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Shoes over time

sanford12

sanford12

Old Stuff New Stuff As long as it's Good Stuff
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Not a shoe junkies but I do like them. Have about 15 pairs. I like comfort with some style. I've got short wide feet with a high arch so fit is paramount. It started with Pumas back in the late 80's. The looked great and were so comfortable. Pumas disappeared from the US market and I was bummed. Then for a long time it was New Balance with some Asics here and there. Couple of years ago bought a pair of Skechers. Not much to look at but so light with support and comfort. Been hooked on them since. What's your shoe of choice.
 
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I tried New Balance walkers and liked them OK except they came apart at the seams. Switched to Brooks walkers and they are so much better - better fit, better construction, better comfort, they just work. I spend a lot of time walking or standing on concrete, but I wear them mowing the grass and general purpose. I put Dr Scholls inserts in them every 6 months or so, this pair I'm wearing is over 3 years old and I wear them 6 days a week.
 
For hiking boots I have a pair of Merrell's and a pair of Keen sandals. Both great pieces of footwear.
 
I grew up in the shoe business. My school shoes were Boy Scout oxfords, Clarks desert boots and Wallabees, and my gym shoes were Keds, Jack Purcells, and Converse All-Stars. Quite a few pair of Sperry Top Sider moccasins, and Bass WeeJuns, too. Got into PUMA Speed Cat driving shoes when they first hit the market 20-years ago which are great for large feet in the small pedal box on a manual transmission car. I still have some Florsheim Custom Imperials now probably over 50-years old, since my Dad was one of International Shoe Company's larger buyers of their Poll Parrot kids brand so could get Florsheim at wholesale once International bought them. I even got my golf clubs (US Royal) through US Rubber/UniRoyal (Keds) as they made the insides for most golf balls back then so the ball makers supplied their clubs branded just for US Rubber. I believe mine were made as rebranded Walter Hagens back then. US Rubber also made their own Royal brand of golf balls using a hexagon dimple back in the '70s. I still have some originals in single boxes. Very odd.

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Today I have about ten pairs of PUMAs, and plenty of Keen's for both hiking and walking. They are a great fit for a wide foot and hold up well. I still have an original pair of Vasque Hiker-II boots I bought in 1973 back when hiking boots weighed a ton! Been through many Merrell Jungle Mocs but the soles just don't last. Over the past half-century I've had my share of Cowboy boots, too, even spending time in detention at school for wearing them while showing data from the manufacturer that they were a healthy footwear option. But then my school outlawed Adidas when they first came out saying "athletic" shoes could not be worn to class. I insisted I didn't wear that pair for athletics but the nuance was lost on the administration. So I painted a pair of old WeeJuns white with three black stripes and wore those instead and let them chew on that for a while.

Do a Wiki search on Clarks Wallabees and see how they became a Hip Hop and Gangsta icon. Anthropologists could do well to study the culture around shoes.

Did you know Converse Chuck Taylor's use a fuzzy coating in their soles so they are classified as bedroom slippers to avoid the import tariffs charged on sneakers imported from China?
 
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Sketcher or New Balance.Summer or winter in several feet of snow.Lots of snow to remove I use Baffin Technology -100 f boots.Warmest boots ever,would take and wear them in Siberia or Antarctica!
 
BMWCCA said:
Clarks desert boots and Wallabees,
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Very informative post and well-written! I went to an all-boy high school for three years; there were definite groups or 'tribes'. The kickers always wore cowboy boots or occasionally penny loafers. I was small, pale and not very athletic. So about ten of us became jellys or 'jells'...grew out our hair, started smoking cigarettes [and other stuff], and listened to lots of Zeppelin, Rush etc. And our shoe was the Clark Desert Boot or the low-cut variant. Just wearing them to the gym would earn you sarcastic remarks from the coach or, more likely, a painful 'frog' on the upper arm from a kicker...
 
My favorite are New Balance Trail Running shoes for daily use, Merrill Moab Ventilator for taking walks or short to medium hikes and Asolo Hiking Boots for long or rugged hikes.
 
My granddaughter told me that us old guys with the bright white New Balance shoes and white hair are known as "Q-tips". I wear western boots. Have 8 pair. My oldest are over 40 years old. So, they are definitely worth the cost. My one pair of tennis shoes are from SAS Shoe Company. 100% made in the USA by American workers. They are expensive. But, I buy American when I can. Oh, by the way, mine are blue.
 
List of all my shoes by percentage worn, depending on season two and three can be swapped around.
Dr Martin industrials, Reef Flip-Flops, Merrill low and hi hikers, Vans and New Balance trail runners.
 
I wear Thorogood 8" moc toe's most of the time, but if I'm just going to the store or walking the dog, I have a pair of Asics gel's that are like walking on pillows, and for some reason hold up better than any other sneakers I've tried. I have a few others for specific things, but those two are the main two. I'm really mean on shoes and went through a ton of boots and shoes to find ones that work for me.
 
Haven't had a pair of white shoes in a long time. There are so many cool shoes to pick from now. I've been contemplating trying a pair of allbirds
 
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Hard for me to fine shoes that are wide enough. I had a neuroma in the left foot and had the nerve surgically removed. Also had to go up 1/2 size after that. Still not right, won't ever be normal again.
So, i have to try everything on first before i buy.
Been having good luck with New Balance....when i find a pair that work i immediately by 1 or 2 more, before they discontinue them.
Also have good luck with Ecco...but that's hit or miss, they're Euro size with no wide. But sometimes i get lucky.

Right now i'm taking off my shoes..."For Industry !"
 
My "good" shoes to go out to dinner are Ecco.

My running / walking shoes are New Balance.

Tennis shoes (play a lot of tennis): Nike

These are my everyday shoes - Reebok vintage.

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sanford12 said:
I've been contemplating trying a pair of allbirds
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I have a pair and they are quite comfortable. If you go with the wool ones they will pick up pet hair--I have never felt the need to clothes roller on shoes before. All my other shoes are zero drop (mostly Altras which I find very comfortable) so being in the Allbirds makes me feel like I am in high heels even though they are not that tall.
 
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