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Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2008 11:04 pm
by MacFett
I received my 11s for my meassured and proven size 9.5 feet. Fit is great. Boots are actually quite comfy. I wore them around the yard doing some work and I'm sure they are going to be just fine.
Very nice boot. :)

PS. Size 10 still available in Cairo Bazaar

Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2008 12:16 am
by joeyofarimathea
MacFett wrote:I received my 11s for my meassured and proven size 9.5 feet. Fit is great. Boots are actually quite comfy. I wore them around the yard doing some work and I'm sure they are going to be just fine.
Very nice boot. :)

PS. Size 10 still available in Cairo Bazaar
i too have a pair available up in CAIRO (theyre size 12D).

THANKS,
JOEY

Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2008 1:17 am
by JC1972
MacFett wrote:I received my 11s for my meassured and proven size 9.5 feet. Fit is great. Boots are actually quite comfy. I wore them around the yard doing some work and I'm sure they are going to be just fine.
Very nice boot. :)

PS. Size 10 still available in Cairo Bazaar
You got them quick! Glad you like them.

Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2008 1:47 pm
by Soup
I've been wearing my new Todd's for a couple of days, and I'm liking them more all the time. They are becoming more comfortable as I wear them and seem to be pretty good boot for $80. I wish I had a pair of Aldens to compare to as far as style, I can't tell much difference in them by the photos I have seen. For all the other close enoughs that are out there, I don't think anyone would be disappointed by having these, especially for the price.

Regards,

Soup

Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 1:23 pm
by theinterchange
I also have been wearing mine more, and am getting them stretched some with wear. For comfort other than the tightness, I give them 1 1/2 tumbs up in comparison to my other daily wear boots [Dr Martens]. I think once stretched a little more, it'll be a 2 thumbs up for sure.

Randy

Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 6:44 pm
by IndyGeek78
Well what can I say my boots arrived today. Well they exceded my expectations by a long way. Couldnt be happpier. A really nice comfrotable boot. No problems with the size at all so Im very happy. Would put pics on but you all know what they look like plus I still dont know how to LOL. :whip: :lol: Look like Todd struck gold again

Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 4:31 pm
by TomK
My 10Ds arrived this morning and it's even worse than I feared. They're a full inch shorter than my Aldens and much narrower. I'm not sure even going to an 11D would do it as they're so narrow I suspect I'd have trouble tying the laces without leaving a gap down the sides of the tongue.

Overall the boots looked to be of reasonable quality although the finish inside the tongue is poor.

Having already paid 40 bucks for expedited delivery that took 14 days instead of 3 I'm not terribly happy. I'm waiting for Todd's advice on this but sadly communication doesn't seem to be his strong point.

Late edit after waiting in vain again:

Todd doesn't appear to read his emails but if he reads here he'll find out I'm going to raise a Paypal dispute if I don't get some satisfactory answers PDQ.

:x

Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 10:03 am
by JC1972
I got my 12's yesterday and they're a little snug but nowhere near as bad as the 11's I had. After some breaking in, these should be fine. I'll definitely get another pair.

Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 3:48 pm
by Puppetboy
Tom,

We are working on your case, but we don't have an answer for you yet. The Expedited shipping through USPS/EMS (which actually cost US $50.79, by the way) promised a service of 5 days. When we initially set up our shipping options, we got service estimates of 2-3 days to European desinations, but since then we've found that their service commitments to international destinations vary greatly, and we've since changed the label in the check out to read "1-2 weeks" instead of "1-3 days" as we originally thought. I apologize - it was not an attempt to decieve. That was the information we had at the time. Just to put things into perspective, here are the other shipping options available to you for a 6 lb pair of boots in a box 14x10x6 and their costs:

USPS Priority mail - 2-3 weeks $41.33
USPS/EMS Express mail international - 1-2 weeks $50.79
UPS Worldwide expedited- 5 days $127.22
UPS Worlwide Saver - 2 days $133.13
UPS Worldwide Express- 2 days am $138.13
FedEx international Economy- 6 days $128.10
FedEx International Priority- 2 days $133.96

As you see, you could not have paid less for shipping. And also please note that none of these shipping methods are guaranteed. Customs has the right to stop and hold (or even confiscate and destroy) any parcels regardless of who the carrier is. You could have paid $133 for UPS 2 day shipping and still waited four weeks for it. And, no, you won't get refunded. The carrier did their part - get the package to it's entry point on time. They have no control over customs and can't be responsible for their service or lack of it.

I've already spent 2 hours on hold trying to place a claim for the shipping. We are still exploring our options. Bottom line, we have no answer for you yet. The two e-mails you sent Monday morining at 2:15 am and 2:26 am haven't been answered until now because we get large amount of e-mail over the weekend and it takes us a day or two to answer them all. When I know if we can place a claim for the shipping, we'll contact you with some options. Until then, we are burning up a lot of man-hours for the $35 we made on your pair of boots (make that $25 since we ate $10 on the shipping).

I apologize that we haven't responded to each of the eight e-mails you have sent since October 25. How are we supposed to respond to "my package isn't here yet, what are you going to do about it" when you have access to the same tracking information we do? There's nothing we can do about it for 30 days. Then we can file a lost package claim.

Todd

Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 4:21 pm
by TomK
Todd as you well know my emails were like this:

1. I initially asked you to confirm that expedited shipping had been used because the package still hadn't left the US after 6 days.
2. I then asked what could be done in terms of compensation for the delay.
3. I then asked what the procedure would be to return the boots which were far smaller than the 10D I ordered .

Perhaps if you had responded in a more timely manner I wouldn't have had to send multiple emails. The only responses I got from you came after I threatened you with a Paypal dispute.

Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 5:17 pm
by Puppetboy
Thank you for your polite response. You're right, the threat of a Paypal dispute involving poor service by the post office and recieving the wrong sized shoes is serious, indeed. Oh, yes, and it took me 30 hours to reply to your e-mail. You could add that to your complaint, too.

I'm a patient guy, but I've run out of patience with you. I've sent a full refund for your boots, shipping, and gloves. Don't bother returning anything. I have no more time for this.

Todd

Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 5:23 pm
by TomK
Thank you. This wasn't what I was asking for, and I certainly didn't expect it but thank you just the same.

Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 5:36 pm
by JC1972
Todd,
You're a stand-up guy and go way out of your way to please. You're okay in my book. You make things right when you didn't have to. Especially when people make private affairs public.

Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 6:38 pm
by TomK
You've only seen a small portion of the correspondence and sadly the only way to get a response was to make it public but let's leave it at that eh? It's been resolved so that's it done with.

Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 7:36 pm
by IndyBlues
TomK wrote:You've only seen a small portion of the correspondence and sadly the only way to get a response was to make it public but let's leave it at that eh? It's been resolved so that's it done with.
Is it resolved? For you I guess it is. A vendor is out both merchandise and cash, and you're ahead of the game. I don't know what could have possibly gone on "behind the scenes", but Todd has always been a stand up guy here, and ALWAYS take care of his customers. Even the impatient ones.
So, I guess it IS resolved.
Mike

Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 8:18 pm
by TomK
I'm perfectly happy for everything to be published here but admin may not want to open that can of worms.

Maybe people should let sleeping dogs lie. What about it admin?

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 12:14 am
by Darwood
Darwood wrote:
saecrow wrote:ok, so everyone one else's shoes have the correct size inside that match what they ordered (unlike mine)? if thats the case, i would have to concur that you should order a size up, as i wear a 10, ordered a 10, and received an 11 and they fit perfectly. . . . wore them all day at work, and i'm a network manager at a middle school so i'm always walking! excellent work Todd. . . i love 'em![/list]
Yep my 11's say 11 inside the shoe.

