Very informative, Robert. I am one of those guys who works on my shoes, diligently and fastidiously. I enjoy spending time cleaning, waxing and polishing all day. So to understand the leather and the craftsmanship is great and helps me care for my shoes on a whole different level. Thanks.!
Robert - Two Comments: 1) Your Allen Edmonds, ox blood McAllister‘s ... bellissimo! 2) Great video, informative, interesting and not overly complicated . Thumbs up !! 👍
Thanks for great videos. You compliment Gentleman's Gazette and Hanger Project well. One characteristic of fake welts I rarely see mentioned is the location if stitching from the edge does not match top to bottom.
Nice job Robert. I always find value in your production efforts and videos. Good discussion of some of the types of leather which distinguish better quality leather from run of the mill, disposable shoes. As you mention, and I agree, I think it makes sense to look at shoes as an investment, and accordingly look for shoes with nice leather, quality craftsmanship, durability and will last for a significant period off time.
"...spilled some bacon grease on them." This comment made my day. Just took a gamble on a pair of J&A Optimas. I'm not really a fan of the high sheen/plastic look. They will serve as back ups (way back ups). Enjoying the channel...keep em coming.
XxHardcorexxGamerxX, I appreciate that! I’m shooting this with a hand held iPhone. It took 4 shoots just to get this 12 minutes without my kids screaming, LOL.
I appreciate you reviewing Johnston & Murphy for what they are and not bashing them like some of the other shoe snobs on RUclips. Not everyone can afford a $500 pair of shoes, and frankly, the leathers on J&M's Handcrafted in Italy, Aristocraft, and Made in Italy lines are as good as I've seen for $300, even $400. And for $170, their other shoes are pretty good. You can't expect handmade full grain in that range, and it's unrealistic for RUclipsrs to demand such perfection and compare them to $800 bespoke shoes. That's like comparing a Ford Mustang GT to a Ferrari 430.
Tobin Spratte - yes, I agree. One thing to note since I’ve produced this video... my understanding is that J&M no longer produces even their Aristocraft line in the US. My understanding is that ALL production is now overseas. I learned this early to mid 2019.
@@CobblerBob Yes, the clerk at the store told me they discontinued the Aristocraft line and replaced it with the Made In Italy line--which are semi-handmade in Italy. At least, that's my understanding. Have you heard differently?
Have you ever tried stripping the plastic coating off corrected grain shoes? I've seen internet posts about it being done with good results, and I'm tempted to try it with some CG Park Avenues that I got used, but I'm very inexperienced with anything beyond basic shoe care. Thanks for the videos!
Pavel, not that many actually, I think 20 pairs now. A lot of them you see here on my channel are not mine (I might be shining them up or repairing them for a friend) or I get rid of them!
Philippe Damphousse - here’s some clarification on terms, but if you really want the full dose, watch my videos called “Leather Talk with Phil Kalas”: - full grain leather is always top grain leather. - aniline is a way of dying (coloring) the leather with a transparent or translucent dye finish - in other words, the finish does not cover up the surface texture of the leather. - when a hyde is processed, they are much thicker than the leather on a shoe, so they split it in half. The half from the outside of the animal is the top grain, while the bottom half it’s called the split grain. - Full Grain leather is therefore always made from Top Grain Hyde. Top grain leather with blemishes can be corrected (sanded) and finished into what’s known as corrected grain leather which is usually cheaper. Top grain leather could also be finished with a heavier acrylic type finish, in which case it would not be full grain aniline. - so as far as cow hydes used for shoes go, full grain aniline calf skin is generally considered the best. Of course, all tanneries are not equal too, so one company’s full grain aniline calfskin could very well be better than a other company’s full grain aniline calfskin. Another good video is my Horween Leather Co visit video.
Started going to thrift shops and to consignment stores because of your videos; a good and inexpensive way to get quality shoes. Two pairs of Florsheim Oxford cap toe shoes with 6 eyelets, both brand spanking new; two pairs of Dexter Oxford wingtips in great condition; 1 pair of Magnanni square toe 2 tone lace up; one Allen Edmonds black Park Ave, and 2 more J&M 6 eyelets cap toe shoes. Four other miscellaneous shoes in awesome Condition. The least expensive shoe cost $3.00, and the Park Ave cost $15.00 (no tax on any of them.) Sapphire shoe polish and other shoe care products like shoe trees have cost me more than the shoes.!!! But I look awesome! Comments are given about the shoes. Thank you for teaching me how to look like a millionaire. Charles Alan Clark ___________________
SORRY for missing your comment. I am not 100% sure, but I've never seen a pair of US made Aristocrafts that were NOT full grain. They're always the Melton line or below if corrected grain. From what I've seen yes, the Hyde Park II is always full grain aniline.
