Hello everyone , I'm a new member in the LL and this is my first topic . I'm wondering if anyone has any feedback on Bally scribe collection . They are supose to be the hand made collection ..I have just tried on a full brogue style in their shop in Athens and they looked and felt good . Are they really hand made and does anyone know of their quality ?
thanks
BALLY SCRIBE SHOES
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HappyStroller
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A very warm welcome to this place, Yialabis.
I have always found Bally shoes to be of the best quality (by my personal standards, i.e.,) and a very good buy for the amount of money paid.
I bought a pair of Bally Scribe shoes many, many years ago; perhaps, fifteen years ago. I was shocked at the price which was comparable to off-the-rack Testoni shoes. You were supposed to return to the Bally outlet where the shoes would be sent back to the maker or something like that so that they had an idea of how the shoes had been worn by you after six months. That was supposed a new way to help your shoes last longer, I assume. But I never returned to that outlet, being too lazy. The Scribes were black Balmoral captoes.
Last year, a small part of a front corner of the wooden heel chipped off, so I had the heel replaced cheaply with a rubber one by an inexpensive shoe repairer. Actually, I seldom wore the shoes except for attending weddings, being my best pair. The real reason could have been that it proved to be too loose for my size 12D feet, even though the Scribes were size 11E.
Were they good? Let's just say I would buy another such pair again if they're available.
I find the better brands, whether Bally, Church's or Johnston & Murphy (no experience of shoes of higher class, sorry), have stiffer captoes, which helps in polishing them to a mirror finish. My personal standard for a mirror finish is one where you can see your eyeballs clearly. Bally leather tend to have a special plastic and smooth surface, another reason for liking them..
I have always found Bally shoes to be of the best quality (by my personal standards, i.e.,) and a very good buy for the amount of money paid.
I bought a pair of Bally Scribe shoes many, many years ago; perhaps, fifteen years ago. I was shocked at the price which was comparable to off-the-rack Testoni shoes. You were supposed to return to the Bally outlet where the shoes would be sent back to the maker or something like that so that they had an idea of how the shoes had been worn by you after six months. That was supposed a new way to help your shoes last longer, I assume. But I never returned to that outlet, being too lazy. The Scribes were black Balmoral captoes.
Last year, a small part of a front corner of the wooden heel chipped off, so I had the heel replaced cheaply with a rubber one by an inexpensive shoe repairer. Actually, I seldom wore the shoes except for attending weddings, being my best pair. The real reason could have been that it proved to be too loose for my size 12D feet, even though the Scribes were size 11E.
Were they good? Let's just say I would buy another such pair again if they're available.
I find the better brands, whether Bally, Church's or Johnston & Murphy (no experience of shoes of higher class, sorry), have stiffer captoes, which helps in polishing them to a mirror finish. My personal standard for a mirror finish is one where you can see your eyeballs clearly. Bally leather tend to have a special plastic and smooth surface, another reason for liking them..
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yialabis
Thank you for the welcome and your reply , you have been helpful ... I have to agree that they seemed as a good quality. The best range shoes I have are a pair of the hangrade of crockett and jones ..and a couple of N& L. I don't think Bally are as good but they seemed to be quite slick ..!!
My cognac derby full brogues look better after a couple of years than the day I first wore them, but the double sole is beginning to split on the instep. A handsome shoe, the materials and the stitching look good, they fit well (to my feet); perhaps more knowledgeable members can comment on how well they are constructed (the issue I mentioned is not a good sign). The flashy current collection presented on their website has little to do with the conservative designs they used to employ.
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timekeeping
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When first launched, the Scribe line of shoes were classically inspired, almost British in style and goodyear welted, with simple model names (Scribe number 1 was a captoe oxford and number 4 was a loafer, I believe). They were great shoes, perhaps a bit overpriced. The novelty of a voucher that entitles the owner to have the shoes factory refurbished at any time was a good selling point.
In around 2001/2002, Bally released new, less conservative Scribe models that used a different construction where the sole stitching is not across the entire sole but only around the arches of the foot (half channeled sole, if there is such a thing? no visible stitching in the in soles....). Mine are of that vintage and has started to split as well.
The black derby Scribe have served me well and there is no reason why it should not to continue to do so, despite the splitting sole. I have sadly lost the refurb coupon. It would be great if a fellow LL member can elaborate on what that is all about.
In around 2001/2002, Bally released new, less conservative Scribe models that used a different construction where the sole stitching is not across the entire sole but only around the arches of the foot (half channeled sole, if there is such a thing? no visible stitching in the in soles....). Mine are of that vintage and has started to split as well.
