# Filson Pricing.



## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

Filson has made good stuff, and never been cheap, but does anyone else think their pricing is becoming comically high?

Nice coat? Maybe.









Nice coat at $525? Not to me!


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## gamma68 (Mar 24, 2013)

Made in the USA, perhaps one reason for the high price.


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## Pentheos (Jun 30, 2008)

Haven't even bothered to match the patterns on the model. Not that that is a dealbreaker -- but if you're going to do one side, do both.


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## 32rollandrock (May 1, 2008)

I don't think it's all that nice, really. Seattle fit, whatever that is, on a "work scout" garment compatible with a recoil pad sold separately? This sounds like coat that doesn't know what it wants to be when it grows up. I've seen way better in thrift stores...


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## xcubbies (Jul 31, 2005)

I can't comment on that particular coat, but I have examined some of Filson's winter-weight wool coats and can see why they are priced as they are. They contains lots of wool, look to be solidly made and appear to provide warmth in a cold, outdoor setting. I wouldn't buy one unless I was spending lots of time outdoors and didn't mind the weight. Beans carries a similar hunting coat, with an insulated liner, that weighs less, but is not made in the USA. I have an earlier version of the current model and it is the warmest coat I own.


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## Doctor Damage (Feb 18, 2005)

Remember when Alden, Quoddy, etc were affordably priced? Filson, like those other made in the USA brands, realized that they can raise prices steadily without increasing quality to match and a bunch of customers will pay anyway. How long that ride will last is a separate question, but it's been going for a few years now and will probably keep going for a few years to come.


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## Sgpearl (Dec 11, 2012)

Any comment on the quality of the bridle leather field satchel? I love the look of it. Are there other made in USA bags that compare favorably? Thanks much.


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

Filson is in a weird place right now. For a while, they had drastically reduced the number of Made in USA products in their catalog (but never the prices) and seemed to be well on their way to cash-grab land. They've since returned many products to being Made in USA, even some of their footwear, but they've seriously diversified their product line-up with lots of fluff and fashion items and now the new "Seattle fit." Along with that, they've been taking their "heritage" way too seriously and re-issuing all kinds of older styles for ridiculous prices. If you think that Scout Work Jacket is pricy, take a look at this Cruiser Shirt. It's just a wool popover with a few pockets and they want $612 for it:



I like and will continue to buy Flison's waxed cotton gear for as long as I can afford it. Their Mackinaw wool is extremely high quality as well, but their designs are completely devoid of innovation and rely so heavily on "this is how it's always been" that it's not hard to find better performing wool gear for the money.


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## dwebber18 (Jun 5, 2008)

You know I really like Filson stuff, I have a wool weekend coat that is quite nice. However, it was not quite what I was expecting when I unwrapped it for Christmas last year. I was expecting a wool jacket with a lining that would take me well in to winter like my pea coat does. For the price I assumed it would be lined and it was not, my fault for not noticing but still. I can't see paying their price for the lined items as much as I'd love to have a liner in my coat. I'm usually happy to justify the premium for a made in the USA garment, but I'm a bit disappointed in my choice of jacket. I really want to like it but it doesn't seem to be as warm as it needs to be but I'm not a big user of layers. It's also a little hard to put on over a wool sweater, but I really like the idea of the Seattle fit since my jacket is really large to accommodate heavy layering which is not necessary this far south. On the question of the bag, check out Saddleback Leather, they are handmade in Mexico and are some of the best products I've ever seen.


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

dwebber18 said:


> You know I really like Filson stuff, I have a wool weekend coat that is quite nice. However, it was not quite what I was expecting when I unwrapped it for Christmas last year. I was expecting a wool jacket with a lining that would take me well in to winter like my pea coat does. For the price I assumed it would be lined and it was not, my fault for not noticing but still. I can't see paying their price for the lined items as much as I'd love to have a liner in my coat. I'm usually happy to justify the premium for a made in the USA garment, but I'm a bit disappointed in my choice of jacket. I really want to like it but it doesn't seem to be as warm as it needs to be but I'm not a big user of layers. It's also a little hard to put on over a wool sweater, but I really like the idea of the Seattle fit since my jacket is really large to accommodate heavy layering which is not necessary this far south. On the question of the bag, check out Saddleback Leather, they are handmade in Mexico and are some of the best products I've ever seen.


