Bostonian vs Bass vs Cole Haan vs Florsheim

Which of these are good brands that'll last a couple years? I do a considerable amount of walking every day and take the subway so I need something that'll handle the NYC pavement, i.e. NOT leather soles so please keep your Allen Edmonds, Edward Green, Ferragamo to yourself. No man should spend more on shoes than their wives.

What are the most durable dress shoes for the money?

The Cole Haans have a leather sole but they incorporate a think layer of leather in key areas which add to the durability of the shoe. However, you will probably have to be prepared to resole even the most durable dress shoe if you want it to last long-term. An option is to wear something else for the commute and change into your dress shoes when you get to work.

idragmazda:
Hands down, Cole Haans. More comfortable, the leather keeps shape better, leather quality is better, etc. The Cole Haans are leather soled, but they have a thin layer of rubber on them in key sports of the bottom of the shoe, makes a big difference.

Most likely the most important thing to bear in mind is comfort as you’ll be wearing these shoes many hours for, hopefully, many years so choose something that feels good on your feet and take care of them. Regardless of what you choose, you will probably have to resole them over the years so be sure to take good care of them if you want them to last.

ragnar danneskjold:
Everything I own is either J&M or Allen Edmonds at this point.
Never wear them on the street though. Change at the office. Good quality leather will last as long as you take care of it and you can always get them resoled. Buy a couple of good pair of shoes and take care of them.

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I have a pair of similar wingtip Cole Haans and Florsheims.

Hands down, Cole Haans win. More comfortable (nike air sole), the leather keeps shape better, leather quality is better, etc etc.

The Cole Haans are leather soled, but they have a thin layer of rubber on them in key sports of the bottom of the shoe, makes a big difference

I need to get some more cole haan joints.

Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis - when I was dead broke man I couldn't picture this
 
Best Response

Dress shoes have leather soles on them. If you need something without a leather sole for your commute, walk to work in tennis shoes and then change. There are plenty of Cole Haans that work fine and last a while - I've had a pair of their loafers for six years now and they still work great, although I get pretty regularly polished and I've resoled them at least three times.

Also, Johnston and Murphy is not a great shoe, but is actually probably more what you're looking for. Not sure why you would put those together with Edward Green and Ferragamo.

Hi, Eric Stratton, rush chairman, damn glad to meet you.
 
Otter.:
Dress shoes have leather soles on them. If you need something without a leather sole for your commute, walk to work in tennis shoes and then change. There are plenty of Cole Haans that work fine and last a while - I've had a pair of their loafers for six years now and they still work great, although I get pretty regularly polished and I've resoled them at least three times.

Also, Johnston and Murphy is not a great shoe, but is actually probably more what you're looking for. Not sure why you would put those together with Edward Green and Ferragamo.

Thanks. I meant to type Allen Edmonds, not J&M. I was actually googling for J&M shoes to see what options were available. I can't bring myself to wear sneakers on the way to work. Looks kinda ridiculous with business wear. I'd rather have cheapo rubber soled leather loafers for the morning trek.

 

Disagree on J&M's... My first two pair lasted over 7 years (resoled twice). Everything I own is either J&M or Allen Edmonds at this point.

Never wear them on the street though. Change at the office. Spend it now or spend it later. Good quality leather with last as long as you take care of it and you can always get them resoled. I went through my fair share of Bostonian, etc. Buy a couple of good pair of shoes and take care of them.

 
ragnar danneskjöld:
gekko2:
^ just buy some cheap rubber soles to wear to work and change out?

or over shoes. Yup.

I don't ever see men walking in in crap shoes and then changing into nice ones at the office. Only chicks do this with flip-flops and high heels.
Isn't the whole point of a nice shoe that they ARE actually comfortable enough to walk around in?

 

Cole Haans aren't cheap, but they're definitely not expensive. Honestly man, I would suck it up and buy Allen Edmonds. I've got a pair and they're great, and the general consensus is that they represent the absolute best value of price and quality/durability for someone who wants simple, standard, conservative, and well-made shoes. They've got thick leather soles that are conservative and look good so you won't wear through them and they've still last a while.

Hi, Eric Stratton, rush chairman, damn glad to meet you.
 
gekko2:
yeah i should buy them, the 300 or so for park aves is ridiculous though

Get them on sale, you may be able to find them closer to $200.

Hi, Eric Stratton, rush chairman, damn glad to meet you.
 

Listen kid, whatever you DO NOT fuck this decision up. Seriously, it's 2am in my office right now, I'm waiting on a turn and I'm walking around just checking out everyone else's shoes. Some of my fellow analysts are the Florshein type and I instantly know they're probably not going to live happy or successful lives. It's just the reality of the situation; I thought it would be good to help keep this in perspective for you...

“Millionaires don't use astrology, billionaires do”
 
Nouveau Richie:

Listen kid, whatever you DO NOT fuck this decision up. Seriously, it's 2am in my office right now, I'm waiting on a turn and I'm walking around just checking out everyone else's shoes. Some of my fellow analysts are the Florshein type and I instantly know they're probably not going to live happy or successful lives. It's just the reality of the situation; I thought it would be good to help keep this in perspective for you...

Haha, I see what you're saying.

I'd just much rather spend the extra money on some tan To Boot NY or some brogues, monk straps, whatever: something with some personality. Black balmorals are black balmorals.

But I did just find these for 20% off; the sale ends in 7 hours. So I just might get the AEs...

You're in IB, right? Why are bankers wearing Florsheims? I'm getting these for my first internship...

 
peinvestor2012:

Those are full priced. Neither is discounted.

You should be able to get Florsheim for under $100. I'd go AE if you want something that lasts and looks good. If you can hold off for a sale, try to.

I found them on sale on an Ebay store. I was just linking Amazon for comparison. And so that nobody would take my size before I scooped them up; there were only two left :)
 

Check out Cole Haan as a midpoint between the two. You should be able to find them around the $170 range and are much better quality, from what I have experienced, than Florsheim but definitely not as nice as my AEs.

This to all my hatin' folks seeing me getting guac right now..
 
CoochieMane:

Wait for Allen Edmond sales or scour eBay for deals on Park Aves.

Bingo. Get 1 pair of cheap shoes and wear them until you find a deal, then stick them in your desk drawer as emergency backups. It's not so much the look, they're pretty similar, it's that the AE's will cause significantly less pain to your feet over time because you can usually get them fitted better. I used to wear Florsheim because they were less expensive but my feet always hurt, switching to AE was totally worth it. Go to an AE retailer and find your size first, they're sizing is strange
Get busy living
 

I actually just got those exact shoes. Someone bought them for me and I was surprisingly impressed. They are definitely casual shoes (a la rubber sole), but the leather is very soft and the shoes are very comfortable. I actually have made a habit of wearing them to work on casual Fridays with khakis or whatnot. Not sure what you're looking at them for, but they serve my purpose very well; and to me they look pretty good on me (imo that is, lol).

For reference I usually wear AE, so that is the reference to the softer leather, etc.

 

I actually wear them for formal purposes to go with my navy suits but I could see them working out for casual purposes as well. I ended up picking them up for $100 and I m pretty happy about it. Can't really do much better in this price range.

 

I've become a little disappointed with Cole Haan recently, I think a better, similar price range alternative is www.jackerwin.com (if they have your size in stock), or if you pay about $100 more, you can get custom shoes from www.mantorii.com (Haven't tried this, but I've heard great things about them). Allen Edmonds outlet sales are also a favorite of WSO.

If your heart is set on Cole Haan, Madisons.

 

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