What Happened? Anybody ever seen this strangeness with shoes? (Wolf & Shepard)

[mebejoseph]

I've complained on here several times about the poor decision I made to buy Wolf & Shepard shoes. At least I bought them on Black Friday and only paid $300 instead of $350.

But I finally got them to take a good shine after watching videos about shoe shines and spending hours putting on layers. I did all parts of both shoes the same. I used expensive Saphir polish. I also used a leather conditioner/cleaner on both shoes before this round of polishing.

EXCEPT LOOK AT THIS! I've never seen this before and can't find anything about it anywhere on the internet! There's one spot on the toe of one of the shoes that won't take any shoe polish and won't shine. I've worn these things maybe 10 times and now I can't wear them ever again. Given the AE sale right now, I would love to have my $300 back so I could buy some decent shoes.

Does anyone know what the problem is? I also sent these photos to W&S customer service to see what they say about it.

Ideas on how to fix it?

[DocDave]

Wow. That is bizarre. I can't help you with your shoe(s) but would you believe I have the EXACT same problem with a section of my car. The paint is smooth and shiny and then bammo! One section, about 4cm by 4cm in size is just dull and rough. Kinda like they forgot to paint/clearcoat that part of the car.

Anyway, back to your post.

[Shife]

I ran into that on a pair of Higgins Mill boots. The CXL developed large spots with no finish the first time I wiped them down. The spots would not respond to Saphir Greasy or anything else I had on hand. AE exchanged them with no questions.

[shad0w4life]

If in pure desperation I'd say something like 2000 Grit sandpaper OR Saphir RENOMAT which will strip the shoe down to leather and remove pigment.

Also $300...don't buy AEs get something better, you're really paying a premium for the made in USA tag. I say this after buying a $50 pair of almost never used Hartt Custom Grade shoes ebay(Made by C&J I believe) on a whim to see if there was a difference...the upper just becomes so much nicer when you go higher brand and feels like it conforms to your foot. I now understand what people talk about when they mention soft leather, these and my Herring double monks are most comfy shoes I own; Consisting of AEs, Meermin, Magnanni, JCP etc. they all now feel like thick leather my foot has to conform to, rather than conforming to my foot. Hindsight, I would have saved my money, bought Walnut looking Strands, Black Captoe, and Brown Double Monks from Church, C&J, Cheany, Herring rather than my rather large collection of various shoes listed above, that aren't overly comfy

[Galcobar]

Wow. That is bizarre. I can't help you with your shoe(s) but would you believe I have the EXACT same problem with a section of my car. The paint is smooth and shiny and then bammo! One section, about 4cm by 4cm in size is just dull and rough. Kinda like they forgot to paint/clearcoat that part of the car.

At least with car paint there are many products on the market to correct the issue. Easiest to find in consumer-size bottles of the better quality versions are Meguiar's Ultimate Compound (aggressive paint correction) and Ultimate Polish (finishing correction with anti-oxidation additives/oils). I like them because they're the same as the professional line, except formulated to be applied by hand or random orbital, instead of the high speed rotary polishers used in paint shops.

[mebejoseph]

W&S responded and asked me to return the shoes so they can look at them. They sent a return label. So, we will see where this goes.

[mebejoseph]

If in pure desperation I'd say something like 2000 Grit sandpaper OR Saphir RENOMAT which will strip the shoe down to leather and remove pigment.

Also $300...don't buy AEs get something better, you're really paying a premium for the made in USA tag. I say this after buying a $50 pair of almost never used Hartt Custom Grade shoes ebay(Made by C&J I believe) on a whim to see if there was a difference...the upper just becomes so much nicer when you go higher brand and feels like it conforms to your foot. I now understand what people talk about when they mention soft leather, these and my Herring double monks are most comfy shoes I own; Consisting of AEs, Meermin, Magnanni, JCP etc. they all now feel like thick leather my foot has to conform to, rather than conforming to my foot. Hindsight, I would have saved my money, bought Walnut looking Strands, Black Captoe, and Brown Double Monks from Church, C&J, Cheany, Herring rather than my rather large collection of various shoes listed above, that aren't overly comfy

I just looked at the Hartt shoes--almost double the sale price of the AE shoes I want on sale right now (Grayson). I've been looking at Herring and Church shoes and rather like them and the price is reasonable for some of them.

I'm also looking at some by JFitzpatrick--but a bit pricey as well. So many great shoes out there--but I do love my four pairs of AE shoes.

[DocDave]

Thanks @Galcobar I'm pretty good at looking after my cars. Lots of Mothers products in my garage. But I have never come across something like this before. I even asked my mechanic about it and he was stumped. Maybe I'll cruise by the dealership at some point and see what they can tell me. Mind you my car is going on seven years old now, so it isn't like I'm owed anything from a warranty perspective.

[ianr]

I've read bad stuff about Church shoes since they were purchased by Prada.

[srlclark]

I've read bad stuff about Church shoes since they were purchased by Prada.

Yeah, this seems to be widely acknowledged about Church, and I think the consensus is that their shoes are now mostly trading on past reputation and are less good value for money than Crockett and Jones, Alfred Sargent, Tricker's, Cheaney, etc.

In general, it is true that American brands are more likely to adopt a high MSRP and then go on sale often and have some heavy discounts, whereas the British brands @shad0w4life listed (and European brands such as Carmina, Meermin, Velasca, Carlos Santos, and so on) are more likely to have lower MSRPs compared to their quality and go on sale less often. But that doesn't mean one shouldn't buy AE - it just means that it's wise to shop the sales and not pay full price. I own many pairs of AE and one pair each of Carmina, Loake, and Red Wing. I got all of them on heavy discount, but it's definitely harder to find Carmina and Loake on sale, and especially on substantial discounts. I got lucky that Skoaktiebolaget stopped selling Carmina and so was getting rid of clearance stock and that Debenham's (a British department store) had a roughly 40% off sale on a few Loake 1880 items when I was in London last June. And even with Red Wing, I had to wait a long time to find an Iron Ranger in my size on Sierra Trading Post at nearly 40% off (37.5%, to be precise). AE goes on sale far more often. As a Carmina owner, I agree that their shoes are better quality than AE, and at MSRP (roughly $450 to $425), they are better value. But at $450 to roughly $250 or $275? Then I'm not so sure.