Last week I ordered three pairs of inexpensive dress boots. I live in Minnesota where we have snow and ice on the sidewalk for several months out of the year. After slipping a few times with my leather soled shoes and nearly falling while holding my infant daughter, I decided to get some rubber soled boots that could be used as "winter beaters". There's not a lot of talk about inexpensive shoes and boots here, so I thought I'd give some feedback.
The Stafford Deacon and Gunner boots are sold by JC Penney. Standard price is $99 per pair, but they are almost always on sale at $69 and there's always 20-30% off coupons available to bring them down to about $50. They have full grain leather uppers, leather lining, and rubber soles (glued I'm sure) with minimal tread. The Deacons are fairly similar in style to the AE Dalton boots as wingtips while the Gunners have a punch toe. Deacons are available in a cognac finish which is a medium brown while Gunners are available in cognac and black.
The leather quality is not amazing, but it is real leather. It's got a good thickness and is somewhat soft. There seems to be a polish or finish on the leather that makes it fairly bland and shiny, but not to the extent of very cheap corrected grain that looks like plastic. Perhaps it is partially corrected or "polished" or some other phrase. The black looks fine as you don't expect much depth in the finish but the cognac is fairly bland. I plan to polish them with some brown Kiwi to see if it improves at all. I know in the past people have used black polish to create some depth in the broguing.
I'm a size 9 wide in most dress shoes (including AE Park Avenue) and the standard size 9's fit me out of the box very well. There are no wide or narrow width options, so I am guessing they fit wide. Heel to toe length is pretty ideal for both pairs. The only issue I had was the Deacon boot shaft is extra deep, causing a gap even when tightened all the way. This seems to be a known issue with a simple Google search. It's not as annoying as you would think as the tongue still holds the foot fairly well, but there is a little play in the boot. No such issue with the Gunner.
Both were comfortable out of the box. I gave the Deacon a full day's wear yesterday and have the Gunner's on today. I will say they fit better out of the box than almost any other shoe I purchased. I don't expect them to break in much. They are fairly light as well due to the rubber sole. After spending most of the year in leather soled shoes, I really liked the grip the rubber gave not only on snow and ice but on floors as well.
From what I have read, these boots tend to last several years with proper care. If I can get a solid two years out of the boots (wearing 1-2 times per week) I would be quite happy. A new pair of each is less than the cost of a single recrafting of a high end boot, and these are more comfortable than my Bleeker Street AE's.
I did pick up a pair of 48" Allen Edmond waxed boot laces for each. The stock laces are simple round cotton and really look out of place on a leather dress shoe. The AE's are much better for keeping the lacing tight and have a more polished appearance. Nice upgrade at $3 per pair.
Today I should have a pair of H&M Chelsea boots incoming. If they fit properly, I'll give them a wear and update. And have some nice pictures next weekend.
The Stafford Deacon and Gunner boots are sold by JC Penney. Standard price is $99 per pair, but they are almost always on sale at $69 and there's always 20-30% off coupons available to bring them down to about $50. They have full grain leather uppers, leather lining, and rubber soles (glued I'm sure) with minimal tread. The Deacons are fairly similar in style to the AE Dalton boots as wingtips while the Gunners have a punch toe. Deacons are available in a cognac finish which is a medium brown while Gunners are available in cognac and black.
The leather quality is not amazing, but it is real leather. It's got a good thickness and is somewhat soft. There seems to be a polish or finish on the leather that makes it fairly bland and shiny, but not to the extent of very cheap corrected grain that looks like plastic. Perhaps it is partially corrected or "polished" or some other phrase. The black looks fine as you don't expect much depth in the finish but the cognac is fairly bland. I plan to polish them with some brown Kiwi to see if it improves at all. I know in the past people have used black polish to create some depth in the broguing.
I'm a size 9 wide in most dress shoes (including AE Park Avenue) and the standard size 9's fit me out of the box very well. There are no wide or narrow width options, so I am guessing they fit wide. Heel to toe length is pretty ideal for both pairs. The only issue I had was the Deacon boot shaft is extra deep, causing a gap even when tightened all the way. This seems to be a known issue with a simple Google search. It's not as annoying as you would think as the tongue still holds the foot fairly well, but there is a little play in the boot. No such issue with the Gunner.
Both were comfortable out of the box. I gave the Deacon a full day's wear yesterday and have the Gunner's on today. I will say they fit better out of the box than almost any other shoe I purchased. I don't expect them to break in much. They are fairly light as well due to the rubber sole. After spending most of the year in leather soled shoes, I really liked the grip the rubber gave not only on snow and ice but on floors as well.
From what I have read, these boots tend to last several years with proper care. If I can get a solid two years out of the boots (wearing 1-2 times per week) I would be quite happy. A new pair of each is less than the cost of a single recrafting of a high end boot, and these are more comfortable than my Bleeker Street AE's.
I did pick up a pair of 48" Allen Edmond waxed boot laces for each. The stock laces are simple round cotton and really look out of place on a leather dress shoe. The AE's are much better for keeping the lacing tight and have a more polished appearance. Nice upgrade at $3 per pair.
Today I should have a pair of H&M Chelsea boots incoming. If they fit properly, I'll give them a wear and update. And have some nice pictures next weekend.