Dwebber, your experience is very similar to mine:
https://askandyaboutclothes.com/com...-than-Filson&highlight=filson+double+mackinaw


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## Eric W S (Jun 6, 2012)

Most of that over priced stock is coming from their heritage line. But the staples have also crept up in price as well.


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## Tilton (Nov 27, 2011)

32rollandrock said:


> I don't think it's all that nice, really. Seattle fit, whatever that is, on a "work scout" garment compatible with a recoil pad sold separately? This sounds like coat that doesn't know what it wants to be when it grows up. I've seen way better in thrift stores...


Game pocket, limbsaver-compatible, muted earth-tone plaid, underarm gussets. I think it knows exactly what it wants to be.


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## dwebber18 (Jun 5, 2008)

hardline_42 said:


> Dwebber, your experience is very similar to mine:
> https://askandyaboutclothes.com/com...-than-Filson&highlight=filson+double+mackinaw


Yeah I hate to feel the way I do because my wife knew I really wanted one of their jackets and picked it out for me and all that stuff. I wear it, but I'm warm natured so I don't need to layer much and I find it a bit off to wear with just a long sleeve shirt as it needs a sweater or something like that to fill it out well. I now wish I had waited to get the Seattle fit which I think I'd like more but I'm certainly not going to get rid of a $300 jacket that my wife got me so I'll live with it. Luckily she has infected me with a jacket fetish so I have lots of other ones to mix in.


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

Tilton said:


> Game pocket, limbsaver-compatible, muted earth-tone plaid, underarm gussets. I think it knows exactly what it wants to be.


Tilt, it's obviously trying to be some sort of hunting jacket (even though Filson's own description states its usage as "Casual, Everyday") but it's a weird combination of features. Maybe it's trying to emulate a UK-type shooting jacket, but then I'd expect some large bellows pockets for shells and not patch hand warmers. The front entry game pocket is an upland thing but wool as a shell would get torn to shreds in the tangled mess of nature's barbwire I hunt. Wool is great for deer hunting in a tree-stand - it's warm and quiet - but then, the game pocket, the lack of windblocking features and the useless pen-slots (would be great if you could fit a choke or even a shell in there) say otherwise. I think it's just another twist on their wool cruiser that has the look of a hunting coat but is really meant for light hikes in cold weather and going out on the town.


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## David J. Cooper (Apr 26, 2010)

I've bought quite a few items in the last year and I love them all, especially the Elliot Bay jacket which I believe is made offshore. I have yet to pay full retail for any Filson item. I either purchase out of date items online or shop at the outlet in Burlington.

I like the Seattle fit jackets as they appear online but haven't seen one in person yet.


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

32rollandrock said:


> I don't think it's all that nice, really.


I was just trying to be sensitive (chicken?) to the members who seem to venerate this brand. It's really pretty hideous.


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

Doctor Damage said:


> Remember when Alden, Quoddy, etc were affordably priced? Filson, like those other made in the USA brands, realized that they can raise prices steadily without increasing quality to match and a bunch of customers will pay anyway. How long that ride will last is a separate question, but it's been going for a few years now and will probably keep going for a few years to come.


I think that describes the circumstances rather well. Their catalog had a similar product, only with special packaging that raised the price to over $600. They may call that marketing, I call it gouging. And since in the past many of these items with inflated prices have gone on sale immediately after the season at 50% off, that gives a truer idea of their actual value.


