Shoe Fights: SF Building a Ready-to-Wear Shoe Hierarchy

The Ready-to-Wear Shoe Hierarchy (as of Apr 20, 2010)
(This list is based on surveys taken from March to April 2010. You can contribute to the ranking by voting on the "fights" after this list)

Top of the line:

• Vass
• John Lobb Paris = Edward Green

High-ends

• Grenson Masterpiece
• Crockett & Jones Handgrade
• Church's Custom Grade

Mid-levels

• Crockett & Jones Benchgrade
• Alfred Sargent Premier - Barker Black
• Grenson Rose - Santoni Fatte a Manos
• Alden

Basic

• Allen Edmonds
• Loake 1880

* Not enough data for ranking:
- J.M. Weston (somewhere below Crockett & Jones Handgrade)
- Salvatore Ferragamo Tramezza (somewhere below Crockett & Jones Handgrade)

* Popular shoemakers that have not been considered:
- Cheaney
- Sutor Mantellassi
- Romano Martegani
- Trickers

* Many other shoe brands will not be considered since their shoes are produced by others but use their own specification, some of them are:
- Brooks Brothers (use various mid-range shoemakers like Crockett & Jones, Alfred Sargent, Church's, Cheaney's, Alden, etc.,)
- Ralph Lauren (use a wide range of shoemakers including Edward Green, Crockett & Jones and some mysterious Italian shoemakers)

Fight III: Ferragamo Tramezza, Santoni FAM, Crockett & Jones, J.M. Weston, Grenson Rose, Allen Edmonds
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TVT2GFQ
Result based on 35 responses
* Grenson Rose (20) - Allen Edmonds (6)
* Crockett & Jones Handgrade (18) - J. M. Weston (10)
* Crockett & Jones Handgrade (26.5) - Salvatore Ferragamo Tramezza (3.5)
* Crockett & Jones Benchgrade (15) - Santoni Fatte a Manos (9)
* Crockett & Jones Benchgrade (17) - Barker Black (11)

Fight II: Church's Custom Grade, Grenson Rose, John Lobb Paris, Edward Green, J.M. Weston, Vass
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WY8FVJM
Result based on 49 responses
* Crockett & Jones Handgrade (35) - Church's Custom Grade (3)
* Church's Custom Grade (26.5) - Crockett & Jones Benchgrade (11.5)
* Crockett & Jones Benchgrade (26.5) - Grenson Rose (10.5)
* John Lobb Paris (20) - Edward Green (20)
* Edward Green (34.5) - J.M. Weston (4.5)
* Vass (22.5) - John Lobb Paris (19.5)

Fight I: Allen Edmonds, Alden, Crockett & Jones, Alfred Sargent and Grenson Masterpiece
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/J76PSM5
Results based on 79 responses
* Allen Edmonds (34.5) - Loake 1880 (20.5)
* Alden (56.5) - Allen Edmonds (10.5)
* Crockett & Jones Benchgrade (49) - Alden (13)
* Crockett & Jones Benchgrade (27) - Alfred Sargent Premier (19)
* Grenson Masterpiece (25) - Crockett & Jones Handgrade (23)

Q & A
Q: What is the goal?
A: There are many threads here on SF on comparing shoe brands. This thread aims to build a definitive shoe hierarchy based on SF collective opinions, so that these types of questions will not popped up again.

Q: Shoe hierarchy is dumb. Why do we need to do this?
A: True, such hierarchy makes little to no sense to each individual since this is very subjective, and there will be a lot of disagreements. However, for many who never owns shoes in a specific brand, this information might be valuable. Moreover, since we can put Vass above, for example, but not Kenneth Cole, why don't we put everything in order.

Q: John Cusey already created a list.
A: His list is definitely useful, however, it's just opinion of one (very knowledgeable) individual on such a subjective topic. It's better to get a common consensus.

Q: Why don't you create polls here in SF?
A: 20 different shoe lines mean up to 400 questions, that's too much and I don't want to flood SF with such polls.

Q: Why don't you have brand A vs brand B?
A: Currently, I focused on popular shoes here in SF, but this will be expanded in the future based on previous poll results and comment Alright, happy judging, and comments are welcome.

?? Only 5 votes after 70 reads? I guess people either 1) don't own shoes in more than 1 brand or 2) are just too lazy to vote or 3) Don't want to contribute...

Link is blocked for me

Originally Posted by gdl203

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Link is blocked for me

are you at work?

Originally Posted by onix

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?? Only 5 votes after 70 reads? I guess people either 1) don't own shoes in more than 1 brand or 2) are just too lazy to vote or 3) Don't want to contribute...

Keep in mind many of the 'reads' are actually spiders/bots trolling for web data etc...

Are we voting for our preference or our impression of which is qualitatively superior?

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

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Are we voting for our preference or our impression of which is qualatatively superior?

Taste test. Only those who have actually licked each boot/shoe in question.

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

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Are we voting for our preference or our impression of which is qualatatively superior?

poll says

do NOT consider price and availability

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so I think we are voting on:

1. build quality
2. how pleasing the styles are

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

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Are we voting for our preference or our impression of which is qualatatively superior?

Weight everything given that money is not a problem.

Another way to think about it: For your birthday, you friend offers to buy you a pair of shoes, he can only visit 1 shop, so he asks you choose between 2 brands (but he will choose the style/color, etc.). Given that your friend has fairly good taste of shoes (so he probably will choose some nice ones that you like, but you don't know which one exactly), which brand would you choose?

Originally Posted by onix

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are you at work?

Yes

Don't forget the suede topys

And all your other i-brands

Originally Posted by Cary Grant

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Taste test. Only those who have actually licked each boot/shoe in question.

Boot lickers ?

Originally Posted by mr monty

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Boot lickers ?

That dude who ripped off PG vs. the Vox acolytes?

Score updated.

Any proposed fights?

I am thinking of the following:
- Church Custom Grade or Church Prima Classe vs C&J
- Church Custom Grade vs Alfred Sargents Premier
- I would like to include some Italian shoe makers like Sutor , Romano Martegani , but don't know which one to fight against them C&J Handgrade probably? or Benchgrade is more appropriate?

New Fight is added: Competitors are Church's Custom Grade, Grenson Rose and the big boys Lobb, EG, JM Weston, and Vass.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WY8FVJM