The thing with Allen Edmonds is that they at least used to tell you which last the shoe was built on, so if you found a last that worked for your feet, you could buy shoes built on that last so you knew they were going to fit...ColeHaan's are a roll of the dice as far as fit, their cheaper loafers, in the $100-150 range fit me OK, but their fancy Italian shoes don't fit me right.

A previous reply mentioned Bass Weejuns...Bass has made those shoes so cheap, and spread the Weejuns label to all sorts of imported cheap loafers that I don't even bother buying them anymore. They are also not lined, so the rough part of the leather rubs my socks/bare foot and it makes me nuts.

I did a quick Google search, and you are right, Aldens are also a handmade shoe mad in the U.S. For some reason I thought they were an English company, but they are made in Mass.

I found a link that lists the best international, handmade shoe manufacturers, and two are U.S. made shoes: Allen Edmonds and Aldens.

Nine (9) shoe companies are listed:

Aldens, Allen Edmonds, Berluti, Church's, Crocket and Jones, John Lobb, New and Lingwood, Ludwig Reiter, and Trickers.

http://www.elegant-lifestyle.com/classic_shoes.htm

One thing that has gone unmentioned regarding Allen Edmonds that is unique is their recrafting program. I have sent in most of my Allen Edmonds for recrafting. One pair I've sent in three times.

For about $75 - $100, depending on the options you select, you send in your shoes and they completely rebuild them. They remove and replace the soles, they strip the shoe leather of all waxes, polishes, etc. and redye the leather. They provide new shoe laces and send them back to you looking like the day you bought them. If you pay the $100, they send them back to you with new cedar shoe liners and new velvet shoe covers. They are great when you are travelling and pack your shoes in a suitcase.

So basically, if you pay $250 for a new pair of Allen Edmonds, then a year or two later pay $100 to get them recrafted, your total is $350 / 2 = $175. Now you're getting into Cole Haan price territory.

If you do it a third time, $250 + $100 + $100 = $450 / 3 = $150. Now you're at Bostionian / Florsheim pricing.

See, it's like an investment.

Cole Haan's seem to cost just as much as Allen Edmunds. At least the two I am looking at are withing $10 of eachother.

In the next week or two I'll check them out and report back.

2006....which rock did you have to look under to uncover this old thread?

Once I found Keen, I never turned back.

Ecco baby.

Cole Haan!:D