The hand grades have marginally smoother leather( younger calf) on the upper to the mainline . And closed channeled stitched soles with fudging . Does that justify a £200 price difference ? Not sure.
I actually agree. I think mainline is where the value is. I think that the Handgrade lasts often look nicer too but you can get better shoes I believe for that price. Still not a brand that you would regret buying in terms of quality
Agree they are overpriced. TLB Artista for less money or step up to Edward Green for a bit more money. Handgrade premium is too much compared to C&J mainline. Good in depth video - please keep them coming especially C&J.
I agree 100% about the premium. Don't get me wrong, they look very good but with today's market, the abundance of the offer, I wouldn't spend the money on C&J. I believe the money could be better spent on a pair of TLB or the many many many retailers in Asia.
@@MisiuAcademy Oh definitely. C&J are still a great brand. But at the same price point I can think of 5 or 6 alternatives which are more refined design wise and with the same quality. But I agree that none of them have C&J's history.
History is a controversial topic. Acme shoemaker is recent or gaziano girling just 11 years old, yet they make incredible things. You just need to look for quality and value these days!
@@biscuitnoir1 I would say you can find a lot of shoes with more refined design features, similar or lower prices, but CJ often uses very soft and finer leathers (softer leather for me usually means more comfort and pleasant experience with walking), what is rare in that price range and you must go tier up to find that level of leather quality. I do not know much about TLB Artista leather quality, but basic TLB are rather significantly stiffer and not sure if leather is as beautiful as hand grade CJ leathers (I did not see TLB Artista shoes in real life). I have seen a lot of people appreciating CJ shoes for very high comfort, breaking stereotype of elegant shoes, being these less comfortable ones compared to some trainers.
I am not a big fan of tlb Artista leather as I found it a bit plasticky or dull (for my liking). The leather on CJ shoes such as the lingfield, Tetbury, highbury that I’ve tried and reviewed is sublime. In the end though it’s just a matter of taste hehe
Yes now that I’m back making videos slowly I will do it in the near future. I consider them better for the price especially now that CJ costs a fortune.
I guess you're paying for the leather quality and brand. I have only one pair of C&J and the leather stitching, it's excellent. I wouldn't probably by hand grade C&J if there are other brands like your Spanish brands as mentioned. I'm not knocking C&J: they're iconic! Q. Do you plan to do a review of Alfred Sargent shoes? I've got a couple of pairs second hand and I've been impressed... Thanks Tony
Hi Tony, I do think there’s more value to the average consumer on the mainline. They are well made shoes nonetheless and I think it’s clear from my review. I’d like to review AS but unless I find some second hand or they send me a pair, I can’t afford to spend more money on shoes at the moment!
Hello, this is a slightly elongated last I’d say. I wear it in UK 8 like most of my shoes. It’s a Handgrade model so it has extra cushion on the insole. The leather is soft.
@@MisiuAcademy what makes them better? The attention to detail in the finishing? Or comfort? I have a number of shoes in the $600-700 range and haven’t found any to be “better” in terms of construction and leather quality (as in comfort, not necessarily cosmetic) than Cheaney. I’m thinking of buying a pair of C&J but worried it won’t be any better. I guess sort of like Alden vs Allen Edmonds. Alden has a little better finishing but leather quality and construction and durability, Allen Edmonds is just as good.
@@caseyjonesbklyn5796 Hello! I will tell you my experience. Cheaney is a really good brand for the money. Especially now on discount. I actually have shell cordovan boots from them and they are great. This Crockett Pair is from the Handgrade makeup. I found the leather excellent and in most cases very supple. Crockett also seems to have some more aesthetically pleasing lasts apart from their contemporary ones. The Cheaney line that would be up to par would be the excellent Imperial Line if you can find any. Then you have little details such as the inner lining details, trimming and the excellent closed channel sole. The sole on the main line Crockett is nothing special. Without wanting to sound nasty, Allen Edmonds is not worth $400 their QC has tanked and they are a bit outdated. For sale price and if you really want american made they are great. I believe that in the $500 bracket you will be happy with both cheaney and crockett. Maybe start with their mainline and see how you like them. You will not be disappointed for sure. Comfort is subjective. I find the 348 Last extremely comfortable. But then again you can buy some 100$ zara shoes that might be super comfy right? It's just about finding the last that goes well with your foot. Does that help?!
