Augmenting Leather Soled Shoes with Rubber Pros & Cons?

June 22, 2010 5:44 AM

Mens Leather Soled Shoes: I've heard rumours that many people upon buying a new pair of leather soled shoes will have the leather sole 'augmented' with a thin rubber half-sole over the toe end. Can anyone confirm whether this is typical or unusual? Does it add longevity?

I've had quite a few pairs of leather soled shoes over the years for work. standard black mens leather shoe. But i've never been sure if I should have a rubber 'half-sole' added.

New leather soles are really quite slippery and i've heard that they can become water-logged quite easily and the rubber sole can help with this.

However I've also been told that the rubber stops the sole being able to breathe.

posted by mary8nne to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (10 answers total)

One brand of applied rubber is called "Topy," and it is a matter of some debate among people who care about these things. Here is the search for "Topy" at Style Forum where there are many threads debating just the merits and problems you've identified.

I have never done it, but have read that it increases the life of the sole. While I'm not sure I'd worry about the normal amount of moisture generated by just wearing the shoe with a Topy, I think I'd be concerned that if the soles actually got wet, like in the rain, they would not dry well.
posted by OmieWise at 6:05 AM on June 22, 2010

This was more common back when shoes were expected to last longer. I've seen many pairs of vintage shoes (men's and women's) with half-soles and -heels added on to save wear on the shoe itself. I am currently wearing a pair of 1940s (women's) vintage shoes still going strong for this reason. Not sure how much "breathing" the sole needs to do, especially in wet weather. Don't breathing soles = leaky soles?
posted by stuck on an island at 6:12 AM on June 22, 2010

I've heard of people sticking a rubber sole on new leather-soled shoes; and I was once offered leather shoes with a small rubber section built into the centre where most wear occurs.

I've never really seen the point - why buy leather soles and then put something else on? They say it makes the soles last longer; leather wears relativel quickly. OK, but then why not get 'man-made' soles to begin with? I'm told that you can resole leather shoes repeatedly, whereas if the sole was rubber or whatever to begin with, when it wears out, the shoes are more or less dead.

I'm not convinced, but FWIW that's what I've been told.
posted by Phanx at 6:12 AM on June 22, 2010

I do this with my expensive work shoes (but not on my inexpensive play shoes). Personally, I don't buy fully rubber-soled shoes for work; I think they look cheap. I don't commonly see really nice shoes with rubber soles, in any event.

If you really wear through the sole, you can damage the shoe. By adding that thin layer of harder material, the leather is protected. It doesn't change the look of the shoe at all in my experience.

On a cheap, wear-one-season shoe, I wouldn't bother. On a nice shoe, I say go for it. As they say, a $200 shoe will last exactly twice as long as a $100 shoe, but a $300 shoe will last a lifetime.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 6:25 AM on June 22, 2010

Response by poster: well I just bougth some £150 all leather shoes today (from Jones the Bootmaker) and i'm not sure if I should bother. I haven't in the past and I've never had a problem with wearing through the sole.
- I usually just get the heels re-done once or twice and then move on. (but i've never spent more than 200 say on a pair of shoes).
posted by mary8nne at 6:39 AM on June 22, 2010

A salesperson warned me not to have my boots covered with a thin plastic sole because a few customers had come back with split soles. Apparently, the plastic layer stops the leather from flexing normally and redistributes stress in a way the shoe isn't designed to handle.

I don't think this really happens very much but I thought I'd put it out there anyway as I was told this procedure would void the warrant on the boots. To answer your question, adding the plastic protection is commonplace and does prolong the life of the shoe.
posted by quosimosaur at 6:52 AM on June 22, 2010

warranty
posted by quosimosaur at 6:53 AM on June 22, 2010

I started having rubber soles put on my dress shoes after I nearly slipped and killed myself on a slick surface. Those leather soles are treacherous. I used to have to walk about a quarter of a mile from my car to my office and the leather soles would quickly wear through. I also had plastic taps put on the heel and toe to keep them from out quickly also. Having these things done made good economic sense.
posted by Daddy-O at 9:50 AM on June 22, 2010

I think it might depend on where you live. The pacific northwest can trash leather soled shoes in a single winter. They also save money, leather soles need replacing every couple of seasons, you can save a lot of time and money.
posted by fingerbang at 9:50 AM on June 22, 2010

I just bought a pair of shoes from Bally, and after reading similar accounts, asked them about adding a rubber half sole.

They not only did recommended it, but installed a Bally-branded half sole for me.
posted by quidividi at 7:43 AM on June 23, 2010