# Bally Shoes... Where do they Rank?



## jabney (Mar 16, 2005)

Bally Shoes, orginally from Italy, now based in Switzerland. Can someone comment on their construction and build. I'm guessing they are somewhere below AE's and maybe slightly ahead of Cole Haan. I'm trying to upgrade my shoe collection. Money is super tight as I'm on a student's budget, so if I want higher quality new is out of hte question. I'm looking at perhaps used for $50ish a pair. Good deal for Bally's, is there a better route for improving? 

If anyone has any 9.5C/D they want to sell for cheap, let me know!


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## sia (Apr 27, 2007)

I don't know about Bally shoes, but Nordstrom Rack stores occasionally have "worn & refinished" Allen-Edmonds (which I believe are just returns that have been slightly worn or worn outside but completely rebuilt by AE) for $69. If you have a Rack near you, and you the luxury of time to make a number of visits until you find what you like/need, that might be a good alternative.


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## chobochobo (May 5, 2006)

I used to rank Bally quite highly but then that was before I knew anything about shoes. In the end, if you like the styling and they're the right fit then that's fine. Construction is another consideration, avoid those with glued on soles - even the 'higher end' ones have these (I have a pair of their boots with a little problem with the upper coming away at one side). The 'Scribe' line has much better quality but then is much more expensive.

I'd go for AE used if you want quality below 50usd which you should be able to get easily on ebay, but whether the styling is right for you is another matter.


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## AZTEC (May 11, 2005)

I'm only familiar with the SCRIBE line which i would put WAY ahead of AE in terms of quality and styling.....

AZTEC


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## chobochobo (May 5, 2006)

AZTEC said:


> I'm only familiar with the SCRIBE line which i would put WAY ahead of AE in terms of quality and styling.....
> 
> AZTEC


Agreed though some of the Scribe stuff is pretty clunky too. Where do you see Scribe in HK?


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## Sator (Jan 13, 2006)

I was looking at some Scribes today. They make some AEs look sleek. However, their construction is excellent. 

Apart from the Scribes the rest of the Bally range is overpriced rubbish. Very sad.


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## jcusey (Apr 19, 2003)

Jim Pierce, who owns the shoe concession at Harold's in the Heights in Houston and who has been in the shoe business for several decades, will sometimes talk about what Bally used to be back when they first sold their shoes in the United States many years ago. It was the first imported shoe brand that really made an impact on the American market, and in its time it was very very good. The company was also the kind of company that Jim likes to work with: very responsive to merchant requests and willing to fulfill merchants' spec orders. All that changed as Bally got bigger and better known: the quality of the product suffered, and they got to be interested only in selling what appeared in their catalogue, not what merchants actually wanted to retail.

Anyway, Bally has more than one line of shoes with different levels of construction. It's been several years since I have looked at them in detail, but the basic line of shoes at that time were Blake-constructed and appeared to be okay but not great. The Scribe line shoes are very good, and I believe that they're Goodyear-welted. Some of them are good-looking, some are very ugly.


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## Roger (Feb 18, 2005)

Just a couple of thoughts. First, a clarification: Bally has always been a Swiss company. It has had its shoes made in both Switzerland and Italy over the years, but has always been headquartered in Switzerland. I have four pairs of the pre-Scribe Ballys (two made in Switzerland and two in Italy) and have liked them very much. I would _not_ rank them below A-E (of which I have several pairs as well). They are generally constructed differently. Mine are all of Blake construction (not glued; so it's possible, Chobochobo, that what you've taken as glued-on soles are really Blake-stitched ), which, although not quite as sturdy as Goodyear welting, does allow for a much sleeker shoe, with much more closely-cut and thinner soles (since there's not a welt layer). I have put the ultra-thin Topy sole protectors on mine and have never had to resole them.

These Ballys (of which there are still lots on eBay) embody the Italian aesthetic in shoes which differs from the A-E clunky-American aesthetic. They are sleek, stylish, and very light on the feet. A concrete comparison: my Bally moc-toe loafers (I have them in both brown and black) weigh 11.5 oz. per shoe (with the Topy); my most closely-corresponding A-E shoe, the Randolph penny loafer, weighs 16 oz., almost 40% more. Both are 9.5 Bs. The last shapes are considerably sleeker than those found with A-Es, and the resulting shoes just look better, in my opinion.

My Ballys have somewhat softer leather and slightly lighter construction than my A-Es. I've had to take good care of them, always using shoe trees and giving them a cream/polish treatment every 7 or 8 wearings. But they have held up well for 15-20 years and still look good. In my opinion, these Ballys have been excellent value for the money.


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## jabney (Mar 16, 2005)

Thank you all for the feedback, once again this forum shows it's vast depth of knowledge. I have seen some Bally's on Ebay, none of which I believe were the scribe line, but seemed to be in good shape. At a price of 30 dollars I'm assuming this would be a good purchase? 