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## Semper Jeep (Oct 11, 2011)

hardline_42 said:


> Filson is in a weird place right now. For a while, they had drastically reduced the number of Made in USA products in their catalog (but never the prices) and seemed to be well on their way to cash-grab land. They've since returned many products to being Made in USA, even some of their footwear, but they've seriously diversified their product line-up with lots of fluff and fashion items and now the new "Seattle fit." Along with that, they've been taking their "heritage" way too seriously and re-issuing all kinds of older styles for ridiculous prices. If you think that Scout Work Jacket is pricy, take a look at this Cruiser Shirt. It's just a wool popover with a few pockets and they want $612 for it:


I really liked that when I first saw it in an email from them (and I generally don't care for popovers at all), and then I scrolled down further and saw the price and couldn't contain the laughter.

I've noticed a lot of their prices skyrocket over the past year or two and had been wondering if Filson suddenly became super popular in some NYC or LA circles. I thought the urban lumberjack look was over?

But hey - You may as well have the best!


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## Tilton (Nov 27, 2011)

hardline_42 said:


> Tilt, it's obviously trying to be some sort of hunting jacket (even though Filson's own description states its usage as "Casual, Everyday") but it's a weird combination of features. Maybe it's trying to emulate a UK-type shooting jacket, but then I'd expect some large bellows pockets for shells and not patch hand warmers. The front entry game pocket is an upland thing but wool as a shell would get torn to shreds in the tangled mess of nature's barbwire I hunt. Wool is great for deer hunting in a tree-stand - it's warm and quiet - but then, the game pocket, the lack of windblocking features and the useless pen-slots (would be great if you could fit a choke or even a shell in there) say otherwise. I think it's just another twist on their wool cruiser that has the look of a hunting coat but is really meant for light hikes in cold weather and going out on the town.


Perfect for the pheasant and quail hunting I do. Open fields, mostly, and front-entry game pockets and bellows pockets are a PITA. I had a Browning jacket like that and ended up just wearing a belt pouch for shells because if you stuff the game pocket full, you're not getting many shells in there and vice versa. And yes, I am 100% sure the the plaid is targeted at folks wanting to at least look a bit like they're on a Euro-style driven bird hunt, but that's whatever, it isn't an offensive or bold or obnoxious pattern. I'm very, very far from saying I would ever buy it, but I don't think it is as wholly unpractical or stupid as has been implied. I think the failure here is Filson's marketing - but then again, if they own it as a strictly-huntingish jacket, none of the hipsters in Brooklyn (probably their largest customer demographic) will buy it - implications against animal rights or whatever.


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## Fraser Tartan (May 12, 2010)

The urban lumberjack Americana thing is alive and well in this hipster Mecca. They love their Filson.

That garment is intended to be worn while drinking $5 fair trade coffee.

You need facial hair to pull this off.


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

Tilton said:


> Perfect for the pheasant and quail hunting I do. *Open fields, mostly*, and front-entry game pockets and bellows pockets are a PITA. I had a Browning jacket like that and ended up just wearing a belt pouch for shells because if you stuff the game pocket full, you're not getting many shells in there and vice versa. And yes, I am 100% sure the the plaid is targeted at folks wanting to at least look a bit like they're on a Euro-style driven bird hunt, but that's whatever, it isn't an offensive or bold or obnoxious pattern. I'm very, very far from saying I would ever buy it, but I don't think it is as wholly unpractical or stupid as has been implied. I think the failure here is Filson's marketing - but then again, if they own it as a strictly-huntingish jacket, none of the hipsters in Brooklyn (probably their largest customer demographic) will buy it - implications against animal rights or whatever.


Around here, the best upland hunting is in really thick cover and busting brush is the name of the game. Game farms are much more "civilized" and I could see wearing the Filson there (usually, I wear a Barbour on the few occasions I hunt a farm). It makes sense in open fields as well. My main issue is that it is what it is almost by accident. Filson takes that same cruiser pattern and, instead of updating it, just makes it out of all different types of materials and tacks on "features" willy-nilly. It's not wholly unpractical or stupid at all but, for the price, it's not what it should be.


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

A [email protected] good cruiser jacket, made in the U.S.A. with all the functionality you could want.

*$220.*









But nobody drinks lattes in these! :icon_cheers:


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## L-feld (Dec 3, 2011)

Flanderian said:


> A [email protected] good cruiser jacket, made in the U.S.A. with all the functionality you could want.
> 
> *$220.*
> 
> ...


