How good are Cole Haan shoes?

[johnmrson]

Firstly let me say that the range of good shoes available in Australia is poor. The majority of business and casual shoes I wear, I've imported myself. Most of my business shoes are Lloyds which come from Germany. They are expensive, but they are good. Recently I've been interested in trying something different so I've done quite a bit of reading here. The Cole Haan brand seemed to feature prominently. After deciding to dip my toe into the water so to speak I found two pairs for sale on ebay, one business loafer and one smart casual lace up. Both didn't fit the intended recepient so both were for sale at a very good discount to the original price. Both still had price labels on the inside indicating no wear. I bought them and eagerly awaited them to arrive. I've found US sizing pretty consistent so the sizing shouldn't be a problem. I've worn both pairs a few times now and I love them. They are extremely comfortable and very light. I'm very happy with them. They are a lot cheaper than the Lloyds and just as comfortable, if nota little more so. Anyway, I've spotted a very lightly used pair of Murphy Johnston business loafers (another brand we don't seem to get in Australia) so I've grabbed them and I'll be interested to see what they are like.

You blokes in the US are very spoilt with the quality and pricing of your shoes.

 

[Gingerbread]

I think Cole Haan might be my favorite mid-range shoe right now. I have three or four pairs, but only one is getting regular use right now... That said, it's the Italian-made Bologna construction suede wingtip. Probably the best pair of shoes I own period right now.

 

[joel]

Your question is very objective. Having owned/worn a few pairs of cole haan's - my personal opinion is that they're so-so. I'd rank them on par with Ecco's. After my initial purchase (bought three different pairs at once when they were dirt cheap on clearance at one of their outlets) - I am no longer interested in owning another pair of Cole Haan's. Two of the pairs only lasted two years or so (they had th Nike air soles), and the third (traditional leather sole) wasn't terribly comfortable and I ended up donating.

That said - I know a lot of fellas who are big fans of Cole Haan's - but I don't know of anyone who continues to purchase them after trying AE's, Alden's, etc.

Here's an analogy - in the shoe world, Cole Haan's, Ecco's, etc are akin to a C class Mercedes or a 3 series BMW. They're nice, and a lot nicer than a Toyota - and there are even a few exciting, higher end offerings (a la M3 or C63 AMG). The next step up is where (in my opinion) you get the best bang for your buck. Alden's and AE's are more akin to an S class Mercedes or a 7 Series BMW - a pretty dramatic step up, that's both noticible to others looking ar your shoes from and to yourself in terms of comfort, quality, feel, etc. This area is the sweet spot for most.

Edward Greens, C&J, Crispen's, etc would be your Bently's and Rolls Royce's. While these ARE nicer than the S class and 7 series, they're not that much nicer, they're considerably more expensive and most of the difference is slight cosmetic improvements and brand.

Bottom line: They're all good shoes and you can and should enjoy your Cole Haan's... but I'd rather have 2 good pairs of Alden's (it's a good idea to rotate your shoes) than 6 pairs of Cole Haan's - and I'd encourage you to hold off on purchasing more mid-grade shoes to allow you to accumulate funds for one pair of high grade shoes. Worst case scenario - you'll find after owning a pair of high grade shoes that mid-grade is good enough for your daily use, and you'll be able to reserve your high-grade shoes for special occasions. That said however, I haven't heard of anyone trading in their 7 series BMW's for a 3 series.

Hope this helps!

 

[johnmrson]

Thanks for the info Joel. Now that I've discovered US made shoes, I'll certainly be looking to aquire some more in the very near future.

 

[Gingerbread]

One thing you're going to want to keep in mind. Allen Edmonds vary dramatically in size and fit depending on last, model, and material. I love them, but I'm not sure I would go that route if you have to worry about shipping/returns.

 

[getsome]

I enjoyed the heck out of this post! Well done.

~B (E63 AMG owner who should apparently buy his first pair of Allen Edmonds )

Your question is very objective. Having owned/worn a few pairs of cole haan's - my personal opinion is that they're so-so. I'd rank them on par with Ecco's. After my initial purchase (bought three different pairs at once when they were dirt cheap on clearance at one of their outlets) - I am no longer interested in owning another pair of Cole Haan's. Two of the pairs only lasted two years or so (they had th Nike air soles), and the third (traditional leather sole) wasn't terribly comfortable and I ended up donating.

That said - I know a lot of fellas who are big fans of Cole Haan's - but I don't know of anyone who continues to purchase them after trying AE's, Alden's, etc.

Here's an analogy - in the shoe world, Cole Haan's, Ecco's, etc are akin to a C class Mercedes or a 3 series BMW. They're nice, and a lot nicer than a Toyota - and there are even a few exciting, higher end offerings (a la M3 or C63 AMG). The next step up is where (in my opinion) you get the best bang for your buck. Alden's and AE's are more akin to an S class Mercedes or a 7 Series BMW - a pretty dramatic step up, that's both noticible to others looking ar your shoes from and to yourself in terms of comfort, quality, feel, etc. This area is the sweet spot for most.

Edward Greens, C&J, Crispen's, etc would be your Bently's and Rolls Royce's. While these ARE nicer than the S class and 7 series, they're not that much nicer, they're considerably more expensive and most of the difference is slight cosmetic improvements and brand.

Bottom line: They're all good shoes and you can and should enjoy your Cole Haan's... but I'd rather have 2 good pairs of Alden's (it's a good idea to rotate your shoes) than 6 pairs of Cole Haan's - and I'd encourage you to hold off on purchasing more mid-grade shoes to allow you to accumulate funds for one pair of high grade shoes. Worst case scenario - you'll find after owning a pair of high grade shoes that mid-grade is good enough for your daily use, and you'll be able to reserve your high-grade shoes for special occasions. That said however, I haven't heard of anyone trading in their 7 series BMW's for a 3 series.

Hope this helps!

 

[Larry C in Texas]

+1 on the post from joel. Superbly well stated and I also enjoyed it immensely!!

 

[MoonshineXXX]

I like joel's analogy as well! I've had and have Cole Haans and they've all served me well, as have a couple of pairs of Johnson & Murphy's, but I've been trying to up my shoe game over the past couple of years with some Wolverine 1k's, and Allen Edmonds MacAlister and Dalton. I've also added some custom Wesco Jobmasters and White's Outdoorsmen boots, but that's a different category...

For me the "pain" of adding an upgrade pair to my collection is lessened by catching a deal when I can and adding the new ones maybe 1 pair a year or so. And it's nice to know that by being selective and going with classic styles my collection will be relevant forever!

 

[jkingrph]

One thing you're going to want to keep in mind. Allen Edmonds vary dramatically in size and fit depending on last, model, and material. I love them, but I'm not sure I would go that route if you have to worry about shipping/returns.

I have been wearing Alllen Edmonds for a little over 30 years now and agree about fit varying quite a bit when going from one last to another. I stay with a last that I know to fit well and be comfortable and have not had any trouble going to a different model or material within that last.