Robert, question- I have a pair of Florsheim Lexington’s, Bostonian kinnons, and Allen Edmonds granthams. I use them for military purposes. Why is it that when I shine the granthams, the shine becomes more “matte” as I go towards the tongue, as I have to fill in the pores? While with the Bostonians and Florsheims, much cheaper, the leather is “smoother” and it says “smooth leather”. They shine much easier, but I know the quality is lower. If I had a Carlyle or something, would it shine the same? Is this an example of full grain vs analine? Thank you!
A good analogy for cheap and expensive leather is to think about wood. Think of expensive leather like a raw block of wood and a cheap leather as a wood board with a plywood slapped on top of whatever crap is beneath. Raw wood will get stained easily because the pores are open and one with ply will let water, oil or anything else stay on the surface without it getting soaked in. It's much easier to clean/polish the cheaper wood piece with ply. Just take a wet cloth and wipe it away and you're done. Essentially, you're just cleaning the ply not the underlying wood. The same way when you're TRYING to polish cheaper shoes you're just cleaning/polishing the top plastic coating and not the leather (which is easier). The downside with cheaper shoes is - you won't be able to build a true mirror shine on cheap leather, you won't see any patina (because of the uniform top coat), the creases will be ugly because the creases are happening in the plasticky coat and not the leather itself (which is more graceful). Aniline is just a way of dying full grain leather. When you let the dye soak into the leather (which gives it a beautiful natural texture, it's called aniline dyed leather or simply aniline leather). Cheap stuff is not aniline dyed because what's the point? Ultimately, you'll only see the top coat and not how's leather dyed. Bob, did a video explaining aniline and other types of dying.
Harrison, I’m sorry but it’s really difficult to say without seeing them, but the Granthams are not textured leather are they? I’ve seen shoes with textured leather where the leather texture gets smoother as you go closer to the toes. I looked up the AE Grantham, it looks like a Wholecut (but it’s a Derby so it’s not really a wholecut). Sometimes when the higher quality leather is new, it takes a while to be able to build up polish on them. They still we have wheels coming out of the shoe from the tanning process making the polish more difficult to adhere?
I had actually no idea, that brogueing makes shoes less formal, it always seemed ‚extra fancy‘ to me. Oh my. Also: now I finally know, why so many shoes look vaguely ‚cheap‘ to me, even though there almost indistinguishable from more expensive pairs at first glance. It’s the leather itself. It does look weirdly like plastic very often. I just noticed that today looking at shoes in a big department store. Very shiny, uniform surface on most shoes.
Freddie Slaughter - I’ve never heard of that! “Brushed” seems to indicate to me some kind of correction to the surface. Veal (the meat) comes from a young cow, but most high quality shoe leather already comes from calfs, and is referred to as calfskin. That’s a new one to me.
You are correct, if I referred to only Oxfords as a full brogue/semi brogue, I apoligize. Broguing is referring to the series of two little and one larger decorative holes. That being said, a "full brogue" also refers to a style of shoe, which is a wingtip with broguing on all of the panels. A similar shoe but with a cap toe instead of a wingtip is referred to as a semi-brogue. A cap toe shoe with only a single line of broguing along the back edge of the cap is referred to as a quarter brogue. Check out this authority: www.gentlemansgazette.com/brogues-shoe-guide-men/
Robert, The only thing more dangerous than cooking bacon in your Allen Edmond Macallister’s is cooking bacon in your Allen Edmond Macallister’s naked. Trust me on this one.
![Blox Fruits Dragon Rework Update [Full Stream]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqDAp8udhm0/mqdefault.jpg)
🙏🏼 thank you for your kind words everybody! The intro was inspired by Jason Dornstar’s channel.
Very informative, Robert. I am one of those guys who works on my shoes, diligently and fastidiously. I enjoy spending time cleaning, waxing and polishing all day. So to understand the leather and the craftsmanship is great and helps me care for my shoes on a whole different level. Thanks.!
“Look at how tight that is”- intro. Love it. Awesome quality and a video I’ve been needing
you might cut that line out. So it´s not misunderstood
I have learned a great deal from watching you. Thank you.
Robert - Two Comments:
1) Your Allen Edmonds, ox blood McAllister‘s ... bellissimo!
