# Awful Weejuns



## Youngster (Jun 5, 2008)

Nothing you guys don't know, but Bass Weejuns are awful. After 3 months of occasional wear they have not broken in. They have stretched out, however and now have become uncomfortably sloppy in fit. I even bought them a size small, and after all the pain, have just become near unwearable. Absolute garbage, and Bass should be absolutely ashamed!


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## Joe Beamish (Mar 21, 2008)

There's a store near me that sells Weejuns, and I don't walk down there and buy a pair thanks to so many reports like yours. Though the price is tempting. I'll stick to SAS and J&M for reasonable (though not cheap) pennies.


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## rojo (Apr 29, 2004)

Odd. I have a pair that I wore nearly every day, all through law school, starting 2006. I jokingly referred to them as my "walking shoes" because I always made sure to wear them on the days I did the 20 minute walk to my downtown club for lunch. They're still my most frequently worn shoes.


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## Youngster (Jun 5, 2008)

I don't know why our pairs would be so different. My pair is made in El Salvador and is the shiny burgundy colored leather. I have not tried to color hack or any such thing. In fact, they are not really even at the point where they have needed polishing! I can think of no good reason why they should be such objectively bad shoes. And I note, these are not uncomfortable in comparison to my more expensive shoes- indeed they have performed much worse than offbrand shoes from places like shoe pavilion or Kohls. I say one more time, a completely unacceptable purchase.


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## Reds & Tops (Feb 20, 2009)

I've got a pair that I thrifted, made in the US and brush off "cordovan" in color. I wear them constantly, and they're very comfortable. That said I wouldn't go Bronx to Battery in them, but comfortable none-the-less. 

Maybe you got a bum pair? Give Bass a call.


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## WillisGeigerFan (Apr 24, 2007)

"El Salvador" is why they are awful. What England is to India in shoe construction, India is to El Salvador.


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## Youngster (Jun 5, 2008)

Now, I got them at an outlet, so is it possible to make a complaint about them or is that why I have such a bad pair? They were not seconds, and they were labeled as a standard pair that was simply on sale. 
Regardless, does anyone have contact information for bass?


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## Joe Beamish (Mar 21, 2008)

I'm assuming the USA pair are vintage. This would explain the difference in quality.


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## Danny (Mar 24, 2005)

Yeah as we know they ceased making Bass shoes up in Maine around 1999 I believe. I have a couple pairs of the El Salvador ones and honestly I find them to be just fine. This might just be a case of fit issues. Sometimes shoes won't fit a certain shape foot no matter what size you get. I wear my 8.5's with no socks ALL the time and they are perfectly comfortable for me. I have had them for over 7 years and haven't even resoled them yet. They are definitely broken in. I also have some newer 9s for wear with socks.


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## Gromson (Oct 11, 2009)

I got a pair just yesterday. (I'm actually wearing them now around the house to help break them in faster.) I went in a men's shop to have the sleeves on a jacket shortened and I saw them on special for $39. I thought it was a good price so I snapped them up. 

I'm hopeful I'll have better luck with these than you did, but even if they suck, I'm guessing I can get $39 worth of wear from them.


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## Ron_A (Jun 5, 2007)

FWIW, I've had a very, very tough time finding a pair of Weejuns that fit me well. (I've finally found a pair of Made in USA Weejuns that fit me okay -- and they're pretty darn comfortable.) While I'm not a big fan of the newer Weejuns, this may be more of a fit issue as someone suggested. When it comes to getting a proper fit, they're a very difficult shoe to figure out, in my experience.

Also, this may be a situation where you get what you pay for -- you aren't going to get an Alden LHS (or even Johnston & Murphy Ski-Moc) quality shoe for $40. I think that the modern Weejuns are an okay buy, for the price. (By the way, there are a lot of shoes made in El Salvador - including the current LL Bean mocs and bluchers -- not that that's a good thing, but they're not absolute junk.)


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## Galt (Oct 4, 2008)

I have standard weejuns in burgundy, and the gilman version in brown. I wear one or the other almost everyday; size 11 seems to fit me perfect.

I know this is Blasphemy, but I would take my weejuns over the Alden LHS. This is all based on fit... the LHS was too tight in my instep. I'm hoping to re-invest in some point in a wider size in Alden to see if it remedies my problem. But for now... weejuns win.


