My first shoes with Topy put on

IBJanky · May 4, 2010

So I did some reading about peoples experience with Topy sole protectors and finally had them put on by a local cobbler on an old pair of Ferragamo laceups that I have.

At first I thought that there was going to be a big difference as far as how the shoes felt when walking but quite honestly, I can't really tell a major difference.

The thickness of the sole was not noticeably affected either, since the Topy layer is not thick at all, probably the thickness of a dime. My cobbler told me they wear like iron though and should be a LONG time before I need to replace them. And I don't really care if the soles of my shoes look like black rubber now instead of worn leather. I mean, who really looks at the soles of your shoes?

Some pics:

Soles of the shoes:

He shined 'em up like mirrors too!

Overall, I am pretty pleased with the way they turned out. I feel like they're a brand new pair! Only cost me $25 for everything.

These should significantly lengthen the life of my shoes. I'm thinking of getting all my leather soled shoes done now

Anyone else rocking some Topy?

myke

DocHolliday · May 4, 2010

Yep, I'm a big fan. Of all the forum boogeymen, I find this one particularly odd.

westinghouse · May 4, 2010

I won't buy shoes without them.

Fishball · May 4, 2010

Try Vibram half sole next time, they are better than topy, IMHO.

IBJanky · May 4, 2010

Originally Posted by Fishball

Try Vibram half sole next time, they are better than topy, IMHO.

How so? Please elaborate.

myke

westinghouse · May 4, 2010

Originally Posted by Fishball

Try Vibram half sole next time, they are better than topy, IMHO.

Whatever, dude. Vibram looks like cheap ****.

Chips · May 4, 2010

They look great, and I can tell you, your cobbler did a wonderful job. I've had 19 pair topy'ed. I pay somewhere near $30 here in the bay area, but can't remember exactly how much.

He did a good job making it nice and clean the way it blends where you can see the black of the leather sole and the edge of the topy.

I only have one pair of shoes that I've re-topy'ed and thats only because I wore the hell out of them, literally every other day for something like 5 months, till I added more to the rotation. They didn't wear thru, and likely didn't need to be re done, but they felt smooth, and I felt they were more prone to slipping on linoleum flooring at work.

Chips · May 5, 2010

I realize there's credible info out here that points out that the sole has to be ground down, in order for the new one to take purchase, which in time, will destroy the sole.

I wouldn't do it if it weren't for the non slip benifits. I don't care to hear others personal experience on how their leather soles dont slip, but I've never had a pair that didn't or that wasn't fixed by a Topy sole.

Doxe · May 5, 2010

I've Topy'd all of my shoes in the past.

I've heard that it is best for a shoe not to be Topy'd as the sole needs to breathe. But the subtlety of the effect on the shoes of having the soles breathe is probably lost on me.

In my experience Topy'd shoes last longer than non-Topy'd shoes.

I also find leather soled shoes are slippery when walking down marble steps or escalators or walking on smooth concrete. I have a pair of dark brown shoes Topy'd in dark brown rubber and a pair of caramel shoes Topy'd in a light brown rubber.

apropos · May 5, 2010

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

Yep, I'm a big fan. Of all the forum boogeymen, I find this one particularly odd.
+1

LabelKing · May 5, 2010

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

Yep, I'm a big fan. Of all the forum boogeymen, I find this one particularly odd.

You don't get the nice sound however.

bluemagic · May 5, 2010

I really like how those soles look. Do any shoes come with Topy soles to begin with?

RSS · May 5, 2010

Originally Posted by LabelKing

You don't get the nice sound however.
Nor can you see the beautiful leather sole. Or to put it another way ... it ruins the sole's soul.

bluemagic · May 5, 2010

It's like destroying the village to save it?

Don Carlos · May 5, 2010

Originally Posted by RSS

Nor can you see the beautiful leather sole. Or to put it another way ... it ruins the sole's soul.
I'm in this camp, as well. I have nothing against people who choose to Topy their shoes. I'm not going to react in knee-jerk, dogmatic fashion against it. That said, I prefer the look of an un-Topyed leather sole. I have no doubt that a Topy will prolong the life of a sole by a significant margin. But frankly, I just love the aesthetics of the leather. Especially because it's so rare to see leather soles these days (hell, it's increasingly rare to see lace-up dress shoes). And when the sole gets worn out, I get the shoe resoled. To me, there's a sentimental value there. I have a few pairs that have been resoled three or four times now, and while some may question the cost-effectiveness of doing so, these shoes have become priceless to me. Also, for what it's worth, your cobbler did an outstanding job applying that Topy. The blend with the sole is superb.

My first shoes with Topy put on

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