@@MisiuAcademy that does help. Thank you. I can definitely appreciate the finishing attention to detail on some more expensive brands (say Gaziano and Girling). But ultimately, for my use (I live in the tropics in a small town and only wear them in professional work settings), the hand painted patina and finishing details are sort of overkill (they are a bit dressy for professional wear (standard suit and tie), more like formal wear or eneving wear, or big city professional wear (I used to live i NYC and could pull them off there, but where I am now they would be too stand out’ish (if that’s a word). Also, I live on a beach and immediately getting home from work the puppy likes to run out to the ocean before I change, so the shoes do get sand/gravel time. The more delicately refined sole can sort of be overkill for my daily use. So for me it’s all about the construction and the comfort and the leather quality moreso than the finishing and the flashiness of hand painted patina or closed channel stitching with a painted bevel waist on the sole. It’s a shoe that I want to look professional, I want to be comfortable, and I want to have pride in owning for a while and have re-soled at least once or twice before tossing. So for example, I have a pair of cobbler unions that I paid a lot for, but I find a lot of that money was spent on stuff like the inner lining (which is very nice) and the prettiness of the sole (it is gorgeous). But over time I’m not sure if they are as hearty day to day shoes, the invisible sole stitching doesn’t appear to be as well done as say a tlb Mallorca or Justin Fitzpatrick (it sort of peels off like tape as opposed to wearing off gracefully), and the leather just seems a bit less quality than say a Cheaney. I do agree on Allen Edmonds. $400 you can do a lot better. But they have a lot of sales and for a good every day wearing shoe they are well made (I get their QC and customer service isn’t up to par with the others). They seem to me like the floor of what people should be buying, a well made shoe that is built to last but lacks the bells and whistles and finer details of some of the other options. But in terms of construction they are well made, I don’t notice them being less comfortable or sturdy than the shoes I own that are twice as expensive. The imorovement for the more expensive shoes almost seems more cosmetic. Thanks again for the video and the response. It was helpful.
@@caseyjonesbklyn5796 my pleasure! Use needs to be taken into account. For your case, $200-300 will be the sweat spot honestly. Consider a scotchgrain leather shoe for durability and less maintenance! Thank you for watching and taking the time to actually write to me!
I must consider my self lucky because I live in Northampton UK buy at the shoe factory in C&J, for me handgrade or normal range are amazing also I bought shoes from Cheany and Edward Green amazing brands too.
I ended up going to the factory shop as well, live in northern Buckinghamshire so it was a half hour drive, got a pair of brown brogue oxfords as seconds that had hidden minor defects and looked perfect while worn for almost half the original price.
As a North American I have always had problems with English shoes and their fit and sizing system. For instance an Allen Edmonds 8.5D fits perfectly and is supremely comfortable whereas finding an equivalent English shoe always leads to confusion and one shoe fitting not quite right with a long break in period! I also believe that they are grossly overpriced especially John Lobbs .
Hello! We can have a long discussion and "argue" for hours about this topic. If you think about it, as a European I am also baffled by Fahrenheit , inches and the imperial system! The stiffness depends on which shoemaking school you go to, certain ones use stiffer leather while others more supple. Allen Edmonds are not particularly good shoes anymore compared to 8 years ago, at least to shoe enthusiasts. If you are an everyday person needing some decent looking and quality shoes they are more than fine. However you would be mad paying full price for them when they are almost always on sale for 30-50% off. There are a lot of grossly overpriced shoes out there. Personally I would never buy John Lobb (other than to review them here) as nothing about them is handmade. What you miss, is the components that you don't see in the shoe. Things such as the sole quality, the work behind it, the real leather stiffener, the real leather toe reinforcement and of course the best leather quality you will ever find. Higher end brands also have massive overhead, so they have to charge even more than a usual brand. For everyday people, $300-$500 is the best value area for shoes. As for other actually handmade shoes, they take 60-80 hours to make by HAND instead of 15-30 minutes by machine like Allen Edmonds. Of course the cost of labor will increase the price. If you are also the type of person that finds Allen Edmonds, Alden and American work boots elegant, there's nothing I can say that would convince you otherwise! The closest it would get is British Shoes. If you want my honest opinion, Crockett & Jones Handgrade is often not worth the price for what you get and you should stick to the regular line. Thank you for watching and happy Easter from Europe! /Kostas
@@MisiuAcademy I'm assuming that you are NOT insulting me by suggesting that I am 'an everyday person' ?! Whatever that means. Price of shoes or anything else for that matter is not always a gauge of 'quality' as one has to factor in labor costs and methods of fabrication(hand made vs. machine made). Hand made is often irregular and not as precise as machine manufacturing. Also the quality of many products today is deteriorating not just shoes, Mercedes for instance is not the car it used to be for example. Also when you speak of shoe aficionados you fail to mention 'snobbery' which is very much rooted in the English psyche . BTW as Canadian we have converted to the metric system decades ago but still operate in some areas with the Imperial system despite our American cousins to the south. Greetings for Easter and cheers!
Sorry, English is not my native tongue, of course I am not trying to insult you. Apologies! Of course price is not always a gauge of quality. This is especially the case with all designer shoes which are garbage and borderline fraud. As for the handmade debate, yes in many cases it is inconsistent in certain areas but I personally like that. In many ways we are indeed "snobs" when it comes to high end shoes! In a way, when you drive a Ferrari you don't want to go back to a FIAT right? As long as a shoe is at least somewhat aesthetically pleasing and you enjoy wearing it, I have nothing to say really! The most important part is that you enjoy what you wear personally. Thank you for taking the time to express your opinions and Happy Easter!
