There is no "secret sauce" to shoe making
Red Wing, Iconic U.S. Shoe Maker, Labors Mightily to Bring Production Home
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There is no "secret sauce" to shoe making
Then how do we compete against $1 an hour labor cost?
Tell that to women who pays thousands for those Jimmy Choo shoes and Nike and Adidas who spend millions to patent their design.
Well maybe Red Wing needs to visit the US New Balance factory.
New Balance makes 33 shoe models entirely in the United States.
New Balance manufactures 9 models in the UK.
And they last a very long time - been through three pair in ten years, same model. I paid between $110 to $135 at a New Balance Store with a Manager discount. I would go through three pairs of Chinese NB before a single pair of US NB - so, it’s cheaper for me to buy one pair of US shoes at $135 than three pairs of Chinese shoes at $75 each (the Chinese shoes were lucky to last me six months. The seams always came apart or the soles delaminate). The Chinese stitching is really bad. With the US made shoes the upper material will literally wear thin over time but the seams and stitching and soles remain intact.
The US made NB Cross Trainer is the only training shoe I’ve ever purchased where the tread on the sole will wear out BEFORE the upper comes apart. The upper material where your little toe is will literally wear through on the US shoe - never got that far on a Chinese shoe.
For $209 you can order a bespoke US custom pair with colors you choose.
PS - I’ll get a Managers Discount at a New Balance store because when I get shoes I also get their orthotic insoles (which are the best in the biz), spare laces, and their socks which I really like. I will wear out socks and insoles and bust laces before the US made shoes give up.
New Balance makes 33 shoe models entirely in the United States.
New Balance manufactures 9 models in the UK.
And they last a very long time - been through three pair in ten years, same model. I paid between $110 to $135 at a New Balance Store with a Manager discount. I would go through three pairs of Chinese NB before a single pair of US NB - so, it’s cheaper for me to buy one pair of US shoes at $135 than three pairs of Chinese shoes at $75 each (the Chinese shoes were lucky to last me six months. The seams always came apart or the soles delaminate). The Chinese stitching is really bad. With the US made shoes the upper material will literally wear thin over time but the seams and stitching and soles remain intact.
The US made NB Cross Trainer is the only training shoe I’ve ever purchased where the tread on the sole will wear out BEFORE the upper comes apart. The upper material where your little toe is will literally wear through on the US shoe - never got that far on a Chinese shoe.
For $209 you can order a bespoke US custom pair with colors you choose.
PS - I’ll get a Managers Discount at a New Balance store because when I get shoes I also get their orthotic insoles (which are the best in the biz), spare laces, and their socks which I really like. I will wear out socks and insoles and bust laces before the US made shoes give up.
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Actually there is. It's science re: the mfg processes, materials engineered to fit the processes and processes engineered to fit the materials.
I’ve never ordered it personally. If you buy the US or UK made shoes you are also getting proprietary sole shock absorber materials in the sole that doesn’t compress over time. That is unique for the US and UK made line. For me, it had been SO much better than spending $75 every six months for Chinese shoes that were never even close to being as comfortable as the US made shoes. You’ll see plenty of hardcore runners in the New Balance store buying the US shoes, too. They will fit a runner for gate issues like pronation, overpronation, and supination.
You’d say different if you’d trained in the Chinese made New Balance and then tried the US made New Balance. See my comments above. There’s a big difference. Better materials, superior comfort, lasts three times as long for me. The stitching at the seams will not come apart on the US made shoes. The soles will not separate on the US made shoes. I’ll wear out socks before the US made shoes come apart.
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I paid $9.95 for my pair of no-name running shoes.
What you're describing is a result of cost cutting. There is no pixie dust to American made shoes.
What's next, high tech tooth picks?
Everyone's been making shoes for near two thousand years