House & Home RM William shoes

Hi,

Lately been thinking about purchasing a pair of RM William shoes for work due to it being renowned for lasting almost forever. The price is rather off-putting but thought if it lasts for min 3 years, it's probably a good thing. Hopefully the quality is still good as it's still made in Australia and think I'll purchase a pair in the DFO outlet in Canberra.

Anyone else in the forum wear a pair and hitting the 20 year mark (with repairs of course)?

 

Yep - but cant take a picture cos I dont have them with me.
I bought my RM's in about 1999 and they are still going reasonably strong. They are no longer worthy of a suit/trousers though, as the leather is rough and fadded (mostly cos I dont polish them often enough). But they are fine for jeans/smart casual.
This is after pretty well daily usage for 10years.

I replaced the soles and elastic a few times, and had to have a massive sctratch/scar repaired. A 'rebuild' (sole and elastic) was about $75 from memory.

When sending them in for a rebuild I choose the 'oil resistant' sole, as they last longer and are handle wet days better. However, the leather sole is more comfortable and looks better/smarter.

3years? ha ha... they wont even be worn in by then.

Blacky

 

I bought a pair of the comfort craftsman 2 years ago and have been really impressed. They'd have to be the most comfortable dress shoes I've owned. Each time I polish them they look brand new.

Last pair of Florsheims I bought didn't last close to 2 years.. you can't beat the economy of the RM's over the long term. 3 years minimum? no way.. if cared for properly, they'll be lasting 20 years easy..

 

Ive got a pair bought back in the mid 80's.
Great pair of boots, they've had 3 soles, 5 elastics and 4 heels.
A really good pair of boots.

Oh, and they were on sale at the Royal Easter Show for $99 back then!

 

1st pair of RM Williams Craftsman lasted more than 25 years with about 3 re-soles. Still have them for round the yard wear. Bought the replacement pair about 4 years back, going well and will see 20 years + for sure. RRP now is $499 (but look for sales) I think this is cheap compared to other makes that are produced overseas, cost say $180, and last only 1 or 2 years......

 

I have a few pairs in the ten year range and still going strong as long as you use some sort of leather care every now and again..
RMW has a outlet in south-port on the way too the gold coast never paid any more then 100 bucks for the high cut boots compared to 300$ in the Brisbane cbd store..plus if you want a good read about Australian Bush Wild History- try and get of copy of this book..


For leather care this gear works well..imho..
smooth leather – the perfect shoe care

 

With the Florsheims you need to buy the Imperial or Royal Imperial range, beautifully made shoe. These are usually made in Italy and you will get 20 years + from them with re-soles.
I foolishly once bought their cheaper range which were made in India, big mistake, fell apart within 1 year

 

I am hard on my shoes and would go through a pair of $150 Florsheim's in 6 months (lots of walking). I bought a pair of RM's a couple of years back and they still look as good now as they day i bought em. You can not beat em for value even at full price.

 

Believe prices at outlet are more like $250-$300. Now that they are owned by LVMH group, RRP has been jacked way up to $545 for a basic pair of comfort craftman boots. You can still get them around $400 from a few resellers, but pricing is getting ridiculous.
Plus with LVMH pricing modelling, they'll likely go up every year from here on out & we won't see sales on any of the "core" items (just end of line stuff).

Personally I'll probably keep the pairs I've got & push my shoe $$ elsewhere, really liking Meermin at the moment for cost:quality ratio. Wear in is brutal though, thiiiiick leather.

 

Any one here tried the women's range?

I get the impression they aren't as well made as the men's models.

 

Yep, read the book, met the Man. Tough and strong.

Another great book is The Cattle King, about Sid Kidman, who was in fact a mentor of RM Williams. Tough characters. No-one would attempt to do the things these men did, we've become too soft!

 

There are mens boots that are selling for $1100 for a pair.

 

2 pairs.

One pair 8 years. Needs a re-sole and Polish. But still like wearing clouds

Black pair for my wedding. Second time wearing they drunkenly misplaced and found a couple of years later.

 

Yeah the premium stuff is $$$ now, I think the signature craftsman boots (the ones all the senior politicians wear) are $1,100 now. They've also got some insanely expensive MTO stuff. From memory emu leather craftsmans are $3k, crocodile leather is $4k. That said both are ridiculously garish and I assume will only be purchased by the nouveau riche. Given that you can go to a whose who list of cordwainers and get your shoes made bespoke from around $3k upward, I have no idea why you would spend that sort of money on a hideously ugly pair of RM's.

 

Mine have just died, 4 months old and a shade more expensive.

I paid about $300 for some gorgeous boots back in '81. They'd cost at least that today.

As they say, money doesn't buy taste.

 

Visited the RM Williams store in the CDB yesterday and was informed that the Kintore Burnished range are not Australian made due to it being seasonal and made in Romania. The shop assistant didn't even know if it was hand made.

Handcrafted Leather Boots, Clothing & Belts - R.M.Williams

So pretty much it's the usual $545 pair or upwards are Australian made and they have a good deal with 50% off for a belt if you purchase a pair of boots.

 

Thanks for doing my price check @jins.

Gotta get myself up to Chatswood for a pair.

Serves me right for skimping on quality, I was replacing my old Blundstones which had a cracked sole after 15 years and were still my 'dress' boots, well cared for, even polished on the odd occasion.

 

Nice looking shoes.

Before I used to think that getting the cheapest shoes will do the trick, but now think like a property journey or investing in shares, need to think long term. In the long run, I'd probably end up paying more money for shoes that's not going to last and inferior in quality.

It's just like a friend's diesel Toyota Landcruiser that's ticking over to 400,000km and still going.

 

400,000 and "still going" - Nah, that baby's only just been run in.

 

c'mon. Blundies are a great work boot, but they arent a scratch on the RM's

And to top the outfit off, I also subscibe to Acubra hats. I paid $150 for my original beuty, which lasted about 12years. Before Mrs Blacky decided enough was enough. And bought be a new one.
Its great I now have my 'boat' hat and my 'dress hat' (for special occasions)

Blacky