Alden Indy Boot Pros and Cons

junior · Post by **junior** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 9:13 am

For those of you that actually own a pair and have had them for more than 4-6 months, give your feedback on your likes and dislikes and everything else in between. You know: fit, color, break-in time, comfort, traction, yada yada yada.

junior

LNBright · Post by **LNBright** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 9:49 am

I've had mine for, um, almost five years. Excellent shoes.

Mine were orangy, but, brown Kiwi took care of that over time, easy enough. They're comfortable, especially for a long day... dress shoes usually get old after a half-day of wear, and you want to change into something more comfortable, whereas the 405's are fine all day long. Being a geologist, I might be in the office a good part of the day, then find myself unexpectedly in the field w/o my regular field boots w/ me... the Aldens can handle it fine, whereas a pair of loafers or something, I'd be in trouble, what with all the muck on a mine site.

The only down-side, is the initial outlay of moolah to get 'em. I wish I could have several pairs, but, the wife'd kill me. (That's why I also have the JCrew Deckers on today).

FWIW....

-L

JerseyJones · Post by **JerseyJones** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 10:14 am

I've had mine 2 weeks and they are the most wonderful casual boot ro shoe I have ever owned, and I've owned too many. Instant comfort and wear like steel.

For the price, they are great beacuse they will last !

ALSO NOTED: The Pecards shoe oil is GREAT on the sole stitch and tongue stitching if you rub it in with your finger tip. It makes the edges less out of the box and more neatly lived in.

Mine are darkening by the way w/o benefit of brown Pecards cream.

Peace

Ken

Post by **Michaelson** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 11:10 am

I had mine for years too. Pros, comfortable, strong, and good looking with the right outfit (and that's about everything but a suit, but I've done that too

)

Cons? They are heavy and take getting used to, but no heavier than a pair of safety shoes. They're pretty slick on a wet or icy surface, so be careful when in those situations.

Regards. Michaelson

junior · Post by **junior** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 12:19 pm

What shade of brown is currently being offerred? Please don't tell me they are a pumpkin or orange brown color. If not a traditional dark brown, how could one go about changing the shade to fit what they want considering that the boot is made with a "waxhide" which may not be to receptable to dyes etc? I know someone mentioned using Kiwi polish but were yours made with the waxhide finish?

FYI: I found this link from Alden in Maine
http://www.aldenshoe.com/cat_ortho_trub_405.htm
It says "dark brown" but I've heard that isn't the case.

As for being heavy, I believe this is a orthopedic shoe and not a typical shoe/boot, correct?

junior

Post by **Michaelson** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 12:23 pm

It's both. It's listed in their orthopedic catalog, and corrects presecribed feet problems ( as in my case), but are also used as standard boots for folks who spend long days on their feet. (Ford chose them as his boots for the days he was a professional carpender. THAT'S why they appeared in the trilogy...he was sold on their comfort too!) As to color, that's a @#$% shoot, my friend. Wish I could say otherwise. Mine are the old brick red/brown color. The next round came out in the orangy red, then there is a dark brown. They're all over the scope in terms of what you may or may NOT get, depending on stock available at the time. Regards. Michaelson

Band Director Jones · Post by **Band Director Jones** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 6:06 pm

I've had mine since May and love them. The only disadvantage I can think of is that my other shoes get lonely from lack of use.

Cabinetman · Post by **Cabinetman** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 6:28 pm

My other shoes are not only lonely, but they don't feel "right" anymore, save a pair of New Balance tennies that also fit properly.

Color - dark brick red/brown; different lighting, different color like most things; darker with moisture

Mine have gone untreated since purchased around the first of July. Can't seem to see a need for it yet.

Pro's - It's all good.

Con's - My tongue slipped on the right one. I stitched it. No more slip. Heels might be a bit "clicky". Paul Stenhouse (perhaps others) had this problem, and posted about it when I was looking for information. I don't notice it so much anymore. Also on the heels, they seem to wear awfully quickly, perhaps compared to other shoes you may now own or have owned. And I don't drag my feet when I walk, which, I imagine, would exaggerate the wear dramatically. A body shouldn't shuffle around anyway.

Best pair of shoes I have owned, though. I'd recommend them to anyone.

Imahomer · Post by **Imahomer** » Thu Nov 20, 2003 9:21 pm

I don't wear mine often enough. I find that I usually wear them when I'm dressing casual/nice. My problem is I usually go to and from work in jeans and a T shirt and once at work I wear a uniform. So, I just don't wear them as often as I thought I would.

With that said, I've had them about a year and think they are great shoes. If I haven't worn them in a while, they are always a little uncomfortable when I put them back on. Mostly so because of the high tops being pretty stiff. I wear work boots, but they are very broken in and the fact that they are high tops doesn't bother me.

Pyroxene · Post by **Pyroxene** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 6:57 am

I went into a shoe clinic yesterday and asked about getting new soles. "No problem," the guy says. Then another guy behind the counter asked, "Those Aldens?" "Yes," I replied. "Those are top of the line. We can resole them."

The Alden Shop also has a new pic of the boot. It looks like the current offering of brown. I am hoping to get a new pair for Christmas.

