# Your oldest pair of Allen Edmonds



## jauburn (Jun 15, 2008)

How long do Allen Edmonds shoes last, in general? What's the age of your oldest pair? And how well have they held up?


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## At Law (Apr 15, 2008)

jauburn said:


> How long do Allen Edmonds shoes last, in general? What's the age of your oldest pair? And how well have they held up?


Nine (9) years this September. Two recraftings. Although I have not
worn them a lot in the last three years.


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## Wall (Dec 4, 2008)

I have a pair that my father passed onto me that are from the early 90's.


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## JayGatsby (Mar 30, 2009)

Don't have any AEs, but do have a pair of old Florsheim Imperials from many, many years ago that my grandfather gave to me (he used to work for them back in the early-70s). Still look fantastic.


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## IdleMind (May 18, 2009)

*Oldest AEs*

I have a pair that my Mom bought for me about 20 years ago. And my Dad pretty much only wore AEs (he wore a hard to find size) and he had shoes that were up to 30 years old when he died.


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## Preu Pummel (Feb 5, 2008)

18 months.

I think that says it all... since I discovered AE 18 months ago and now own a dozen pairs.

My oldest dress shoes are 14 year old Florsheims. I used to be a Florsheim man and still have 3 pairs from the mid-90s. That infatuation waned long ago.


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## Crownship (Mar 17, 2008)

jauburn said:


> How long do Allen Edmonds shoes last, in general? What's the age of your oldest pair? And how well have they held up?


42 years.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

My oldest AE's have been in service 26 years and they have many years of life left in them!


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## medhat (Jan 15, 2006)

My black Strattons are 15 years old this fall, on my feet as I type. Love 'em.


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## ToryBoy (Oct 13, 2008)

Crownship said:


> 42 years.


do you wear them once a year?


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## gman-17 (Jan 29, 2009)

Crownship said:


> 42 years.


Wow. Now that's a pair of shoes and quite a testament to quality. I bought a pair when my oldest daughter was born same week--my first pair of shells. They would be 16 now but my foot size went fromm 9 to 9.5 and I gave them to goodwill. Somebody out there is wearing my 16 year old shells.


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## chatsworth osborne jr. (Feb 2, 2008)

*Chili Bentleys*

8 or 9 years. They look great except for the one scrape. Made the mistake of waiting too long for the only resoling, and stretched them out or something. That and a lack of diligence in stopping to tie/tighten laces led to the heel lining wearing through recently. Put a heel pad in to get more wears out of them


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## msphotog (Jul 5, 2006)

Polos in black and burgundy and black from 1979... The black ones were just recrafted, and are beautiful!


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## smujd (Mar 18, 2008)

~12 years. Quality footwear will last a VERY long time if well cared for.


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## JayGatsby (Mar 30, 2009)

smujd said:


> ~12 years. Quality footwear will last a VERY long time if well cared for.


Agreed. Every man should learn how to care for his shoes (and this does NOT mean simply dropping them off at the shoe shine stand). Learning how to polish a pair of shoes is a lesson every boy should learn from his father.


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## tabasco (Jul 17, 2006)

Probably 24-25 yrs. McClain - Scotch Grain- chili (I think) recrafted at least twice. Very comfortable fit, and worn about 2-3x weekly in the the summer and dry autumn. They fit very well, and have outlasted many.


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## Crownship (Mar 17, 2008)

Crownship said:


> 42 years.





ToryBoy said:


> do you wear them once a year?





gman-17 said:


> Wow. Now that's a pair of shoes and quite a testament to quality. I bought a pair when my oldest daughter was born same week--my first pair of shells. They would be 16 now but my foot size went fromm 9 to 9.5 and I gave them to goodwill. Somebody out there is wearing my 16 year old shells.


An older thread, I know.
But my answer was true and misleading on purpose for the fun of it.
The truth is that my oldest pair of Allen Edmonds is 42 years old.
But I bought the shoes last year. They were new/old stock tucked away in a closet.

















Allen Edmonds 'Dickson' the original
vintage 1967

This is the Dickson model that came out in 2002. A very different shoe.


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## cmacey (May 3, 2009)

jauburn said:


> How long do Allen Edmonds shoes last, in general? What's the age of your oldest pair? And how well have they held up?


1. Don't know but I hear they last, when properly maintained, for a long time.

2. 7 months - AE Leeds, Black, Shell Cordovan.

3. They have held up beautifully.


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## hmhill (Apr 30, 2005)

My oldest pair is a black/white Broadstreet spectator shoe that I bought in 1989. I had them recrafted once.

Max


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## Cary Grant (Sep 11, 2008)

These are a decade old. The last year or two I maybe wear them only once a month. the first few years it was 3 times a week. 
They've been resoled twice, most recently including new welts.


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## From Vancouver (May 24, 2009)

Cary Grant said:


> These are a decade old. The last year or two I maybe wear them only once a month. the first few years it was 3 times a week.
> They've been resoled twice, most recently including new welts.


Very pleasing to the eye, Mr. Grant.

How has the quality of Allen Edmonds declined over the years? I have a Burton purchased in 2006 and a Melrose purchased in 2009. Comparing those two shoes, I see a decline in quality. The stitching on the upper is less fine, the Goodyear welting uses a larger channel on the underside of the sole, the stacked leather heel is now 50% rubber, the finish between leather liner and upper is rougher...

There is strong support for AE on AAAC. I would consider AE to be an entry into Goodyear-welted footwear. There is better - and more expensive - stuff out there.


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## Crownship (Mar 17, 2008)

From Vancouver said:


> Very pleasing to the eye, Mr. Grant.
> 
> How has the quality of Allen Edmonds declined over the years? I have a Burton purchased in 2006 and a Melrose purchased in 2009. Comparing those two shoes, I see a decline in quality. The stitching on the upper is less fine, the Goodyear welting uses a larger channel on the underside of the sole, the stacked leather heel is now 50% rubber, the finish between leather liner and upper is rougher...
> 
> There is strong support for AE on AAAC. I would consider AE to be an entry into Goodyear-welted footwear. There is better - and more expensive - stuff out there.


Of my many pairs I can't say quality on the whole has declined.
From my point of view comparing 2 pairs of shoes made within 3 years of eachother isn't going to give you an accurate assessment of the quality of Allen Edmonds over the life of the company.
If the soles and heels of Allen Edmonds are inferior quality to other makes, the easiest solution is to have all leather heels and higher quality soles put on once the original ones wear out.


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## Cary Grant (Sep 11, 2008)

Asking the declining quality question only starts fights in these parts 

They have seen declines in quality (though many brands have) based on my own hands on and conversations with AE employees and salepersons who rep them.

But let's not derail the thread any further.


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## Crownship (Mar 17, 2008)

Cary Grant said:


> Asking the declining quality question only starts fights in these parts
> But let's not derail the thread any further.


I agree.
42 years.:icon_smile_big:


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## From Vancouver (May 24, 2009)

Cary Grant said:


> Asking the declining quality question only starts fights in these parts ...But let's not derail the thread any further.


Okay, agreed. Thanks for the thoughts.


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