Quality Men's Shoes?

[lillibet]

So, a friend would like to buy shoes for his husband and asked me for advice. I don't have any, so I turn to my widely knowledgeable friends for help.

Now, my friend has a very simple approach to shoes. About once a year he goes to Payless and plunks down $19.99 for a pair of black lace-ups and wears them until they get holes in the soles a year later, when he repeats the process. His husband has a similar process, but doesn't like cheap shoes. So he goes to Bass or Timberland or wherever and plunks down $100 for a pair of black lace-ups and wears them until they get holes in the soles a year later, when he repeats the process.

The question is, are there actually men's shoes of sufficient quality that they would not fall apart in a year or so of constant wear? Can one plunk down $200 or $400 or whatever and actually get shoes that are better?

Any suggestions?

Comments

[spwebdesign.livejournal.com]

Rockport. They are made with walking in mind, and are very durable and comfortable. They have a variety of styles, including your standard black lace-up. And they're available in the $100-$150 range.

[p-j-cleary.livejournal.com]

Gotta agree with the Rockport suggestion. They last forever.

Also, men's shoes wear out in the soles, but fixing that costs next to nothing. The uppers are very rarely beyond repair, and that's what shoe polish is for. :)

[schmoomom.livejournal.com]

Ecco. B has a pair that he wore for about 4 years with no problems, and they always looked nice (black leather laceups, waterproof).

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

new rocks last forever (sensesurfer has the exemplary pair; i've only had mine two years and don't wear them constantly) but while some pairs are technically "black lace-ups" you might have to search a bit to find a pair they considered adequately plain.

elf my elf does the same thing btw, only he wears black sneakers, and when they get holes in the soles he doesn't buy a new pair, he just whines at me that his feet are cold and wet when it snows.

[bridgetminerva.livejournal.com]

A does the black sneaker thing for work as well. only he buys two because he can't stand to be uncomfortable with a hole in his shoe. When he notices a hole he chucks the old and opens the box of new. He spends about 100 on each and I'd say he gets about 24-30 months on them before starting over again.

He does own real black lace-ups shoes and a blue pair. He wears them every time he wears a tie or a suit or even a sports jacket. (which tells you how often..er...rarely that happens)

[whitebird.livejournal.com]

I like your icon.

[pekmez.livejournal.com]

Also, though it seems like an odd superstition and *was* first told to me by a shoe store salesman, it seems to work for me - if you plunk down 2*19.99 or 2*100.00 or whatever, and buy 2 pairs, and alternate which ones you're wearing fairly frequently, both pairs will be doing better in 2 years than your 1 pair worn every day was doing in 1 year. Letting the shoes rest in between wearing them seems to keep them from getting as beat up.

Not so true for wearing out the soles, which logically has to do with how much time they are walked in cumulatively, but whether they *look* beat up and old or not can be helped by rotating through 2 pairs instead of 1.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Getting shoes re-soled is very cheap. There's a shoe repair shop right in Davis.

[skreeky]

I can't recommend men's brands, but I can tell you this.

No matter how much money you spend for what brand, they will wear out in a year if you don't take care of them.
- use silicone spray the minute you buy them, and polish them before wearing
- wipe all road salt off the minute you get in the house
- if they've been wet, dry them without heat, and polish them right away once they're dry
- alternate between at least 2 pairs of shoes. Use good wooden shoe-shapers that absorb moisture in the pair that aren't on your feet. You can get these online or at Miltons or probably most shoe stores.
- Polish regularly. Polish. Did I mention polish?

If you do this to take care of the uppers, a good shoe will last years. The soles will wear out - that's what cobblers are for. A good shoe is totally worth re-soling. There's a convenient cobbler in the A level of the Galleria mall in Cambridge.

a slightly non-traditional answer?

[wolfkitn.livejournal.com]

about 7 years ago i bought my one and only pair of doc martens. they look professional, just like most of the other black oxfords out there. they don't have thick colorful stitching around the edges, and while they have the air sole, they don't have a super-thick lugged sole.

i still wear them. the soles are a bit worn and don't grip like they used to, and my feet have grown so they aren't quite as comfortable as they used to be -- but they have plenty of life left in them. i think it was one of the best investments i've ever made.

last year, i bought a pair of dansko clogs, and i'm having similar luck with them. i don't know if they can be re-soled in any useful way, and the heels are getting a bit of the angled sort of wearing down that heels get -- but they're doing great, and elevate me out of all but the worst snow and slush.

both of these are shoes that are available for men -- a bit non-traditional, i believe, but depending on what your friend(s) prefer, they might be possible solutions.

[muffyjo]

I understand that Clarks is a good name brand, esp for men, and has a solid reputation for lasting. Also, L. L. Bean used to have a policy that they sell things to last a lifetime. I've had my bean boots repaired for free.

[thatwesguy.livejournal.com]

I go to Nordstrom, talk to the Actually Helpful Salesfolk, and buy whatever they recommend that is also approved by whatever Approved Minister Of Style has accompanied me.

This method has gotten me every pair of shoes I own, several of which are surprisingly old, not that you'd know it.