Good chat fellas, thanks for having me on! The only issue I have is how sad I look in the thumbnail

I’ve had Alden Indy boots for 6 years. I wear them more than any other shoe I own. They are dress boots, to be worn to the office and around the house. They won’t hold up to outdoor or work activity. I love them because they fit my feet extremely well. So comfortable. They are almost ready for a re sole

It does blow my mind that there are people out there who do not look at it from a utilitarian stand point of materials but thats why there is room for all sides

I would be happier with a $399 to $499 price range for the Alden Indy, and I own 4 pairs 😅. This is a great discussion, very interesting to get to have this level of awareness, as a consumer this is the kind of conversation we should have access to. Alden is a classic and respectable brand, and as such they should listen and improve, this is valuable for any brand that cares about customers. IMO 😉

Good talk. Weston’s channel has been great to revealing which emperor has no clothes. I think one way to think about Alden that hasn’t been mentioned is that if Alden’s materials are not in accord with $600-$1000 boots, then the justification for why the price is so high is that people are willing to pay mostly for the name and the former reputation. I have always wanted a pair because I like the look, but not for $600+.

Well done! I’m a huge Rose Anvil fan and this video made me know him and appreciate him even more than I already do. This may be the only one hour plus video I’ve ever watched. Hello, I’m Bob and I’m a boot nerd.

It's a good point that cost of living has a major impact on cost of production in a location. Most of the PNW boots are made in Spokane or other places in the boonies relatively speaking, Alden is a stone's throw away from Boston which is a relatively high cost of living area which means production there will cost more. People act like made in America is some huge boon but they don't talk about the fact that they're not making those boots anywhere near where you live. And don't get me wrong I don't want a boot made in San Francisco because it would cost even more than Aldens for the same quality of boot but we already have a microcosm of the global market going on just in terms of buying stuff made in the US where they make that stuff where it's cheap and ship it to you to sell. It's not significantly different to me if that's made in bumblefudge Minnesota, Leon Mexico, or China.

Great interview

I audibly said "YES" when weston was speaking about jeremy clarkson's ability to share his passion in a way you can understand regardless of your interest in the topic. Spot on

Diggin' through the shit, story of my life. I am 100% using this at some point in what's left of my time here on this planet. Great insight, outstanding interview all around, absolutely love this. Well done gentlemen.

We’re still talking about leather-board? No one has ever said Indy Boots are uncomfortable lol

Another great episode! I agree with both of you on the Indy Boots. I have a pair of 401s and 403s, and I wear them a ton. To me, the Trubalance last just fits my foot so well. The boots look great, and they are insanely comfortable to me. However, yes, there were some QC issues. I ended up sending both boots back for some repairs. One needed the upper leather re-stitched on the vamp as it was peeling up from the day I got them. The other one drove me crazy as the tongue would always slide down the side of my foot so it had to be sewed up higher. So while I do love the on-foot feel of my indy boots, no, they are NOT perfect. Far from it. So I'm with Weston here: are they bad boots? No. Are they overpriced boots? IMO, yes. Do I still like them? Yup. Will I buy more Indy boots in the future? That's to be seen. I would LOVE to see them improve their QC, and improve the quality of materials to more natural leathers. MORE LEATHER IS MORE BETTER. All of that being said, I also agree with Ben that I do love the fact that Alden is still doing it all in the US and maintaining the heritage brand that prioritizes making products in the US rather than shipping over to China and completely downgrading the quality of construction and materials (even more than they may have already done in order to control costs associated with American Made construction and labor costs). Like Weston said, I would love to see improved materials, but if that meant the cost of the boots increases by an extra $100 - $200, I'm probably out at that point. The boots are already expensive, and I feel like we could get a SLIGHT improvement on QC and materials for what we are paying. For now, I'm happy with my Indy boots, and wearing my 401s as I type this. Love the conversation, and I find any perceived drama over the expressed opinions to be quite hilarious. That's the fun thing here: no one is WRONG. Man, we are all such dorks! haha Love you guys.

Does anyone do this for the UK market? With UK made boots / USA boots that ship to the UK and a comparison in that market… price point of a USA boot + duty + shipping Vs. A UK made boot…

Rose Anvil is providing a needed service the industry. I personally will not ever pay north of $500 for a boot made with such inferior materials. It funny to see Alden fans try to justify these prices.

I am waiting in the next few more months if the Alden will increase the price again. after all the issues of them

Great conversation. Weston if you see this, get a pair of Russells for Moctober.

As someone whose gone alone at a few of these events, I can honestly say I’ve never been as comfortable in a group of total strangers as I am with this crowd…so basically, Weston come through to Bootcamp!

I like the look of Alden Indys but I won't pay more than $150 and that's why I would probably never own Alden 😂😂

I genuinely hate rose anvil. Before I found his channel I was happy with a pair of Nike tennis shoes. Since then I've averaged one new pair of boots every week or two. I've now got Vibergs, Grant Stones, a couple Red Wing Heritage, 3 pairs of White's, a pair of Nicks, a pair of Wescos, and 7 pairs of moc toes! My finances have suffered tremendously from this newfound interest.

need more wide widths. Agreed!

what is a Zonda? I want one!

