best sub $150 everyday business casual shoes

[Danny]

[MENTION=13775]connersw[/MENTION] informative answer! You may have convinced me to consider suede and/or double monks. The buckingham aren't bad, but they're not in stock in my size (11.5). Might see if I can try them on in person at a DSW.

[MENTION=11797]devastitis[/MENTION] SUEDE double monks?! Putting the two things i'm resistant to together is a no go. I'm on the verge of considering EITHER something in suede OR a double monk, but both in one shoe is just far too much. Thanks for trying, though.

[MENTION=14764]dpark[/MENTION] -- agree to disagree with conner. I'm more likely to go with the suede buck at this point anyway. Honestly I'm leaning towards the Gunners overall, though. Depends how they look/feel in person.

[dpark]

[MENTION=14386]Danny[/MENTION], to be clear, I'm not trying to talk you out of getting monk straps. I like them and own a pair (J&M Conard double monk). I'm just not sure how well the style will age. At this point in time, though, double monk straps are a quite reasonable option. You can wear them with anything from nice jeans to suits.

The Gunners seem like a reasonable option as well. Really, you can get a version of pretty much anything in the $150 range. Dress boots, chukkas, monk straps, bucks, brogues, etc.

[srlclark]

Do you prefer double monks to single monks? If so, why?

Of Allen Edmonds' monk strap options, my preference would be: 1) Warwick, 2) Franciscan [now on close out], 3) Mora 2.0.

I know Suit Supply pushes both monks and double monks hard.

Although these are slightly above OP's budget, I can't recommend brown double monks or brown suede double monks enough, for a business casual shoe. Doesn't have to be these, but embrace the double monks.

SuitSupply Brown Suede Double Monks
https://imgur.com/a/6ESEJ

Allen Edmonds Mora 2.0 in Bourbon
http://i.imgur.com/QPnMN66.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/DeHzkRk.jpg?1

[devastitis]

Do you prefer double monks to single monks? If so, why?

Of Allen Edmonds' monk strap options, my preference would be: 1) Warwick, 2) Franciscan [now on close out], 3) Mora 2.0.

I know Suit Supply pushes both monks and double monks hard.

I like the aesthetics of the double monks more than the single monks, or at least most single monks. I owned a a pair of single monks for a few months, the most attractive pair of single monks I've ever seen, but ended up selling them as I found myself reaching for the double monks all the time, and the single monks never. Mainly because these were too expensive to wear casually, even though they're supposed to be worn casually (basically meaning they were out of my justifiable price range, even after they were on sale, but I bought them anyways).

http://imgur.com/a/hGRMQ

[Danny]

is there a shoe version of the Gunner boots? Something in comparably good leather? I hear the Logan wingtips are of similar quality, but I was hoping to avoid wingtips.

[Jarick]

Here's some of my favorite business casual shoes, assuming they will be worn with things like chinos and OCBD's:

Leather chukka boots: bluchers are more casual than oxfords, but they look imbalanced to me on a shoe. With boots they look much more natural, and most chukka boots get it right. Clarks have an unfinished look in the stitching, so I would go with something more refined. Timberland has a couple nice looking chukkas (Brook Park, West Haven), as does Johnston & Murphy (Copeland, Grayson), and Florsheim (Castellano).

Brogues with texture or contrast soles: smooth leather with sleek soles looks too refined in my eyes to pair with more casual clothes, so adding some texture or contrasting colors dresses it down. Strandmok's are a great example but too expensive, so I'd look at J&M Conard, Florsheim Rockit, or a pair of suede shoes.

Loafers: most loafers either look too chunky (the traditional beefroll penny) or too ugly (split toes), but something in the middle can be great. Look at the J&M Ainsworth or Conard, or Sebago Norwich. Basically anything that is unlined with full grain leather that has a moc toe without a huge stitch bump.