I love that Cliff Clavin is the model for their Jac Shirt.


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

L-feld said:


> I love that Cliff Clavin is the model for their Jac Shirt.


He's my alter ego!

I visit the factory store about twice a year. It's family owned and in a 19th century mill building where they have a retail store on the first floor and make the clothing on the second. It's the real deal. I've never actually purchased any of their outdoor clothing as it is truly rough-hewn, heavy-duty outdoor wear. It's not refined, nor is it intended to be. The wool is very thick, and very dense, and not particularly soft. I think it would last most city fella's like me a lifetime, or offer an outdoorsman many seasons of use. A few years ago I thought I might need a scarlet shirt jacket they had with beautiful, soft, dark brown lambskin elbow patches. It was a beautiful garment that *could *be worn by city fella's, but common sense prevailed when I considered that I really wouldn't be able to wear it very often, or give it the use for which it is intended.


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## Bjorn (May 2, 2010)

Sgpearl said:


> Any comment on the quality of the bridle leather field satchel? I love the look of it. Are there other made in USA bags that compare favorably? Thanks much.


If it's the 252, I quite like it. Great quality, good leather, the dark brown is a nice dark shade. It's the bag I use most.


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## MaxBuck (Apr 4, 2013)

I've never understood the fascination with Filson. Ridiculously overpriced stuff, though I've never seen anything with their label that wasn't high quality, unlike the similarly overpriced Brooks Brothers.


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## Bjorn (May 2, 2010)

MaxBuck said:


> I've never understood the fascination with Filson. Ridiculously overpriced stuff, though I've never seen anything with their label that wasn't high quality, unlike the similarly overpriced Brooks Brothers.


If it's high quality, it costs


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## tocqueville (Nov 15, 2009)

I'd love to see my boys in this:


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## Eric W S (Jun 6, 2012)

Bjorn said:


> If it's high quality, it costs


Yes and no. Depends on the maker. Most of the heritage stuff marketed to the younger crowds tends to be seriously expensive without any history to prove it is indeed quality.


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

tocqueville said:


> I'd love to see my boys in this:


Yeah, kids would look really cute in that stuff. And they wouldn't be cold! But make sure you have a whole line of them to pass it down to because it's going to get outgrown *long* before it wears out. This stuff is bullet-proof. But of course, they could always save it, and let *their* kids wear it! :icon_smile_wink:


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

Flanderian said:


> Yeah, kids would look really cute in that stuff. And they wouldn't be cold! But make sure you have a whole line of them to pass it down to because it's going to get outgrown *long* before it wears out. This stuff is bullet-proof. But of course, they could always save it, and let *their* kids wear it! :icon_smile_wink:


I was just going to say something to this effect. I love dressing my kids in miniature versions of what I wear, but it's tough to justify the investment when such a nice item will be outgrown after a single winter. Whenever I get the desire to splurge on something like that, I hit eBay first. It's littered with high quality clothes for kids that someone else took the depreciation hit on.


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## Charles Dana (Nov 20, 2006)

As someone with an interest in clothing, I enjoy the sweet pain of grousing about the full retail price of different types of garments. About a week ago, I received the Fall 2013 catalogues from Bills Khakis. Lots of good stuff in there, but oi vey, the prices. $1,695 for a leather flight jacket. $235.00 for a fleece vest. $155.00 for alpha-sized oxford cloth shirts. $225.00 for a cotton crewneck sweater. (The Bills wool dress trousers, however, seem competetively priced, ranging from $195.00 to $275.00.)

And then Brooks Brothers! $92.00 for a basic button-down shirt these days (but who actually pays that?).

Yep, it's fun to kvetch. But only on the surface. On a deeper level, I just don't let full retail prices get me bent out of shape. I'm a free-market capitalist (one of about six in San Francisco.) Sellers are free--and must be free--to charge whatever they want for their wares, and then willing buyers are free to buy or not buy.

