[Misc] Is it me or are shoes SHIT

[Oh_aye]

I feel your pain

I have size 14 feet (no, it’s tiny) so the only consistent place for trainers is Sports Direct. Anything but Nike/Adidas and I might as well not bother as I wade through them in a couple of months.

I don’t want to spend £80 on Air Max or the likes but everything else cheaper is absolute guff sadly.

I bought some Sketchers trainers last year (serves me right I guess) had some plantar faciitis and was hoping they'd help. The quality was absolutely shocking, the covering on the heel just fell away after a few wears like it was made of cheap binbag material.

 

[lawros left foot]

I hardly ever wear’smart’ shoes, I only have one pair of black ones, they cost me about £20 in





1984.


I still wear them for weddings and funerals etc.
They are very comfortable though, I’m hoping they outlast me.
My best shoes are a family joke , I got married in them, and I’ve worn them for all my kids weddings.

 

[Rdodge30]

Terry Pratchett:

Take boots, for example. He earned $38 a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost $50. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about $10.

"Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles.

"But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford $50 had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in 10 years' time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet."

This was Capt. Samuel Vimes' boots theory of socioeconomic unfairness.


Seemingly things are even worse now than they were then- whenever then was

 

[Fignon's Ponytail]

I bought some Sketchers trainers last year (serves me right I guess) had some plantar faciitis and was hoping they'd help. The quality was absolutely shocking, the covering on the heel just fell away after a few wears like it was made of cheap binbag material.

Ive just been looking at some Skechers as my wife swears by hers, and I suffer with lower back / knee pain.

Maybe I wont bother.

 

[BrightonCottager]

I still have a pair of DM boots that are closer to 40 than 30 years old. Admittedly they get very little wear these days. My daughter bought a pair of DM boots last year but they were too hurty so I took over the breaking in process for her and now they fit her just fine. My new DM shoes purchased last year are brilliant

On the DM advice / Q&A page I read this:

Q. Can you fix my DM boots? The sole has come away. I have had them for over 20 years.

A. No

PS Worth remembering that DMs expand so when you are trying on, it is likely to be worth getting a half size smaller than you would ordinarily buy. Found the staff in the Brighton DM shop to be most helpful.

I too have pairs of Made in England DM shoes and boots from the late 90s that are showing their age, a bit cracked but comfortable and good for gardening and DIY etc. This article compares the DM and Solovair brands of boots. Solovairs have thicker leather and can be resoled, which is why I got them, based on my wife and daughters' experiences of DMs and my desire for my boots to outlast me.

 

[Flounce]

Ive just been looking at some Skechers as my wife swears by hers, and I suffer with lower back / knee pain.

Maybe I wont bother.

I have had a few pairs and all have lasted well

 

[Oh_aye]

Ive just been looking at some Skechers as my wife swears by hers, and I suffer with lower back / knee pain.

Maybe I wont bother.

I think if you go for the original style you're probably alright. I went for some that have obviously been styled to look good as they attempted to storm the trainer market and package themselves as being cool. They should just stick to what they know!

 

[Insel affe]

I bought the most expensive shoes I have ever owned just before Christmas as a treat to myself (money saved while on a diet not drinking and eating shit). I like them so much I bought another pair recently for best, best and when the first pair get a bit worn.
£160 a pair, my dancing shoes....

 

[Home and Away]

Barbour OUT

Another one for the post of the year competition

 

[Rdodge30]

Another one for the post of the year competition

Won’t beat Zeberdi’s “I think I might have put myself on ignore”

 

[Superphil]

Ive just been looking at some Skechers as my wife swears by hers, and I suffer with lower back / knee pain.

Maybe I wont bother.

I’ve never experienced any issues with Skechers other than acceptable wear and tear. Started using them when I developed plantir fasciitis and have stuck with them ever since. I carry out some pretty hectic site surveys, covering several km in a day, and they are by far and away the most comfortable shoes I've worn. I certainly have never seen them fall apart after 'a few wears'. I have their 'Go Walk' shoes for my work and also generally when I'm out and about. I have a pair of their lace up big boots for winter, and they also do 'Chelsea' style leather boots which are smart enough to wear on business, even to the proverbial wedding, court case or interview.

 

[BN9 BHA]

My favourite ever shoes were the Cuban heeled winkle pickers I used to wear

 

[Not Spanish Dave]

Last summer I dropped £90 on some nice new size 12 black Barbour Chelsea boots at John Lewis. They’re by no means my only pair of semi-smart shoes but I wear them pretty regularly. I’m fairly tall and heavy but not unusually so.

But only MONTHS LATER they’ve fallen apart. The stitching below the ankle has gone and the heel, which I’ve replaced once already, has fallen off. This happens more often than I’d like. The trainers I buy seem to last OK.

Why are shoes such rubbish quality these days?

When your mum tells you not to play football in your new shoes, LISTEN TO HER

 

[Justice]

Try having bunions on arthritic feet, now that IS shit. I used to have fabulous shoes, now it’s a case of finding a pair that are comfortable and that means nice shoes are OUT

I would love to buy some shoes that aren’t basically Sketchers

My favourite ever shoes were the Cuban heeled winkle pickers I used to wear

Simon Cowell copies you

 

[Cheshire Cat]

The last pair of footwear I bought was some cheap walking shoes from Sports Direct just before the covid lockdown, which I still wear. I haven't worn real shoes since then, when I started working from home.

None of my work suits from then fit now either. They have all shrunk somehow.

 

[Mr Bridger]

I bought the most expensive shoes I have ever owned just before Christmas as a treat to myself (money saved while on a diet not drinking and eating shit). I like them so much I bought another pair recently for best, best and when the first pair get a bit worn.
£160 a pair, my dancing shoes....

View attachment 198223

They’re bastards.

 

[Austrian Gull]

I've always had problems with breaking in shoes, often getting blisters on my heels.

I have finally discovered a brand that are comfortable from the first moment - On. They're quite pricey but last for ages. Running shoes, trainers, walking shoes - wouldn't wear anything else now.

 

[BN9 BHA]

Pay attention at 1.08 - 2.00 minutes

 

[GrizzlingGammon]

I spend £3 on second hand shoes every second year. Don't know their name, brand, value, societal status but they fit my feet and keep them warm. No idea why anyone would splash £100 on a new shoes.

You're not meant to the keep the ones from the bowling alley. It's not a swap shop.