[Danny]

Thought I'd share the ones I'm actively considering (presented in no particular order):
- AE seconds (many types) -- my concern is the high price and seconds quality. Many of these will exceed my $150 price cap
- DSW Aston Chukkas -- problem is that these are out of stock AND are a chukka (I regularly wear my Clarks)
- Johnson and Murphy Melton Cap Toe - not bad overall. Very plain. Is the leather dynamite?
- Bass Men's Buckingham Oxford in Café leather (not suede) - looks a bit clunky to me.
- Johnson and Murphy Conrad cap toe - looks damn good. If the leather is good this might be the winner. What do you guys think of this one? It's expensive, but pretty close to what I want.
- JCP Logan wingtips - well reviewed and the price is (very) right, but I'm not sold on the idea of wingtips. Worth checking out in store.
- JCP Gunner boots - a fan favorite, but another boot when I should probably go with a shoe. Still, it's hardly ever put down.
- Florsheim Rockit plain ox - plain but solid looking. Wouldn't mind some brouging.

[lax101]

Thought I'd share the ones I'm actively considering (presented in no particular order):
- AE seconds (many types) -- my concern is the high price and seconds quality. Many of these will exceed my $150 price cap
- DSW Aston Chukkas -- problem is that these are out of stock AND are a chukka (I regularly wear my Clarks)
- Johnson and Murphy Melton Cap Toe - not bad overall. Very plain. Is the leather dynamite?
- Bass Men's Buckingham Oxford in Café leather (not suede) - looks a bit clunky to me.
- Johnson and Murphy Conrad cap toe - looks damn good. If the leather is good this might be the winner. What do you guys think of this one? It's expensive, but pretty close to what I want.
- JCP Logan wingtips - well reviewed and the price is (very) right, but I'm not sold on the idea of wingtips. Worth checking out in store.
- JCP Gunner boots - a fan favorite, but another boot when I should probably go with a shoe. Still, it's hardly ever put down.
- Florsheim Rockit plain ox - plain but solid looking. Wouldn't mind some brouging.

I know you love doing these "which X staple should I get?" threads, so I'll be blunt here:

The quality difference between ALL of those shoes and Allen Edmonds is massive. Absolutely massive. Almost all of the other shoes you are considering have glued soles and cheap, plasticky leather. Given how nitpicky you tend to be about buying clothing, you will absolutely infuriated once most of those shoes get massive cracks and creases after you wear them for a day. All shoes crease, but the ugly creasing you get on a cheap shoe is so much more noticeable and will show off how cheap the leather is.

Sit and wait on a good Shoebank sale and call it a day. Expand your budget up to ~$200, and you'll be fine. I have almost exclusively bought AE seconds (I own ~10 pairs) and have never had an issue. If you're concerned, they have an unlimited returns window so long as the shoe is unworn (just don't take it outside/on pavement), minus a $10 restocking fee.

[dpark]

Almost all of the other shoes you are considering have glued soles and cheap, plasticky leather. Given how nitpicky you tend to be about buying clothing, you will absolutely infuriated once most of those shoes get massive cracks and creases after you wear them for a day. All shoes crease, but the ugly creasing you get on a cheap shoe is so much more noticeable and will show off how cheap the leather is.

The J&M Conards are certainly not the same quality as AE, but the leather on them it's not cheap feeling or plasticky. I have the Conards in the monk strap design and the leather doesn't have ugly creasing or cracking. They look quite nice.

In fact, I've owned some pretty cheap leather dress shoes in the past and I've never seen leather form ugly creases or crack in a day. I don't know what you're doing to your shoes, but that is not typical even for cheap shoes.

[srlclark]

How big a hurry are you in? I think that the J&M Conard line is a great option and actually just logged on to recommend it to you. I'm glad you've beaten me to it!

To my mind, comparing the Conard and the Melton shows the choices you need to make at that price range. The Melton uses a goodyear welt, while the Conard has a glued-on sole. On the other hand, both the leather quality and the design of the Melton are not good, while the Conard is. Contrary to common belief, the Conard will last you a good few years in all likelihood. Yes, sometimes soles come loose. But not all that often. J&M's bondwelt is going to hold up for quite some time with most shoes. I'd go with the Conard rather than the Melton any day. The Melton will look like a cheap shoe from day one, so even if you resole it and get it to last a decade, you'll never be happy with it. The Conard won't last as long, but it will look nice for the time that it does last.

