Club Obi Wan

Hi all,

My brain is confused by all the different Aldens and the huge range of prices. There's the Hawaiian Soul Aldens, the East Coast Aldens, the West Coast Alden Shop, the Alden of Carmel, Adventurebilt Aldens, and maybe even others. I've seen at least a couple logos on the insoles.

Is there a thread somewhere that sorts all this out? or is it simpler than I'm making it?

--Bill B.

If you just want a standard plain of Alden Indy boots, all you need to know is "Alden 405 Indy Boot." You should be able to order them from any Alden shop or Alden retailer. Our own schmidty612 also is an Alden dealer. Does that help?

binkmeisterRick wrote:If you just want a standard plain of Alden Indy boots, all you need to know is "Alden 405 Indy Boot." You should be able to order them from any Alden shop or Alden retailer. Our own schmidty612 also is an Alden dealer. Does that help?

I guess if that's all there is to it.

It just seems like they are different colors with different soles and sometimes different logos. Are they all produced in the same place but made differently for different climates? for different audiences? Why the huge range in prices? from about $250 to over $500? Is this just the free market at work? Did the company split up at some point in history?

I guess that's what I'm trying to understand, but don't know if I'm just reading to much into it.

Well, there have been tweaky custom runs of Aldens (those would be the real pricey ones) and there are variants which have different soles with tread on the bottom, so yes, I can see how it would be confusing keeping them all straight! But if all you want is a basic pair of Aldens just like Indy wore, then all you need is to get a standard pair of Alden 405 boots.

There are different Alden shops with different names, as well as other retailers who carry Aldens, but the shoes are all hand made by just one company. The model of boot you see with the thick tread on the bottom is made by the same hands. Every once in a while you'll see a custom run where the color is different or minor details are changed. These shoes are made by the same Alden factory. If you come across a plain, simple, 405 Indy boot, you guessed it, the same Alden folks built them.

The price difference is naturally more on the custom runs, but if you find the exact same basic boot for slight variants in price, it's likely due to the seller's price.

Is that a bit more clear?

binkmeisterRick wrote:Is that a bit more clear?

Yes, that's very helpful. I was making much more out of it than it was. That also explains why I wasn't really able to find anything by searching that helped me.

Thanks!

--Bill B.

No prob.

Bilbe wrote: It just seems like they are different colors with different soles and sometimes different logos. Are they all produced in the same place but made differently for different climates? for different audiences? Why the huge range in prices? from about $250 to over $500? Is this just the free market at work? Did the company split up at some point in history?

I guess that's what I'm trying to understand, but don't know if I'm just reading to much into it.

I'd like to know where you found Aldens for $250...

They used to be available for that price through schmidity, but he had to go up in price recently.

Regards! Michaelson