Cobblers, shoe care, DIY

[eleves]

Great! So the positive reviews for them are warranted. Looks like I've found my cobbler for NYC then.

Nice! The boots look awesome and I'm glad you had a good experience. The first time I went and pulled out some Rick Owens shoes and they immediately knew it as Rick Owens and I was sold! I wonder which SZ'er was responsible for setting the wheels in motion and being the first one from the site to try that place out. I was absolutely lost cobbler wise until I heard of the Firm from this site. I almost went to Leather Spa!!!!

[macutay]

I would think its just the leather. My pair of new Guidi hiking boots squeaked or made a "crunchy" sound that went away after a week of hard wear. If they are brand new, I would wear em hard for a while and see if the sound goes away. If it doesn't, then it probably is the lining problem that dji described.

Hi returning son, just curious... was it both of your boots that squeaked or just one? So far it's only been my right boot, been wearing them everyday for the past week since I got them back from getting Vibram'd. Hopefully it goes away by maybe next week, I'm starting to believe it may actually be an air pocket judging from the sound it makes from just rolling my heel back and forth on a surface such as wood floor.

[Lohikaarme]

Any good cobblers in LA? I'm thinking of getting my Guidi sidezips resoled, especially since the heel is getting really worn down. I'm thinking of having a Dainite sole stitched on.

[apathy!]

I have a couple of questions.

Should I buy some high quality glue to fill up these cracks in my sneaker's midsole or is that a waste of time?

http://i.imgur.com/JteLcRI.png

What protection do you recommend for these soles?

http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I/71B0bE-gpJL._UY1600_CR0,0,1190,1600_.jpg

are taps loud when walking on concrete?


thanks

[Null12]

both times i used the firm they were very reasonable.

Null12 i bought mine new and they showed up with a heel tap. i am glad its there...

Yeah, I thought that was the feeling. I finally had sometime to go to the shop and leave mine for some Vibram and heel taps. Hope they come out cool so I can finally give them wear.

[excelsiom]

I'll add another recommendation for Firm Shoe Repair NYC near Union Square. Had them re-sole the heel of a pair of boots as well as a small stitching fix. I dropped it off Saturday and they estimated it would be done today and it was. Not the fastest, but I appreciate them sticking to their estimated date. They also didn't charge very much. The stitch fix and the re-sole look very neat and clean. I'll upload a picture of the re-sole later in case anyone wants to see what their work is like. Not sure what brand of sole they used (it wasn't Vibram), but he assured me it was good quality. I hope he was right.

my favorite repair shop in ny. brought some geos in the other day for the first time and asked about building the heel back up. man at the counter reached into a barrel of shoes and pulled out not one, but two more pairs to show me exactly how it'd be handled. which one of you had the size 44-45s in black python ... ? anyway, i felt the love. take your rick here.

[kkfho]

Don't think anyone have asked this yet.


Does anyone know of a good cobbler in HK?

Going there in a week and need to get my guidi done.


Thanks!

[savant]

I'm just trying to minimize the rubber wear on drips so just want to check if anyone here heel tap theirs? Advisable to or not really? Have thought about it but just afraid it might look awkward

[other_animals]

Any good cobblers in LA? I'm thinking of getting my Guidi sidezips resoled, especially since the heel is getting really worn down. I'm thinking of having a Dainite sole stitched on.

Arturo's > hand's down. My family and I have been sending our shoes and bags there forever. Excellent work, fair price.

[okayvin]

I'm just trying to minimize the rubber wear on drips so just want to check if anyone here heel tap theirs? Advisable to or not really? Have thought about it but just afraid it might look awkward

some people use "Shoe Goo" brand glue to reinforce the soles of their skateboard shoes. It should work for drips while being less intrusive than taps. They have clear goo and black goo.

[magic]

Anyone can recommend a good shoe cream or moisturiser?

[okayvin]

lexol

[nomemorial]

I just bought a pair of Guidi 992s brand new -- the representative compared the current season version (which I purchased) and the previous season's model to explain a difference in the leather. He mentioned that the previous season was a higher quality Cordovan, but the newer season is a treated leather for better weatherproofing (he was not entirely sure of the leather itself).

Now, this is my first pair of Guidi shoes, so my knowledge is not really there. Even worse, I live in a place not so convenient for trustworthy cobbling (on a shoe of this caliber, at least). Does anyone know of a great cobbler I could ship to with confidence?

Furthermore, this really textured, rough leather has me a bit confused as to the best way to condition it without ruining the roughness or matte color. I've read through the thread and looked at a lot of products, but does someone else with these shoes have a recommended product? Thanks.

[applecrisp]

I have a pair of the "painted" (not drum dyed) horse Guidi backzips and I was wondering what product I should use to make sure the leather doesn't dry out.

Do I just use regular boot oil? Venetian Shoe Cream?

I want to maintain the matte finish and I don't want to remove the dye, so I don't want to use anything that will remove it. I'd also love to maintain the great smell of the leather, but obviously this may not be possible.

Thanks.

[djt00]

I have two older cobblers that I use. Both are understanding and very skilled. It's always nice to see how they appreciate good leather boots. :) Most people don't buy well-made shoes or boots in this part of world. He just told me that it's sad to see how people keep buying cheap shit shoes which are not worth any kind of repairing. Vibram half-sole plus heeltap cost 35€. I'm not sure if it's expensive, but here everything is expensive.