The reason I ask about your timeline is that if you log on to the J&M website, you'll see that some of the Conard wingtips are currently going for $110 and the suede cap toes for $120. (If you can get over your aversion to suede, I'd buy the dark brown suede Conard cap toes). So, I think that, if you wait for a sale, you will be able to get the Conard cap toe for $120 or so at some point.

The Melton never goes on sale through J&M anymore. You can probably get it for less from Amazon. But I wouldn't get it. It's too formal, the leather quality is poor (a sales associate at J&M compared it to a tuxedo shoe to me, meaning that it's made of plastic-coated leather that'll crack right away).

The only other option would be if you find an Allen Edmonds bourbon Fifth Avenue second in your size. But for some reason, AE has kept their seconds prices on most bourbon shoes at $177. If you can bring yourself to buy a wingtip, you could get a bourbon or brown or chili McGregor for $137, and it'd probably be better value than the Conard. Otherwise, get the Conard. If I could remotely justify buying another shoe so quickly after buying two pairs of AE seconds (two weeks after!), I'd pick up a Conard myself.

Thought I'd share the ones I'm actively considering (presented in no particular order):
- AE seconds (many types) -- my concern is the high price and seconds quality. Many of these will exceed my $150 price cap
- DSW Aston Chukkas -- problem is that these are out of stock AND are a chukka (I regularly wear my Clarks)
- Johnson and Murphy Melton Cap Toe - not bad overall. Very plain. Is the leather dynamite?
- Bass Men's Buckingham Oxford in Café leather (not suede) - looks a bit clunky to me.
- Johnson and Murphy Conrad cap toe - looks damn good. If the leather is good this might be the winner. What do you guys think of this one? It's expensive, but pretty close to what I want.
- JCP Logan wingtips - well reviewed and the price is (very) right, but I'm not sold on the idea of wingtips. Worth checking out in store.
- JCP Gunner boots - a fan favorite, but another boot when I should probably go with a shoe. Still, it's hardly ever put down.
- Florsheim Rockit plain ox - plain but solid looking. Wouldn't mind some brouging.

[srlclark]

The J&M Conards are certainly not the same quality as AE, but the leather on them it's not cheap feeling or plasticky. I have the Conards in the monk strap design and the leather doesn't have ugly creasing or cracking. They look quite nice.

In fact, I've owned some pretty cheap leather dress shoes in the past and I've never seen leather form ugly creases or crack in a day. I don't know what you're doing to your shoes, but that is not typical even for cheap shoes.

No, they shouldn't crack in a day. And I don't think the Conard will crack at all. It'll be a nice shoe that will last a few years until it needs re-soling - at which point, you'll have to replace it, because it probably can't be re-soled (although some cobblers do put new soles on glued shoes). How solid does the rubber sole feel? Think it'll wear through quickly? If not, I think that J&M's bondwelt construction is solid enough that the sole won't come away from the upper for quite some time.

Now, the leather on the Melton will crack pretty quickly - but not in a day.

[dpark]

No, they shouldn't crack in a day. And I don't think the Conard will crack at all.

Check out all the horrible cracking and creasing mine have.

[srlclark]

Check out all the horrible cracking and creasing mine have.

Nice mirror shine! How long have you had them? (Those are tan, right? J&M currently only sells the double monks in black and mahogany).

[dpark]

Nice mirror shine! How long have you had them? (Those are tan, right? J&M currently only sells the double monks in black and mahogany).

They're not actually as shiny as they look there. They're just catching the overhead lights. Shiny, but definitely not a mirror shine. I bought them maybe six months ago. They haven't gotten a ton of wear, honestly, because they're a touch dressier than I normally choose to be.

I don't recall the exact color. I'll try to check the box tonight if it's still in the closet. They might have been labelled mahogany. They're a bit darker in person than in that photo, but not as dark as the mahogany looks on J&M's site. I'd call mine a medium brown. They're not a dark brown, but also not really light enough that I'd call them tan. (I actually wanted tan but could't find exactly what I wanted when I bought these.)

[connersw]

Check out all the horrible cracking and creasing mine have.

I think you are trying to be facetious, but you really shouldn't be.