Club Obi Wan

Hi all,
I've worn my boots for three weeks now and am noticing that the heels are starting to wear. At what point do you replace the heel? The cobbler said a little over a quarter inch. Heck, I'll be there soon.
I wanted some of your opinions.
My first sole and heel replacement came with the boots as a bonus. Since I ended up paying $320 for the boots, it was no bonus
I seldom wear heels or soles down very quickly at all. But, I guess it is the way I walk in the Aldens. Those heels are evaporating
I'm sure my friend Michaelson will have a definitive answer on this question.

Best regards,

Prof. Ed

Durned if I know, Ed. It takes about a year or more for mine to wear down that far. What are you doing, dragging your heels when you walk?

You may want to talk to your cobbler and find out what HE recommends in heel replacement material that will hold up to your hard wear. Sounds to me like you'll be changing out heels 4 or 5 times a year at the rate you're going if you stick with the standard heel....

Regards! Michaelson

I'm walking heel down fairly hard in the boot. You can hear me coming down a hall ,easily.
This is odd. I've worn the same leather Polo boots for two years and no wear.
Maybe all that weight from the boots is making me gravity challenged

Could be.

I wore steel toed safety shoes all the years I worked video production in the nuclear industry, and these 405's are by far the heaviest boots I've ever owned. They wear me out to this day, and I've worn them for years.

Regards! Michaelson

The heels on my Alden's lasted for about 3 years. And I took those puppies out for marches on rocks and boulders.

Must be the gravity of the situation

I just found some "Hush" plates in the house and stuck them on the heel. These should give me an extra week or two

Mark,

Great avatar. "EXCELLENT."

Mine started to do this, too. The reason for me was, they wore down to the point where they're at now during the time I was getting used to the weight of the boot. I've got about an inch of rubber left. I walk heel-toe, heel-toe, so maybe that's got something to do with it. I sure hope that I wouldn't have to walk "flat footed" as if I were marching or something.

Strider wrote:Mine started to do this, too. The reason for me was, they wore down to the point where they're at now during the time I was getting used to the weight of the boot. I've got about an inch of rubber left. I walk heel-toe, heel-toe, so maybe that's got something to do with it. I sure hope that I wouldn't have to walk "flat footed" as if I were marching or something.

Me too. You mean about a 1/2 of rubber? The heels are rubber then leather on my boots. My "Hush" plates already fell off. I just found them scattered about the house. I'm going to try once more. I wish I would have put these on when the heels were new. A flat surface would have worked fine. Now the plate has to bend some. I never have worn shoe heels down so fast, thus, I didn't think about the "Hush" plates in time.

Gorilla Glue might be an option to keeping these on. Strider, get yourself a pair and save what heel you can. I know I can use little tacks, along with the staple that comes on them. The tacks seem to be lost. Darn.

Ah,just found the tacks and they are working.

Best,

Prof. Ed

What in the world are you guys doing to the heels of your boots!?

I've been wearing mine almost daily for 6 months now (walking 1 to 2 miles a day) and the heels are worn, but still have a lot of mileage left in them.

Don't really know?

J_Weaver wrote:What in the world are you guys doing to the heels of your boots!?

I've been wearing mine almost daily for 6 months now (walking 1 to 2 miles a day) and the heels are worn, but still have a lot of mileage left in them.

I only mean the backs of the heels, not the entire heel.

I know, I know, I was just kidding!

The back edge of the heels on my boots are worn down some too, but it hasn't got to the point of needing replacing. It kinda seemed like they wore fairly quick and them the wear slowed down. Maybe they are designed to do this to adapt to each person's step?

Prof, check out this thread. After only a year (having hardly worn them), my heels started wearing down on the inner center part. Is this kinda what yours are doing? (see pic in the thread's link):
viewtopic.php?t=6321&highlight=heel

Indiana Texas-girl wrote:Prof, check out this thread. After only a year (having hardly worn them), my heels started wearing down on the inner center part. Is this kinda what yours are doing? (see pic in the thread's link):
viewtopic.php?t=6321&highlight=heel

The area where mine are wearing is near the edge in the same general area as yours. Not in chunks though. The rest of the heel is in good shape. Writing is still visible.
I slipped on the "Hush" plates already. What a klutz!
I wonder that when you get the heel replaced they use the special orthodic heel. They made a big deal about this being such a great heel because of its othodic special shape. I guess it is the curve the cobbler was talking about.
I put my orthodics back in today and my left foot is acting up again. Strange, an orthodic shoe that doesn't do well with othoidics

Best regards,

The Prince and the Pea

Wow. I've had my boots for about six years, I wear them nearly everyday, and they're just now getting to the point where they need replacing.

Ed, I think you're a mutant. I don't why, but you are. (Just kidding. ) I've replaced the heels on my Aldens once since I bought them a couple years ago. The heel is referred to as a "Thomas heel," so any cobbler should be able to replace them with the same type of heel with no problem.

I'm baffled over the problems you're having with your Aldens, not because I'm just an advocate for the shoes, but because it sounds like your feet are so extreme that a trip to the foot doctor sounds like the best plan for you regarding these shoes. Maybe there's something about the Aldens that don't work right for your individual feet, even though they are designed to be worn with orthotics. I don't know.

bink

My alden heels also wore down relatively quickly, even with mostly tame use mainly on sidewalks and in buildings. I think for the price of the shoes (about $300), the soles and heels are of a very poor quality and are cheaply weak. After about a year, the worn down sole on one of my aldens started to fall off at the front end. So, I recently had one pair of my aldens resoled with vibram. It holds up much better than the stuff that comes with the boots but scuffs like a son-of-a-gun.

