The combination leather heel (suicide heels)

[Matt Deckard]

I was walking around Disneyland on a vigorously raining day while wearing my Shell Cordovan Longwings with their leather souls and combination leather heel.

BAD IDEA! Like walking on ice. I literally skated through a few of the shops while hoping to find traction inside. If I were to lift a foot for a step it would have been to my peril. Thanks to a lovely lady I used for balance I survived.

So aside from the comments I'm going to get about them not being rain shoes... what do you think about the combination leather heel. I know it looks good when you are in a lounge chair sipping brandy. But for practicality sake I think I'm going with rubber heels from here on out.

 

[mike]

I would say it was the leather sole contributing to that problem rather than whichever heel is on the shoe. The sole has significantly more surface area coming in contact with the ground. I either wear rubber soled shoes/boots in icy weather (tonight, for instance) or remain ever conscious of possibly wiping out at any moment. Brisk dog walking in the middle of the night across snow covered ice patches could be fun... to read about!

 

[Matt Deckard]

I'd think that too, but having a leather heel gives you pretty much a total leather surface. If I had a rubber heel I would have managed with at least somewhere to put the pressure.

 

[Creeping Past]

what do you think about the combination leather heel.

I've never noticed a problem when wearing mine. Then again, I've never worn them to Disneyland. On my trips to Disneyland, Paris, I swear by hobnails or rubber-soled hiking boots.

 

[Tomasso]

These boots were treacherous in inclement weather before I added the Topy rubber soles. Now I were them without trepidation in snow, ice, rain, mud, etc.......The heel (leather/combo with a tap) doesn't seem to be an issue in their performance.

 

[RobStC]

These boots were treacherous in inclement weather before I added the Topy rubber soles. Now I were them without trepidation in snow, ice, rain, mud, etc.......The heel (leather/combo with a tap) doesn't seem to be an issue in their performance.

Yeah, my experience (and we get a fair amount of rain in sunny Scotland) is that the sole is the main part affecting grip. The rubber heels help, but only partially.....

Even in the dry, some shops have such highly polished floors that leather soles are still pretty lethal.

I know that I'm probably being a philistine here, but I tend to have stick on rubber soles added to all my shoes as a matter of course. There are those who say it alters the balance of the shoe and has an effect on the shank, but I've never found this to be a problem in any way, and I'm still wearing shoes that have had this done to them 10 or 15 years ago. They haven't fallen apart yet! I like to wear nice shoes, but also require a certain amount of practicality from my footwear.

Better to look slightly less 'cool' with stick on soles than to look less 'cool' by having a broken leg or concussion

RobStC

 

[Edward]

All my leather soled shoes are worn as-is until they need their first re-heeling, then they have a stick-on rubber layer like that added. Biggest advantage I find is the lack of damp coming up through in the wet.