Is there a distinguishing marker or sign of their Scribe line?

Roger, you might be able to answer this best: How is the fit? I'm a pretty true 9.5, and I'm looking at a pair online in that size? Should be ok?


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## Roger (Feb 18, 2005)

jabney said:


> Thank you all for the feedback, once again this forum shows it's vast depth of knowledge. I have seen some Bally's on Ebay, none of which I believe were the scribe line, but seemed to be in good shape. At a price of 30 dollars I'm assuming this would be a good purchase?
> 
> Is there a distinguishing marker or sign of their Scribe line?
> 
> Roger, you might be able to answer this best: How is the fit? I'm a pretty true 9.5, and I'm looking at a pair online in that size? Should be ok?


Interesting, Jabney; as noted I'm a 9.5 too, and, since this is true in pretty much all of my shoes, I must be a "true" 9.5. My Ballys are all marked 9 1/2 with either a B after the size or an "N" (presumably for "narrow"). The fit has been close to perfect in all cases, and, therefore, I'd say that you should be OK with a pair marked 9.5. One other thing I could have mentioned is that, probably because of the lighter soles and softer uppers, my Ballys were all very comfortable from Day 1 (all bought new), with no break-in period needed.

_Edit:_ Jabney, just noticed where you're from. Has the snow started to melt yet? :devil:


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## jabney (Mar 16, 2005)

Oh Roger, how funny you are. I'll have you know I'm actually from Kelowna, (for you members that don't know, it's basically the Napa Valley of Canada, hot valley, lots of great wine, big warm lake, great vacation spot!) 

Anyways, I came to Edmonton for University (6 years ago), just graduated 2 weeks ago. I will probably be here in this bastardly city for 2 years and then hopefully back to Kelowna. As for the snow, yes, it has been gone about a month now, the golf courses are just starting to come to life now. Just think, October is only 5 months away and we get snow again! UGH.

Thanks for the advice on the Ballys, got my eye on a couple pairs on ebay, they are all used, as that's about all I can afford at this point. None of them say Scribe on the description, is there a marking on the lining or the sole that identifies it as the scribe line?

Where in Van are you? Lived in Langley years and years ago, but tons of family still in and around Van.


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## Roger (Feb 18, 2005)

jabney said:


> Oh Roger, how funny you are. I'll have you know I'm actually from Kelowna, (for you members that don't know, it's basically the Napa Valley of Canada, hot valley, lots of great wine, big warm lake, great vacation spot!)
> 
> Anyways, I came to Edmonton for University (6 years ago), just graduated 2 weeks ago. I will probably be here in this bastardly city for 2 years and then hopefully back to Kelowna. As for the snow, yes, it has been gone about a month now, the golf courses are just starting to come to life now. Just think, October is only 5 months away and we get snow again! UGH.
> 
> ...


Out by UBC; I'm on faculty there. Taught at U of A for 3 years, so know about the -45 degrees in the winter. I have a daughter in Penticton, so see Kelowna all the time.


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## bwep (Apr 17, 2005)

Not to steal the thread, but I have to comment further on what the cannucks write. I was in Kelowna with my wife about 6 years ago for a wedding. Absolutely beautiful. Spent alot of time drunk from iced wines. We went to an ungodly number of beautiful vieyards.


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## Roger (Feb 18, 2005)

bwep said:


> Not to steal the thread, but I have to comment further on what the cannucks write. I was in Kelowna with my wife about 6 years ago for a wedding. Absolutely beautiful. Spent alot of time drunk from iced wines. We went to an ungodly number of beautiful vieyards.


That's interesting, Bwep. Did you like the ice wines? It must be an acquired taste--and I haven't acquired it yet! They really seem intense to me.


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## gnatty8 (Nov 7, 2006)

The best icewines in the world are made in Niagara on the Lake. They routinely beat offerings from Germany (traditional home of icewine) and are reasonably priced.


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## jabney (Mar 16, 2005)

There are some fantastic ice wines from the Okanagan (Name of the valley where Kelowna is centralized) but also there are world class white wines every year, and depending on the temperature of the fall even world class reds produced. Kelowna is also great for it's resorts, huge lake which warms up beautifully in the 35+ degree whether (that's celsius, just for clarification  ) But now I'm just bragging about my hometown. Of course I'm slightly biased, however I have seen almost all of this big country up north, and I would say I have not come across a place more beautiful than Kelowna. If anybody ever wants to head there for a holiday, drop me a PM, and I can certainly reccomend places to stay and things to do! 

In the meantime, see my thread comparing the ballys to the AE's on Ebay and give me some feedback. 

Cheers.


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## bwep (Apr 17, 2005)

I found the wines of the Okanaga region exceptional. US citizens do not get to see many, esp the iced wines, b/c of taxes I guess.


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