Chuck Taylor durability techniques?

July 14, 2008 11:46 AM

What can I do to keep my Chuck Taylors from completely disintegrating within a few months of purchase?

I've been wearing good old Converse All-Star Chuck Taylor high-tops since high school, and although I like the way they look, they seem to be designed to be increasingly disposable over the years, so that I'm finding the rubber disintegrating and the lining in the bottom of the shoe coming unglued within a matter of a few months.

I still like the shoes, I'm just wondering if anyone has any tips on prolonging their useful life. Does adding inserts help? Is there some kind of treatment I can apply or something? Should I just give up on them in favor of a more durable brand (and if so, any suggestions)? Basically I want to increase the time between when I take them out of the box and when they're dangling from a telephone wire.

(Oh, BTW I've seen this previous question, but I'm looking for specific suggestions as to ways to increase the shoe lifespan.)

posted by whir to clothing, beauty, & fashion (24 comments total)

Do you wear them every day? Buy two pairs and wear them alternate days. Works for most types of shoes, might well work for chucks.
posted by nowonmai at 11:56 AM on July 14

You have to wax the bases.
posted by parmanparman at 11:58 AM on July 14 [1 favorite]

I probably wear them about once every other day, maybe a little more often than that, but they still seem to fall apart awfully quickly.

parmanparman, what do you mean by waxing the bases? Is that the inside of the shoe? And wax them with what? (I'm not very familiar with shoe-related technology, as you can see.)
posted by whir at 12:03 PM on July 14

I like Chucks too, but I'm pretty sure they are meant to be tossed every year or so. I've never had a pair that held up well and I'm generally careful with my footwear.

People seem to like tossing these in the washing machine to clean them - I avoid that and usually clean them by hand under the faucet when possible.

It's the soles that wear out the fastest on mine. They seemed to be layered from soft rubber which wears quickly and doesn't stay glued up that well anyway.

I'm not sure what you could replace them with. There are lots of imitators out there, some better made I'm sure - you'd just have to shop around.
posted by wfrgms at 12:04 PM on July 14

I have a few pairs of Chucks and some other similar shoes. I have Dr. Scholl's in them and try to alternate as much as possible. I can get a good 2 years out of them.
posted by disaster77 at 12:05 PM on July 14

I think they're expected to be tossable. Buy a pair of Tretorn's instead, they're very hardwearing.
posted by fire&wings at 12:22 PM on July 14 [1 favorite]

The structural failure for me was the sole separating from the sides. The solution, wrap duct tape around the shoe.
posted by drezdn at 12:27 PM on July 14

I have the same problem. I wear them basically every day and get 8 or 9 months out of them. I don't think there is a solution. I thought about maybe buying those leather Chuck Taylors, but the issue is not that the canvas gives out - it's everything else.

Every time it's the same thing - First month my right pinky toe hurts. Second month they don't look BRAND new anymore. Third month the shoes start to look really good. Fourth month the paint on the starts starts to wear out. Fifth month the black rubber lines start to fall off. Sixth month the "ALL-STARS" logo comes off the back and they start to look a little haggard. Seventh month the foam under the insole starts to come apart. Eight month the interior lining gives out. Ninth month I keep my eye out for slaes at Kohl's or JC Penny.

And so it goes. Chucks keep you laced in to the magical clockwork of life. Sunrise, sunset and all that. You know.
posted by dirtdirt at 12:35 PM on July 14 [1 favorite]

You could try the Blackspot Sneakers which are supposed to be better made. Though at $88, you could buy two pairs of Chucks and alternate which would probably last just as long. The simple fact is that since Nike took over, the materials and construction are crap and there's really no way to get around that other than buying more pairs and alternating.
posted by junesix at 12:43 PM on July 14

I've been wearing Chuck's (low top, white) almost every day, for something like 30 years now. They never last more than nine months to a year or so, and I even put'm through the ringer of never wearing socks. The tread at the balls of the feet wears through, the "hinge" at where my toes bend wears the rubber and canvas away, the inner lining rots away, etc. I have three extra pair in my closet for this very reason.

As dirtdirt suggested, the only preservation you need to be concerned about is your connection the wonder that ties your Connies into your life.
posted by elendil71 at 1:01 PM on July 14

I wear the Monochrome Blacks and they don't seem to fall apart as fast or look as worn, because of the black blackness (like my heart).