The black derby Scribe have served me well and there is no reason why it should not to continue to do so, despite the splitting sole. I have sadly lost the refurb coupon. It would be great if a fellow LL member can elaborate on what that is all about.
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yialabis
I would agree to the fact that they are a bit pricy if the construction is not as good . The brown full brouges I'm looking at are 500 euros on sale ..That is including the shoe trees !
I don't know ..I mean I can get a pair of C&J or even a pair of Trickers that I very much respect too .. I beleive they are on sale at the moment aren't they ?
I don't know ..I mean I can get a pair of C&J or even a pair of Trickers that I very much respect too .. I beleive they are on sale at the moment aren't they ?
You will find a "permanent sale" at the Bally outlet in Parndorf, Austria. But that's on the highway between Vienna and Budapest... I paid arround 300 EUR for mine. No shoetrees.
I have to say I feel the Bally of the last 5 years or so are poorly constructed. I have had 2 pairs which cannot be worn because the sole opens. I had them sent back to Bally's (I travel to Switzerland often, so less a problem) twice, they were nice to fix the problem, but it re-occurs within 3 months (maybe only 2 or 3 wearing).
I gave both pairs away. Another friend of mine also experienced the same problem. I have a pair made probably mid-80s, which is still fairly servicable...so something must have gone downhill since.
For the price, I'd rather go for Carmina.
I gave both pairs away. Another friend of mine also experienced the same problem. I have a pair made probably mid-80s, which is still fairly servicable...so something must have gone downhill since.
For the price, I'd rather go for Carmina.
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HappyStroller
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Maybe I'm wrong here, but I have the impression that the factory warranty was for ten years. As I was younger fifteen years ago, a decade sounded like a long, long time back then..
timekeeping wrote:When first launched, the Scribe line of shoes were classically inspired, almost British in style and goodyear welted, with simple model names (Scribe number 1 was a captoe oxford and number 4 was a loafer, I believe). They were great shoes, perhaps a bit overpriced. The novelty of a voucher that entitles the owner to have the shoes factory refurbished at any time was a good selling point.
...<snipped>...
II have sadly lost the refurb coupon. It would be great if a fellow LL member can elaborate on what that is all about.
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timekeeping
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One of the advantages of Bally is their availability. There seems to be a store in every major city, at least in the Asia Pacific region. Sadly no more good deals to be had during sales.pchong wrote:I have to say I feel the Bally of the last 5 years or so are poorly constructed. I have had 2 pairs which cannot be worn because the sole opens. I had them sent back to Bally's (I travel to Switzerland often, so less a problem) twice, they were nice to fix the problem, but it re-occurs within 3 months (maybe only 2 or 3 wearing).
I gave both pairs away. Another friend of mine also experienced the same problem. I have a pair made probably mid-80s, which is still fairly servicable...so something must have gone downhill since.
For the price, I'd rather go for Carmina.
I have only seen pictures of Carmina shoes and I won't blink twice to get a sell cordovan pair if they were available in Asia.
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HappyStroller
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Sad to learn about the decline of Bally, Chong.
About fifteen years ago, I switched to wearing boat shoes. At that time, Timberland was the best. But then it started to move its production abroad, which seemed to have started its decline in lasting value. The first replacement brand was Rockport which impressed me enough to buy its rubber-soled balmoral captoes and wingtips. Then Rockport too shifted its production abroad and that seemed to have also started its decline in boat shoe and executive shoe quality. Fed up, I switched to sports shoes. Addidas had built up its reputation at the 1968 Mexico Games; so it was the first brand to try. Unfortunately, it too had declined in quality-, perhaps it was produced in some third-rate country. So I switched to Reebok, which was being produced in great quantities in China. Oh dear. Tried New Balance also, Oh, no. Desparate, I tried the most expensive brand, Nike. Unfortunately, it shifted production to China and Indonesia, etc. What do I mean by decline in quality? Basically, the sole starts to loosen and you find yourself flopping around in a shopping centre far away from home..
Unfortunately, nowadays it;'s getting quite difficult the good brands like Church's of England, even on the Internet. Johnston & Murphy can be found at reasonable prices, but only if you settle for those which are probably produced outside the good ol' US of A.
