Club Obi Wan

I've never thought I would have to get a new pair...But after sporting mine the last few weeks they've torn on one side. And that on a high quality boot? Okay, no time to fault. I have to get a new pair:)

I wasn't on the site recently, but maybe there are some new shop options to order some good ole 405. Thanks for any help.

Prices are pretty much the same as before. Unless you don't mind used ones, then you could try eBay.

Kyle

Like knibs said, eBay is probably your best bet. Or, you can subscribe to Shoemart's 'irregulars' email list.

Good priced Aldens? Doesn't exist! They've always been expensive!

I stopped into the Alden store here in DC the other day; I couldn't BELIEVE what these boots are going for nowadays! I'll bet ol' Indy never paid $500 for work boots!!!

Dr._J wrote:I stopped into the Alden store here in DC the other day; I couldn't BELIEVE what these boots are going for nowadays! I'll bet ol' Indy never paid $500 for work boots!!!

Probably not. But then in 1938 minimum wage was $0.25 per hour as opposed to $8.00 (a 3,200% increase), gasoline was $0.10 per gallon versus $4.00, (a 4,000% increase), and an average new car cost $870.00 versus $28,000.00, (a 3,100% increase), etc.


Assuming 32X is the magic number, a $500.00 pair of boots would have cost about $15.65. Interestingly I found a price list that priced a pair of riding boots at $10.00 and a "rugged" leather jacket at $17.00, which would equate to $320.00 for the boots and $544.00 for the jacket, making a pair of Aldens a bit more costly now, and a modern G&B Expedition pretty much bang on the mark.

Sad to hear that.. I paid about 330$ for my first pair about 7,8 years ago. I had issues in paying that price back then...

Ya I think I got my first pair in 2007 and paid about $320-$350. Times have changed

Kyle

I thought $250 was outrageous back in the late 90's, so it's all relative.

Regards! Michaelson

I was in the same boat as Michaelson. Picked up my 405's for the exorbitant price of $220 in autumn 1998, thinking there was no possible way for shoes to cost more than that. Now I'm about to drop half a grand on a pair of natural chromexcel Indys simply because the color is more screen-accurate than my original Aldens.

Screen accuracy. What an accursed term. Just think of all the financial grievances it's responsible for; causing so many Indy fans to part with their hard-earned money. "I know my car needs gas this week, but those new chromexcel Aldens look almost exactly the same shade of brown as the boots Ford wore in the Peruvian temple sequence, and I just gotta have 'em!"

I gave up that pursuit years ago, Dale! I strictly collect Michaelson gear now.

Regards! M

To be honest you can get a better shoe for FAR less. I cant stand smooth bottomed shoes so I always go for close enoughs. Alden's dont hold up to abuse. They are more like dress shoes. So depending on what you plan on doing with them, YMMV. My abuse may be different than other peoples.


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Michaelson wrote:I gave up that pursuit years ago, Dale! I strictly collect Michaelson gear now.

I know exactly what you mean! Dale gear (t-shirts, blue jeans, and Converse sneakers) is much cheaper than Indy's threads! And while I've made this promise many times before (as we all have), this new Alden purchase really is the absolute last gear upgrade for me. Then my bank account can breathe a long overdue sigh of relief.

....and you're always 'screen accurate'!



Regards! Michaelson

As LC screen accurate as humanly possible, if that's any consolation to my savings account.

I was talking about your 'Dale' gear.

Regards! M

I contacted Alden of SF inquiring the status of my boots. They're scheduled for completion in mid-August, during the next production run. I've been waiting patiently since March, so what's another two months, right?

ChrisMD wrote: Alden's dont hold up to abuse.

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I've had mine for 7 years and they're still nowhere near ready for any kind of repair

Kyle

Ditto my 405's. Been rocking them for 15+ years and the only maintenance required is the occasional re-heeling and new laces. Although they're not especially 'grippy-soled', I've worn them hiking in the desert, forest, mountains, and rock climbing. Not a single loose stitch.

I wasn't about to pay close to $500 for boots without a lug sole which is why I went for the Leather Soul Vintage Indy version. We have to many wet days here in the NW.

Michaelson wrote:I gave up that pursuit years ago, Dale! I strictly collect Michaelson gear now.

Regards! M

Good move! How expensive can it be for a blue, plaid shirt and mustache wax?

I've has mine for 11 years and just had to get them resoled. They're still in excellent shape.

ChrisMD wrote:To be honest you can get a better shoe for FAR less. I cant stand smooth bottomed shoes so I always go for close enoughs. Alden's dont hold up to abuse. They are more like dress shoes. So depending on what you plan on doing with them, YMMV. My abuse may be different than other peoples.


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I know exactly what u mean..
I would like to hear your other options, too.

Any 'close enough' opinions?

About 1,000,000.

Give this thread a start. http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f ... ough+boots" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Or this one (that's linked in that thread) http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f ... ough+boots" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I found both by putting +close+enough+boots in the Search.


Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Thank you Jeff. I was too lazy on a sunday to use the search.

But why would you want anything less than THIS?

Ditto that term:

I'll be getting my 405 chromexcels next month!!!

Total mistake on my part. I was mentally confusing the Todd's with true Alden's including the price. DOH. Real Alden's will keep on ticking.


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If you don't mind them not being Alden proper, then you can try one of J. Crew's sales. They don't often do it, but usually around the Christmas shopping season they will offer 25-30% off third party merchandise. That'll bring them back down around $350. It still isn't cheap but it saves about $150. Other than that the Shoemart seconds are pretty good (price wise, it's the luck of the draw on styles though).

Sounds good. I'll google them for their site.

Finally received my natural chromexcel 405s! The lighting of the boots on Alden's website is definitely darker, since the actual color is more of a caramel / butterscotch:



According to a review article, the leather darkens naturally with use, eventually becoming the medium brown patina of the screen-used boots. Hopefully it won't take too long!

Good looking boots, Whipwarrior. Congrats!

I look forward for the follow up

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with how quickly natural leather darkens. Those boots are going to just look better and better as time goes on.

Yes! That's exactly what I wanted to hear! Thanks!

Nice looking boots! However IMO, I would still go with the 403s or 405s... Unless the chromexcels REALLY darken or you're going for more of a CS boot because LC was still fairly dark.



Just my 2¢. Great looking boots either way. Congrats!



Kyle

Very true, but if they don't get as dark as you want them to be, or aren't getting there fast enough, helping them along is easy. There's a great tutorial on antiquing shoes on the hanger project website. They're using it in a dress shoe context but the principles apply. You'd probably just darken all over instead of spots. Saphir makes a Greasy Leather Cream that you can buy in a nice brown that's good at darkening chromexel leathers. In my opinion there's something really cool about having a sort of blank canvas to work with. But that may just be me, lol

Thanks for the advice! I was digging around in the COW archives and found a tip about using natural olive oil to darken the leather a few shades. That's another option, providing it doesn't add an unpleasant scent. For now, through, I'll just let them age naturally, and see if I'm satisfied with the results.

Tundra, thanks for the words of wisdom and experience! I have a ton of Pecards dressing (1st prize in a COW photo contest long ago), so I'll definitely go that route. My original 405s have 16 years of natural wear, and they're still in fantastic shape. At this point in the game, I don't have the patience to wait another decade for the same result. I'll go with sun tanning + frequent wear to accelerate the darkening process, documenting with photos. Thanks again!

Tundra,
That bag strap is beautiful. Did you crease the edges yourself and if so, do you have any pointers? I just got a new strap and want to crease the edges and darken it up with lexol and sunlight.

Let's not forget that Pecards makes dressing with brown color mixed in! Talk about a quick and easy way to darken some boots!

I have liked pecards for years too and started using it when I got my first pair of 405s. I may use it too, once I get the creasing where I want it.

I've been applying Pecards generously and sun tanning the boots, and they've only marginally darkened. They look better, but still not quite the warm medium shade of brown I was hoping for. Now, is this brown Pecards dressing permanent, or only a temporary fix?

Picked up my first pair about a month or so ago at the Alden store in San Francisco. As noted in the other posts....expensive (pd. $550) but I could not find them anywhere else for less. There were 'other' boots out there that resembled the Aldens and they were less costly. However, if I'm going to do this SA thing then it has to be a pair of Aldens. The other reason for selecting the Alden is that I am not far away from their San Francisco store...the idea of ordering a pair online, from any manufacturer, and going through the potential hassle of returning them until you got the right fit was something I didn't want to do. Score 1 for the San Francisco store. The store had a variety of widths to choose from and the sales person was more than willing to bring out various sizes and styles. I didn't know what to expect as far as comfort. My first time wearing them they weren't like walking on clouds. They were stiff, heavy, and I wasn't used to an 'ankle' high boot. The more I wear them, the more comfortable they are becoming. They still are heavy but I do get quite a few compliments from the 'fashion' minded people at work...they are a nice looking boot.

whipwarrior wrote:Now, is this brown Pecards dressing permanent, or only a temporary fix?

It's not a dye, if that's what you're asking. It will help darken the boots faster over time than regular Pecards, as it's a tint that is added to regular Pecards dressing.

I have used it on areas of jackets where they've been either scratched or scraped down to the under hide, and it was a permanent fix, though.

Regards! Michaelson

jcm0687 wrote:The store had a variety of widths to choose from and the sales person was more than willing to bring out various sizes and styles.

Yeah, because they're serving a customer who's about to spend half a grand on a pair of shoes! For that kind of dough, I'd be trotting out the merchandise with a smile, too! And for that much cash, it would be nice if Harrison Ford was there to personally fit the boots on you, and autograph them also!

Thanks for the info, Michaelson! I will DEFINITELY order a tub of dark brown Pecards dressing, then!

Is this the stuff? http://www.pecard.com/mm5/merchant.mvc? ... de=wdbrown" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;