappointed to hear that Sherman Brothers is not that great, but hopefully my experience there will exceed my now modest expectations.  And, if I have any money left over to eat with, I now know where to get a good cheesesteak!

Forget the cheese steak, there is so much good food in Philly.

 

[Shouldaville]

One person on the DC plaza medallion cap toe shoe in my size hasn't called in yet, so there's hope for me yet. Kathy also said the cigar grant cap toe boot has gone into production and she's getting more pairs than expected...again, hope for me there too.

 

[tigerpac]

^The great shell shortage is over

 

[smdbitchh]

There are very few cobblers I would trustfully send my shoes to, but B. Nelson makes the list of those I'm fully comfortable with.

That said, having the original last for recrafting is important under certain circumstances. If the gemming is having issues (which it probably isn't, statistically speaking), and if it needs to be repaired, the original last may be important. The reason for this is because the size of the shoe could be changed when regluing the gemming to the bottom of the insole. However, that depends upon the degree of repair needed. If only a small section needs to be reattached, it's a pretty straightforward procedure. However, if large segments have come loose, then it becomes more risky. B. Nelson fully understands this, and they won't do a shoddy repair job on something that needs the original last.

Having the original last also allows for the factory to "re-last" the shoe when they put on a new welt. When they remove the old welt, they will tighten the leather down, which will help straighten out some of the creases and stretched areas that the shoe has developed over years of wear. This isn't really safe without the original last.

Having the original last may help prevent any lumps from occurring in the insole when replacing the cork bottom filler, since the original last will fit the most tightly and help prevent over packing the bottom of the shoe. This is probably an overrated concern, but it is possible. If it does happen, generally it will flatten out to a desirable level after a few wears.

If the insole needs to be replaced, which Alden will do in extreme circumstances, the original last is mandatory.

On the flip side, one thing I like about using someone like B. Nelson, is that they will leave your original welt in place (assuming it isn't damaged or worn) and only replace the cork and outsole. This actually prolongs the life of your Goodyear-welted shoes by a large margin. A Goodyear-welted shoe can only take a handful of re-weltings before it can no longer be done and must be disposed of. That's because every re-welting punches new holes around the base of the upper when they stitch on a new welt, and eventually it will lose it's integrity just like a piece of perforated paper will tear on a dotted line. Leaving the original welt in place will mitigate this, and thus, the shoe can take more resoles because of it. Further, when B. Nelson does replace the welt, they do it by hand, and they make every effort to use the original holes in the uppers and inseam. Again, this will extend the overall life of the shoe for the same reasons. Factories don't do this. Factories automatically replace the welt using the welt stitching machine, which just "machine-guns" new holes in the upper when stitching on a new welt. Like I said, eventually you end up with too many holes and the leather will be prone to tearing. Because of all this, a shoe that is resoled at a place like B. Nelson could actually last far longer than a shoe that is consistently sent to the factory for recrafting, assuming you don't have major gemming problems (which is rare enough to not lose sleep over). But of you send them to B. Nelson, then Alden won't ever touch them again. So it's a bit of a game of Russian Roulette, or "pick your poison" if you will.

Lots of good info and lots of stuff I had no clue about.

Going to head into Manhattan before work today and was thinking about dropping by B Nelson. I have never been there before

Im assuming that on a Alden boot like this that came with these rubber goodyear sole protectors on the heel (from LeatherSoul) that B.Nelson or another shop would be able to replace the rubber portion of the heel with something similar. It appears that this piece is a add on to a standard leather soul? Is this correct?

When I purchased them I also had a vibram sole protector placed on the front portion of the sole which is pretty worn down as well. Something like this wont cost the full $90 that a resole typically would cost from B nelson?

 

[MoneyWellSpent]

Lots of good info and lots of stuff I had no clue about.

Going to head into Manhattan before work today and was thinking about dropping by B Nelson. I have never been there before

Im assuming that on a Alden boot like this that came with these rubber goodyear sole protectors on the heel (from LeatherSoul) that B.Nelson or another shop would be able to replace the rubber portion of the heel with something similar. It appears that this piece is a add on to a standard leather soul? Is this correct?

When I purchased them I also had a vibram sole protector placed on the front portion of the sole which is pretty worn down as well. Something like this wont cost the full $90 that a resole typically would cost from B nelson?

Yes, having those items replaced should be very routine, and won't cost as much as a full resole.