I've also used rubber cement under loose flaps of the rubber to keep them from getting looser.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 1:04 PM on July 14 [2 favorites]

Have you contacted Converse about this? They may offer you a replacement if this happens again. They most likely have suggestions about recommended ways to take care of them, but you could also let a shoe repair shop have a look.
posted by wannaknow at 1:17 PM on July 14

I used to have the same trouble, and I found a rotation of shoes helped a lot, but I am also pretty sure I was hastening the disintegration by using a lot of foot powder - You don't happen to sprinkle any salycylic-acid based stuff in there?
posted by mzurer at 1:24 PM on July 14

Check Ebay for old chucks. Some are slightly used and some are even "new old stock." You may pay a little more because of the desirability factor, but they'll last much longer. I like buying slightly used shoes because I prefer my shoes to already be broken in.
posted by MaryDellamorte at 1:58 PM on July 14

I'm not using any foot powder, no, and I almost always wear socks with the shoes. I don't usually put them in the washing machine, either.

What's the theory behind rotating shoes? I mean, assuming I'm doing approximately the same things, won't two pairs of Chuck Taylors just give me twice the lifespan of one pair? (That is, what's the advantage of buying two pairs at once over just buying them one after another?)

Have you contacted Converse about this?

I'm trying to imagine how my conversation with them would go, and I might actually try this just because it sounds kind of funny. "Hi, every pair of shoes I've bought from you over the past twenty years or so has fallen apart after a few months. Can you send me another pair?"
posted by whir at 2:00 PM on July 14

If there's a solution, I'd love to hear it too. We're working on the assumption they're essentially disposable shoes. My bf ONLY wears size 13 chucks (low top), is notorious for being hard on his shoes, lives in always wet vancouver, and I think they're averaging about 6 months each. The stitching is usually the first to go, they pretty much just disintegrate until there's not much holding the sole to the canvas (or the canvas together, for that matter). He does however usually wear the same ones, every day, until they die. It does kinda explain why he has 14 spare pairs in his closet, though.. (That, and the fact that size 13 is hard enough to find, and her prefers the Jack Percells. When he finds any, he buys the store out.)
posted by cgg at 2:04 PM on July 14

What's the theory behind rotating shoes?

With leather shoes, I believe the theory is that rotating two or three pairs allows them to dry completely between wearings. I don't know if that applies to canvas shoes, but, then again, I don't know why it wouldn't.
posted by box at 2:13 PM on July 14

I wear chucks everday and most tend to fall apart after a few month. Then I spent a few more bucks and got Chuck's made by John Varvatos (example 1 2 and 3)

These shoes are way more comfortable and this pair has lasted me about six months now (and still look brand new). GL :)
posted by boyinmiami at 2:49 PM on July 14

I don't know if they are made anymore, but the steel toed Chuck's lasted much longer than the regular ones.
posted by Svenny at 2:54 PM on July 14

Are you sure you're wearing the right size? If the shoe is too large, then your foot might be moving too much inside the shoe and causing the extra wear. The high-tops can camouflage this problem since the top can be laced tight but everything else is loose.

My feets seem to be the perfect size for my Chucks. My last pair, made right after the Nike takeover and the subsequent move of production to China, lasted three years with regular wear. The American-made ones were better made (if you can believe it) and were cheaper. Those were the days.
posted by meowzilla at 2:59 PM on July 14

yeah the varvatos models cost more but last longer, look on eBay for deals
posted by matteo at 3:15 PM on July 14

My old coworker, the sort of college-aged punk-rock type who wears Chucks, used to hold forth vociferously every so often on how Chucks were No Longer The Same since the offshoring of production to China, and he wasn't the sort of guy who held really strong opinions on the globalization of manufacturing.

I suspect Chucks just suck these days and you'll have to find another option.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 5:50 PM on July 14

I'd advise using some inserts anyway. Those things have NO arch support -- you might as well walk around barefoot. Even if you don't have foot problems now, you might save yourself some pain down the road.
posted by Camofrog at 6:48 PM on July 14

Try the leather if you can find some on sale. Mr. Artychoke wears Chucks all the time, but he used to complain that they hurt his feet of he stood up all day. Several years ago, I found him some leather Chucks on clearance. He said that they had much better support and were more comfortable than canvas. They lasted at least two or three years. (And even then, they didn't fall apart, they just started looking really crappy.) Those were only $30 on clearance, his new replacements were, like, $70 at Converse.com, but it seems worth it.
posted by artychoke at 10:06 PM on July 14