Author Topic: Shoes - cheap, expensive or in between?  (Read 36381 times)

jameswilson

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 9
Re: Shoes - cheap, expensive or in between?
« Reply #50 on: December 28, 2012, 06:46:01 AM »
Very decent advice here. Find a good cobbler & get your favorite pair repaired. That will save you a lot. Also I would suggest buying a cheap shoes pair keep handy to replace your running shoes.

amyable

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 295
Re: Shoes - cheap, expensive or in between?
« Reply #51 on: December 28, 2012, 08:06:08 AM »
  Shoes like this, on the other hand, are toast really quickly b/c the sole is so thin and they are glued: http://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/shoes/ballets/PRDOVR~36243/36243.jsp. I bought them with a gift card and regretted it after a few wears because they won't even last a year.

I've actually owned that exact pair of flats (purchased on sale for about 40 bucks), and they only lasted around 6 months. 

Good advice!  I've never thought about looking at the sole construction of my shoes before making a purchase.  Until about 3 years ago, I just bought Converse, wore them until they fell apart, and replaced them, so I'm still pretty clueless about quality dress shoes.  This gives me some good ideas.  Thanks!

mugwump

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 61
  • Location: North Metro Denver
  • FI and watching my 'stache grow.
Re: Shoes - cheap, expensive or in between?
« Reply #52 on: December 28, 2012, 09:29:35 AM »
i also agree with using a cobbler, however I simply do not know what makes a good, repairable shoe.
I have tried to get shoes repaired, and most of the newer sneaker-type shoes with rubber soles (including most dress shoes now) are not repairable.  To get a shoe resoled, you need to have a sewn-on sole, not glued or bonded to the upper part of the shoe.

I just got a pair of shoes that is glued instead of stitched re-soled for the second time. In my experience it matters more what the shoe is made out of than whether or not it is stitched.

Glad to hear it.  You must have a better shoe repair shop than I did.  Or was it leather that was glued on? I was conflating two things, type of sole and method of attachment.

chucklesmcgee

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 613
Re: Shoes - cheap, expensive or in between?
« Reply #53 on: December 28, 2012, 11:08:43 AM »
I usually go pretty pricey on shoes, top quality hiking boots, running shoes and dress shoes. They need to be replaced every...well I honestly don't know because I end up getting shoes for gifts every year or two and just switch them out then. Then I'll have a cheap pair of beater sneakers (usually an old pair of the good running shoes) that I'll wear everywhere.  Even then it's not like they come apart terribly easily.

zinnie

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 710
  • Location: Boston
Re: Shoes - cheap, expensive or in between?
« Reply #54 on: December 28, 2012, 12:01:45 PM »
i also agree with using a cobbler, however I simply do not know what makes a good, repairable shoe.
I have tried to get shoes repaired, and most of the newer sneaker-type shoes with rubber soles (including most dress shoes now) are not repairable.  To get a shoe resoled, you need to have a sewn-on sole, not glued or bonded to the upper part of the shoe.

I just got a pair of shoes that is glued instead of stitched re-soled for the second time. In my experience it matters more what the shoe is made out of than whether or not it is stitched.

Glad to hear it.  You must have a better shoe repair shop than I did.  Or was it leather that was glued on? I was conflating two things, type of sole and method of attachment.

Oh I see. Yes, I was talking about leather. I suppose it's quite a bit harder for a cobbler to have rubber sole replacements on hand that match/ look right. Though it would be nice if they did such things!

YK-Phil

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1173
  • Location: Nayarit (Mexico)
Re: Shoes - cheap, expensive or in between?
« Reply #55 on: December 28, 2012, 01:35:54 PM »
Price should, but is not always an indication of quality. I usually buy expensive, good quality and stylish shoes, and they generally last several years without any or little maintenance and repairs. I bought a pair of Chelsea-type boots made by Born in September 2006, which I paid $220 at the time. I can wear them with both a suit for work or a pair of jeans on weekends and for travels. I walk a lot, in all kinds of weather, and even after wearing these on several long trips to Asia, Europe, the USA, and everything in between, these shoes are still sharp-looking. Great investment. On the other hand, I bought a $245 pair of very stylish Ted Baker chelsea boots in August 2012. I assumed, given the price and the brand, that I was buying long-lasting quality. I started to wear them casually on the weekend but they started to show wear after a couple of weeks, and the heels wore completely after 2 months. Cost to fix both heels: $42. I would spend that much to fix my Born boots, but it's totally not worth it for these cheaply made expensive boots. 

