Question on Breaking in Allen Edmonds + Cust Service Story

[ooze3]

I bought my first pair of Allen Edmonds about 3-4 months ago - a pair of Neumoks after seeing them here on dappered. love the shoes. i had a problem though where my little toe on the right foot was getting pinched. it got to the point that they were unwearable. I thought it was just an issue of not breaking them in properly, so i kept wearing them, and kept hurting my foot. so i finally called them and they said to send the shoes in to their office.

I got a call back from AE, and they said they were going to go ahead and just send me a new pair as they couldnt find anything wrong with the shoes, but they requested i wear them on carpet for a while to test them out. If it still hurt my foot, then maybe just return them for something else. anyhow, i just got the new neumok's late last week. I've been wearing them around the house, and thus far i dont have the pinching issue.

My question is, and esp for ppl who have experience with AE, how long do i need to wear them around the house before i can be positive that there's no issues, and to break them in enough (without wearing them out) to make sure my foot wont hurt?

-Big props to AE for the awesome service.

[Acousticfoodie]

@Ooze: You might just have wider toe width than normal. If you work in an environment that has carpet, I'd recommend wearing them all day to see if the pain continues. If it does, you can get the shoes professional stretched to account for the contact point in your right shoe to take care of the issue. I've had this problem before and fixed it with a trip to the cobbler.

[Vicious49]

I actually have a C width foot and wear a C in Strands and a B in McTavish' with zero pain. But a C in Park Aves hurts my pinky toe on my right foot. The same thing happened with the Malvern boots in a D. So I'm not sure if it's necessarily the width that is the issue. With the Park Aves the guy said it might be the black leather because it doesn't stretch as much and is much stiffer than my other shoes. I don't know what it was with the Malvern since they were wider than what I would wear and were brown grain leather.

Either way, I've found that wearing them around the house on carpet for a few hours doesn't really reveal the problem for me. It's not until I get outdoors and am walking on hard pavement for a while that I start to notice it. Which sucks because at that point it's not so easy to return the shoe.

[Acousticfoodie]

@Vicious: I had the same problem, get them stretched!

[shad0w4life]

I bought my first C AE's but I wore the Fifth Aves around one night for about 12 hours after wearing them at work on and off for a few weeks and they chewed up my heel decently, so if there's a break in it's quite a while

[alan]

I bought my first C AE's but I wore the Fifth Aves around one night for about 12 hours after wearing them at work on and off for a few weeks and they chewed up my heel decently, so if there's a break in it's quite a while

I've had that happen on occassion with various shoes, and my solution has been to put shoe trees in them, but then once theyr'e seated, I lift the heel of the tree out so that it stretches the lip of the shoe heel. Worked like a charm every tiem I've tried it.

[ooze3]

thanks for the suggestions. i wore them on and off all weekend and half the day today without any issues. ill venture out soon and if it starts up again will go get it stretched.

[ooze3]

so i finally wore them out today and they're still hurting my toe

is it worth contacting allen edmonds again or just take it into a cobbler to get them stretched? which btw - how do i find a good one? i've never gone to one before

[Acousticfoodie]

@ooze: Do you think you need to go up a width? If so, AE might be willing to exchange for a different width size to help you out from your toe issue. To find a cobbler just use Yelp to find a good one and see if they can resolve the issue for you. They can usually stretch the toe area as a whole or do point contact stretching where your toe rubs provided they have the right tools.

[ooze3]

i actually took it into the AE store and they're going to stretch it. really hope this works. thanks!

[Soleful Strut]

i actually took it into the AE store and they're going to stretch it. really hope this works. thanks!

You still around? How did this work out for you?

[Lucid]

Wow. Revived from the grave!

[Marc999]

I highly recommend going into a physical store that sells them, trying on the different lasts (different fits), and figuring out which lasts you like and which size you are in each.

The break in period should be between 5-10 "actual" wears (sitting at a desk doesn't count as a wear). After 5 wears, you'll start feeling them becoming comfortable, and after 10 you'll be in comfort heaven.

[ooze3]

You still around? How did this work out for you?

Worked out great. i've still got the shoes and still wear them without any issues - problem solved.

[brooklyn87]

[MENTION=12466]Marc999[/MENTION], that's good to know. I have the same issue as [MENTION=3573]ooze3[/MENTION] with my Park Aves, but have only worn them 3 times. I assumed it wasn't going to get better, but maybe with 2-7 more wears, they'll get more comfortable? Just like [MENTION=3573]ooze3[/MENTION], mine only pinch my toe on one foot (assuming it's because that foot is slightly wider).

BTW - I tried going up a width and they were way too wide, even at a half-size down. Seems like the 5-last just sucks for my foot, which is why, as much as I love Strands, Neumoks, McTavishs, McAllisters, etc...I won't be buying any of them.