Shoes with man-made maerials: wear them or lose them.

[argonsagas]

Why? they "age" very rapidly and will fall apart even when siting on a shelf.

I have been buying Florsheim shoes since 1980. The design/model names changed from time to time but they all had soft, flexible, single-piece soles/heels.

Every pair was well-used and then replaced. Soft, comfortable, I could and did wear them all day and always had several pair in the closet at the same time. Never had any problem with them.

It seems that man-made materials are no longer what they used to be.

I bought a pair of Florsheim shoes before covid , wore them maybe six or seven times.
After that things were done online and the shoes sat on a closet shelf for more than three years.

I wore them for a formal occasion last week and while there I got hugely embarrassed when tiny pieces of black appeared on the floor around me as I walked.
When I got home I looked and saw large pieces missing ...not flakes but chunks have come off them. About one-third of the sole on one shoe is gone, along with the entire side of its heel..
.
The uppers really are as good as new. Not even a single scuff mark.
The one-piece soles/heels, however, are literally disintegrating. .

Despite not being worn the entire sole/heel has somehow “aged” and became so fragile that they literally fall apart when touched. A fingernail can remove the tiny “treads” that run across the sole.

If you are looking to buy shoes, whether cheap or expensive, (mine cost about $150) that have man-made materials, be sure to ask about the shelf life, starting with how long they were on the store shelf.

[Cipher]

Because Al Bundy has access to such information????
maybe you bought counterfeit shoes?
Rieker and never look back.

[Brendan W]

Another case of ran when parked?
I would Ecco Cipher's sentiments on Rieker.
Had a pair of Ecco shoes that were going strong after six years.
Left them away in the wardrobe for a few years and on the first wear the soles disintegrated, crumbled away in large chunks.

[Grimly]

I had a pair of rigger boots that the soles did exactly that. They fell off in lumps as I walked around.
Total bummer, as they fitted me perfectly, but it turns out it's a common problem.
Seems to be, avoid buying NOS boots.

[argonsagas]

Because Al Bundy has access to such information????
maybe you bought counterfeit shoes?
Rieker and never look back.

They were legitimate Florsheims.

I usually bought mine from Sears and these were purchased just a few months before they closed.

I looked at the Reiker site and saw they have casual and sports shoes.

Mine were always slip-on styles, but suitable for office, formal occasions or anywhere else.

https://www.amazon.com/Florsheim-17088-Mens-Riva-Slip-On/dp/B000BWC3LG?th=1&psc=1

[argonsagas]

Another case of ran when parked?
I would Ecco Cipher's sentiments on Rieker.
Had a pair of Ecco shoes that were going strong after six years.
Left them away in the wardrobe for a few years and on the first wear the soles disintegrated, crumbled away in large chunks.

We actually did have a similar experience with a pair of leather slippers that had rubber-type soles.The only time my wife wore them was when she tried them on at the store..
She kept them in a closet as spares for a long time and when she finally put them on the "rubber" soles fell apart and broke off completely. At the time I thought it was just a fluke. Now I l have learned it is not uncommon for this to happen and "man-made" is only good for a short time.

[Rob S.]

I have been buying Florsheim shoes since 1980.

We have that in common. I'm watching a show about the Mt. St. Helens eruption in May of 1980, 2 months after I started work on Wall Street (in my Florsheims). Nothing lasts forever...except motorcycle memories.

[Suzukian]

I know a guy who collects shoes. I have to admit it seemed weird to me, but these shoes looked new. They were very old, by they were still quite in fashion and usable. The quality was amazing. My surprise came on how much money he made when he flipped a pair. An easy couple of hundred bucks here and there, from shoes he'd by at a tag, or estate sale. I don't know shoes enough to pull that off, and it kind of grosses me out, but this guy had all of the professional sprays, and even knew a retired cobbler who would fix some very special shoes. It appears vintage shoes get money because they don't deteriorate like modern ones, which may have built in obsolescence. What ever makes you float blow float.

[Nessism]

I've had several pairs of NOS Footjoy golf shoes explode like described. The leather parts look great, but the plastic sole deteriorates with age. Very frustrating.

For years, I swore by Hanover dress shoes. I wore them for work, and each pair would wind up getting resoled at least two times before the uppers were done. It's getting hard to find decent shoes like those anymore, and yes, Hanover went out of business.

[Cipher]

I've never lost a shoe this way. I also have a spacious shoe closet with good air exchange.
I wonder if there is any off gassing and if so does this exacerbate decomposition in a confined space.

proper leather soles are the only way to go. But anything good is 500 plus.

florsheim is just one of many brands that are bought and sold by umbrella corporations. I have one pair of florsheims 13 yrs old no deterioration.
no one make a danceable shoe in the bottom end of the market. All synthetics are crap for this.

I bought a pair of decent black heavy soled shoes in 1982 and only threw them away as piping on the uppers was gone. Goodyear welt beautiful heel. Could work all day and dance in them all night. 30 year run they had.

Needed a half sole soon but all the old guys are dead. Years ago the last of the old shops here quit repairs because the giant sewing machine died and the cost of fixing it could never be recouped.

Another had a sign which always made me smile.

We're not preachers but we do save soles!
Here lives a man who won't refuse
to make or mend your boots or shoes
and when he dies
he fears no coals.
For he has saved so many soles.

[bccap]

Happened to me last year .... For some reason I pulled down a pair of expensive and almost new jogging shoes to go for a walk ...... They had been sitting up there in the closet for over ten years ...... I didn't make it to the end of the alley before the bottoms had disintegrated ......

[Cipher]

Ok who has mothballs in their closet.

[Brendan W]

Ok who has mothballs in their closet.

The guy on first base.