# Are you frustrated by the soles of shoes and boots coming lose?



## Metalman (Dec 8, 2012)

I have multiple pairs of shoes and boots with bonded soles that are coming unbonded. My impression is that manufacturers of these products are either incompetent and uncaring or they are so clever that they design shoes and boots to fall apart so we consumers will have to buy more of the same.

Our most recent attempt to salvage some boots involves a product called ShoeGoo that a small town (Hearne, Tx) hardware store clerk recommended. He says it is great, but we will see how the latest repairs work.

We had used a Liquid Nails product with some success, but also some failures. Surfaces have to be extremely clean and dry for Liquid Nails to work. A Home Depot clerk claimed that he dad always used Gorilla Glue to repair his boots.

Recently, I was in an Academy Sports and Outdoors here in Houston for shopping and made a pass through the shoe/boot area to see what they might have to replace my failed shoes and boots. I noticed that one of the boots on display already had the toe piece disbanding from the toe of the shoe - which seems to give a new wrinkle on the term "shelf life." I decided that the display item told me all I wanted to know about the products at Academy.

My wife and I have had multiple pairs of New Balance walking shoes disbond. Right now we are trying to salvage a pair of Dunham steel toe boots that are falling apart. The toe of the left boot is disbonding in two planes and the heal of the right boot is doing the same. Until I recently retired, I was an engineering consultant and bought these steel toes for the occasional trip to fabrication shops that required steel toes. I probably wore these boots less than a dozen times for that purpose. I pulled them out for post-retirement work on our small farm and they quickly began disbonding. 

Are there any readers with experience in shoe / boot manufacturing or retailing that care to comment on the sorry state of bonded shoe soles? Are there experts in adhesives who can tell us how to find reliable products to replace the brands that fall apart?:grump:


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## unregistered5595 (Mar 3, 2003)

Possibly talk with CamM on HT.
http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/country-homemaking/crafting/445802-shoe-practically-complete.html
Let us see how things turn out! Best Wishes.


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## MichaelZ (May 21, 2013)

The quicker they fail, the quicker you buy another pair. Unfortunately, that seems to be the marketing strategy for many items. And if you buy shoes at Walmart, they can fail within a few months with athletic shoe soles that literally crumble into small pieces - they sell some really awful stuff. 

I replace my running shoes each year. Then I keep the old pair for just walking around the house or yard - if they are worn unevenly I will even saw them with a hack saw to make them even. Then I chuck the oldest pair I kept. This keeps me from using my good pair for anything but running. For dress shoes, I keep one pair for special occasions that I might bring out twice a year - in this way I can keep a nice pair of dress shoes for many years. 

So you might want to have a good pair of work shoes, running shoes, dress shoes, and don't use them any more than you have to. Instead use some old cast offs or maybe some second hand shoes.


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## fordy (Sep 13, 2003)

.................I have (3) pair of Red Wing work boots , the youngest pair being 9 years old ! Have never had any soles UNbonding from the boot itself . I have taken older red wings back to the shoe shop (named..."2 Heels and a Loafer") and had new soles added . Maybe some companies just use a cheap glue and don't care about customer satisfaction , although that is not a very astute marketing strategy . , fordy


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## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

It is hard to find well made shoes and boots. DH buys Red Wing work boots and they still hold up well. I usually buy Ariat boots and have had very good luck with them. Haven't owned a pair of walking/athletic shoes lately that I would recommend. At one time, Reeboks would hold up better but the last pair we got - didn't.


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## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

Never had that problem.


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## Ramblin Wreck (Jun 10, 2005)

Vasque once made all their trail boots in Italy, and they were great. The last pair I bought was made in China, and they were not so great. The same parent company also owns Red Wing, but I'm not sure where those are made.


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## Melissa (Apr 15, 2002)

I use shoe goo, actually Dollar General has a generic that works just as well. http://www.dollargeneral.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11787254

I keep some clamps and the glue in the laundry room and if a shoe is coming apart, I put some glue on it, clamp it down and leave it overnight. They are better than new, even if they get wet. I must be hard on shoes because mine are always falling apart, but I keep them going for years with shoe goo.


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## po boy (Jul 12, 2010)

Gotta a pair of Nike sole problems. 
Sole of one shoe came lose, had it repaired and the other did the same thing. All the soles came off back to the heel on both shoes.
I don't think shoe manufacturers have a soul!


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

Could you just dip your feet in this stuff like plier grips?


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## skeeter (Mar 23, 2013)

I generally buy Caterpillar steel toed boots for that kind of work or fiber "steel" toes for electrical shops. My youngest pair is about 14 years now and still in great shape. No unbonding and the leather is still going good. But maybe it is because they were made some time ago and are not made with new shoe construction techniques.

I know that I had that unbonding issue with the recent pair of Reebok tennis shoes. 

I just think things are not made well anymore but I do try to buy american made products if it is available. Shopping is becoming a true chore and I just don't like using the online stores that much. I definitely avoid Wal Mart. I find them to have more products made in China and their prices are higher than other places that I can go.


