Shoe Repairs - Are they Worth It?

Cotta

Hi All,

I have a really good pair of shoes, however the souls are becoming dangerous to walk in especially when it's wet as they've lost their grip.

My question is, is it worthwhile going to a cobblers to get new souls put on or is this a waste of money and am I better off buying a new pair of shoes?

pollyanna_26

It can be a difficult one nowadays . Depending on what your soles and heels are made of can be big factor . Some can be given a new lease of life others are more of a disposable item . You mention a cobbler , if you are lucky to have a traditional cobbler nearby it is worth speaking to them . The chain repairers can be hit and miss regarding repair .
polly

Any

My OH's shoes are leather and I do have them re souled.
My shoes are ones that have only plastic/rubber sole, and they are often not repairable.
I suppose you could have a new rubber sole glued on, but not all surfaces are suitable.
And then question is about cost/how comfy and damaged the shoes are.


For some, I would pay anything for them to be still usable as I struggle to buy comfortable shoes.
But often when the sole got to that stage the leather on top is scratched, worn down and they are no longer worth repairing.

purpleybat

oddly i had this discussion with a work pal the other day.
he'd just collected a pair that had been re-soled and it had cost him the best part of £20, I asked would it not be worth buying a new pair, but he said they were an expensive pair and the upper leather was still good as new.
in that respect I would say it is worth it, with my shoes that never cost over £20 i'd say no its not.

pollyanna_26

I have 2 pairs of identical knee length boots from Jones the bootmaker about 17yrs ago . They've been soled and heeled twice and kept on boot trees are almost as good as the day I bought them .
Ditto a few pairs of ankle boots . I find the poor quality in a lot of footwear makes it a poor buy as all of it isn't as cheap as chips .
I prefer to look after what I own . M&S until a few years ago did decent ankle boots which are the ones I still have . They aren't like that any more and the prices are ridiculous for much reduced life and quality .
A good renovating polish ( I think the one i use is in a tin and Cherry Blossom ) removes and covers scuffs , scratches and faded areas .
polly

Nicki

Yes depends what you mean by "really good". If they cost £100+ and are otherwise in good condition with no scuffing, then some early maintenance will be money well spent. If they look down at heel or were cheap in the first place probably better just to put the money towards a new pair

Pollycat

Cotta wrote: »

Hi All,

I have a really good pair of shoes, however the souls are becoming dangerous to walk in especially when it's wet as they've lost their grip.

My question is, is it worthwhile going to a cobblers to get new souls put on or is this a waste of money and am I better off buying a new pair of shoes?

It depends what you mean by 'a really good pair of shoes'.

My OH has a pair of handmade shoes which were very expensive when he bought them.
They have been looked after and it is worth having them soled (which is not cheap, much more expensive than £20) as they are very comfortable and a lovely, unusual burgundy colour.

They were resoled by a proper cobbler, I'd never take them to somewhere like Timpsons.

PasturesNew

If they're cheaper shoes and you simply don't want to let them go but the cost is more than the shoes cost ... you could DIY and buy some leather and glue and DIY ....

My shoes mostly cost £4-10, so buying new would be the order of the day.

Pollycat

NOTE:
The thread is almost 2 years old

I've marked the post by marvenj as :spam: as in another post they recommend a website.

Mistral001

Pollycat wrote: »

NOTE:
The thread is almost 2 years old

I've marked the post by marvenj as :spam: as in another post they recommend a website.

I find it an interesting topic nonetheless and one that I have not seen recently. So here are my thoughts for what they are worth.

I repair all my shoes myself (men's shoes). I can double or treble their life by doing this, so I think it is worthwhile.

You can buy a kit containing a sole and glue for about £6 on ebay to put on a new sole. They last probably about half the life of the original sole, so might not be too money-saving for the very cheapest shoes

When the leather de-bonds from the sole, I use UHU glue on sole and leather and put the shoe in a vice for about an hour. This usually works for a few months only, but if de-bonding occurs at the heal, glue and small self-tapping screws (point pointing downwards) makes a very secure job which lasts up to a year in many cases.

Siebrie

I have just picked up my hiking boots, they have completely new deep profile soles for €80. New hiking boots would cost me around €200. The boots are 17 years old, and have been on many hiking trips.