A Quest for comfortable shoes!

[JRB]

Right now my most comfortable pair of shoes are Keens. I'm not saying they are the best shoes or anywhere near as nice as the expensive footwear mentioned here, but IMO no footwear will be more comfortable.

[Stratherrick]

I use Doc Martens for work and they last for ever!

For a halfway decent pair of 'going out' shoes I'd normally pay £30-40. DMs come in at around the £50 mark so they're not breaking the bank just yet. My walking boots cost twice that!

Slainte

Bruce

[HeathBar]

I have a pair of Johnson & Murphey wingtips that I bought back in the early 90's. I think they were between $80 and $90 when purchased. My toes have there own little place to sit inside these shoes. I really need to have them re-soled, but I'm affraid they wil loose the comfort if I do so. I have worn them all day at highland games without any issue. They clean up and shine so nice.

[Dr Mac]

My main kilt daywear shoes are Doc Martens.

[Rob Wright]

You want shoes? I'll give you shoes ...check out this link: http://www.styleforum.net/showthread...14906&page=778

This is an ongoing thread (hence starting at the last page) of shoes and reviews of shoes. Some you won't like..."too long!" "too Italian" "not the right colour" "wouldn't look good with a kilt." But many are such classics you might be within rights to say "a kilt wouldn't look good without a pair." At any rate, you can get a sense of what real shoes are like, and about. It's a peek into the wider world...of possibilities.

If that doesn't suit, here's a list of sure-enough makers from around the world along with a fairly comprehensive overview of their wares:

http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=33612

Warning! neither of these threads are for the faint of heart or those who are happy with plastic and foam.

Oh man this is just evil! Now I'm drooling and looking at options that I cannot afford at this time why did you tempt me so!

Rob

[DWFII]

why did you tempt me so! Rob

Just because I can!!

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

I have a pair of Johnson & Murphey wingtips that I bought back in the early 90's. I think they were between $80 and $90 when purchased. My toes have there own little place to sit inside these shoes. I really need to have them re-soled, but I'm affraid they wil loose the comfort if I do so. I have worn them all day at highland games without any issue. They clean up and shine so nice.

J&M used to offer a rebuilding service on all of their American made shoes. You might want to check out their website and see if that service is still available.

Another thought. If you bought these shoes in the early 90s, they have cost you less than $10 a year to own, or less than 3 cents a day. Perhaps you should splurge and buy another pair?

[The Guy in the Kilt at UC]

Cheap comfortable shoes are easy to find, though they never last long. What's worse is that they seldom come in leather soles. Rubber soles cannot be replaced so they definitely won't last long. Like what the rabble posts, you get what you pay for. But you did ask, and here's my opinion. H.S. Trask (US) & Josef Seibel (Europe) are the most comfortable, sturdy shoes you can find at a good price.

[HeathBar]

J&M used to offer a rebuilding service on all of there American made shoes. You might want to check out their website and see if that service is still available.

Another thought. If you bought these shoes in the early 90s, they have cost you less than $10 a year to own, or less than 3 cents a day. Perhaps you should splurge and buy another pair?

I just checked their website and they offer it on selected shoes. The top rebuild is $115. Replaces everything but the uppers and lasts. Their wing-tips or Waverlys now go for $165. I'm not sure if my shoes would qualify for a rebuild, but that's more than I would want to spend. I'll just look for a local cobbler. Thanks for the heads up though. You never know, I might go for it.

[vorpallemur]

Cheap comfortable shoes are easy to find, though they never last long. What's worse is that they seldom come in leather soles. Rubber soles cannot be replaced so they definitely won't last long. Like what the rabble posts, you get what you pay for. But you did ask, and here's my opinion. H.S. Trask (US) & Josef Seibel (Europe) are the most comfortable, sturdy shoes you can find at a good price.

Rubber soled shoes can be repaired. Some are easier than others. It depends on how the shoe is constructed. If the shoe is constructed with a welt (or blake stiched), replacing a rubber sole is just like replacing a traditional leather one. If the upper is glued (or molded, lots of urethane shoes are molded) to sole, then it's expensive (see below). There are leather soled shoes that are built like that, too, though. (mostly really, really cheap ones.) It's cheaper to glue than to stitch, and most people treat shoes as disposable.

My favorite pair of shoes (on their fourth soles, and who knows how many heels, and sets of taps) are a pair of originally cheap shoes. (It's no longer possible to tell what brand they were, but I remember they cost 30 bucks 12 years ago.) They had rubber soles; when I wore them out, I was disappointed, because they're incredibly comfortable to walk around in. I took them to a shoe repair place who couldn't do anything for them. I happened to walk by a different place a week or so later while wearing them, and went in. I talked to the old guy who runs the place, he looked at them, said "no problem". so I brought them back, he fixed them. He didn't tell me what it was going to cost (and to be fair, I didn't ask!), which is probably a good thing, because it was 80 bucks. He not only repalced the soles, but the inner sole, and attached a welt to it! There's no way I would have spent 80 bucks on a pair of 30 dollar shoes, but having had him do the work, I felt obligated to pay for it. I've got odd shaped feet (narrow, but wide toes) and getting dress shoes that fit is a pain. Now that they're welted, replacing the soles is much cheaper. I'm not likely to have them fixed again, because the liners are falling apart.