Man Made or Leather Soles?

happyfilmluvguy · Aug 29, 2007

I do a lot of walking, (meaning 8 miles means nothing) and so I usually buy shoes that have man made rubber soles. They last me about two years. I use my leather soled shoes for formal or special occasion, but never for everyday use. But which is better for everyday use? Which do you prefer and use?

Flitcraft · Aug 29, 2007

Used to be a leather sole man.....

but lately, vibram has won my heart.
Just got a pair of Italian chukka boots witha rubber sole and their so comfortable its downright sinful!

twobarbreak · Aug 29, 2007

Pretty Much always Leather...

I also enjoy Crepe soles for a daily attire, especially the Bucks offered by Remix Vintage shoes in Hollywood.

Good clean Vintage look for an everyday walker...

Fast · Aug 29, 2007

On my feet all day and with blown out ankles. I wear Ecco Trak IIs to work. I save the Church's for fancy.

Carpe Diem
Fast

RetroRich · Aug 29, 2007

Only & ever leather!..but then i'm not doing 8 miles a day!

dostacos · Aug 29, 2007

the more weight and age the better support for the feet. many of the softer soled shoes have a better plantar surface arch etc, the leather soled shoes tend to not have much of an arch built in so they can add stress to the feet. Aldens are orthopedic, so the heel, arch area, ball and toe box are more anatomic in dimensions so they will be more comfortable BUT with the sole leather they can be VERY slippery. the day I buy a pair of Aldens is the day I take them to the shoe repairman and have them half soled with a nice vibram sole

many of the inexpensive shoes LOOK like they have good support but they tend to be very heavy for the design and way to flexible in all the wrong directions, finally the "padding" is hard and has very little give.

Smithy · Aug 29, 2007

For urban - leather, for out in the mountains/forests hunting/fishing/tramping - definitely rubber or synthetic.

RetroRich · Aug 29, 2007

Some of my co-respondants have the 'Ridgeway' rubber sole,and that's a really comfortable sole for a summer shoe.

Rooster · Aug 29, 2007

Mostly leather. If I go with a rubber sole it's got to be nearly smooth. None of the goofy lugged soles for me. I don't walk much if I can avoid it, my knees and hips are shot. I just had a couple pair of boots re done, leather soles and rubber heels. I've had leather heels as well as soles, but that's just like walking on ice.
I used to wear Vibram lugged soled boots when I was doing alot of logging and saw mill work. They do give alot of grip standing on logs etc. but, those days are over for me.

Alan Eardley · Aug 29, 2007

Rooster said:
Mostly leather. If I go with a rubber sole it's got to be nearly smooth. None of the goofy lugged soles for me. I don't walk much if I can avoid it, my knees and hips are shot. I just had a couple pair of boots re done, leather soles and rubber heels. I've had leather heels as well as soles, but that's just like walking on ice.
I used to wear Vibram lugged soled boots when I was doing alot of logging and saw mill work. They do give alot of grip standing on logs etc. but, those days are over for me.

Vibram - the best. IMO.

Alan

Barry · Aug 29, 2007

Most of my shoes have leather soles although I did have "zip" style soles placed on a few pairs of shoes.

Also, I had the soles on a casual pair of shoes replaced with an Alden/Goodyear lug sole (I guess it's the commando style sole). The sole comes in two pieces which is a plus for me.

Barry

carter · Aug 29, 2007

Originally posted by Flitcraft
Used to be a leather sole man..... but lately, vibram has won my heart.
Just got a pair of Italian chukka boots witha rubber sole and their so comfortable its downright sinful!

Thanks for the tip. I just received a paiir of Brogue Boots from the UK and they are HEAVY. I'm going to see if a different sole/half-sole and heel would make a difference.

Kevin Popejoy · Aug 29, 2007

For me nothing beats a quality pair of leather soled shoes. Thing is, I walk a lot and mostly on concrete/tile floors (hospital) so traction is an issue. I take my new shoes to my cobbler and have Topy sole protectors installed. I get the feel and look of the leather sole but enough grip that I don't have to worry about busting my butt. Topy is much longer lasting than Vibram and has just enough grip but not too much. It's thin so not noticeable. Also, when it wears down I have it replaced which greatly increases the life of my shoes. Considering how much a pair of Allen Edmunds costs, that's a consideration.

Kevin

happyfilmluvguy · Aug 30, 2007

dostacos said:
the more weight and age the better support for the feet. many of the softer soled shoes have a better plantar surface arch etc, the leather soled shoes tend to not have much of an arch built in so they can add stress to the feet.

This is what I feel too. I've had to walk in my formal shoes before on the sidewalk and the soles just don't give enough support and my feet hurt when I get to my destination.

Smithy · Aug 30, 2007

Rooster said:
I used to wear Vibram lugged soled boots

I have a pair of Merrell tramping boots with Vibram soles and they are superb. I've used them heaps and it's nearly indiscernible the wear on the soles.

Rooster · Aug 30, 2007

Smithy said:
I have a pair of Merrell tramping boots with Vibram soles and they are superb. I've used them heaps and it's nearly indiscernible the wear on the soles.

Don't get me wrong here guys. If I spent as much time out in the boonies as I used to in my youth I'd have a big ol' pair of logger boots with vibram soles. These days I find them to be too heavy, too clunky looking and I get yelled at for dragging chicken shitzen into the house in the cleats.

Plain leather with rubber heels has been working great for me the past 10 or 15 years. I've been considering a pair of reproduction paratrooper boots with these soles.
http://www.whatpriceglory.com/pic/BootSole.jpg
Seems almost ideal......and it gives me a reason to buy a pair of paratrooper boots...like I need a reason to buy them......as if I actually NEED another pair of boots!lol

Fletch · Aug 30, 2007

shitzenproof?

You need these.

"The sole was designed so that it would not pick up debris, such as manure, in fields and barns. And the white sole allowed a farmer’s wife to see his boots were clean when entering the house."

Ask for Red Wing Model 8138. Just not in the US or Canada. Your local RW dealer won't even special-order 'em for you. He'll just bite his bottom lip and give you a look somewhere between puzzlement and suspicion, as if you'd said something faintly suggestive about his schoolteacher cousin in Fort Dodge.
Oh, and have a sack o' money ($209 plus shipping from the Old Country, where people still preserve quaint American folkways).

Undertow · Aug 30, 2007

Personally, I'm a leather sole type of guy. Although, I own more rubber, I like to have leather under my feet any time I include a tie in my dress.

6StringShooter · Sep 1, 2007

leather...as much as I can take it...

I usually ditch it for rubber soles on the weekends because I'm on my feet a lot and I'm flat footed, but the leather is on my feet 99% of the time during the week...

Diamondback · Sep 1, 2007

happyfilmluvguy said:
This is what I feel too. I've had to walk in my formal shoes before on the sidewalk and the soles just don't give enough support and my feet hurt when I get to my destination.

My oxfords (Dockers Gordons, to be ultimately replaced with Bates 82s when budget allows),which I regularly walk a couple miles at a time in, even heavily-loaded--I even wore them around the various SoCal parks this summer!--have rubber soles and some arch-support, but I also always retrofit additional heel and arch support from Dr. Scholl's. (Also adds some impact-cushioning, too--always a good thing when you both load heavy and move fast.)

Man Made or Leather Soles?

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