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## KennethB (Jul 29, 2009)

Sort of a tangential question: How do you size loafers? I bought some cheap Florsheim loafers that fit pretty well when I bought them. But, they've broken in so that they fit OK (just) with my thicker dress socks. But barefoot or with a thin sock (like Vicell), I slide around in them, heel flopping about.

Do you have to have two pair - one for wearing sockless? That seems silly.


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## Kurt N (Feb 11, 2009)

Thinking to finally get a pair of penny loafers, I've been browsing around this site the last couple days. It seems like the cheaper makes, at least, go through three stages of fit: too tight, just right, and too loose, and you just better hope the middle stage lasts long enough to justify the purchase.

Maybe the higher-end brands have a better service life, but at this point I'm leery of penny loafers.


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## The Louche (Jan 30, 2008)

Youngster said:


> I don't know why our pairs would be so different. My pair is made in El Salvador and is the shiny burgundy colored leather. I have not tried to color hack or any such thing. In fact, they are not really even at the point where they have needed polishing! I can think of no good reason why they should be such objectively bad shoes. And I note, these are not uncomfortable in comparison to my more expensive shoes- indeed they have performed much worse than offbrand shoes from places like shoe pavilion or Kohls. I say one more time, a completely unacceptable purchase.





Youngster said:


> Now, I got them at an outlet, so is it possible to make a complaint about them or is that why I have such a bad pair? They were not seconds, and they were labeled as a standard pair that was simply on sale.
> Regardless, does anyone have contact information for bass?


There are a few different "grades" of shoe that Bass sells with Weejun branding. The ones that seem to be found at outlets do seem pretty bad. But don't write Weejuns off completely - there are a few recent models (the Gilman is one, there are others) that are decent shoes for the money. Models like the Gilman retail for about $130 at full price, but can easily be found for $75 or even less online; at that price they are a bargain for a "beater" penny. Bass also has a new, made in Maine, line of Weejun's that are the equal of AE/Alden quality. Prices on those, of course, are comparable to AE/Alden as well.

But yes, the outlet Weejuns seem like total rubbish and I wouldn't wear them. A great example of why the internet is so useful in finding bargains on clothes.


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## AdamsSutherland (Jan 22, 2008)

Weejuns are an inexpensive shoe. I, as some others do and should, hold them to an entirely different standard than the LHS. 

Youngster, while I understand your frustration, I'm just curious as to what you expected from a (to put safely) sub-$60 shoe. If they weren't a great fit from the start, I think it a little overly optimistic to think that Bass' junky corrected grain leather is going to stretch or retain shape according to your expectations. Additionally, many people have trouble getting a good fit with penny's. 

Among the many things I've learned from this site, perhaps one of the most important is that high-quality shoes come at a high price.

On a slightly related note- my new non-CG pair of Leavitts are breaking in nicely after a few wearings.


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## Joe Beamish (Mar 21, 2008)

^ And yet, interestingly, several people in this thread have reported a good experience with Weejuns. So I suppose the shoe is worth a try at $40


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## ds23pallas (Aug 22, 2006)

There was a thread several months ago that discussed Weejuns, and variations in quality from shoe to shoe. Former blogger "The Weejun" chimed in with his own thoughts on the subject. I have a pair of the El Salvadore "Leavitt" model on today that I have had for about a year and a half. I got rid of the overly glossy shine with some oven cleaner and the colour is now a little bit red-ish, even brown-ish in natural light. They are very comfortable with or without socks. The soles and heels have lasted _very_ well, I'd say better than my Alden Cape Cod loafers. I suppose I just got a good pair, somehow.


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## AdamsSutherland (Jan 22, 2008)

Perhaps I should have added that I enjoy both pairs of my weejuns and my CG pair are still going fine after 2 years.

I think good experiences are the result of appropriate expectations and foot shape.


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## Patrick06790 (Apr 10, 2005)

KennethB said:


> Sort of a tangential question: How do you size loafers? I bought some cheap Florsheim loafers that fit pretty well when I bought them. But, they've broken in so that they fit OK (just) with my thicker dress socks. But barefoot or with a thin sock (like Vicell), I slide around in them, heel flopping about.
> 
> Do you have to have two pair - one for wearing sockless? That seems silly.