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## skeeter (Mar 23, 2013)

Somehow it posted twice....not sure how to delete it


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## NamasteMama (Jul 24, 2009)

Cheap china made crap. Shoe goo dosent last terribly long.


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## clong (May 9, 2009)

I wear Double H brand steel toed boots. Buy a new pair every year and keep 5 pair in rotation so that I wear a different pair each work day. When they hit 6 years old I put them in the goodwill box. I have never had a pair come apart and have been wearing them for 30+ years.


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## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

Melissa said:


> I use shoe goo, actually Dollar General has a generic that works just as well. http://www.dollargeneral.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11787254


This is my solution as well, although I blame some of it on the fact that here in KY you're working in wet grass/mud a big percentage of the time. Early morning even if it hasn't rained/isn't raining, I'm wet to the knee from the wet grass by the time I'm through with morning chores.

It doesn't last forever, certainly, but it certainly does extend the life of shoes/boots if things start separating.


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

I bought a pair of Danners when I went to work for the City in 1994. I worked in water ditches a lot, always wet, making leak repairs. Plus it rains a lot here. I still have them, put new soles on once (the company did it free, just sent them back). I greased them every month with bear grease, still look good and do not leak. I buy a new pair of Adidas basketball shoes every 2 years and wear the old pair another 2 at least, never had a sole unbond. I have always made house slippers for my family, double thickness elk hide soles with an arch support in between, with deerskin uppers. They get tough use, We wear them everywhere now that we are retired. DW beads hers. I just put new soles on as needed....James


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

The reason why this is happening is over the course of the past 5 years or so, manufacturers have switched from the vibram rubber soles to the new urethane soles. That is why you people with the 9 year 'young' shoes are still holding out. They have the old rubber soles.

We have yet to find a boot that lasts a year. Doesn't matter if its a china 50$ piece of junk or a 200$ USA made boot (good luck finding). If it has the new urethane sole, they aren't going to last. My latest pair is thorogood brand. I didn't wear them in the snow and I have avoided wearing them when its wet out. They lasted 6 months. Husband drilled holes into the edge of the sole and threaded twist ties though to keep the soles on. I can't afford to replace them right now.

The last pair of walmart tennis shoes I had, clearance for 5$, lasted 3 weeks.


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## TRAILRIDER (Apr 16, 2007)

Oh my goodness YES! I go through shoes and boots with molded soles frequently. I too keep them going with shoe goo. Did not know there was a generic, thanks Melissa! I wish boots were still made with hard leather soles that were stitched on. Yes, I know they wouldn't last long walking in the wet morning grass or a dirty horse stall. But you can wear wellies for that part of the day and relpace the soles (since they are stitched on). The best part of the hard leather soles was the support from a sturdy sole. The worst part was the sole was very slippery when new (break your neck on carpet) and took time to break in properly. 
The only shoes I wear now are Z-coils. They have a tractor spring in the heel for shock absorption and they are the only way I stay sound. I have several pairs of the hiking boots, work shoes, clogs and athletic shoes. They are great for my feet, but I wear the soles right off in a matter of a couple months. This is what they look like:
http://www.zcoil.com/


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## Gianni (Dec 9, 2009)

I have had good luck with Whites Hawthorn brand. The last pair went 11 years with one resole. This pair is one one resole/partial stitch @ 5 years but i laid a motorcycle down which contributed greatly to the boots wear.


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## GoldenCityMuse (Apr 15, 2009)

Soles used to sewn /stitched or nailed. Now they are glued, and made of urethane, which simply does not have inherent strength.


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

"The reason why this is happening is over the course of the past 5 years or so, manufacturers have switched from the vibram rubber soles to the new urethane soles. That is why you people with the 9 year 'young' shoes are still holding out. They have the old rubber soles.

We have yet to find a boot that lasts a year. Doesn't matter if its a china 50$ piece of junk or a 200$ USA made boot (good luck finding). If it has the new urethane sole, they aren't going to last. My latest pair is thorogood brand. I didn't wear them in the snow and I have avoided wearing them when its wet out. They lasted 6 months. Husband drilled holes into the edge of the sole and threaded twist ties though to keep the soles on. I can't afford to replace them right now."

THIS ^^^

Oh yeah. I've worn USA assembled New Balance for years, and the change is more than noticeable. I even wrote a review (second one on the list)

http://www.holabirdsports.com/new-balance-587-nv-men.html#ReviewHeader

What I miss is that it used to be possible to get a cheap pair of slipper/moccasins that had NO sole, just the leather coming up around the foot and a cap on top. They had to have been cheap to make and they were great for indoor use - the leather on the bottom breathed more and the foot was allowed more flexibility. I haven't seen them around in years. I used to buy a couple pair at a time, they were so inexpensive.


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## SJSFarm (Jun 13, 2012)

E6000 is another product that works great. I've used it on a few pairs of shoes from the SA. 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004BPHQWU/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1374088763&sr=8-1&pi=SL75


I also use it for my girls headpieces. They do synchronized swim and this holds the wire for the headpiece on without sewing it. It stands up to chlorinated water and remains flexible for a long time. It tolerates mud and muck just as well.