Daley

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4825
  • Location: Cow country. Moo.
  • Still kickin', I guess.
Re: Shoes - cheap, expensive or in between?
« Reply #56 on: December 28, 2012, 01:55:50 PM »
Man, I would love to hear if anyone has any good advice for upkeep on women's ballet flat style shoes.  I'm on my feet about 7 hours everyday at work, and I tear through about two pairs of these a year, regardless of the brand.  Maybe that style of shoe is just not built to last?

I know nothing of your job or your feet or a good brand of ballet flats as I'm a dude, but if I may... I can be quite a bit harder on my shoes than most people as well, and recently discovered why: I have something called Morton's Toe, and it causes foot pain, balance issues and heavier wear on shoes amongst a whole slew of other things. Sizing is a bit different as well, as you need to accommodate the length of the second toe in sizing instead of just the big toe.

I'm not saying you may have Morton's Toe yourself, and you just may have a job that's abusive on your feet, but it doesn't hurt to mention it either because the fix can be really cheap if you know about the problem. I didn't even know about the problem myself for 36 years, and statistically, I also have a 1:5 shot of being helpful with the suggestion if I mention it to you or others. Ever since discovering what it was a few weeks back and making the adjustment with cheap felt disks for myself, it's transformed my posture and stride immensely. In fact, your post finally inspired me to finish that linked post for others on the off-chance it might help.

So, a question that I want to ask you and the other folks who burn through shoes: Is your second toe longer than your first? If it is, have I got some info for you.

amyable

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 295
Re: Shoes - cheap, expensive or in between?
« Reply #57 on: December 28, 2012, 05:53:05 PM »
I'm not saying you may have Morton's Toe yourself, and you just may have a job that's abusive on your feet, but it doesn't hurt to mention it either because the fix can be really cheap if you know about the problem.

Thanks for the info--I've never heard of that.  My big toe is definitely longer, though.  I'm a teacher and am on my feet most of the day at work--I'm sure that accounts for some of the damage. 

Daley

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4825
  • Location: Cow country. Moo.
  • Still kickin', I guess.
Re: Shoes - cheap, expensive or in between?
« Reply #58 on: December 30, 2012, 07:28:01 AM »
Thanks for the info--I've never heard of that.  My big toe is definitely longer, though.  I'm a teacher and am on my feet most of the day at work--I'm sure that accounts for some of the damage.

I should probably correct myself briefly. Technically and specifically, Morton's Toe is caused by a longer second metatarsal, which may or may not present itself as a longer second toe (but typically does); so it may not be frequent, but you can still potentially have it even with your big toe longer. This particular setup is usually marked by a deeper toe notch between the big toe and the second than the rest of the foot. Most accurate way to check is to just bend your toes down at the joint and see if the second knuckle sticks out further than the first.

And yeah, most people are oblivious about feet... myself included up until recently. Why I made a point to mention it.

CookerS101

  • Guest
Re: Shoes - cheap, expensive or in between?
« Reply #59 on: January 11, 2013, 06:17:34 AM »
I would go for in between, quality shoes don't have to be expensive. I feel guilty whenever I need to buy expensive things especially shoes.

Skyn_Flynt

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 78
  • Age: 55
  • Location: North Carolina
Re: Shoes - cheap, expensive or in between?
« Reply #60 on: January 11, 2013, 06:58:32 PM »
Depends a little on their purpose. My max is about $100 which I've spent before on office shoes and gotten 3 or 4 years on them. Then they become walking or handyman shoes for a while to squeeze more use.

