Protecting soles on Allen Edmonds

[pratyk]

As surprising as it may sound, some people end up dragging their feet to some extent and that takes a toll on the soles as well..

[alan]

@ pratyk: That's why I made a conscious effort to walk heel-to-toe. It also helped with creasing along the top, too.

[zerostyle]

FWIW, all of the cobblers I've gone to use Vibram rubber soles (not Topy).

[somaticmarker1]

I just want to give an update. I had the local shoe store put on some rubber roles on the heel and the front half on the toe (where the shoe hits the ground).


Night and day difference. I was wearing the shoes in question only every other week as I didn't want to destroy them. Now I'm wearing once a week to work, and whenever I go out on the weekends. The shoe grips much better when I walk. I work in a Federal prison, hence all concrete floors, and the shoes are quiet now, no annoying everyone as I walk down the hallway.


$10 that was really well spent.

[greg_s]

Question about adding a rubber half sole: can they be added when a sole has already started showing serious wear? Or is it too late then?


Also, these don't cause problems for resoling do they?

[somaticmarker1]

@Greg-s, I called AE and they said as long as the rubber topy is glued on, there should be no problems with the resoling.

[greg_s]

Wow thanks, somatic. I really appreciate you making that call.

[Acousticfoodie]

Oh nice. I'm still debating whether or not to get topy. Whats the general consensus from you guys on your higher end shoes? If I only had 2-3 shoes in my rotation it would be a no brainer. But I've got quite a few so far and can't imagine I'll need to replace the sole too often due to that.

[somaticmarker1]

@Acousticfoodie


Like you, I do have a good number of high end shoes. I wear each one about once a week. I highly recommend getting a topy for a number of reasons.


1. It protects the soles and will make them last longer. I walk on concrete all day, so my shoes would likely have to be resoled after 2-3 years.


2. You don't have to worry about stepping on anything that could potentially damage/stick the the soles. A wash cloth gets rid of gum and other general crud you may step in.


3. It makes the shoes a lot quieter, no heavy clicking sound as you walk the hallway.


4. The shoes grip much better, no worries about slipping on wet floors/stairs.


5. Its cheap to get them put on (about $10-15), and easy to remove if you don't like them.

[Acousticfoodie]

@somatic: thanks for the feedback. I've already worn my shoes several times already tho. Is topying too late or do I have to wait until the next resole?