2) Great video, informative, interesting and not overly complicated . Thumbs up !! 👍
Thanks for great videos. You compliment Gentleman's Gazette and Hanger Project well. One characteristic of fake welts I rarely see mentioned is the location if stitching from the edge does not match top to bottom.
Nice job Robert. I always find value in your production efforts and videos. Good discussion of some of the types of leather which distinguish better quality leather from run of the mill, disposable shoes. As you mention, and I agree, I think it makes sense to look at shoes as an investment, and accordingly look for shoes with nice leather, quality craftsmanship, durability and will last for a significant period off time.
"...spilled some bacon grease on them." This comment made my day. Just took a gamble on a pair of J&A Optimas. I'm not really a fan of the high sheen/plastic look. They will serve as back ups (way back ups).
Enjoying the channel...keep em coming.
thanks for posting each video gets better
One of my favourite dress shoe channel on RUclips! Now just improve the quality of the video (i.e. lighting)! ;)
XxHardcorexxGamerxX, I appreciate that! I’m shooting this with a hand held iPhone. It took 4 shoots just to get this 12 minutes without my kids screaming, LOL.
I appreciate you reviewing Johnston & Murphy for what they are and not bashing them like some of the other shoe snobs on RUclips. Not everyone can afford a $500 pair of shoes, and frankly, the leathers on J&M's Handcrafted in Italy, Aristocraft, and Made in Italy lines are as good as I've seen for $300, even $400. And for $170, their other shoes are pretty good. You can't expect handmade full grain in that range, and it's unrealistic for RUclipsrs to demand such perfection and compare them to $800 bespoke shoes. That's like comparing a Ford Mustang GT to a Ferrari 430.
Tobin Spratte - yes, I agree. One thing to note since I’ve produced this video... my understanding is that J&M no longer produces even their Aristocraft line in the US. My understanding is that ALL production is now overseas. I learned this early to mid 2019.
@@CobblerBob Yes, the clerk at the store told me they discontinued the Aristocraft line and replaced it with the Made In Italy line--which are semi-handmade in Italy. At least, that's my understanding. Have you heard differently?
Have you ever tried stripping the plastic coating off corrected grain shoes? I've seen internet posts about it being done with good results, and I'm tempted to try it with some CG Park Avenues that I got used, but I'm very inexperienced with anything beyond basic shoe care. Thanks for the videos!
magicalplaid - you’re welcome! And no, I don’t think I’ve ever tried that.
Mr.Powers how many pair of shoes do you own ? I lost count , 50 ? GREAT hobby !!!
Pavel, not that many actually, I think 20 pairs now. A lot of them you see here on my channel are not mine (I might be shining them up or repairing them for a friend) or I get rid of them!
Correct me if im wrong but even AE dont use top grain wich is the best but rather use full grain-anniline.
Philippe Damphousse - here’s some clarification on terms, but if you really want the full dose, watch my videos called “Leather Talk with Phil Kalas”:
- full grain leather is always top grain leather.
- aniline is a way of dying (coloring) the leather with a transparent or translucent dye finish - in other words, the finish does not cover up the surface texture of the leather.
- when a hyde is processed, they are much thicker than the leather on a shoe, so they split it in half. The half from the outside of the animal is the top grain, while the bottom half it’s called the split grain.
- Full Grain leather is therefore always made from Top Grain Hyde. Top grain leather with blemishes can be corrected (sanded) and finished into what’s known as corrected grain leather which is usually cheaper. Top grain leather could also be finished with a heavier acrylic type finish, in which case it would not be full grain aniline.
- so as far as cow hydes used for shoes go, full grain aniline calf skin is generally considered the best. Of course, all tanneries are not equal too, so one company’s full grain aniline calfskin could very well be better than a other company’s full grain aniline calfskin.
Another good video is my Horween Leather Co visit video.
@@CobblerBob thank you very much for the clarification, I enjoy your videos and your voice too!
What year were these prices at? Seems quite good for full grain GYW shoes.
This video was released Sept 2018, so I was probably referencing prices I was seeing mid-2018.
Started going to thrift shops and to consignment stores because of your videos; a good and inexpensive way to get quality shoes. Two pairs of Florsheim Oxford cap toe shoes with 6 eyelets, both brand spanking new; two pairs of Dexter Oxford wingtips in great condition; 1 pair of Magnanni square toe 2 tone lace up; one Allen Edmonds black Park Ave, and 2 more J&M 6 eyelets cap toe shoes. Four other miscellaneous shoes in awesome Condition. The least expensive shoe cost $3.00, and the Park Ave cost $15.00 (no tax on any of them.)