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## Old John (May 27, 2004)

I have actually had pretty good Luck with boots & work shoes from Wal-Mart. 
Last time they didn't have anything I wanted. So I got a pair of Justin Boots. I do believe it's the best pair of boots I ever wore. They're kinda heavy though
I think I got them at "Boot City, at Terre Haute, IN.


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## backwoods (Sep 12, 2004)

I've been noticing a lack of quality in EVERYTHING I buy. It makes me wonder if we're in the beginning stages of what Ferfal @ The Modern Survivalist said about their(Argentina's) $ value going down, and all products quality went down along with it. You could still buy Oreo's, but they weren't the same as they had been before, were smaller, had less filling, less chocolatey tasting...


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## Phil V. (May 31, 2013)

I've good luck with Carolina work boots.


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## How Do I (Feb 11, 2008)

I will only buy Timberland work boots. Somewhat pricey in stores, but I get mine through ebay and catch a pair that are around $50 - $60. They usually last three or four years. I bought a pair of Wal-Mart boots while working for a plumbing company many years ago. The first day, the boots failed (sole came lose from the bottom) and we were walking around in about an inch of water all day. By the end of the day my feet were covered with blisters. I won't give WM boots a second chance after that.

I usually buy Nike for running shoes. I was looking for some a couple of weeks ago and most all of them now look like clown shoes. I'm partial to white/grey trim or white/blue trim. Only thing I could find is New Balance. Never tried them before, but they are very comfortable. Just hope they last as long as the Nike. I've never had Nike soles fail like that.


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## bouvi (Jun 1, 2013)

for boots it is hard to beat Asolo


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## TedH71 (Jan 19, 2003)

I've always had to replace shoes every 6-9 months. I can only wear certain brands of shoes because they accommodate my extremely wide feet (New Balance is one).


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## blooba (Feb 9, 2010)

TedH71 said:


> I've always had to replace shoes every 6-9 months. I can only wear certain brands of shoes because they accommodate my extremely wide feet (New Balance is one).


Only certain shoes from New Balance are made in the USA. It's becoming fewer and fewer it seems. So far I have had good luck from them. (3 yrs of everyday use)

http://www.newbalance.com/USA/40015,default,sc.html?sz=71


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## Awnry Abe (Mar 21, 2012)

I don't have that exact breakdown. The first point of failure on any shoe/boot I have ever owned is where the upper part to the inside of the big toe knuckle. (I don't know my foot OR shoe anatomy). It is always the right foot that goes first, followed by the left. Must be my Fred Astair like dance moves. I have not had a pair of boots last more than a year, in recent memory. It is just an annual expense that I would rather not incur.


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## o&itw (Dec 19, 2008)

I have some good heavy steel toed work boots for certain jobs. Other than that my work shoes are my stained or worn everyday shoes. I used to buy stuff like Nike, Reebok, and New Balance etc, but I found that I tear up those shoes fairly fast and they aren't inexpensive. I finally settle on cheapo $15 shoes from K-mart. They last about 3 months for everyday shoes, then get moved down to chore shoes for another 3 months and by that time they are falling apart. Don't remember the bran "Atheletix" or something along that line.

It works pretty well for me as I would wear out a pair of the "expensive" athletic shoes in about three months.

Last year the company I work for decide that the required "service oxfords" for foot wear. Looked around on line and found a brand called "Slip Grips" for about $65. They have held up for everyday use for almost a year now. Since I used to go through a pair of good work boots (>$150) about every 9 months, I am really impressed with them. They look like they will probably hold up for another year. 

They aren't pretty, but their wear ability is impressive. 
http://www.slipgrips.com/Products/66/5332/SlipGrip,-Steel-Toe,-Slip-Resistant-,Oxford/#.UelxS6zHySo

I should add that they are among the most comfortable shoes I have every owned.


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## lmrose (Sep 24, 2009)

I have problem feet and have to wear special orthodics and special made shoes. One pair cost $ 160+ and would last about three years. I had to buy a new pair this year and had the old ones also resoled. Three months later the resoled pair had sole coming off at the toe and back. The new shoes are parting at the toe. They changed the kind of sole they put on these shoes. I used a Crazy Glue I bought at the Dollar store to reglue the soles. So far they are holding. I put glue on the sole and the upper part, pressed them together and weighted them down with heavy weights for three days. I will see how long the repairs last.


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## reubenT (Feb 28, 2012)

been experimenting with boots for about 30 years, from my searching it looks like Whites are about the best brand, used by a lot of fire departments. I plan on getting some but so far they're beyond my budget. Been getting by with used boots from a store call French's. Can usually find some decent ones for $25 or not much more. The first boots I got from there some years ago lasted 2 years, American made Chippawah's But then the quality fell off fast and I discovered the cheap made ones were made in China. Now 6 mo to a year is all I get from almost new ones. I wear boots almost full time in all kinds of conditions including manure, mud, wet and dry. logging and haymaking, etc. I work em hard. Sole separation is a recurring problem, shoe goo and sheetrock screws keep em going for awhile.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

reuben you are in the same situation we are. I looked at those slip grips. All made in china and no hightops. too bad, they looked promising.


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