I don't do sockless very often, but I have several pairs of penny loafers - some I wear with thick socks, some thin.

In general I go down half a size to reduce slippage.


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## KenCPollock (Dec 20, 2003)

Youngster said:


> Nothing you guys don't know, but Bass Weejuns are awful. After 3 months of occasional wear they have not broken in. They have stretched out, however and now have become uncomfortably sloppy in fit. I even bought them a size small, and after all the pain, have just become near unwearable. Absolute garbage, and Bass should be absolutely ashamed!


Strange, but in my interview on Ivy Style, about my experiences with Weejuns in the early 1960s, I said nearly the same thing:
"IS: Weejuns were a very unconstructed shoe, with no steel shank, and I especially had the problem that they stretched so badly. When I bought a pair that fit, after six months they shimmied around so much they wore holes in the heels of my socks. Eventually I had to buy them a half-size too small, but that way you limped for the first six months. It was real agony. So you had the choice of suffering at the beginning or suffering at the end."


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## Joe Beamish (Mar 21, 2008)

This is probably a toughie, but here goes anyway:

What kinds of feet fit best in Weejuns? Narrow? Wide? I have to assume that, since most of the frustration is about fit, we should find some kind of generalization.

What's your experience? Are all you narrow footed people happiest with Weejuns? Or is this a charm reserved for the mid-range, or even broad footed species?


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## chiamdream (Aug 7, 2009)

I'm an 11.5 and I waffle anywhere between D and EE depending on what's in question. (11.5 EE in Sperrys, 11D in Alden Indy, 11.5 EE in New Balance, 11.5D in Clarks desert boots). I have the 11.5 D Bass Gilman, which was a little tight to begin with but stretched out a tiny bit to be a perfect fit. One of my most comfortable shoes.


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## The Louche (Jan 30, 2008)

Joe Beamish said:


> ^ And yet, interestingly, several people in this thread have reported a good experience with Weejuns. So I suppose the shoe is worth a try at $40


Absolutely. Especially one of the "upgraded," mid-line models like the Gilman I mentioned above.



Joe Beamish said:


> This is probably a toughie, but here goes anyway:
> 
> What kinds of feet fit best in Weejuns? Narrow? Wide? I have to assume that, since most of the frustration is about fit, we should find some kind of generalization.
> 
> What's your experience? Are all you narrow footed people happiest with Weejuns? Or is this a charm reserved for the mid-range, or even broad footed species?


My Weejuns fit very well and seem true to size at 10D. I'd say my foot is resoundingly average shape. FWIW, another last that fit me similarly well is AE #5. AE #0 and #8 are a comparitively poor fit.


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## D&S (Mar 29, 2009)

My feet are a little on the narrow side - not quite a C width but a little loose in some D's. My 10D Weejuns are about perfect, much better fit than my 10D Cole Haan penny loafers - although some of this may be due to the fact that the Haans are more square in the toe and leave more wiggle room. Honestly, I wear my Weejuns more than just about any other shoe (except for my New Balances for working out) and they are pretty durable shoes. Considering how many pairs of shoes the average member of this forum has, it boggles my mind how so many people complain about them wearing out quickly from use. I've had mine for probably 5 years, and have been wearing them a lot lately - almost daily for the last two months or so. And always without socks.


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## Markus (Sep 14, 2004)

*Exactly my experience*

i bought mine small. painful to break in.

then they stretched so much they were unwearable.

this was back in the late sixties.

i'll never wear another pair. too uncomfortable.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

My feet are a D or medium width and I have not experienced any major problems finding a good fit in Weejuns. I presently have the "detested" corrected grain Beef-roll Penny's, Tan calf Logan's and brown calf Gilman's (all made in El Salvador). These are not great shoes but, purchased at $25, $81 and $64, respectively, they have been reasonably comfortable shoes and are proving to be a darn good value.


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## EAP (Jan 19, 2007)

An interesting article featuring the detailed dissections and narrative comparison of the Bass Weejun and J. M. Weston loafer. Considerable differences in materials, number of components and construction.

https://nymag.com/guides/everything/shoes/27345/

Edit: FWIW, for some reason the article renders poorly in Firefox 3.0.15, but fine with IE.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^^


EAP said:


> .... Considerable differences in materials, number of components and construction.
> 
> .....


...........and price!


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