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    Iron Heart Fall/Winter 2025 Live Reveal - Thursday 12th of June at 1700BST

    ALDEN

    Footwear
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    • madmondayM
      madmonday
      Raw and Unwashed
      Joined:

      super late congrats.

      😞

      i'm very proud of what you've dedicated yourself to as service members tend 2 get sh!t on despite all they sacrifice.

      head high, middle finger higher

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      • G
        grandmasterben
        Joined:

        I know that alden is kinda seen as a joke quality-wise amongst various forums, do you guys think its blown out or proportion and that they at least make good dress shoes?  I'm not looking for any essays, just some general thoughts… ill be damned if cigar shell bluchers don't look nice as hell!

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        • seawolfS
          seawolf
          Mod Squad
          Joined:

          Thanks Monday! That means even more coming from a Marine 🙂

          As for the quality, I've never had an issue. They make awesome dress shoes. End of story.  I've never bought a collab makeup so I can't speak to that level of quality, but Alden of New England has never let me down.

          “Good design is actually a lot harder to notice than poor design, in part because good designs fit our needs so well that the design is invisible” - Don Norman

          @zeebeeleather

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          • derivative666D
            derivative666
            Joined:

            @seawolf:

            As for the quality, I've never had an issue. They make awesome dress shoes. End of story.  I've never bought a collab makeup so I can't speak to that level of quality, but Alden of New England has never let me down.

            Alden is definitely not a joke. You cannot compare a dress boot/shoe to a pair of whites, Viberg's or Wesco. The comfort level of Alden is incredible. Every pair that I have had (7 pair) have all been comfortable, durable and beautiful. IMO their is no classier shoe then an Alden Cordovan Longwing. As far as the "Indy boots" the comfort level is outstanding. Zero break in time and I have never had any quality issues.    I have put plenty of miles in them trouncing around the woods.

            "honorable mention to the bearded giant aka derivative666 for being a stand up dude & not changing with the seasons since i've been around these parts" Monday

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            • louisboscoL
              louisbosco
              啓蒙家
              Joined:

              @grandmasterben:

              I know that alden is kinda seen as a joke quality-wise amongst various forums, do you guys think its blown out or proportion and that they at least make good dress shoes?  I'm not looking for any essays, just some general thoughts… ill be damned if cigar shell bluchers don't look nice as hell!

              interesting.. as part of the discussion, i'm just wondering if those people see it as a joke for it's quality by itself, or compared to other brands such as c&j or others?

              "Loyalty is a two way street. If i'm asking for it from you, then you're getting it from me."

              • Harvey Specter
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              • madmondayM
                madmonday
                Raw and Unwashed
                Joined:

                NP seawolf u deserve those cudos.

                on to Alden

                my issues were never with the quality or lack of quality of Alden, it was always the way they dealt with customer service. i support people i "think" i like & as such haven't bought an item from them since a friend had issues with them.  It came down to my not wanting to support a company who didn't stand with the product they produce or even worse put me through the ringer to address a concern i have with a product i spend my money on.

                with that said, i still have 2 pairs &  they are my "nice" or "dress-up" footwear . . . which means i never wear them

                head high, middle finger higher

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                • summ3rhaysS
                  summ3rhays
                  Joined:

                  @grandmasterben My one pair of Alden are the Indy boots. I would highly recommend and I've worn mine often for 2+ yrs. Zero issues or complaints.

                  IG: summ3rhays & Indigobleed

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                  • tigerpacT
                    tigerpac
                    Joined:

                    I've never heard the quality being described as a joke.  I have 3 pairs and they're among the best.  Now the customer service… that's another matter.

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                    • arrowA
                      arrow
                      Joined:

                      to my knowledge, no other US shoe maker uses steel shank for support.  Please correct me if I'm wrong.
                      To me that is the key in providing the comfort.  Even the suede chukkas feel solid.

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                      • GilesG
                        Giles
                        IHUK Crew
                        Joined:

                        By shoemaker, do you also mean bootmaker?

                        If so, Wesco use a Non corrosive steel shank

                        "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

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                        • S
                          superfuzz
                          Joined:

                          I think there have been some issues with Alden quality control since they have blown up over the last few years or so. I've never had any quality problems. But it had been a few years since I bought a pair.

                          Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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                          • A
                            aho
                            Joined:

                            I wore my 405's through an abusive two years straight as my daily work beater pair (including two Chicago winters, salt and all) and aside from needing a complete resole, haven't had any major issues with them. In that time however, I did go through 4 pairs of their waxed laces (which really do suck), and had some bending on the speed hooks which were easily fixed when I took them in for the resole. The leather is surprisingly durable and I honestly didn't take care of the boots at all in those two years!

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                            • arrowA
                              arrow
                              Joined:

                              Thanks for the clarification Giles.  What I meant to say is, are there other Alden-like companies that uses steel shank for their dress / casual shoe line?

                              Companies like Allen Edmonds come to mind and they don't integrate steel shank in their shoe manufacturing.

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                              • D
                                denimeric
                                Joined:

                                [*

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                                • seawolfS
                                  seawolf
                                  Mod Squad
                                  Joined:

                                  Um…. I don't think that was Giles' point at all.

                                  “Good design is actually a lot harder to notice than poor design, in part because good designs fit our needs so well that the design is invisible” - Don Norman

                                  @zeebeeleather

                                  last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • seawolfS
                                    seawolf
                                    Mod Squad
                                    Joined:

                                    And going back through and reading it again, I'm certain that wan't was he was saying. He was saying it's bullshit that our service members are buying good quality gear (in this case my pair of Aldens) to replace the crappy stuff that we're issued.

                                    “Good design is actually a lot harder to notice than poor design, in part because good designs fit our needs so well that the design is invisible” - Don Norman

                                    @zeebeeleather

                                    last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • derivative666D
                                      derivative666
                                      Joined:

                                      Exactly,  @denimeric you are misunderstanding what G is saying.

                                      "honorable mention to the bearded giant aka derivative666 for being a stand up dude & not changing with the seasons since i've been around these parts" Monday

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                                      • D
                                        denimeric
                                        Joined:

                                        Every brand has had or will have some quality issues one time or another.

                                        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • GilesG
                                          Giles
                                          IHUK Crew
                                          Joined:

                                          I have no idea what @denimeric said as it has been deleted, but what I was saying (or indeed wanted people to hear) is as per @seawolf 's reading of it:

                                          He was saying it's bullshit that our service members are buying good quality gear (in this case my pair of Aldens) to replace the crappy stuff that we're issued.

                                          "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

                                          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • GilesG
                                            Giles
                                            IHUK Crew
                                            Joined:

                                            @denimeric:

                                            And every brand has had or will have some quality issues one time or another.

                                            Of course they do.  And Iron Heart is no exception.  We fuck up some times and it hurts when we do, it really does (you don't want to be anywhere near me when we have let a customer down).  But what defines a brands customer service, is how they deal with the shit.  Being great when everything is going well is easy.  Dealing with shite is not so easy, and some brands are empirically shite at dealing with shite…And I have no time for shite...

                                            "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

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