Sapphire shoe polish and other shoe care products like shoe trees have cost me more than the shoes.!!!
But I look awesome! Comments are given about the shoes.
Thank you for teaching me how to look like a millionaire.
Charles Alan Clark
___________________
Charles Alan Clark 👊🏼 you should post your scores in a video and put a link here!
So are all J&M Aristocrafts that are made in the USA full grain leather? Specifically Hyde Park II.
SORRY for missing your comment. I am not 100% sure, but I've never seen a pair of US made Aristocrafts that were NOT full grain. They're always the Melton line or below if corrected grain. From what I've seen yes, the Hyde Park II is always full grain aniline.
Robert, question- I have a pair of Florsheim Lexington’s, Bostonian kinnons, and Allen Edmonds granthams. I use them for military purposes. Why is it that when I shine the granthams, the shine becomes more “matte” as I go towards the tongue, as I have to fill in the pores? While with the Bostonians and Florsheims, much cheaper, the leather is “smoother” and it says “smooth leather”. They shine much easier, but I know the quality is lower. If I had a Carlyle or something, would it shine the same? Is this an example of full grain vs analine? Thank you!
A good analogy for cheap and expensive leather is to think about wood. Think of expensive leather like a raw block of wood and a cheap leather as a wood board with a plywood slapped on top of whatever crap is beneath. Raw wood will get stained easily because the pores are open and one with ply will let water, oil or anything else stay on the surface without it getting soaked in. It's much easier to clean/polish the cheaper wood piece with ply. Just take a wet cloth and wipe it away and you're done. Essentially, you're just cleaning the ply not the underlying wood. The same way when you're TRYING to polish cheaper shoes you're just cleaning/polishing the top plastic coating and not the leather (which is easier). The downside with cheaper shoes is - you won't be able to build a true mirror shine on cheap leather, you won't see any patina (because of the uniform top coat), the creases will be ugly because the creases are happening in the plasticky coat and not the leather itself (which is more graceful).
Aniline is just a way of dying full grain leather. When you let the dye soak into the leather (which gives it a beautiful natural texture, it's called aniline dyed leather or simply aniline leather). Cheap stuff is not aniline dyed because what's the point? Ultimately, you'll only see the top coat and not how's leather dyed. Bob, did a video explaining aniline and other types of dying.
Harrison, I’m sorry but it’s really difficult to say without seeing them, but the Granthams are not textured leather are they? I’ve seen shoes with textured leather where the leather texture gets smoother as you go closer to the toes. I looked up the AE Grantham, it looks like a Wholecut (but it’s a Derby so it’s not really a wholecut). Sometimes when the higher quality leather is new, it takes a while to be able to build up polish on them. They still we have wheels coming out of the shoe from the tanning process making the polish more difficult to adhere?
Knowledge increased....... thanks
Why’d they stop putting the names of the shoe markers on the inside of the shoe
Hmmm... did they? Allen Edmonds still does! I'm sure it's COST!
Your awesome! Thanks for this
I had actually no idea, that brogueing makes shoes less formal, it always seemed ‚extra fancy‘ to me. Oh my.
Also: now I finally know, why so many shoes look vaguely ‚cheap‘ to me, even though there almost indistinguishable from more expensive pairs at first glance. It’s the leather itself. It does look weirdly like plastic very often. I just noticed that today looking at shoes in a big department store. Very shiny, uniform surface on most shoes.
In some cases a cheaper very shiny shoes isn't leather but is polyurethane.
What in the world is brushed veal leather?
Freddie Slaughter - I’ve never heard of that! “Brushed” seems to indicate to me some kind of correction to the surface. Veal (the meat) comes from a young cow, but most high quality shoe leather already comes from calfs, and is referred to as calfskin. That’s a new one to me.
Vinegar is acidic. :-)
Brogue has nothing todo with derby or oxfort.
You are correct, if I referred to only Oxfords as a full brogue/semi brogue, I apoligize. Broguing is referring to the series of two little and one larger decorative holes. That being said, a "full brogue" also refers to a style of shoe, which is a wingtip with broguing on all of the panels. A similar shoe but with a cap toe instead of a wingtip is referred to as a semi-brogue. A cap toe shoe with only a single line of broguing along the back edge of the cap is referred to as a quarter brogue.
Check out this authority:
www.gentlemansgazette.com/brogues-shoe-guide-men/
Robert,
The only thing more dangerous than cooking bacon in your Allen Edmond Macallister’s is cooking bacon in your Allen Edmond Macallister’s naked.
Trust me on this one.
Al gansk 😂
Nice intro