I concur about the sizing. I wear between a 10 and 11 and went with an 11. The fit is snug. I need to try them on longer than 30 seconds to see if they are too snug.
I've had the shoes on for about a total of two days now and I've concluded that they now are a perfect fit for me. They've stretched out a little and are very comfortable. I've very pleased.

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 1:04 am
by JC1972
TomK wrote:I'm perfectly happy for everything to be published here but admin may not want to open that can of worms.

Maybe people should let sleeping dogs lie. What about it admin?
Seems like you didn't give the man enough time with Halloween just passing. Like Todd said customs can make shipments take a while. And opening a Paypal dispute doesn't mean to make it public. That's just low.

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 3:25 pm
by Treadwell
Treadwell wrote:Mine arrived Friday and I love 'em.
I normally wear a 9.5 wide so I ordered size 10. They still might be a little too tight, but I fear 11s might be too far in the other direction. I'm going to wear these all week and for Halloween to see how they fare, and if they kill my feet I'll Bazaar them and order 11s.
Just to update, they suited me just fine all week and for Halloween night. I even wore them for a day of playing airsoft. I found that lacing them tightly in the hooks but loosely in the eyelets compensated nicely for my wide foot. I now feel that if I got a size 11 I'd be swimming in them, at least at the heel and toes.

I might throw in a padded insert for more support but otherwise find them quite comfortable.

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 5:57 pm
by GoldenHistorian
are these tought enough for everyday work i know it was sound like a dumb question seing as the good review on the todds jacket but i just want to make sure,
they are real cheap for pretty much 90% accurate boots i just want to know it is as good as it sounds.

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 7:18 pm
by GoldenHistorian
also i have almost a size 9-5 foot and i have easy acces to a size 9 is there any way to stretch these boots withought ruining the SA.

also seing as this is pretty much an orthopedic shoe is it better for these to be on the well fitting side instead of big?

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 8:26 pm
by danmartin26
Got my boots today. I bought my actual size, and they were way too small. I could barely get my foot in, never mind comfort.

I'm working with Todd on an exchange now.

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 9:05 pm
by Pitfall Harry
So, from the way it sounds....IF he were to offer a size 13 then I'd technically need a size 14 to make them fit my feet right?! :-k

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 9:16 pm
by Puppetboy
Don't worry about the sizing. If you order your real size on the website we will send you the appropriate larger size. The next run will be correct sizing. Size 13 will be size 13. No need to make it more complicated than it is. Just order your real size and we'll send you shoes that will fit (hopefully).

Remember this, guys: Ordering shoes out of a catalog or internet is a hit or miss proposition at best. How many pairs of shoes do you have to try on at the shoe store to get a good fit? I have to try on a lot. Most of the shoes I have bought mail order didn't fit. I'm lucky these boots have fit as many people as they have. You just can't expect the same shoes to fit everyone.

Todd

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 9:45 pm
by Pitfall Harry
Cool. 8) Thanks for clearing that up for me, Todd. :)

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 8:04 am
by Soup
Giben, they appear to me that they will be a durable boot. I have been trying to wear mine all the time, breaking in very nicely. Also the leather looks to be as durable as some of my other work boots (redwings) As far as how long they will last, I'm sure 6 months from now many here will be able to offer reviews.

On a side note, my daughter came home from college and I was wearing them, she has seen the Aldens before and thought the Todds were them.

They are becoming my favorite.

Regards,

Soup

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 8:06 am
by GoldenHistorian
thanks for the info!

Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 8:49 pm
by IndianaJack91
Carolina Tom wrote:How about it Indiana Jack-how durable are they? Tom
sorry for the late reply. Yes they seem to be pretty durable and are also very comfortable. I think i put them up to a test by wearing them for twelve hours at Disneyland. In my book, they passed with flying colors. Hats off to you Todd!

Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 5:11 pm
by Indiana G
got my replacement boots just now. i originally ordered a size 9 and they were really snug. i put on the size 10's and thought....oh oh....these are snug still. i laced them up and it felt like it startetd molding to my foot. instead of feeling consistent pain from areas that refused to nudge...these boots started accomodating the shape of my foot. it is snug, but it is quite comfy at the moment.....feels like a tailor-made boot, the fit is so bang on.

the colour is extremely close to the 2 year old aldens that i threw into the coyle's boots box.....except for the absence of any reddish/russet undertones. a big plus in my book.

i am a little weary of the lace claws and have therefore only utilized the first 2 rows (hey! screen accurate!!!).

i'm gonna put some miles on these guys and see how they fair. for $75, i sure ain't complaining just yet ;-)

Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 8:11 pm
by Raider S
Indiana G wrote: i am a little weary of the lace claws and have therefore only utilized the first 2 rows (hey! screen accurate!!!).
I've been doing the same thing (but didn't realize it was SA!) to see how that holds up. I've also been wearing them a lot and so far, so good. If the insides were a bit better built these would be five star boots!

Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 11:23 pm
by theinterchange
The more I wear my Todd's the better they're feeling! I'm very used the the nice snug [not quite tight anymore] fit, so much so, when I wear other boots or shoes, I expect the support given by the fit on my Todd's.

All in all, I'm quite pleased with them for the money. I've sort of darkened the white stitching on top with some dirt, and plan to wear the snot out of them to go natural with my distressing.

Randy

P.S. I too find the speed lace or whatever it's called to be time consuming when putting them on. ha

Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 5:29 pm
by IndianaBogart
I just got my boots in the mail from Todd (although I can't have them until Christmas. :( ) I tried them on and they fit great. I was really impressed with the boots. I was just wondering what some of you, who have worn your boots quite a bit already, think about the leather. How durable does it seem? I thought it seemed a little soft, but then again, I haven't ever seen a pair of Aldens, so I don't have anything to compare them to. I really like the boots, and I can't wait til I actually get them, but I was just wondering what you guys think about their durability.

Thanks guys,
IB

Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 8:21 pm
by Scott63
I think they're great boots for the money. I've worn mine a lot since I received them back in October. As you can see, I've been pretty hard on them too. To date, I've worn them almost daily including doing yard work, hiking and rock climbing. So far they've held up pretty well. Although the leather feels soft, I've been impressed with the durability.

Image

Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 11:05 pm
by theinterchange
Great to hear an "abuse" report from a wearer, thanks!

Randy

Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 11:39 pm
by IndianaBogart
Yeah, thanks Scott. For anybody else who has given theirs some abuse, feel free to chime in.

Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2008 2:16 am
by knibs7
Awesome! They look great!

NIBS

Rats too small eh!

Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2008 1:52 pm
by Kilgour Trout
Well mine showed up this week. Boy they're nice boots but
as suspected from discussions on the forum, they're much smaller than
expected. I normally wear a 9 but these really fit like an 8 or even 7.5.

I had quietly hoped that I could get them before traveling to LA
on the chance they were too small. Thought it could help on shipping
prices by bringing them to the QM.

Unfortunately they didn't make it to Canada quite in time and I will have to send them back Oh well. I have to say that they are really nice. They have the weight of an Alden but a very soft upper.

I'm going to go get my feet measured again just to make sure that everything fits.

Anyway....I'm glad Todd is making adjustments to the sizing to help sort out the discrepancies.

I loved the way each boot was individually wrapped and the quality of the boot itself. I can't wait for the boot to arrive.

Cheers
Kilgour Trout

P.s. Indy G...would you suggest going with a 10 or an 11 at this point?

Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 10:08 am
by Soup
Mine are starting to stretch, I notice alot more room inside and they seem to be moulding to my foot more and more. I have been wearing them as Scott63 has stated, doing everything and just using as much as possible. The one thing I noticed when I first got them, the soles were so stiff I felt like I was doing the Frankensein walk :P but now the heel has started to round a little and the sole is flexing that I don't notice it now. The leather is very soft, so far I haven't noticed any wear yet. Scuffs seem to just wipe off. I have been careful not to pull too hard on the speed hooks, not wanting to pull them off.

IndianaBogart, that is a great Christmas present you will have. I'm sure you will really enjoy them, especially walking to classes.

Regards,

Soup

Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 11:20 am
by IndianaBogart
Thanks Soup. :) And, I may have asked you this before, but where in NC do you live?

Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 11:51 am
by Raider S
An old trick to stretch is to put some rubbing alcohol inside the shoe and wear it till dry. You can put some of the alcohol on a sock and slip that inside.

Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 12:14 pm
by Puppetboy
An old trick to stretch is to put some rubbing alcohol inside the shoe and wear it till dry. You can put some of the alcohol on a sock and slip that inside.
I highly recommend that. It will work very well on this leather.

Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 1:38 pm
by Soup
Thanks Soup. And, I may have asked you this before, but where in NC do you live?
Winston-Salem area. I have a daughter at UNCC.

Regards,

Soup

Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 2:07 pm
by theinterchange
I now have no need to stretch mine! They've become perfect. I really like how they almost mould to your foot.

So far they're a real winner in my book.

Randy

Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 6:08 pm
by IndianaBogart
Soup wrote:
Thanks Soup. And, I may have asked you this before, but where in NC do you live?
Winston-Salem area. I have a daughter at UNCC.

Regards,

Soup
That's cool. I have a few friends at UNCC.

Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 7:40 pm
by Indiana Joyce
Todd, is there any chance that you will be offering small runs of larger sizes soon? It seems that Aldens dont go up to my size and you are the only person in the universe offering such a similar shoe.

I dont know what your ordering ratio is, Im assuming you are having these mass produced overseas, but how about something along the lines of for every 20 pairs of 10s or 11s(normal size for a man i gather) you could order 2 14s and 15s?Just a thought.

Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 7:45 pm
by msrowe88
I asked him about 13's last week, he said "maybe around the first of the year"

:)

Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 8:09 pm
by Indiana Joyce
of course, right after I wrote this I looked like an idiot because then I found Magnoli's boots lol. so it seems i have one of three choices.

Re: Rats too small eh!

Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 9:40 pm
by Indiana G
Kilgour Trout wrote:.............

P.s. Indy G...would you suggest going with a 10 or an 11 at this point?
as the 10 works for me, it'll take some 'break-in' time still....i personally would go for an 11 as i like the SA look of tightening the laces right up, leather on leather. hope that helps my friend.

Thanks

Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 10:34 pm
by Kilgour Trout
Indeed it does "G" :) Thanks for your input.
It helps.

I couldn't imagine wearing 11's until trying on these 9's.
My only concern might be the length of the boot and the width.
As it stands now, I can hardly get my foot in the boot with
a normal pair of athletic socks and a fair amount of pressure on the
side of my foot.

I have in past fit between a D and an E width. With the smallness of the
boot it's hard to tell if the increased size will accommodate the width of my foot.

Did you have any problem with width?

Thanks again
Kilgour

Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2008 11:49 pm
by Indiana G
i'm a pure D width in most name brands....even alden! :)

the 9's were very tight....i could get my feet in but couldn't walk in them. the 10's are snug.....soccer boot snug but are breaking in. they are laced quiite wide on the 10's.....good thing my pants cover them up. my toe goes to the right spot on the end there so the overall snugness comes from the narrow boot design. if you are bigger than a D width....i'd probably opt for the 11's. if i do alot of walking and my feet start to swell up at the end of the day, i can definitely feel it.

i'm sure once they break in they'll be great....just gotta endure the torture. i'm definitely not use to that as alden's break in within hours....

:)