TheMantis · Post by **TheMantis** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 7:33 am

I received my Aldens about three weeks ago and that picture accurately depicts the color I received.....

Indiana Texas-girl · Post by **Indiana Texas-girl** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 7:35 am

That color (on my monitor anyway) looks very similar in color to my Aldens from the 1980s.

ob1al · Post by **ob1al** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 8:12 am

My two month old Aldens were exactly that colour when they arrived - a little darker now due to kiwi and pecards.

Pro's and cons - they are the <b>best boots</b> I have ever had the pleasure of wearing and are my daily wear now. They are great for walking in, no blisters guaranteed in my case, they look cool and heck, they are INDY boots man! Con - only 3 for me - they take a little while to break in, they are slippy on wet or 'icy' surfaces and the tongues slip to the side with alarming regularity, which is a real pain in the....erm...ankle. I think this is a real design flaw. But a quick stitch at my local cobbler solved this problem.

Al

ob1al · Post by **ob1al** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 9:47 am

Hey Mikey

I would have had those pinks but they are too small for me...

Those boots in the pic look brand spanking new - I take it those are the j crews on the left?

ob1al · Post by **ob1al** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 7:16 pm

Well, I always wore a 34" waist, until recently when an injury stopped me playing football and now I have bloomed to a size 36"

My wife's good cooking and beers with the boys on a Friday night (and a curry usually...) to blame I am afraid, although I am trying to work out to get back in prime shape.

Hey, I'll tell ya a nice story about my Aldens -

I took my boots to a cobbler I know of to get the tongue stitched (to avoid that terrible tongue-slip), a great old guy who always tells it like it is. He took a look at my aldens and gave a little whistle, "Phew! these are a reeeal nice boot sir!"m" he continued "Y'know, these will last you for years and years....not like those so called 'quality' boots you can buy, 'cos they use paper mulch in the soles rather than real wood. Yes sir, these are real nice boots - bet they cost ya a bob or two!"

I explained to him that they had indeed cost me a bob or three, including import tax.

"Well, " he says, " I tell ya they are worth every penny, these boots will last ya for years and years....!"

Needless to say, he liked the boots. In fact, he called a co-worker in to take a look at them. They both whistled.

"Top of the range, these are! Yes, these are well made"

I was pleased with the interest, he was pleased to handle them, and he did a great job on the stitching for me. I wholly recommend having the tongue stitched to every Alden owner, they are SO MUCH better afterwards - dare I say it, PERFECT even...!

Regards,

Al

Imahomer · Post by **Imahomer** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 7:50 pm

ob1al wrote: I took my boots to a cobbler I know of to get the tongue stitched (to avoid that terrible tongue-slip), a great old guy who always tells it like it is. He took a look at my aldens and gave a little whistle, "Phew! these are a reeeal nice boot sir!"m" he continued "Y'know, these will last you for years and years....not like those so called 'quality' boots you can buy, 'cos they use paper mulch in the soles rather than real wood. Yes sir, these are real nice boots - bet they cost ya a bob or two!"

I explained to him that they had indeed cost me a bob or three, including import tax.

"Well, " he says, " I tell ya they are worth every penny, these boots will last ya for years and years....!"Al

High praise from those who know!!!!

ob1al · Post by **ob1al** » Sat Nov 22, 2003 2:43 am

They will probably know what to do if you explain the problem.

But what worked for me was a small row of stitches, about an inch long, on one side of the tongue only. The stitching matches up with the existing stitching around the bottom speed-lacers. I recommend having it stitched one side only, as this does the job and doesn't interfere with getting your boots on/off.

Basically, the problem is that the tongue is too long - it is a design flaw and I don't know why Alden themselves don't modify the design? After all, this IS a top-of-range boot so it is a little strange that we have to modify them ourselves - but perhaps not everyone suffers the dreaded tongueslip curse?

Another point about securing the tongues in place is that it prevents the leather at the front of the boot bunching up, as happens when the tongue slips, so it works well for both form and functionality!

By the way, this is just a personal preference, but I got my cobbler to fit some extra padding at the back of the tongue - spongy pads around 2.5" x 4" - and they are very comfortable now when twisting your feet to drive etc.. Also, as winter is well and truly here now, I got himto fit some removable thermal insoles into the boots and they feel much warmer now. Kinda like a winter service

Al

junior · Post by **junior** » Sat Nov 22, 2003 8:39 pm

As far as this tongue thing goes...this is usually a problem in most boots like these.

It's not so much a design flaw as it is that most people have flawed feet. This is why alot of boot makers incorporate the "tongue stitch" nowadays.

I was told by Alden that the 405 was introduced in the 1940's and has yet to be re-designed. While jumping in the boat with other makers and including the stitch would seem like a common sense move, I guess thay just don't want to mess with what has stood for five plus decades.

In all, most people will have at least one boot where the tongue will slide to the side, sometimes it will be on both feet and rarely will neither tongue be a problem

I plan on getting the new "real true brown" 405 in Febuary or March, wearing them for awhile, see which foot this occurs on - if any - and then call the cobblestone man to sew in some threads.

junior