Prices find their equilibrium in a free market. If the market, in the aggregate, sees a positive correlation between the quality/value/utility of a product and the price of that product, the market will justly reward the seller of that product by forking over some money. Otherwise, the market will justly punish the seller by withholding money. And then the seller will be forced, under market pressure, to either adjust the product or adjust the price, or both, and keep on adjusting until the market detects such a positive correlation. And if the seller is incapable of achieving this kind of equilibrium, it will deservedly go out of business, or discontinue that product line.

I won'tpay $600.00 for a Filson this or $1500.00 for a Bills that, but my spending limits are not important--all that matters is what the market in the aggregate wants. Filson and Bills seem to be doing good business, so evidently the free market seems just hunky-dory with those companies' prices. And why do they charge those prices? Because they can.


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## MaxBuck (Apr 4, 2013)

Bjorn said:


> If it's high quality, it costs


I agree, but I'd argue that products by Laszlo Vass and Buday, Hickey-Freeman and Oxxford, Frye Boots, Allen-Edmonds, Zegna, and Hugo Bosca offer a recognizable return of quality for the dollar paid, whereas Filson and many others seem to cost the earth simply because there are well-heeled sheep willing to be fleeced by them.

The idea that Filson is emboldened to charge half as much for a simple woolen work shirt as Hickey-Freeman charges for a well-constructed fully canvased suit is a tough one to reconcile from a value perspective. I'm a big proponent of the market economy, but that doesn't mean I think everything that is on offer is worth the price that the market sets. (Of course, I also recognize that what I regard as outlandish overpricing is looked at by someone else as fair value. Everyone has their own perspective on this stuff.)


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

hardline_42 said:


> I was just going to say something to this effect. I love dressing my kids in miniature versions of what I wear, but it's tough to justify the investment when such a nice item will be outgrown after a single winter. Whenever I get the desire to splurge on something like that, I hit eBay first. It's littered with high quality clothes for kids that someone else took the depreciation hit on.


You could always practice my mother's method. I was the last of my mother's five children, and nine years younger than my next youngest sibling. So by the time I came along my mother had a master's degree in the economics of child raising.

Buy it new,

and wear it out.

Make it do,

then do without.

All of my clothing was purchased two sizes too large. That way, they wouldn't be outgrown until they were worn out! Simple, right? But leaving me with only too classes of items; those too large, and those worn out.


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

Flanderian said:


> You could always practice my mother's method. I was the last of my mother's five children, and nine years younger than my next youngest sibling. So by the time I came along my mother had a master's degree in the economics of child raising.
> 
> Buy it new,
> 
> ...


Good tips. Being the first of my family's generation to have children of my own, I have no choice but to buy new, and I buy as much quality as makes sense with the hopes of passing it on. But since I only have one boy at the moment, the value is still not there for me. Of course, all of my future nephews will be dressed to the nines on my dime!


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## tocqueville (Nov 15, 2009)

I have three boys, so an argument can be made for buying quality for the eldest. The bad news is that size difference between him and he next in line is marginal.

I totally endorse ebay for high end kids clothes. They already have some nice blazers and brooks shirts. I cant fathom buying that stuff new.


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## MycroftH (Mar 9, 2012)

I saw a lot of Filson stuff when I lived in Seattle in the late 90's. I think that was before Filson became trendy across the country, but I don't really know when that happened. 

It wasn't unusual to meet someone in a well-worn wool or Tin Cloth jacket, then find out it was from the '60's or '70's and passed down from a family member. That's the first thing I heard I heard in the PNW about Filson: it'll last your whole life and then get passed to your kids, and it's guaranteed like oldtime LL Bean gear.

I'm from Vermont originally so I grew up around Johnson Mills Red & Black hunting jackets and wool pants which lasted forever, too.

I can see a company charging a premium for an item with that kind of expected lifespan. For myself, I've yet to pay full retail for anything by Filson because there are always deals on used / discontinued items to be found.


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## David J. Cooper (Apr 26, 2010)

It's funny to me that companies like Filson come under constant scrutiny but Rancourt and Oak Street Bootmakers can do no wrong. Let's see what people say about them 50 years from now.


