Shoe Repair

[Orgetorix]

If anybody knows of an inexpensive place to have shoes resoled in Washington DC, I'd love to know about it. I've checked with a few places, and they generally seem to quote me around $60 for full soles and heels. Not terrible, but if I can do it cheaper that'd be great.

 

[Travis]

If anybody knows of an inexpensive place to have shoes resoled in Washington DC, I'd love to know about it. I've checked with a few places, and they generally seem to quote me around $60 for full soles and heels. Not terrible, but if I can do it cheaper that'd be great.

I'd bust out the phone book and just start calling around.

 

[Havana]

I've never resoled my shoes because the leather of the shoe body was always in a sorry state by the time the soles wore out. I have had about 5 pairs of western boots resoled over the years. I had three resoled because I didn't like the soles that came on them. Two others were worn out over a period of 10 plus years. There was a local "shoemaker" who did most of these for me. I believe he learned his trade during an extended stay in the old crowbar motel. One pair of boots I sent to a bootsmith in Texas. I believe cowboy types are much more open to getting their footwear resoled. Many see their boots as an investment and not just as disposable accessories.

 

[Big Man]

I have three pair of "dress shoes", black, brown, and cordovan. I try to change them at least every other day or so. I wear them six days out of the week, and do a fair amount of walking in them. I will get about a year's wear until they need to be resoled at about $40 for new leather soles and heels (they tell me that they have to kill an extra cow or two just to make the soles of my shoes ).

There used to be three or four shoe shops in town, but now there is only one man who has a shop set up in his house. I guess unless you wear really good shoes, it is (unfortunately) more "cost effective" to throw them away and get new ones.

 

[Orgetorix]

...resoled at about $40 for new leather soles and heels...
...I guess unless you wear really good shoes, it is (unfortunately) more "cost effective" to throw them away and get new ones.

How's that? Even if you buy new dress shoes at $80-100 (by no means "really good" ones), it sounds as though it's still more cost effective to have the old ones re-soled.

Besides, I've found it far better and more cost-effective to pick up the "really good" brands secondhand (Ebay, thrift stores) and have them re-soled when they wear out.

 

[Big Man]

How's that? Even if you buy new dress shoes at $80-100 (by no means "really good" ones), it sounds as though it's still more cost effective to have the old ones re-soled.

Besides, I've found it far better and more cost-effective to pick up the "really good" brands secondhand (Ebay, thrift stores) and have them re-soled when they wear out.

I like a good, solid, heavyweight dress shoe. I usually wear the Florshime wingtip shoe. They cost me about $100 (to me, a $100 shoe is a "really good shoe [huh] ). My work requires some "off the pavement" adventures from time to time, so anything more than a shoe in that price-range is only asking for a most tragic end.

From what I've observed, the vast majority of folks around here who wear "dress shoes" buy them for $100 or less (looks like mostly "less"). The only shoe repair man in this area does business out of his house three days a week (excepting during hunting season, then good luck finding him). If I go to "the city" it's a trip to take them and then another to get them back. at that rate it doesn't take long to approach equaling the cost of a new pair.

I do have my shoes resoled until the insides start to break down (usually I can get three or four resoles per pair). Maybe I should have said, at $40 a pop, unless you have expensive shoes, it isn't cost effective.

 

[Matt Deckard]

I buy above the 100 dollar mark and have bought above the 300 dollar mark, though it balances out when I buy the 10 dollar flea market vintage shoe.

I haven't bought a pai of the Florsheim imperials though I have tried pair on now and again and they are classic through and through. Same fit as they have always had. Only real different I see between the ones they make now and the ones made in the 30's is the soles and heels. Back then they used alot of metal in the construction.

 

[Big Man]

My Dad always wore the Florsheim wingtip, and I was raised to think that was "the" shoe to have. That's probably why I wear them now.

Shoes that cost $100 are "expensive" shoes to me (excluding something like a good hiking boot, of course), and on top of that, you don't find too many "top-end" shoes in the size 14 EEE range.

