Guys, I've been using the normal Obermain/Hush Puppies for my work shoes on a daily basis ever since I started working a few years ago. What I noticed is that they never last more than 2 years. After 2 years the bottom sole would wear out there will be a hole punched right through to your feet. Maybe this is because of my condition of the gravel road in Malaysia, maybe it's just the quality of the shoes, but what I'm wondering is, would better brands like Loake or Barker's fare better?

I know the GYW shoes are supposed to last longer because they can be resoled. But if resoling is not possible in Malaysia, what benefits do those shoes have over brands like HP, in terms of wear and tear? Of course the more expensive brands looks nicer, but I'm talking about durability here.

Say the HP shoes only last two years before the sole goes kaput. Will Loake or the other GYW shoes fare longer?

Thanks guys.

Can we really resole GYW shoes here? Can really trust cobblers off the street?

When you say plastic tab, do you mean toe taps?

Generally which is better - toe taps, topy, or vibrant soles? As I understand topies are quite thin right? And vibrant soles can be quite thick?

I got a pair of Loake 1880s from P.lal as my work shoes. Also got some Woly leather cream and brush there. Is that sufficient for my cleaning and polishing? Also I may plan to get a topy for it after wearing for a few weeks. Which cobbler do you guys recommend for this? And roughly how much?

My current Obermain soles have holes, and since I should alternate my shoes I'm thinking of getting this done at a cobbler too. I know, one pair is proper while another a mainstream consumer pair, but I gotta live with it for a while until I buy another proper pair I guess.

My Loake 1880s are burnished calf leather. Is that full grain or corrected grain?

Ah OK. Will send them an email then.

Its my first pair of proper GYW shoes, and my current pair of work shoes were already wearing out, and this looked pretty nice and could fit into the office environment so I got it. Sorry for linking to some Chinese site but it had the most picturepictures. Anyway I think the outsole isn't leather for this model? It feels hard, looks like wood. Unheard of?

http://www.mobile01.com/topicdetail.php?f=598&t=3399379

I'll be going to the UK this may. Maybe I'll pick up aanother pair there. Should I just go to Northampton and look for factory outlets there? Loake, barker, c&j are all there right?

How can you tell so easily? Full grain has micro defects or pores on it? That's what I read...

I can't remember, are the outsoles for all dress shoes that hard? It feels like wood! Rolled and compacted leather huh...

My girlfriend studied in Northampton, so I'm gonna use that as an excuse to go there.

Thanks guys. I doubted it was wood but it felt like wood to the touch. When I first wore it it was quite uncomfortable too, but today is my second day in it and I must say it's already feeling more comfortable. And it feels like a solid pair with real heft, unlike my old Obermains. Speaking of which, I'll probably get my Obermains repaired so that I can alternate the pair to the office. I've gone through this thread, is the cobbler at Ikano still regarded to be the best? My sole has a hole through it, so I'm gonna get that mended.

One thing though, one cant really say these GYW shoes are sleek or slender, given the relatively larger sole. It has its own charms I'd say, but if I were to look for a sleeker pair, would Blake-stitched shoes be better? Can it be resoled in Malaysia?

I dunno, it felt slippery the first time I wore it but it quickly became non-slippery. Its not exactly grippy but it isn't bad either. I think its most slippery on carpets actually. Never tried it on wet surfaces yet.

From what I've seen GYW shoes aren't considered the sleekest because of the sole - the stitch it outside the upper which means there is a "ledge" on the sole. On a Blake stitch, the stitch is on the inside of the shoe right? So that allows a sleeker sole. I'm still new to this so this is as far as I know. The shoe quoted below - are they Blake or cemented? Either way it looks sleeker than a GYW isn't it?

I took my worn out Obermains to the repair shop in Ikano today. Holes in the sole and heel. The boss there said its RM 70 to stick a rubber sole and another RM 60 for the heel. That's the cheapest according to him. But that's too expensive for me considering the shoes are more than two years old and I bought them for only RM 200.

Any other options guys? Any cobbler in mid valley?

Yeah I would like to know the quality of Massimo Dutti shoes too. Saw a pair of sneakers that I liked.
http://www.massimodutti.com/m/my/en/men/sh...29p5201540.html

What does it mean when it says "Two-tone stitched and glued rubber sole with a brand-logo pattern and natural welt."?

How about Massimo Ditto? Had been eyeing one of thief suede sneakers.

This post has been edited by QuickFire: Feb 11 2015, 04:15 PM

Not cheap either. About RM 500+. You can see the range they have here below.

http://www.massimodutti.com/m/my/en/men/sh...l-c1313029.html

Their dress shoes have glued on soles as expected. But I'm looking at casual sneakers.

Where do I get starwax from? I read from this thread that its cheap and really good. I went to Aeon mid valley the other day and they didn't have it.

When I got my Loakes (black calfskin) at Plal I also got the Woly Fashion Leather Cream as suggested by the staff there. My question is, what's the difference between this and a wax in a tin? Do I use both or just the leather cream will suffice when polishing?

This is the one I bought.
http://www.massimodutti.com/m/my/en/men/sh...l-c1313029.html

What does SF say about Loake?

Guys, so far I haven't been using a shoe horn but I guess I should start. A cheap shoe horn will do right? I mean, there isn't any difference in getting a cheap one and an expensive one?

I think IKEA has one. For like RM 2 I if I'm not mistaken. Will probably get that unless there is somewhere else that has them?

Thanks. I'll get one from bata then.

Anyway, what went wrong here? The right shoe looks a little unbalanced as you can see from the soles not being on the same level. Not sure if it was like this out of the box, didn't really notice it.




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