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

David J. Cooper said:


> It's funny to me that companies like Filson come under constant scrutiny but Rancourt and Oak Street Bootmakers can do no wrong. Let's see what people say about them 50 years from now.


David, I think it has more to do with the fact that Filson's pricing is above and beyond what similar products cost. When similar or better, made in USA quality and features can be had from Johnson Woolen Mills, Bemidji, and even Stormy Kromer for less, it's clear that Filson is asking customers to pay for its "heritage" as well as its products. With regard to Rancourt and Oak Street, both of their prices are in line with what made in Maine, handsewn footwear costs. If you want to compare a shoe manufacturer to Filson, you should look at Quoddy. More expensive than it's competitors, fewer features and customization options, long lead times and hit-or-miss quality.


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## dwebber18 (Jun 5, 2008)

David J. Cooper said:


> It's funny to me that companies like Filson come under constant scrutiny but Rancourt and Oak Street Bootmakers can do no wrong. Let's see what people say about them 50 years from now.


I think Rancourt has started to get a bit high in pricing. For me there are other options that I like a bit better in higher and lower prices but for my wife they are great. She has a difficult time finding high quality, classic, and comfortable footwear as she stands all day for her job. Rancourt is perfect for her because they fit all her needs. She wore through the soles on her penny loafers in a bit more than a year and now has 4 pairs of their shoes in rotation. I bought her first pair a couple years back, full custom options(not custom fit) and they were a little over $200. Now custom ordering a similar pair is near $300. Only thing I did was pick the leather, sole and added the scalloping on the tongue. They haven't priced me out yet for the quality they offer and their level of service, but a few more increases and they might.


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## Semper Jeep (Oct 11, 2011)

hardline_42 said:


> David, I think it has more to do with the fact that Filson's pricing is above and beyond what similar products cost. When similar or better, made in USA quality and features can be had from Johnson Woolen Mills, Bemidji, and even Stormy Kromer for less, it's clear that Filson is asking customers to pay for its "heritage" as well as its products. With regard to Rancourt and Oak Street, both of their prices are in line with what made in Maine, handsewn footwear costs. *If you want to compare a shoe manufacturer to Filson, you should look at Quoddy. More expensive than it's competitors, fewer features and customization options, long lead times and hit-or-miss quality.*


I agree with the Filson/Quoddy analogy though I have never experienced hit-or-miss quality from Filson with my multiple pieces of outerwear, bags, shirts, lined pants, etc.


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

Semper Jeep said:


> I agree with the Filson/Quoddy analogy though I have never experienced hit-or-miss quality from Filson with my multiple pieces of outerwear, bags, shirts, lined pants, etc.


I have, unfortunately. Mis-sized items, poorly stitched seams and things just plain put together wrong (ridiculously crooked hat brims, for example). Nothing that Filson didn't make right, of course, but frustrating nonetheless.


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## godan (Feb 10, 2010)

Semper Jeep said:


> I agree with the Filson/Quoddy analogy though I have never experienced hit-or-miss quality from Filson with my multiple pieces of outerwear, bags, shirts, lined pants, etc.


This may apply only in part to Filson, but to be reminded of how bizarre Quoddy has become, take a look at an earlier thread:

https://askandyaboutclothes.com/community/showthread.php?107492-Quoddy-issues&highlight=QUODDY

Scroll through the posts to find the statement from a Quoddy employee. When I originally read it, the impression was that nobody there was in control of anything, especially communication with customers. FWIW.


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## dwebber18 (Jun 5, 2008)

I can agree with the stuff about Quoddy. I have a pair of their camp mocs and the stitching is a bit crooked in places and they generally look a bit sloppy. I was oiling my camp mocs and my wife's Rancourt boat shoes and her shoes are most definitely better constructed. The stitching is straight and tight, her sock liner is attractive and stitched down and overall the shoes are just better made with a higher attention to detail. Also, Rancourt usually ships within 2-3 weeks of you order and those are for shoes that need to be made to order.


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