Lets talk about shoes

Off-topic Chatter
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What’s your favorite brand(s) of shoes?

My top two are Ecco and Zamberlan.

Ecco has been generally very good in my experience. Their customer service is very good too. For a time, they did have some issues with soles of some shoe models, where the special polymer blend breaks down and then crumbles apart. I actually had that happen with 3 different styles (example). BUT… Ecco took the shoes back and issued me credit towards new shoes from their us.ecco.com website. The credits can be applied during a sale, so when they had some major discounts like 40% off, I was able to actually get a $200 pair of shoes for free. Note that replacement shoes have been perfectly fine, holding up very well.

Zamberlan is known for their hiking shoes. The Italians know their stuff in that arena. I have a pair of Baniff hiking shoes that are the best I’ve ever owned. They just last & last.

For a time, Zamberlan made some low rise casual semi-hiking shoes that were excellent. Really top quality. Unfortunately they were discontinued… but I lucked out on nabbing a NIB pair off eBay for about 1/2 off. Called “”Braies”:Amazon.com They’re even better than they look.

2

Clarks, Keen and Saucony.

3

Lasocki shoes.

4

Meindl, Lowa, Keen.

5

+1 for Lowa. My Renegade GTXs are my favorite pair.

6

Keen insulated hiking boots. Good stuff for when it gets down to –20F .

7

My favorite pair of shoes are Mark Nason Los Angeles.

I don't really have a go-to brand, though I do like Mark Nason.

When I shop for shoes I look for affordable leather/suede shoes with good feedback (usually on Amazon.)

8

I’ve pretty much given up on shoes. Like most people here I wear flip flops or sandals. I have a cheap pair of Chinese sneakers for special occasions. Sneakers are acceptable here for even what would be a formal occasion in the west.

Also the humidity and mold attack plastic and rubber and breaks down adhesives. If stored in a dark area for a few months they can crumple to bits when you pick them up.

I don’t miss shoes, (or long pants) at all, if I wear them I get a kind of foot claustrophobia and can’t wait to get them off. Hard to find size 13 here also.

I used to enjoy good quality shoes. I had a pair of Clark Treks years ago that I remember very fondly. They were indestructible.

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Crocs

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For “office shoes” I prefer Van Bommel. Very expensive but (well kept: litterally) last a lifetime.

Outdoors shoes have always been Meindl. Though it’s a bit of a lottery. A good one (Borneo) can give you up to 10 comfy years. Just needs new heels every now and then. But a crappy one can litterally fall apart at the seams in 2 years.
Their CS department is torture. Their script list is rather short. “Impossible”. “Not here”. “Can’t be”. When you return them a really crappy shoe under warranty, you’ll never see it again. “Did not receive it”.

Shoes I really hate are Scarpa. Out of the box they look, feel and handle like a dream. The second day they start to itch, the third day they start to hurt. You might think: that’s what breaking-in is all about. They won’t stop hurting. So I put on my old Meindl’s and try again after the blisters are healed. Same thing happens. From A to E in 3 days.
Now the good part: on good shoes the soles are multy layered. The rubber with the profile and the leather are not directly connected. Scarpa has solved the costly issue of “in between parts”. They were able to manufacture a firm sole with good profile plus a thick spongy part on top in one piece. Guess what: that did not last long. The production marks on the soles were even still visible when it tore apart. Warranty? Uh-oh.

Rant over. Still prefer Meindl’s, even when you occasionally come across a crappy one. Only gripe with Meindl is that you have to keep up a good pace or your feet will get very cold in winter.

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For affordable comfortable work office shoes, I would say Clarks.

For any type of boot, I normally buy Cabelas branded.

If I wanted a better boot for more money, I would probably say Danner.

12

I had a favorite Cabela’s hiking shoe I used to buy over and over throughout the years. My wife used to kid me about only wearing the same shoes but they fit well and didn’t hurt my feet like most shoes do. One day they discontinued them and now I need a new favorite that don’t require a mortgage to buy.

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Interesting — I’d no idea that high humidity environments can do that. It seems that not all polymer & composite plastic shoe soles are created equal. I’ve seen some hold up horribly, while others are still going strong after 20 years, not even a sticky surface to them.

I wear flipflops around the house all the time. That’s a whole other topic—flipflop hygiene. If you have the kind with no center string, you can wear socks. But otherwise, the barefoot flipflops can get funky mighty quickly!

That’s the vexing thing about shoe makers. Sometimes they hit a mark of perfection and create a great shoe model, only to discontinue it some years later due to “style” or “management” changes. The Ecco Biom Grip II is such a shoe that suffered a recent discontinuation. One of the best casual shoes I’ve ever owned. So comfortable while having a cool look about them. Innovative tread too.

1 Thank
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If you suffer from sore feet as I do, due to neuropathy. I highly recommend Orthofeet as I own several pair and truly benefit from the comfort they provide.

I just purchased a pair of boots which are super comfortable.

Most Comfortable Walking Shoes, Sandals, Boots, Heels

1 Thank
15

I have all sorts of foot pain and can barely tolerate rotating between 3 pairs of Nike React, with insoles. Looking to add something to the rotation, plan to go try out Hoka Bondi 7 or SR and maybe the Ultraboost 21.

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Similar, but different!

I still wear and like the same :wink:

17

Thanks for the link! I have a relative who is a diabetic and struggles with some foot neuropathy. I’ll let him know about this. 40% off Black Friday deals.

18

Nice looking boots. Appear to be made well. Not bad for 99 EUR. The soles remind me very much of ecco. PHOTO

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In the house it’s always flipflops (no toe-thong). My feet don’t stank, but whenever I go sweep the crap off the sidewalk in the rain, hose down the patio, etc., I always hose off my feet and the flipflops too. In winter I’ll give ’em an occasional wash’n’rinse in the downstairs utility-sink.

Outside, from early spring to late fall, I’ll wear sneakdals (sandals but look kinda like brown sneakers), so I don’t have to wear sox. Got like 3pr at Kohls when they were on closeout and I had some big-ass coupons.

Winter, I had some ancient construction-boots that I had resoled ’til the uppers started to split. Comfy as all Hell.

Sneakers… something with an ‘N’ or ‘Z’ on it, forgot. 10bux or 20bux per pair at Modells, also end-of-season closeout, so got 2pr (on the 2nd pr already). Not the comfiest (pinches my pinky-toe after a while), but I don’t wear footwear for long anyway, even would change into water-shoes at work, as they look more “shoelike” than fuzzy slippers.

And yeah, water-shoes. Another closeout at Kohls, got a bunch to wear as slippers inside/outside.

Got 1pr of dress shoes, which hurt like Hell, to the point where I have to recover the next day or two if I wear ’em to a funeral or such.

I do have a pair of soft-soled shoes that are USPS-sanctioned or whatever’s the rating. No idea what I’m “saving” them for, but they’re almost untouched. Comfy, though. Guess all the others (sneakers, sneakdals, etc.) get priority.

Brands? Rarely if ever even take notice, let alone have any “brand loyalty”.

20

Running shoes/sneakers: Olympikus
Boots: Atalaia
Sapatênis (mostly informal shoes between dress shoes and sneakers, super comfortable, no English equivalent): Pegada
Flip-flops: Havaianas