About fifteen years ago, I switched to wearing boat shoes. At that time, Timberland was the best. But then it started to move its production abroad, which seemed to have started its decline in lasting value. The first replacement brand was Rockport which impressed me enough to buy its rubber-soled balmoral captoes and wingtips. Then Rockport too shifted its production abroad and that seemed to have also started its decline in boat shoe and executive shoe quality. Fed up, I switched to sports shoes. Addidas had built up its reputation at the 1968 Mexico Games; so it was the first brand to try. Unfortunately, it too had declined in quality-, perhaps it was produced in some third-rate country. So I switched to Reebok, which was being produced in great quantities in China. Oh dear. Tried New Balance also, Oh, no. Desparate, I tried the most expensive brand, Nike. Unfortunately, it shifted production to China and Indonesia, etc. What do I mean by decline in quality? Basically, the sole starts to loosen and you find yourself flopping around in a shopping centre far away from home..
Unfortunately, nowadays it;'s getting quite difficult the good brands like Church's of England, even on the Internet. Johnston & Murphy can be found at reasonable prices, but only if you settle for those which are probably produced outside the good ol' US of A.
pchong wrote:I have to say I feel the Bally of the last 5 years or so are poorly constructed. I have had 2 pairs which cannot be worn because the sole opens. I had them sent back to Bally's (I travel to Switzerland often, so less a problem) twice, they were nice to fix the problem, but it re-occurs within 3 months (maybe only 2 or 3 wearing).
I gave both pairs away. Another friend of mine also experienced the same problem. I have a pair made probably mid-80s, which is still fairly servicable...so something must have gone downhill since.
For the price, I'd rather go for Carmina.
The very problem with Church's is that it has become a 'brand' - since being bought by Prada etc. Quality has declined, and no amount of marketing can hide it.
Agree quality of Timberland also have declined. I have a pair nearly 20 years old, which looks terrible, but still usable, and another pair I bought with the intent to replace the older pair some 5 years ago, but I hardly wear it...the fit is different - I guess different last...and it is begining to look as bad as its much older cousin.
Also agree on Church's. They switched to using split grain leather when Prada bought them, and I think quality has gone down the hill.
Carmina is excellent. Great quality, good value. So is Vass. Yes, admittedly, these brands are hard to find. But Japan is one AP country which they can easily be found. Try Isetan Shinjuku for Vass and Trading Post for Carmina. The only trouble with Japan is the last are often unique to Japan, and finding sizes larger than 8.5 is a bit of a challenge. I know, I wear 9.5E on Carmina.
Also agree on Church's. They switched to using split grain leather when Prada bought them, and I think quality has gone down the hill.
Carmina is excellent. Great quality, good value. So is Vass. Yes, admittedly, these brands are hard to find. But Japan is one AP country which they can easily be found. Try Isetan Shinjuku for Vass and Trading Post for Carmina. The only trouble with Japan is the last are often unique to Japan, and finding sizes larger than 8.5 is a bit of a challenge. I know, I wear 9.5E on Carmina.
Even though I am not closely familliar with the latest development of this company, I would like to introduce another name within the world of british shoemaking which I regard as very reasonably priced: R.E. Tricker's.
They never let me down since I started to buy various specimens of their production: brown suede monks; black half-brogues; black monks; even brown Derbys from the Corniche range to name some of them. I cannot recall of any serious incidents (split soles, cracking of leather or anything like that), all the detectable defects are entirely caused by wear.
I know that they cannot compete with Lobb's or Edward Greens (not to speak of Gaziano and Girling) which are held in higher esteem by the most distinguished members of this forum, but they are reliable, good-looking (esp. the 1829 last), solid and not overpriced. Expect to pay about GBP 220 per pair which is not much more than the EUR 300 previously quoted for Bally.
There are two companies in the internet selling them: pediwear and shoesinternational; I can personally recommend the former which will ship the free of charge worldwide.
All the best,
Rudolf
They never let me down since I started to buy various specimens of their production: brown suede monks; black half-brogues; black monks; even brown Derbys from the Corniche range to name some of them. I cannot recall of any serious incidents (split soles, cracking of leather or anything like that), all the detectable defects are entirely caused by wear.
I know that they cannot compete with Lobb's or Edward Greens (not to speak of Gaziano and Girling) which are held in higher esteem by the most distinguished members of this forum, but they are reliable, good-looking (esp. the 1829 last), solid and not overpriced. Expect to pay about GBP 220 per pair which is not much more than the EUR 300 previously quoted for Bally.
There are two companies in the internet selling them: pediwear and shoesinternational; I can personally recommend the former which will ship the free of charge worldwide.
All the best,
Rudolf
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