I tend to agree with Weston on the Alden thing. Comparing $600 PNW boots to $600 Aldens, to me, is like comparing a $80k truck to $80k sedan. Yes, they are built differently for very different applications and needs but the components that make each up should be of equal quality. Really enjoyed the conversation and your perspective though, Ben! There can certainly be nuance and some intangibles when it comes to why we love the things we love.

One thing I wish people would look at is this: do you want to buy a boot where the cobbler resouls it with the exact same materials that were used originally. Or do you buy a boot that when it gets resouled the cobbler puts in better materials or adds things that were not in the boot originally. I have seen so many rebuilds where a mid soul is added to red wings. And leather board is replaced with leather in other brands/synthetics replaced with traditional materials.

I agree with both sides whole heartily, having said that i personally dont see the value in Aldens, but thats me. Also i desperately want that dangerously reductive t shirt

Dear aldenfanboys: When you hire a reputable contractor/engineer to build your house and paying considerable amount of money, what are your expectations with the output? Would you ignore, overlook if the engineer use inferior materials just because he has a reputable name? Of course, logically, when choosing reputable name +(plus) paying high price would be =(equals) to expectation ofquality result in almost/all aspects . , Perhaps the reason why many are disappointed with alden My 2cent

If the Indy’s were priced aroud $300-$400 I could see the value from a heritage and style perspective. Above that and I just can’t get with. I prefer Italian chelsea boots for dressier styles, and a more rugged American heritage boot for casual styles (can’t bring myself to buy Japanese boots for the price 😂). At what point does style, heritage, and materials = the cost to purchase? Hard to say

imo - this conversation is for entertainment purposes only. Weston is just helpful to new you tubers to get more subs. In stridewise side, hitching a ride with Weston is a brilliant way to start a channel. Kudos for this show🎉

That idea of a Nicks boot built on the TruBalance Last. Holy crap. Sign me up man.

Rose Anvil cut the Common Projects sneaker and it had a similar reaction to the Alden boots. The quality of materials arguably doesn't justify the price. At the end of the day, if there are reasons that you want to buy them and you enjoy them. Go for it.

It's silly to call Alden overpriced without taking into account the distribution and retail network. You can get a variety of Indy boots in-person in most major cities and on the internet, and have them on your feet within days. If you want White's or Nick's, both of which are great, you are looking at a wait time of something like 4-10 months. If White's or Nick's decided to take their most popular models, make thousands of them as stock, and have them distributed across the county, they would be substantially more expensive. They are different business models. But, as a throughline, availability/distribution is a component of cost, and any discussion about value/pricing/cost is grossly incomplete without factoring that in.

Regarding the Alden discussion, I think it’s hilarious that a bunch of people (not just Weston , but every boot nerd in the discussion) who seem to be so into the “work aspect” of boots seem to be completely ignoring the role of actual labor in the equation of boot prices. I don’t know how much any of these companies pay their workers, but if it turns out that Alden pays better salaries and gives better benefits to the people actually making the boots compared to the other American boot makers, then that’s something worth considering. If you actually care about labor and not just the labor aesthetic, then you should support the companies who treat their laborers the best, even if that means paying a little more. Does Alden actually do that? I have no idea. Maybe they treat their workers like crap. But that’s a big part of the investigation and conversation that is missing.

Why did Rose Anvil subscribers get unsolicited e-mails from Grant Stone?

Complains about the quality of a shoe that will last for a decade or more and then says the shoes he REALLY likes cause so many blisters and so much pain he has to take breaks from wearing them. Ever wonder why Alden are so much more comfortable?

He still doesnt get it. “Someone is going to make a better Alden”. It won’t be an Alden though. It will be a Grant Stone or something else. I own far more Nicks boots than Alden, but I appreciate for what Alden is. I still love my two pairs of 405s, even though I love my Nicks more. I could care less if they use leather board. They are super comfortable.

Lol 1:00:00 Hilarious. Alden apologist.

We all have a budget. I drive a $20,000 Ford. It's kind of hard to justify any car that cost over $100,000, and ask if I'm getting $100,000 worth of metal, plastic, glass, airbags........ What if that $100,000 car were fairly priced? It's like me asking when Weston is coming down to Panda Express to wash dishes alongside me.

1:00:50 Alden apologist 🤣🤣

You are s shill when you have links posted for buying the product, and you're getting a commission.

Im so tired of people defending Alden. Even if you’re a sucker and don’t care if you get fiberboard in the soles and heel and a split leather insole, they still have horrible qc. You literally cannot defend that. The evidence has been shown.

This tells you all you need to know about this guy. Trashes Alden for selling a boot that’s overpriced cuz of leather board midsole. Then he promotes a $600 boot made with foam…….. doesn’t quite add up