I wear roughly the same thing to an office four days a week and my current shoes are done. I can spend about 300 total. The resoleable Goodyear welted option is right at the top of that, which means one pair worn every day. Three cheaper pairs means rotation, which I keep reading is the thing that actually makes shoes last. Which way does the maths actually go?
Second hand welted shoes are the genuinely cheap answer. Good shoes get bought, worn a dozen times, and sold on because they didn't fit. I've picked up two pairs for under 80 each that needed nothing but new laces and a polish. Sizing is the risk, so buy brands you've already tried on.
Check the sole thickness and the welt stitching in the photos before bidding. "Barely worn" and a sole worn through at the ball happen in the same listing more often than you'd think.
One more angle: if your feet are at all unusual, the 300 pound pair is a bigger gamble because you've concentrated the whole budget into one fit decision. Two pairs is also diversification against buying the wrong last.
Whatever you buy, spend 20 of the budget on cedar trees and a decent brush. It's the highest return per pound in the whole footwear category and people spend 300 on shoes and then leave them in a heap by the door.
Depends on the floors you're on all day, honestly. If you're on concrete or walking 5km a day between buildings, a rubber sole on a mid-priced shoe will serve you better than a leather-soled 300 pound one that slips and wears through in a year.
Fair — about 3km of pavement daily plus the office, so rubber it is.
@bobbin_bind · 8mo ago · 3 replies
Two pairs at 150, not one at 300 and not three at 100.
The rotation point is real and it's not a small effect — leather needs about 24 hours to dry out, and a shoe worn every single day in an office will be visibly tired in a year regardless of what it cost. One 300 pound pair worn daily will not outlast two 150 pound pairs worn alternately, which is the trap in the "buy once cry once" framing.
Three at 100 gets you into glued construction where the sole can't be replaced, so you're buying disposable shoes with a rotation. Better than one pair daily, worse than two decent ones.
At 150 a pair you can usually still find welted or at least a proper resoleable construction on sale or second hand, and a resole at 60-90 in three years keeps them going.
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@quiet_stacker · 8mo ago
This is the answer I didn't know I was looking for. Two pairs also solves the "caught in the rain and have nothing to wear tomorrow" problem, which happens to me about monthly.
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@curl_chemist · 8mo ago
Sale timing matters at that price. January and July, welted shoes drop 30-40% routinely, so a patient shopper gets a 250 shoe for 160.
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