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CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 6:51 am
by Stefan Hills
Greetings Folks, Happy Friday,

I came across this Alden/Indy boot alternative while at work yesterday. I work at a school so all the uniforms for the kids are ordered from LandsEnd, so we get a ton of catalogs. As part of the new Canvas Line, I came across this boot. Thought I would share.

Enjoy,
Stefan

http://canvas.landsend.com/pp/CrosbyMoc ... es-_-Shoes" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 6:54 am
by Tennessee Smith
Great find, they look better than almost any other out there. Especially for the price. :tup:



:TOH:
-TS

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 6:54 am
by Hollowpond
That's a pretty good one! Good find :clap:

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 7:06 am
by Holt
those look spot on to the Jcrew aldens

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 7:29 am
by Hollowpond
OK, I earlier saw them on my phone...on my laptop now. :shock: I'm gonna go ahead and call this the close enough find of the decade!!! :shock: Those things look great! I believe I'm gonna purchase some right now! :TOH:

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 8:38 am
by Stefan Hills
Happy to help gents, the local Sear's in many malls now has a huge LandsEnd collection, so it is possible to check out the shoes in person. I would sign up with LandsEnd for coupons, there is a lot of crazy savings when you do. Just a thought!

Kind regards,
Stefan

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 9:35 am
by IndianaBravo
Wow !Those look fantastic! I sure wish there was a Sears around these parts #-o

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 10:24 am
by RaidersBash
I wonder how comfortable they are. I bought some Aldo Jeramyah's last year, and they are the most uncomfortable shoe I've ever had. I have to put some Redwing inserts into them, and even then I can't walk in them for more than an hour or so without some serious unhappiness.

Interesting that more and more companies are copying that pattern...and safari shirts... :-k Are we really influencing the markets that much :CR:

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 10:36 am
by Ian
Look good. I wonder if they have the arch supports...

Ian

Sent from my HTC Wildfire using Tapatalk

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 11:08 am
by nicktheguy
Yeah these look really good.

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 11:34 am
by Bogie1943
Honestly one of the best alternatives I have ever seen. I think, in all honesty, they set out to copy the 405. Great Price too! I am almost tempted to buy a pair.

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 11:49 am
by WConly
Man oh man, I wish I had seen these before I spent 65.00 per pair to have my Aldens (brown & black) resoled. It would have been a bit more money, but I might have been able to hold off the resoles till next spring. Very nice looking boots. W>

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 4:58 pm
by Oildale Jones
Nice! My local Sears doesn't have them so I guess I'll have to drag myself down to the hoity-toity mall. :)

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2011 1:07 pm
by Mitch LaRue
WOW, what a GREAT find, Stefan... Many thanks for sharing!
:TOH:

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2011 5:20 pm
by Tennessee Smith
Well, I just made a trip to the Sears in Cool Springs to look at this boot and sadly they didn't have it but the website said they did :twisted:
I will say that the other Lands' End shoes did not impress me at all. Their construction seemed cheap and flimsy. I hope I'm wrong but I thought I'd give fair warning to anyone else considering a pair.

:TOH:
-TS

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2011 5:41 pm
by Hollowpond
Yeah, I'm waiting for someone else to bite first and write a review. I've never even seen a pair of Alden's in real life, so I really have no basis for comparison...

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2011 5:50 pm
by Tennessee Smith
Comparing the Lands' End shoes that I saw to my Alden's is like apples to oranges. They're not in the same league by a long shot. It's like a Maserati Granturismo vs a Mazda Miata. Sure you can call both of them a sports car but you know only 1 really is. :lol:

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2011 10:56 pm
by Indiana Greg
Ten bucks off + free shipping. Should be good f/ the next few days... worked for me. :TOH:



PARENTSA11

PIN: 8445

CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 11:28 am
by xmr
That's #### nice, too bad Land's End does not carry ghese in germany afsik :-(

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 11:52 am
by Oildale Jones
Indiana Greg wrote:Ten bucks off + free shipping. Should be good f/ the next few days... worked for me. :TOH:

PARENTSA11

PIN: 8445
Worked for me, too. Thanks! (Still tempted to go look at them in person, though.)

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 2:51 pm
by Obi Sean Kenobi
My local Sears store did not carry any Lands End Canvas Mens Shoes.

I ordered a pair online (used the coupon, thanks!!!) and they will be here in a few days.

Pics upon arrival.

Regards,
Sean

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 6:46 pm
by Indy Magnoli
Did anyone notice the following from one of the reviews posted at that link:

"The color is brown, not dark brown as shown in pictures."

That makes these even more interesting... [update] Ok, I couldn't resist. I won't be getting them for a while as I'll have to have them routed through my US address, but I'm hoping these will be worth it.

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 7:04 pm
by Bruce Wayne
Does anyone know if the moc toe stitching is white or not?

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 2:03 am
by lantzn
If the above coupon expires keep an eye on this site for new ones.

http://www.retailmenot.com/view/landsend.com

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2011 6:49 am
by bounos
I ordered a pair and the should be arriving over the next week! :-k

I'll make sure to post up some pictures and a brief summary on them. :TOH:

George

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2011 7:24 am
by trdaggers
As is typical of these lower price shoe, they only available in medium width.

Gailen

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2011 8:46 am
by Flawless Cowboy
If I hadn't just bought my Sebagos a moth or two ago I'd have gone with these. Oh well I like my Sebagos aplenty, great find though.

