I could not agree with you more, Justin. Buy what you like and what you can afford and don't get lost in the details. I own over 250 pairs of shoes from $95.00 Cole Haan Amazon deals and Bostonian on the low end and bespoke alligator skin wing tip oxfords from Gaziano and Girling that cost in excess of $5,000.00 on the high end, with everything in between. If I had to pick my absolute favorite pairs of shoes they would have nothing to do with price, stitches per inch or construction method. It's about how they fit, how they look and memories associated with them. My 4 favorites are a pair of Dexter penny loafers in burnished burgundy that I got in 1989. They have had the soles and heels replaced twice. The uppers are in perfect condition and nobody ever believes me that I got them in 1989. (Shout out to Bedo's Leatherworks for the last recraft!). Another favorite is a pair of Beckett Simonon Beaumont bit loafers in Oak color. These are probably the most comfortable pair of non-athletic shoes I have, bar none. I love the bit style loafer and these shoes are near perfection for me. Another favorite is my Allen Edmonds Woven Strand oxfords. A tropical twist on a classic with the woven leather parts. Living i Florida, these shoes get a lot of wear. Finally, I have a pair of your loafers that I adore. I have the Washington loafers in Dark Sapphire Suede and I love those shoes as well. (Also have the Haller loafer and Wenatchee oxfords also in the blue suede). None of my favorites come anywhere near my more expensive pairs of shoes, but they are great in their own rights. Don't get hung up on the details and buy what you like. If I have a piece of advice to share, go with the classic styles that are timeless if you are going to spend huge amounts of money on high end shoes so you can wear them for decades and go for middle to low end for the trendy stuff that will go out of style in a couple of years. Who cares if they can't be recrafted if you won't be able to wear them after a year or two because they are out of style or your tastes change?

Great talk. This has been a massive issue for decades in the IT world too. The "best" is always subjective. Is a Cisco UCS server great. Yes, but wow the cost for everything is off the hook. Is it faster or better engineered than say a Dell or HP, or other. Possibly, but you need to pick and choose for yourself which are best fit for purpose. My shoe journey is the same. I've purchased local options available, online options and each has pros and cons. If it makes you happy, it's a great buy for you. Same can be said for a car. Which brand is best will always create a huge debate. Something else to consider. If you splash for an very high end brand, with great detail, what happens when you take it to a local cobbler for resoling. Is the work on par? What comes back. If you have hand welted soles, and your cobbler doesn't see them often, you may be disapointed. Sure you can always send them back for work, but your costs can get out of control quickly. Replacing a side mirror on a Porsche will always be huge compaired to a Honda.

First, my wife approved of the Saphire Suede Chukka boots I picked up when I visited the shop last week. I also love them. Your rant is spot on. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder". I'm always in awe of how you "thread the needle" when giving those of us that follow you an honest review of a shoe while balancing all the things you referneced in your blog post. Thanks for taking your limited time to blog, unblox, etc. I appreciate it.

Buy lots of shoes of different brands an make up your own mind,… this is what I took away from this video & really aspire to do. Just bought my first pair of Crocket&Jones and Carlos Santos. Loving the journey 🙏💪👍

A great video and this is the approach that makes me want to support you and to learn from you :). As someone who's just getting into shoes, I have really appreciated your videos, and love the shoes I have bought from you, as well as where you have helped to steer me in looking at other brands. You will certainly continue to have my support!

So wise in your response! Who cannot understand this. I have come to this point in many things. There is the main thing no one else cares about!

Great video, Justin! I'm always comparing and trying to find who's "better". I waste way too much time doing this. My two problems now are finding ways to try on multiple brands without living near stores and finding out who uses the same grades of leather.

Love and respect your honest opinions Justin. As you said, there's no such thing as the best in the world it is all subjective. But from sports to tech and fashion there's always a war raging for the coveted 'GOAT' prize. Not sure you remember, but I visited your shop earlier in the month when I was in NY to meet you and had a nice little chat with you. Your fan from 'Straya!

Hey Justin. Impressed to see how your audio production has changed (I emailed you about it!) and thank you for this great piece of advice here. I just started my shoe journey and I can't tell you how much your content has helped me

Thanks fkr your great sharing and honest opinion, Justin. Can't agree more with you, it's pointless to compare and choose which brand is the best or No 1 shoemaker. If the shoes does not fit you, or the price is too high, the ranking and others opinion are just pointless. Have been a while into the quality shoe world, and my favourite pair is still my second pair, a pair from Meermin, which some 'experts' claimed it's a so so brand. Love the fit and comfort of it 😊 Always salute you for being honest and open when come to shoe knowledge sharing

I agree. I’ve worn nice shoes for 25 years now. I’ve found what styles I like and what works best for my feet.

So well said, I have tried many brands, my favourites.... the ones that fit best and suit my lifestyle, the quality of finishing, detailing etc fades into insigniifcance..... Yes I do admire the artisan in the designs, but that's an appreciation of the craft and art not what is best for me .... I do gravitate towards English shoes as I am English, that's part of my value set, I want to support my local industry........................... what is better is personal and only I can determine that, no one else!

I think some people are trying to make purchasing decisions and because they can only purchase many of these brands online, they are trying to make informed purchase decisions. Maybe I'm speaking for myself. Maybe not.

