Hi, I want to buy my first high end ( for me ) Black Cap-Toe Oxford spending 2-300 US dollars. I'm liking Meermin or Johnston Murphy. Any thoughts or advice would be welcomed? Maybe Spier Mckay. Thank you 
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.Timeless Black Cap-Toe Oxford
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After a lot of trial and error what I find works for me the best is Ecco. so long as you're ok with a composite sole.
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Not at all.
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Do you only carry A&E?
I am not the owner of this site just passing it along. A&E are obviously above your price range for the must part this is why I passed this along, now if you track sales at department store you might be able to find what you want from them in your price range brand new, this is where having cash on hands willing to use a credit card for it a good way to go about it.
I do not know how you care for your shoes currently, but I would strongly recommend to also budget for a solid shoe care kit, a pair of good wooden shoe tree that properly support the whole shoe not a few contact point. A good brush and the necessary shoe cream / wax / conditioner. Yes kiwi will get the job done ish, but frankly Saphir is far superior and you will use it more oftently as the smell is not off putting compared to Kiwi. Depending on what you have / need you are looking at $70 / $100 with half to 2/3 of that on the shoe tree only. Lastly if you do not wear them daily or weekly, get your self some dust bag to store them in.
regardless of buying online / retail, new second hand, just visit the store anyway if you have one nearby
Each maker has his own "last" ... the foot shaped model that the shoe is made on. So each one fits differently, based off the different lasts.
So ... try them on before you buy! A so called better shoe might not fit YOU as well as the next one down.
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- #11
Thanks, that's a challenge when ordering on line.
After the recommendations above, I spent way too much time on Allen Edmonds website yesterday. The biggest thing that stood out for me is that most shoes/boots are available in at least 3 widths, depending on the last. There should be print out available online that let you measure your foot and get a standard size(forget what it's called, the device for measuring). You might get lucky and customer service can help you find the right combination of size/width/last in a style that you want. I know I am having a hard time resisting spending $400 for a pair of E width shoes, as crazy as that sounds(look up even semi-custom prices)!
All the local sporting good store around here have a brannock device lying on the floor for folks to trip on. 9.5 D here according to my own measurement taken on a sober day ... the local Red Wing store found them to be 10.5 D I wonder what they sip on as I needed a size 9 of their boot to feel alright...
Instructions & Fitting Tips | The Brannock Device Company - https://brannock.com/pages/instructions-fitting-tips
Now for the OP here is some more food for though. I have been thinking about it for a month now.
Men's Executive Cap Toe In Chestnut Tan Leather - Thursday Boots - https://thursdayboots.com/products/mens-dress-shoe-executive-tan-chestnut
Men's Executive Cap Toe In Chestnut Tan Leather - Thursday Boots - https://thursdayboots.com/products/mens-dress-shoe-executive-tan-chestnut
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- #15
I understand.
Meermin seems to be nice
Thursday Boot company looks like a good lower price range option. Definitely AE styled.
@YHWH @APBinNCA The reason why I strongly suggest going to an Allen Edmonds store is because they know their products inside and out from the toe box size to the shoe with to everything about each last. They have several lasts.
Short story. First Ellen Edmonds I bought was in Boston. she suggested the 5th ave at a size 10. My everyday sneaker is 11.5 inov8. It was very hard for me to fathom going down a size and a half at the time. She said wear them everyday for 3 days in a row, at least. They were extremely tight. Day one was the break-in, day two still uncomfortable and I was about to return them and then day three was Nirvana. It is the best fitting dress shoe I have. They will size your foot to the shoe like a glove. Picture for the Allen Edmonds rabbit hole. The red circled ones are the Park Ave and 5th Ave. They might be expensive now but they have to semi-annual sales.
@YHWH @APBinNCA The reason why I strongly suggest going to an Allen Edmonds store is because they know their products inside and out from the toe box size to the shoe with to everything about each last. They have several lasts.
Short story. First Ellen Edmonds I bought was in Boston. she suggested the 5th ave at a size 10. My everyday sneaker is 11.5 inov8. It was very hard for me to fathom going down a size and a half at the time. She said wear them everyday for 3 days in a row, at least. They were extremely tight. Day one was the break-in, day two still uncomfortable and I was about to return them and then day three was Nirvana. It is the best fitting dress shoe I have. They will size your foot to the shoe like a glove. Picture for the Allen Edmonds rabbit hole. The red circled ones are the Park Ave and 5th Ave. They might be expensive now but they have to semi-annual sales.
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Yes.
Knowing that, some shoe sellers/makers have a pretty good free return policy for first-time buyers or even better, at least in CONUS.
JM is not nearly the shoe it once was so that would be a pass.
Thursday Shoes
Beckett Simion
AE on sale
Jack Erwin
all are making shoes in your price range with return policies that will leave you with a set of shoes that fit.
I tend to avoid any product that is made in the PRC when the same or similar can be sourced elsewhere, even for a bit more money such that some of the Merrmin line would be a no go as well
Finally- you could source 2-3 pair with ease is you were buying used from ebay after getting sized well at a store that knows how to size.
Thursday Shoes
Beckett Simion
AE on sale
Jack Erwin
all are making shoes in your price range with return policies that will leave you with a set of shoes that fit.
I tend to avoid any product that is made in the PRC when the same or similar can be sourced elsewhere, even for a bit more money such that some of the Merrmin line would be a no go as well
Finally- you could source 2-3 pair with ease is you were buying used from ebay after getting sized well at a store that knows how to size.
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- #19
Thank you. What's PRC? Please
I suspect he means the People's Republic of China.
IMHO there are factories in China that can make world class stuff ... but you gotta pay top dollar for that stuff and those factories have workers who take time and go slow enough to do a good job.
Almost any company that moved production from somewhere like the USA (or Canada, UK, Germany, &c) to somewhere like China did it for the cheap cheap labour and those companies have suffered a noticeable drop in quality. Cheap labour means workers who have to work really fast and are paid low ... and so they don't care, and even if they do care they don't have the time to care.
