Alden’s are the classic, American east coast brand of shoes…but their product quality has been slipping at the same time their price is rising and these Indiana boots seem very nice, great review, as usual
That's lovely oxblood calf. One of the best shades I've ever seen. While chromexel is definitely high quality tannage, I wouldn't necessarily say it is pricier than some upper range italian leathers (which this one reminds me of). Also the hide quality selection of European calfs can be quite high, as well as the tanning process itself. Chromexel will have better weather resistence - I'll give them that. But European leathers are certainly not something we should be ashamed of.
@@DevonReviewer Sadly, that's a branding issue. I would be very much in favor of European tanneries being mentioned more when used in higher-end footwear. Or tanneries in general. I mean aside from construction, leather is the most important part of a shoe.
If you change the lacing pattern from bar lacing to traditional cross lacing as used in trainers you'll find the laces much easier to adjust when you have a lot of eyelets. For info XL Xtralight soles are an Italian brand. They are EVA soles with a similar material to the Vibram Christy but lighter and more cushioned. They may not last as long because they are softer.. They've gradually been adopted by various shoe makers as the extra cushioning appeals to people who've grown up wearing nothing but trainers. I believe Oliver Sweeney were one of the first brands to start using these soles. Originally the soles resembled the Vibram Christy style sole pattern (or custom patterns like the Oliver Sweeney fingerprint sole) but now they offer much more variety including even full commando lug sole designs in the same EVA xtralight material as well as a variety of colours.
Thanks for this video. I am actually in the market for an Indy with a wedge sole and after seeing this, I think I actually like the aesthetic of the Barker even more. That combination of the raised moc toe seem, the shape of the last, and of course the price make this a solid choice. I might have to go ahead and grab these in black.
How's the room for the outside toes versus heel on this one? I always found the Barker last kind of uniform and wide in both. FYI the Alden's isn't a "faux moc" or "flat moc" although you hear that on RU-vid and other brands a lot. It's an apron toe. No, I don't think Aldens are worth the price anymore.
@@DevonReviewer it's a newer brand based out of Washington, DC. I think most (all?) manufacturing is in Spain. Looks like nice construction and good components to me. I wasn't blown away by the sort of generic service boot pattern they launched with but the moc toe definitely has my eye.
I rather like the fact that the sole was changed out to be closer to the red wing look, since the original Indy shoe choice by the designer in the first film was meant to be red wings.. the Alden were Ford’s choice.. so this mix is a fun one!
I don't even wait for the video to start before I give it a Like. And so on with each of your videos. Thanks to you I started in this hobby, in this passion for collecting boots and quality denim. It was because of you that I bought my first pair of Ironhearts and my first pair of RedWings 875.
I don't really understand you saying you can't afford them, when you buy so many still expensive things. If you want them, just buy one less pair of boots later on, and make more content on what you already have.