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 9:56 pm
by backstagejack
Geez, at a glance these could easily pass for indy choes. I mean, unless you're a crazy SA nut you'd probably not know the difference. Great find!

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 3:05 pm
by Harry Jones
Just got a pair of the Lands End boots/shoes. (they are more like high shoes than boots) Very disappointed. Leather looks and feels like plastic and the hooks bent the first time I tried to wear them. I have a pair of the LL Bean Ironworker boots and they are terrific. I've worn them for casual wear as well as a hike on a very rocky trail and they serve well in both venues. I also have a pair of Rockport Farnums which are far superior to the Lands End shoes, that I got for a similar price. By the way, the Lands End shoes are very dark brown, have no arch support and the stitching on the toe is white and is purely decorative. Looks like it was added to a plain toe shoe as an afterthought---looks out of place.

CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 3:24 pm
by nicktheguy
Wow - I'd return them

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 3:26 pm
by Indy Magnoli
Harry Jones wrote:Just got a pair of the Lands End boots/shoes. (they are more like high shoes than boots) Very disappointed. Leather looks and feels like plastic and the hooks bent the first time I tried to wear them. I have a pair of the LL Bean Ironworker boots and they are terrific. I've worn them for casual wear as well as a hike on a very rocky trail and they serve well in both venues. I also have a pair of Rockport Farnums which are far superior to the Lands End shoes, that I got for a similar price. By the way, the Lands End shoes are very dark brown, have no arch support and the stitching on the toe is white and is purely decorative. Looks like it was added to a plain toe shoe as an afterthought---looks out of place.
](*,) Darn.

As they say, if it seems too good to be true... it is.

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 3:35 pm
by Harry Jones
As soon as I can!

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 10:19 pm
by Tennessee Smith
:-k sounds exactly like what I saw last weekend.

That stinks dude. Good luck with the return.

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 10:25 pm
by Hollowpond
Annnnnnddd, I'm officially out...sorry it wasn't what we thought and I hope they take them back.

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 5:45 pm
by Oildale Jones
Mine arrived today. A couple of days ago I also received a handwritten card from a "customer care specialist" at Land's End, which was a surprisingly nice—and human— touch.

They look great and the price is pretty good, but as mentioned, the leather (if it is indeed leather and not leather-like or faux) is smooth and smells, looks and feels artificial; however, it marks easily and seems like it would weather very nicely, very quickly. Nowhere on the boot is it marked "genuine leather" or "man-made upper" or those markings you usually find on shoes. Even the sole looks fake.

Without flash (this is what they look like to my naked eye):

Image

With flash:

Image

I ordered them in a 12 because a previous pair of 13 ankle boots are too big; the length is about right but they're way too narrow for me. I'm still debating whether to exchange for a larger size or return them for a refund. They're streets ahead of the Arizona kinda-close boots I got for $20.

Returns are easy: They include a prepaid return label in the box, which is helpful. You can also return them to Sears stores that stock Land's End. I'm going to see if they stock them at South Coast Plaza and try the 13. If the 13 works and I can verify that they're real leather, I'll keep them. (I want to believe that they're like lambskin and will respond favorably to conditioning. We'll see.)

So there you go.

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 7:08 pm
by nicktheguy
You know - it's so funny. They look really good in the pics. Too bad they weren't what we were hoping for - but they sure looked the part.

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 10:31 pm
by Harry Jones
Well, returned the ones I ordered to the local Sears with no problem. However, the return did not cover the shipping costs even though they were defective. Guess I'm out the $13 shipping and handling fee. :(

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 11:34 pm
by Oildale Jones
A little more info (you can see that I'm having some trouble letting go). I took them to my cobbler to get an assessment. The verdict was that yes, they're leather; no, they won't break in very much. They're dress shoes made to look like work boots. I don't even want to go near the mall so back in the mail they go.

Maybe they'll go on clearance in my size, in which case I'll pick up a pair. Otherwise, I'll keep saving my pennies for the real deal.

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 4:33 pm
by bounos
Well, I have had mine for just over a week and have worn them just about every day.

They fit perfectly and are breaking in nicely.
The trick for me was not to use the top two hooks for the laces when doing up the boots.

I heard somewhere that HF didn't use the top two lace hooks!

I would give them another month of constant wearing before my final verdict.

As for now it's a 50/50 toss of the coin.

George

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 5:06 pm
by Indy Magnoli
I'm still waiting on mine to arrive, but for the price, I'm not expecting much. And... for those who have not bought a pair yet, I just got e-mailed a 30% off coupon!

So, go pick up a pair and use the promo code "DRUMSTICK", pin 1121. That'll get you 30% off plus free shipping until Monday.

Kind regards,
Magnoli

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 8:45 pm
by Oildale Jones
Thanks for the heads-up, Indy! I just placed a new order for the larger size and I'll send the others back. Even after they take off $6.95 for return shipping, I'm saving 15 bucks and a trip to the mall. (At this time of year: priceless.)

Whoa, this just occurred to me and blew my mind: What if I never buy Aldens at all? :o

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 8:06 pm
by youngjedi71
gotta love how they never have size 13 in brown on ANY of the boots people LINK me to..LOL

Re: CHECK THIS OUT...ALDEN ALTERNATIVE

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 11:21 pm
by APL
youngjedi71 wrote:gotta love how they never have size 13 in brown on ANY of the boots people LINK me to..LOL
Check in the classifieds or PM riothamus, he was selling a pair of 13 and I don't know if they're still available, but they might just be. There was another thread going for these same shoes.