Shoes

Buy a pair from somewhere like Jones that have replaceable soles. That way if you keep them polished and clean you can replace the soles when they wear out and they should in theory last you a long time.
 
dowie said:
Was thinking of this Terry Pratchett bit a little while back as my washing machine had broken down, I went to the laundrette and there were some regular customers in there who knew the woman running the place. It costs £4 for a wash and about another £2 to dry the clothes there, if you've got kids and had to go say twice a week (and that's super conservative) then that's equivalent to buying a new washing machine each year whereas a new washing machine will last 10 years.

Though I suspect in lots of cases it is living situations and not having access to one/not being able to install one rather than affordability.

I guess these days we've generally (save for housing/accommodation costs) got it so good compared to previous generations in so far as most things like that are relatively cheap including shoes, work boots etc.. A soldier who wants some better boots need only spend £150 or £200 yet earns tens of thousands of pounds per year, ditto to a construction worker.

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In terms of proper leather shoes, these have been recommended on here before:

www.loake.com

Loake Shoemakers - Fine English made Goodyear welted shoes and boots since 1880

Loake classic English shoemakers since 1880. Popular men's shoes include Brogues, Oxfords, Loafers, Trainers, Boat Shoes and Boots for sale online.
www.loake.com www.loake.com

I think they're kinda at the low-end/entry-level of "good" leather shoes. There are various other Northampton shoe manufacturers that (AFAIK) make better and more expensive shoes and boots too.

There was also some hipster guy someone linked to on here once who seems to customise (not sure he actually manufactures or just kinda part assembles) shoes for people, forgotten the website though, maybe someone else can link to it?
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Don't agree re: Loake. They have different price points for entry. Their 1880 range will stand up against any other British made shoe like Trickers, Cheaney etc.
 
panthro said:
Buy a pair from somewhere like Jones that have replaceable soles. That way if you keep them polished and clean you can replace the soles when they wear out and they should in theory last you a long time.
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With a budget of 70 quid...
 
You can get good quality Made in England Loakes on eBay for that budget. I bought a pair of new old stock Ostrich leather ones for 70ish. And some loafers for about the same.
 
I'm tight, I buy 1 pair of shoes a year, and it's always Sketchers Diameter - had about 4-5 pairs now, always last over a year of daily use. They are smart for work, yet not too smart for a walk to the shops. They even come with 2 pairs of laces which i change half way through the year :p All for less than £50 you can't go wrong :)

 
I have a pair of Florsheim Imperials which i bought in 2011 and they’re still going strong. I reckon they easily have another two or three decades of life left if occasionally re-soled. Similar Story for a slightly (but not much) younger pair of Loake 1880s.I also have a pair of the Indian made Loakes, and whilst they fall short of the quality of the English made variety, they are far from being garbage as someone claimed. I’d say their quality is proportional to the price, and they’re still leagues ahead of the more usual high street offerings.
 
Terminal_Boy said:
Nothing by Merrell. Their MOABs used to last me 2-3 years of daily use autumn to spring, but my last pair fell apart within 6 months.
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I don't agree that all of their shoes have turned bad (I have a pair of proper hiking boots that are Merrell's and they're excellent). But I have to agree that I have had 4-5 pairs of Moabs over the years, and each pair has been slightly worse than the pair before. The first ones I had were a revelation - the comfiest shoes I'd ever had.
 
Have to say this will probably put most people off, but I've started buying a lot of shoes used. My reasoning was that no matter how much I spend (low end but anything from £20-50 for a pair of walking shoes or similar), I get about a year of good use out of a pair. I'd love a pair of shoes to last 5 years again so, I got a pair of second hand DMs for about £20 off eBay. Pre broken in, in fact quite worn, no babying the finish. And I hammered those shoes for a couple of years before they got tired.

That inspired me to try it a bit more - had a pair of smart shoes that were M&S branded and seemed almost new, again wore those for a couple of years before they started deteriorating.

I think I've had 5 pairs of used shoes now, and only one disappointment down to them being in worse condition than pictured on eBay.

It also means I feel marginally less guilty about leather in shoes as I don't use animal products but am not mega strict. At least used leather is better than new leather!

IMO anything less than a year is wasteful even if they're £20, but I'd be happy to find a model of shoe I can replace periodically if they actually hold up during that period.
 
I'd third/forth/fifth Clarks, IIRC they used to supply the post office* and I had some of theirs in that style that lasted me years, although admittedly I don't walk much:)

At the moment I think they've got a sale on.


*IIRC the only difference was a little red cloth tag that said Royal Mail or something.
 
A pair of approach shoes will last years and years when used wondering around shops, general use.

My recent pair of la sportivas got abused the miles I racked up over all types of terrain was insane but didn’t hold up as well as I’d hoped, the sole split from the upper - not massively, so got it repaired and they’re still rocking.

I’d get a pair of Scarpa mojito or their mescalito (for the approach shoe) and they’ll likely last for a decade if you aren’t going hill walking, climbing etc in them, a little bit over your budget but you’ll be saving money as you won’t have to replace them in a years time.
 
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