That last statement is the best bit of advice. Buy what you like.

Didn't even finish watching the video before I hit the like and subscribe button. Couldn't agree with the opening comments more! You can't be looking for a quality product and have such a narrow spectrum of $50-$100, even $200 in price differences. I am by no means wealthy. But when I decided Allen Edmond's quality had dropped below my expectations I realized I needed to expand my price range to get better quality. And I couldn't be like "ohh I get Alan Edmonds for $400 so who is better for $450?" lol

RESPECT!!!!!!!!

I think you are in somewhat of a unique position, given you know many of the makers. I also agree with you that saying a brand is 'Number 1' is very much a personal opinion. I mean, I would like to buy a pair of G&G shoes, or a pair of Oct 10th but, I can't afford to buy them - simple. I have lots of brands but I buy mostly on Ebay or 'lucky' charity shop /thrift store buys. I've really enjoyed my shoe journey and I enjoy well-made welted shoes - what can I say! I guess your point about the online client/blog readers/vlog watchers/shoe enthusiast being the ones trying to pin-point the 'best' brand is silly. Is this a guy thing? Maybe? Let's leave stitch density behind ;-) Thanks for taking the time to do these videos and for keeping it real. Regards Tony

5:35 - "Best but Cheapest". Exactly; it's a contradictory concept. As Ben Franklin famously quipped : 'The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.' I don't take this to mean you can't find value within price tiers, but rather that all-in-all, you get what you pay for, BROADLY speaking. Surely, I could search for shoes that are slightly cheaper than JF's with, potentially, similar quality, but frankly....for me there is so much more to the experience of purchasing shoes (cars, attire, etc). Things like the way the business owner comports him/herself, the level of professionalism experienced at the point of sale, a willingness to showcase competitors' products. In essence, this is how brand loyalty is achieved over time. Obviously I own other shoes and different prince points, but I like the way I FEEL when I put a JF pair, partly bc of what I remember about the purchasing experience, among other factors. SO for me, buying from a big box retailer or designer simply wouldn't' be the same. Obviously we all fall within certain price tiers, since money is finite for 99% of us, but search for an experience and a feel that you love, and you can not go wrong!

Good day Justin, please could you recommend retail shops where i can buy quality leather materials for shoe making.

Hello Justin, Can you explain a little about the practical benefits of very narrow waists in dress shoes- such as better arch support, or perhaps it enables a snugger fit around the foot? Or is it mostly just cosmetic ie a sign of expensiveness? Thank you :)

Great post Justin. Thank you for shearing.

I love your jacket Bro. Please let me know who your tailor is.

I am one of them:)) great video Justin. very good points.

Justin- Look good and feel good- It took far to long for me to understand, great advice thanks-

Do you know makers that would source leather/build with a sourced leather? The ones I've considered don't currently have the design I'm looking for

I greatly appreciate your post. It is quite bold for we as online consumers to demand you disclose who is the best and want to pay the least...and to expect YOU to definitively tell us for FREE....its a bit much (yep I went there)! HOWEVER, we do recognize that you do benefit from our loyalty and our clicks, likes, subs help your bottom line, so its not too much that we want you to help arm us with distinctive information that will help us determine what is best for us......and we cannot do that without you comparing brands. As online shoppers, the majority of us don't live in locations nor have the finances or the access to shoemakers (sending us shoes to review) to be able to make informed decisions about shoes from Vietnam, Singapore, China, Japan, England, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and the list goes on. If every good shoemaker had offices in the US we could visit, we'd have less of an excuse, but they don't, and yet we are supposed to shell out hundreds of dollars sight unseen, for something that may or may not work while you get to protect your friendships. I get your perspective as a designer, as a shoemaker, but don't forget our perspective from where we sit. You don't have to say who is best, but certainly you can say these are the qualities I appreciate in this shoe (brand) and compare the same qualities in another shoe from a different brand. If you're here to just pontificate about what you like....I'll pass, but if you want to help us, then help us differentiate what separates one brand from another and then we can better decide which is best for us! #onerantdeservesanother

I think every brand you have showed are all excellent. They have their own style.

WELL SAID JUSTIN! That's why you're the authority on fine footwear, Cheers.

any opinion regarding Berwick shoes? they're made in Spain and most (or all) of them are goodyear welted at a reasonable price.

Once I discoved shell cordovan, calfskin became pointless to me. When will you start using that material to make shoes and boots?

Definitely agree

What's the watch you're wearing?

I've always found comparing brands to be a bit pointless, but there seems to be an insatiable desire among enthusiasts to set rigid tiers among brands and conclusively state that brand X is superior to brand Y. I don't buy brands, I buy shoes. For any given brand, there are specific offerrings that really appeal to me and some that really don't. I'm always interested in candid reviews of specific pairs of shoes, but I scroll past any brand debates, which invariably devolve into so much pointless noise.

There’s a KZfaqr I won’t name who cuts shoes in half and judges their quality. I’d be curious to see an episode where you discuss this type of dissection generally.

So you take shoes out of a box and give a review on them. You don’t ware them yet you review the comfort level of the shoe, yet you don’t wear them🤔🤔 You don’t keep them you sell them. It would seem that your reviews of footwear are useless. Why would any manufacturer send you a shoe from this point on??