# Done with Bass Weejuns



## DownSouth (Jun 30, 2005)

Guess after wearing Bass Weejuns for somewhere around 50 years, I'm going to have to pull the plug on them. I've bought two pair over the last three years and they have both started to come apart at the stitching after about six months wear. Also, the leather(?) on the last pair I purchased has split in two places on the right side of the right shoe about where the little toe hits.
Hate to see an iconic brand come to such and end, yet I've expected it for some time. I have a pair of Cole-Haan pinch penny that I bought about a year ago and they still look almost new; better leather and better construction all around.
Anyone else experienced problems with the Bass Weejuns recently?


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

DownSouth said:


> Guess after wearing Bass Weejuns for somewhere around 50 years, I'm going to have to pull the plug on them. I've bought two pair over the last three years and they have both started to come apart at the stitching after about six months wear. Also, the leather(?) on the last pair I purchased has split in two places on the right side of the right shoe about where the little toe hits.
> Hate to see an iconic brand come to such and end, yet I've expected it for some time. I have a pair of Cole-Haan pinch penny that I bought about a year ago and they still look almost new; better leather and better construction all around.
> Anyone else experienced problems with the Bass Weejuns recently?


Unfortunately, the Bass Weejun hasn't been a quality shoe in decades. The forum members that purchase them usually do so at a discount from the outlets and with the knowledge that they are "knock-around" shoes only. Sorry to hear that they've gone so far downhill.


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## RT-Bone (Nov 12, 2013)

It's a damn shame.


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## Tempest (Aug 16, 2012)

hardline_42 said:


> Unfortunately, the Bass Weejun hasn't been a quality shoe in decades.


Exactly. I don't recall them being that good twenty years ago.


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## Eric W S (Jun 6, 2012)

Have Rancourt make you a pair of weejuns from your choice of Horween's finest. 

Problem solved and you support a USA made product.


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

Eric W S said:


> Have Rancourt make you a pair of weejuns from your choice of Horween's finest.
> 
> Problem solved and you support a USA made product.


Yes, that would be the best choice, but it's a big price jump for someone used to paying Bass and Cole Haan prices. Maybe something from the AE shoe bank first would be a good entrance into quality, made in USA hand sewn footwear.


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## herfitup (Mar 4, 2012)

hardline_42 said:


> Unfortunately, the Bass Weejun hasn't been a quality shoe in decades. The forum members that purchase them usually do so at a discount from the outlets and with the knowledge that they are "knock-around" shoes only. Sorry to hear that they've gone so far downhill.


I basically use Weejuns as winter shoes. They are going to fall apart anyways but look OK until they do. With the salt and icemelt around here eating leather soles it is the only thing that makes sense. If you get them on sale they are cheap throwaways. Sometimes I can get two winters out of a pair.


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

I have a few from El Salvador.

They have been sourced from several areas since going off shore but mine are actually fine for inexpensive shoes.


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## MarkY (Mar 24, 2005)

I agree that the Weejuns aren't the same shoe as years past. Same experience here, split leather and stitching in less than a year. 

I picked up a pair of black Cole Haan on Amazon that are too bad and should last a while since I rarely wear black shoes. I also picked up some AE Kenwoods on sale in burgundy.


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## tonyanthony1970 (Sep 6, 2011)

I agree. However, I've been purchasing vintage shoes back in the day when American brand shoes where build on par with some of the brands from other countries. For a pair of quality shoes hit up Goodwill (Shopgoodwillonline), esty.com, https://dappered.com/, and the thefedoralounge.com just to name a few sites that have classified listing for vintage items.


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

tonyanthony1970 said:


> I agree. However, I've been purchasing vintage shoes back in the day when American brand shoes where build on par with some of the brands from other countries. For a pair of quality shoes hit up Goodwill (Shopgoodwillonline), esty.com, https://dappered.com/, and the thefedoralounge.com just to name a few sites that have classified listing for vintage items.


Even in this case, I would have to warn against the Bass Weejun. I very happily bought a pair of NOS, Made in USA Weejuns expecting them to bathe my feet in the glory of good old domestic construction. They were awful. However, I still have them as my beater loafers so I guess that says something.


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## Eric W S (Jun 6, 2012)

Not all vintage shoes were well made. You have to know which shoes to look for and what model. Hanover has some excellent ones and some crap ones. Same with Florsheim and Nettleton. In the end, you can get in trouble more quickly by not knowing what to look for when buying vintage...


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## gamma68 (Mar 24, 2013)

What do you fellas think of Sebago loafers (USA-made)? I found a lightly used pair at a thrift store and happily wore them throughout the fall with no issues.


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## AshScache (Feb 4, 2013)

gamma68 said:


> What do you fellas think of Sebago loafers (USA-made)? I found a lightly used pair at a thrift store and happily wore them throughout the fall with no issues.


If you're happy, your feet are happy, and your wallet is happy, I, for one, am happy. My impression of the brand overall is that they are good shoes, not such that would get a lot of love here but a very serviceable shoe with classic lines.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

Eric W S said:


> Have Rancourt make you a pair of weejuns from your choice of Horween's finest.
> 
> Problem solved and you support a USA made product.


+1. Indeed, Rancourt's never disappoint! :thumbs-up:


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## Kreiger (Nov 6, 2011)

The thing about weejuns, in my mind, is that they need to look beat up, at least how they are normally worn.

I have a pair in #8 CXL by Rancourt, made with the stitch-down strap so they have the 'form of the weejun.' I keep a pretty small shoe rotation so they get worn at least once a week. After a year of little maintenance or thought for the integrity of the shoe, not much has changed. A casual observer would say they are pretty new shoes. If that is what you are looking for, look at Rancourt for sure.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

The wife and I were cruising the Michigan City, IN, outlet mall to burn off some of those holiday calories, paying a visit to the Bass Outlet, in the process. They were promoting a great sale (70% off regular prices, plus an additional 15% off with a coupon printed from the computer). Alas, the vast majority of their classic (I use that term loosely) hand sewn designs, including a pair of tasseled loafers I purchased back in Oct of 2013, were all priced at $279 (full pricing). Back in Oct the full pricing on those shoes was $179 and I ended up paying $53, out the door. Yesterday those same shoes would have cost me $76. Why must they play us all for idiots with such inane pricing ploys? It is crap like that that drives me away from Bass!


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## mr7864 (Jul 10, 2013)

gamma68 said:


> What do you fellas think of Sebago loafers (USA-made)? I found a lightly used pair at a thrift store and happily wore them throughout the fall with no issues.


I have 3 pairs of Sebago Cayman II's, and they are a definite step up from current Weejuns. I bought a pair of Weejuns about two years ago and they were beyond "junk" description after low mileage. Sebagos have the corrected grain "leather" but it is superior to Bass, as is the handwork, and all were bought for under $100. They are not AE's or Rancourts (which I have no experience with), but they are a good, cheap substitute for what we wish the Weejuns were. And they look good.


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