Quality products

shoe brands have been bought and sold over the last 100 years. Wiki some known brands and follow the links. Even Florsheim has new owners.

After a buyout the new owners need to pay for the acquisition: financing, lawyers, MBAs, downsizing. SO they cheapen the brand they just bought. Could be reducing product lines. Or just plain cheaper materials.

With so many takeovers even the large independents need to reduce costs to compete. Look at Nike.

Trace Reebok, and its private equity partners.

SO yes the shoes are deteriorating. $90 for mesh and poured sole with poor if any arch support. Gimme me 1984 Nikes.

I like Rockport. THey've been cheapened, no replaceable midsoles any more, but few went that route anyway. And they've changed hands several times.

LBO's are mostly another form of financialization/value-extraction at the expense of consumers and employees below the senior exec level. The co. is saddled with enormous debt; lay-offs and reductions in product quality are instituted; banks, shareholders, and sr. execs get big payouts; the rest of us suffer and the co. often goes bankrupt. It's paper-ownership -shuffling that reduces real value and redistributes cash to the 1% while appearing to contribute to GDP.

Yes, there a whole lot more crummy products out there in footwear land. Our experience is exactly as you describe.

One exception: Thorogood boots. 10 years of rugged use and they are as good as new. The Thorogood "Heritage Line" boots are still made in a Union shop in Wisconsin.

Thanks!

They have seasonal sales and stand behind their products.

It’s pretty much all I wear these days.

I surprised myself when looking for hidden Christmas presents I came across a shoe box with a new pair that I had forgotten about. LOL! I try to always buy when they are on sale. We especially like the waterproof hiking boots which we take the hose to from time to time and have been known to throw some of our favorites in the washing machine! 😁🤣😁

hiking boot too. If they are goretex then fine for snow/ice/water.

I have a bad ankle so I routinely wear a Korean-designed shoe manufactured in Germany that, after COVID became impossible to find here. I can still find them occasionally online or eBay. I have had issues with them every once in a while with the soles becoming partially unattached. I had to go online to find a special shoe glue (AMAZON) to repair them because superglue and the like just don't work. But, once repaired with that product, they have lasted the normal 6 months or so of pretty heavy daily "mileage."

I wore their shoes exclusively for 25 years but the last few, their products have left me disappointed in their quality and construction. The last pair of hiking boots the I really liked only lasted the summer and they don't even make them anymore. The ones that are most common suck because the padding around the ankle is so thick and made of fabric that I end up with tons of grass seed in my ankles and socks, down into the foot padding and the laces won't stay tied... that it's not worth even the first ten minutes.

I won't buy them again, I'll pay for Scarpa or some other well made brand.

The trend among many backpackers has been trail runners, non-waterproof. They expect to buy a new pair every year when used vigorously, preferring less weight on their feet to go fast & light. As I've gotten older I need more support, and I mostly hike in cool temps so I prefer waterproof. I no longer try to cover long distances per day, a little extra weight on my feet is not much of a factor.

Before buying my most recent boots I did a lot of research, and tried on several. Most of the Italian boots are too narrow for my wide forefoot. Finally, I checked out the world of boots worn by hunters who traverse rugged terrain with heavy loads. Most of these boots are well made, but overbuilt and heavier than I would consider.

After diving into all the options I decided to order the Crispi Thor 2, which is considered "ultralight" among hunting boots. They may be a bit lighter than the Vasque Sundowners I wore back in the 90's, but at 2.5 lbs/pair I don't consider them lightweight. They're offered in regular & wide in European sizes, so I crossed my fingers and ordered the wide and rounded up from my US boot size.

So far I'm very happy with them, but have only worn them on three overnight treks. They have a very stiff sole, but have a decent feel underfoot and a good rocker for striding -- not clunkers at all.

Of course, I wouldn't recommend these expensive boots for the casual day hiker or general use. They're overkill except for backpacking, but worth considering when laden with a pack in rugged terrain.

A decent pair of hiking boots, any kind, for the past several years. I'm usually disappointed because the boots, when I do find any I like, are often $200+ and I can't always cough that up when shoe shopping.

Over my years backpacking I've found it makes sense to pay extra for something you like and will use for a long time. I've gone that route with boots, tents, and backpacks. Finding deals while compromising on quality isn't always such a good deal.

Just a caution -- I really haven't put these Crispi boots through real durability testing. If you're willing to go heavier, you may find better durability. My old Vasques lasted longer than the Vibram treads. I'm hoping these Crispis will be the last serious pair of rugged backpacking boots I'll need to buy. I don't use them for anything else, as I have a variety of other hiking footwear -- including trail runners.

Best of luck in your hiking endeavors.

xxx width is needed!

my favorite brand,,,, I have some really old ones that have been re-soled and a new footbeds put on,,, I guess they aren't doing that anymore (it's a skill I guess that has fallen by the wayside) I have newer Birkies but my 2 favorite pairs are ancient,,,, I use a wheelchair these days so I just wear shoes to cover my feet

That guy could fix anything! Shoes, belts, handbags ….. for a very reasonable price, too.

He passed away and so that was that. I miss being able to take favorite shoes in to be repaired.

Quality boots and footwear.

Sometimes Costco carries them. I live in NW Washington where it is wet a lot so they were such a good deal I got some for my neighbors and we are all wearing them as our everyday shoes! The fabric top running/walking shoes were too ridiculous for here - feet were always wet!

Supposed to be good for diabetics.

I have worn them for probably 10 years.

Pricey but comfortable. Some of the most responsible employers in America.

They're only available online from the manufacturer. I've owned five pair so far.

also I too have noticed that many new shoes I get FAIL TO KEEP RAINWATER FROM SEEPING IN.....it's like, WTF, YOU HAVE ONE FUNCTION

When I can find shoes my size it feels like a miracle. At 16-17 there isn't much choice. Quality or not. I found a nice medium street walking shoe. Discontinued 2 years later. Most everything is over $100. I buy online. Stores don't have anything.

But yes. I think quality has dropped.

Dem's some big feet! But not as challenging as Shaquille O'Neal's size 22s or Andre the Giant's size 24s. I'm guessing those fellas had their footwear custom-made. They have/had the big bucks for it.

Joked about being a "ball man" at 21. He has quite the autographed shoe collection. Some pretty big ones, but nothing approaching Shaq's.

I've found them substantially more durable than other brands.

(Made in Hungary.)

Now I get anything comfy and reasonable. New Balance and Reebok are not as comfy anymore and pricey.

Europe and have been re-soled once are still sturdy.

I used to buy Clarks and wore their sandals for 30 years. About 20 years ago, Clark’s started going downhill and are pretty much unwearable now.

And, in that time, I wore just about every kind of boot you can imagine, from very expensive boots to the $28 pair from Walmart.

The result is that I am not sure what to tell you. I usually bought the Walmart pair because my work usually destroyed boots regardless of how expensive the boots were. (I even grabbed a pair of combat boots once. They lasted a bit longer than the usual, but you gave up comfort for that extra time. That is an issue when you are hiking around slopes for ten hours a day.) And, depending on where we had to work, the Walmart boots were the best deal because they were usually the lightest to use. I have seen someone show up with boots worth several hundred dollars only to slice one wide open on a bamboo stick the next day just by walking down a trail.

One never knows...

But I pay around $160 bucks for a pair of very dependable walking shoes.