2014 Badger & Blade Awards - Shoes/Boots

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I think they are the best shoes made in the USA.

Style? Meh...

Excellent brand, that's for sure.

I wouldn't pay that much for shoes, but I agree that Aldens are absolutely top notch. Good selection.

Shoe porn. Alden Shell - nuff said

You'll get no argument from me...

I would wear those.

Let's see some worn-in pics. To me, cordovan shoes look "cheap" when new, but once they've been worn & polished (and that cycle repeated a few times), they start to develop their own character, different hues, and a rich depth. That being said, I'm an AE man myself.

Beautiful boots. Would love to own a pair someday although for my current usage a bit too dressy. My White's work just fine for now.

Does anyone have a photo of a pair of those that have been worn a long time? I have three pair of nice boots, ones with no cap like this, ones with a cap toe, and a pair of moc toe.

I feel like the ones with no cap look the worst of the three after a couple years of wear because they encounter various dents/creases/folds over time that end up being permanent even if you use shoe trees to maintain them.

But I've not seen any that have years of wear on them to know how the shell ages.

These are nearly new from the looks of the photos of the soles (no rounding off on the heel, logo still visible.)



That looks perfectly fine to me.

But I'm always tempted to buy my dress shoes as either a wing tip or a cap toe like this just because I fear the toes will lose structure.



(those are Alden boots)

I am drooling. I own a pair of Alden cap toe Oxfords and the quality is ridiculously incredible. They are by far my favorite pair of dress shoes. I would totally wear these chukkas. Thanks for bringing them to our attention. I would have to work about a week to pay for these!

I need to get a pair of Aldens. I've been an Allen Edmonds fan for a long time. More pizzazz, for sure, but it looks like the Alden quality is superior. Will post a review when I have some

I\'m surprised White\'s Semi-Dress Boots don\'t get more love on this site. They\'re beautiful, classic, handmade in the USA, reasonably-priced, and will last forever (although they can also be rebuilt by the good folks in Spokane).

pbrmhl said:

I\'m surprised White\'s Semi-Dress Boots don\'t get more love on this site. They\'re beautiful, classic, handmade in the USA, reasonably-priced, and will last forever (although they can also be rebuilt by the good folks in Spokane).

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I thought the same thing. That is pretty much all I wear, I've got four pair in different leather configurations. I think people that are at the Alden range would go to Viberg or Tricker boots. Or to a Red Wing Iron Ranger or Wolverine 1000 mile just because they are more widely known. White's was always more of a hardcore work boot that was only known about in the community of people that actually use them to work in, they now have become more trendy and popular though. I could be way off on this, just my opinion though.
I like the Aldens , but if I was spending that kind of money I'd have a pair Viberg 1950 Service boots built on the 310 last in #8 Shell or dark brown harness , althought they don't offer that color anymore.

Agreed on the Viberg comments. Very classy and well-made boot. I don't know much about Trickers, but I've got both Red Wing IRs and Wolverine 1000 mile boots. The Red Wings are nice, but for a few dollars more, you can get into White's. My Wolverines, though holding themselves out as "boots," are very soft in the sole and feel more like high-top shoes.

When I have my Whites built up I go with basically a double leather mid sole and a Vibram mini lug have out sole. The one pair I have that just has a single leather mid and the Vibram outsole just feels to thin. I could walk miles and have on the others but don't like to on these.

White's semi dress boots are going to run you at least 440 dollars.

The red wings will run you at least 100 less.

That's 25% more cost for the whites, which is a substantial difference, IMO.

However, I do have a pair of red wing beckmans and I like them, but I still keep checking out white's boots online and on the various forums...

I'm sporting a pair of White's Semi-Dress Boots right now that I bought on a promotion from Linegear for $360 (plus a few dollars of shipping). I told Tom at Linegear that I should have bought two pair, and that I'll buy a second pair when they bring the promotion back. White's store on the Bay (Whiteriver) also has good deals, but is specific to sizes that never seem to be mine.

Neognosis said:

White's semi dress boots are going to run you at least 440 dollars.

The red wings will run you at least 100 less.

That's 25% more cost for the whites, which is a substantial difference, IMO.

However, I do have a pair of red wing beckmans and I like them, but I still keep checking out white's boots online and on the various forums...

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True, but for that $460 (that is what the last two pair cost me) you get a choice of 3 different boot styles, roughly 10-15 types of leather, heel choices, leather liner or not, at least 5 different sole styles and from what I can tell a better cut of leather compared to Wolverine 1000 miles for instance.
Now myself working in an office White's are way overkill, I buy them for the style and the high arch support which helps with my flat feet. Plus I like to be different. Seems like everyone has RW's, 1000 miles , or Alden Indy's. Again I think they are really designed to be used and used hard though. I've read many many posts online where people wear out their Redwing and other similar brands within a few years. The guys with White's have them for a lifetime.

If you really do your research though, you can find them for a lot less. My first pair , a dark brown Semi-Dress I got for $250 off the Bay, second pair of brown Bison Semi-Dress I paid $350 for.