 

[Will]

I don't wear soles out very often but when I do I send the shoes back to the maker for "re-making." In addition to replacing the sole, they repair the uppers and generally return the shoe to an as new condition.

It takes about twenty years for me to wear a pair this hard, so the cost is amortized over a long period of time. It's a reasonable investment in friends that you plan to wear for the remainder of your lifetime.

 

[Smithy]

I wear RM Williams boots mostly and when soling is needed (whilst I'm currently home in NZ) you just drop them by the shop and they send them out to a bootmaker for resoling.

They come back good as new!

 

[Hammelby]

Shoes that cost $100 are "expensive" shoes to me (excluding something like a good hiking boot, of course), and on top of that, you don't find too many "top-end" shoes in the size 14 EEE range.

Yes, it is for my wallet too. I use my newly bought shoes for everdyday wear, so i guess I land somewhere between your hiking shoe and fancy dress shoes.

Matt, i actually found out about the resole thing when i bought my newest and most expensive ones, because i wanted these 150$ shoes to last a long time. Before then i was unaware of the problem about the rapid weardown of leather sole. I guess the younger generation are too used to fake materials?

 

[The Shooman]

l have alot of shoos so resoling is extremely rare for me. l have only had one pair resoled, that was last year and done at a local cobblers. l will send my better shoos back to the maker.

The pair l had resoled was an R.M.Williams chukka boot (Simpson model). They are a muck about pair of shoos, so l only got a half resole. l don't feel the new sole is really top quality either.....problem is [though] that it's extremely difficult to find good sole leather in Australia.

Here's my resoled pair:

l'm not really happy with R.M.Willaims either. The soles wear out quickly (average quality sole leather), and the uppers [these days] aren't as nice as l would like them to be.

R.M.Willaims are amongst the most comfortable shoos i've ever worn.

 

[The Shooman]

It took three years to see the cork in my single layer Aldens... ?

How often would you wear the Aldens?

l always get shoos repaired or resoled well before time.....don't wanna risk damaging the welt.

 

[Orgetorix]

I'd bust out the phone book and just start calling around.

Well, I did just that and found a place that will do half soles and heels for $38. I'll give them a crack at my least treasured pair and see how the workmanship is.

 

[Smithy]

l'm not really happy with R.M.Willaims either. The soles wear out quickly (average quality sole leather), and the uppers [these days] aren't as nice as l would like them to be.

R.M.Willaims are amongst the most comfortable shoos i've ever worn.

Shooman, I mostly wear the Blaxland model and have found with my last pair that the soles lasted 2 and a half years of heavy wear before resoling. I'd recommend a pair of these anyday.

And like you say, RMs are the most comfortable I've worn.

 

[cookie]

Resoling - alternatives

Here in Sydney the footpaths aka sidewalks are all made form a basalt paver since the city was upgraded downtown.

If you get a little rain they are plain dangerous and if you don't rubberize your sole you are courting danger!

In Oz we use a Toppy sole which is a glued on rubber thing with rubber heels. Be careful of these shoes with this silly half leather/half rubber heel. Again very dangerous when the leather bit hits the pavement first when its wet or got a slick on it. A broken ankle is easy from the position of the fall.

The Toppy costs around AUD40 to install which is a rip off but it is strong and lasts a long time though does get smooth eventualy. It cannot compare with Vibram for instance. But at AUD70 to resole a pair of shoes it works out fine ands protects your health.

 

[cufflinkmaniac]

Newbie question:Why are my leather soles (which were formerly a nice shiny tan) turning black?I think it's just accumulated dirt,but I've tried using a brush to clean them,and that doesn't work.They're in good condition otherwise (the welting is fine,the heels are good,and they're still pliable),but is now the time to have them resoled?Or should I just take some sandpaper and buff them?Sorry to be dumb!

 

[JEEP]

It's quite normal for leather to turn black/dark brown from picking up dirt and water. No worries there.


Regards.

Jakob

 

[Feraud]

They are turning black from being walked on.

 

[cufflinkmaniac]

It's quite normal for leather to turn black/dark brown from picking up dirt and water. No worries there.


Regards.

Jakob

Whew!!