I took my Alden's to a shoe store and asked to have the heel replaced. They escorted me out of the store a brought in a new owner for the shoes.

Indiana Jess wrote:I took my Alden's to a shoe store and asked to have the heel replaced. They escorted me out of the store a brought in a new owner for the shoes.

You have to stop vacationing in the Catskills, Jess.

Indiana Jess wrote:I took my Alden's to a shoe store and asked to have the heel replaced. They escorted me out of the store a brought in a new owner for the shoes.

Wow, now aren't you glad you didn't ask to have your sole replaced?

Sergei wrote:

Indiana Jess wrote:I took my Alden's to a shoe store and asked to have the heel replaced. They escorted me out of the store a brought in a new owner for the shoes.

You have to stop vacationing in the Catskills, Jess.

I'll remember that for next year

Indiana Jerry wrote:Wow, now aren't you glad you didn't ask to have your sole replaced?

I almost asked that and for some odd reason, changed my mind. Which is encouraging to know that I have one to change. I'd like to change my mind for one that's a little bigger (little bigger - isn't that an oxymoron?)

It's only an oxymoron if you breath fast while talking, or try to have your brain replaced with something that is largely smaller.

J

That was a pretty ugly comment, Jerry.

Well, I did want to be sorta specific about it.

binkmeisterRick wrote:That was a pretty ugly comment, Jerry.

I thought it was brilliant Jerry.

"Brilliant Jerry?" Wow, Jess, that's the best oxymoron yet!

Agreed, 'brilliant Jerry' is the best oxymoron in this thread. Point, Jess.

Ok, I just dropped my Aldens off at a place that does reheeling. Now, the person there told me that they would have to special order new heels for my boots, because they don't carry the kind of heel they'd need to affix to the Aldens. However, they also told me they cannot order the same kind of heels that come with the Aldens when you buy them. Has this been the case for any of you who have had your Aldens reheeled?

Also, concerning the inside back of the boot (the section right behind where your heel rests while you're wearing it): Has that worn away for anyone else? Worn down? Is it just me? I took some pics, but won't be able to post 'em until later.

I had the same reaction from my local cobler. He said he could get the heels and after two weeks, he said his supplier didn't carry them. It was laziness on his part. So I ordered the heels from the Alden Shoppe in San Francisco - $20. I then supplied the brand new heels to my local guy and another $20 later, I was done.

Hmp. I already left the shoes with the repair shop. Heh. Ok, let me ask this...If Alden heels are replaced with non alden heels of the same size, is there really going to be any difference, as long as the orthodic is still there? Or should I run back to this place, and tell them where to get hold of the Alden heels?

Just a thought, the non-Alden heels might be harder wearing than the ones you have worn down.

Is the steel shank in the shoe or the heel?

The shank is in the shoe.

Regards! Michaelson

Sergei wrote:I had the same reaction from my local cobler. He said he could get the heels and after two weeks, he said his supplier didn't carry them. It was laziness on his part. So I ordered the heels from the Alden Shoppe in San Francisco - $20. I then supplied the brand new heels to my local guy and another $20 later, I was done.

I searched the Alden site, but could not find a way to order replacement heels. Does anyone have a link, or other information as to picking up some replacement heels from the source? Every shoe repair place I've been to in the last 2 days have either never even seen/heard of Alden 405s before, or tell me they cannot get the exact same heels. The heels they try to sell me are too small to fit the size 10 D boot. Any info is appreciated. Also, Sergei, did you pay 20$ for both heels, or 20$ per heel? I find the thought of having to pay 60$ for a simple reheeling disheartening.

I have had my Alden’s for about 4 years and have never replaced the heals.
I use “Heal Savers”. These are the “hush” taps that others have mentioned.
Here’s a tip; although they have a pressure sensitive backing and a staple to hold them on, I also use tacks to fasten them.
If you check the wear of the heal savers about once a month you can change them before your heal starts to wear.
I find the heal savers at Wal-mart for $1.57USD for a set of 4.
Just FYI.
Regards,
Forrestal

My question to those who have had their Aldens for years and never replaced the heels, is how many miles a day do you put on them? Do you wear them every day? I walk at least 2 miles a day, and that's on a slow day. I only drive someplace if I HAVE to, or if having my car along would be beneficial (IE: getting groceries). So I'm putting anywhere from 2-4 miles a day (sometimes more) on any given pair of shoes I wear. The heels on my Aldens wore down VERY fast.

Honestly, these shoes fall very short of what I expected from them, and from what I have read on here. Two of the moc toe stitches broke within a couple of weeks, it took about a month and a half for the heels to be worn down so much that I can't wear them until I replace them, the inside backs of the shoes (where my heel rests) have been TORN up by the friction of my heel rubbing against it for so long, and the stitches on the sole of the shoe are being enveloped by the rubber down there.

Is all this stuff supposed to happen?

*bump*

Anyone??

I'm a month in, Strider, I don't see any unusual wearing so far. You don't scuff your heels when you walk, do you? I sometimes catch myself doing this, but I learned a long time ago that this would wear down the heels of my cowboy boots in a hurry, so I try not to do that anymore.

J

I've had my Alden's less than a year and the side of the heels have

worn down and the middle part of the right heel is sticking out. I can't

believe they need repair already!