Sometimes I see those really cheap velcro-fastened shoes on sale at KMart or Wal*Mart for $9.99 a pair, and I'll buy some. They only last a year, sometimes just a summer, but I don't feel bad about getting them dirty.

FiveSigmas

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 597
Re: Shoes - cheap, expensive or in between?
« Reply #61 on: January 14, 2013, 12:57:11 AM »
I've had leather boots resoled a number of times at the cobbler, which gives pretty good mileage. Eventually, my previous pair of boots wore through the toe, though, and I reluctantly tossed them (there's only so much you can do with shoe goo to keep boots waterproof).

As for running shoes, I figure a good pair is still much, much cheaper than knee surgery down the line (not to mention less painful, more effective, etc...), so I didn't feel too bad about spending ~$100 at a running store with a knowledgeable salesperson who let me run around the block with multiple pairs. In the past two years, running 5 days a week, I've gone through two pairs of the same model. The second pair I planned ahead and bought online during a sale for about half the price. It's just about time for a third pair now. I'm tempted to go with the upgraded model, as I've heard lots of good reviews. That said, the older model is still available, and is significantly cheaper. <sigh>

jrhampt

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2016
  • Age: 46
  • Location: Connecticut
Re: Shoes - cheap, expensive or in between?
« Reply #62 on: January 14, 2013, 05:14:50 PM »
My wife was reading over my shoulder and she told me to mention a Terry Pratchett quote from Men at Arms as it's quite relevant:

Quote
The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money. Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles. But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet. This was the Captain Samuel Vimes 'Boots' theory of socio-economic unfairness.

Love Terry Pratchett, and I do remember thinking this quote was quite clever when reading this book.  +500 pts for working it in!

Sylly

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 265
Re: Shoes - cheap, expensive or in between?
« Reply #63 on: January 15, 2013, 09:28:43 AM »
So, a question that I want to ask you and the other folks who burn through shoes: Is your second toe longer than your first? If it is, have I got some info for you.

Thank you! I never thought there was any negative effects stemming from this unusual condition. I will have to go buy those small pads and try it out.

Daley

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4825
  • Location: Cow country. Moo.
  • Still kickin', I guess.
Re: Shoes - cheap, expensive or in between?
« Reply #64 on: January 15, 2013, 10:58:31 AM »
So, a question that I want to ask you and the other folks who burn through shoes: Is your second toe longer than your first? If it is, have I got some info for you.

Thank you! I never thought there was any negative effects stemming from this unusual condition. I will have to go buy those small pads and try it out.

And this is exactly why I posted that info. :)

I should note that I tried it out on a cheap pair of insoles stuffed into my shoes first before applying to my shoes' native insoles, just in case it didn't work.

Brief update for anyone curious: It's been about five weeks since I first put in the shims. My back is starting to unknot, people keep mentioning that I seem taller, the callouses are disappearing, and my feet hurt considerably less now. I even feel more stable on ladders! When I first put 'em in there was a bit of minor pain, but that cleared quickly. Now, I can tell when I go barefoot as that is mildly uncomfortable since the switch, so it's slippers everywhere or very short walking trips. Still the best 75¢ I ever spent.

GoCubsGo

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 385
Re: Shoes - cheap, expensive or in between?
« Reply #65 on: January 16, 2013, 09:37:04 AM »
Expensive shoes bought on sale is the only way to go for me (and if it's a great deal I'll buy two pairs).  At the very least, if your going to buy lower quality shoe, stop into a running store that has a foot analysis machine to see where your pressure points are (free) and replace the inner sole with an orthotic or even off the shelf insole (pretty cheap and covered under many health plans). 

I wear dress shoes quite a bit and have had back issues since I walk hard.  A solid pair of orthotics  can improve the quality and comfort greatly of lower quality shoe.  The inner soles of cheap shoes have little support and cheap foam that compresses almost immediately compromising comfort and potentially health (ounce of prevention...)  I also keep a "beater" pair of leather dress shoes to wear during really slushy/salty days.  I've found higher quality leather much easier to shine/maintain as well.