crepe vs. dainite sole for chukkas
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+1!
Unless you don't mind having to put a new sole on fairly soon.
That said, there can be significant differences in how tough the crepe in the crepe soles is, and in what is meant by the term crepe. For example, I have some shoes with a Vibram sole branded as Gumlite that might be considered crepe, but have actually worn quite well. And I have both very inexpensive (Old Dexter) casual shoes with EVA red brick soles and English shoes with nominally the same type of sole. And I'm finding that the English soles are wearing significantly better than the Dexter shoes. This suggests to me that EVA compounds can be differently made. But irrespectively, none of them will wear as long as Dainite.
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Ok, with that being said, how long should crepe soles last with a steady shoe rotation. Lets say....5 wears per month. 2 years or less? 5 years?
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Once a week, about 3-4 months for me, if even. Yes, 12-16 wears, seriously. I'm probably an outlier. I do a lot of walkiing here in the city. My experience is that nothing can compete with crepe soles for rapid sole wear. Obviously, how much walking you do and what surface you walk on is going to make a difference. I don't think crepe soles stand up well to concrete and asphalt at all. They're probably just fine on dirt trails and grass.
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A quality crepe sole will not last as long as Dainite.
Crepe won’t wear in the way you think. It won’t wear and thin and break through. Instead, it will become smooth at the points of contact and becomes rendered useless in situations where grip is needed.
Eventually it will wear through, but my guess is that there will be other factors that require resoling before you get there.
Also, in my experience crepe is too soft and therefore I almost always have to throw an OTC orthotic (Superfeet) in for support.
Crepe won’t wear in the way you think. It won’t wear and thin and break through. Instead, it will become smooth at the points of contact and becomes rendered useless in situations where grip is needed.
Eventually it will wear through, but my guess is that there will be other factors that require resoling before you get there.
Also, in my experience crepe is too soft and therefore I almost always have to throw an OTC orthotic (Superfeet) in for support.
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I'd love to be able to answer your question, but I can't.
Aside from never having actually quantified the process of wear, information unknown and not available includes:
- How the specific compound compares to others.
- How much you weigh.
- How much you walk in a day.
- How you walk.
And even if I had that information, never having studied the process, I (Or you!) couldn't say with any reasonable degree of accuracy.
If you want a WAG factoring in those issues, I suspect you'd have to replace the soles 2 to 4 times more often than Dainite.
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+1! I walk on my heels and lopsided. I tend to round off the heels first.
+1! I've worn down the backs of EVA heels on cheaper shoes in as little as two heavy-duty extended wearings.
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Indeed, for me it's the heels that quickly wear.
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Nobody can tell you how long these crepe soles will last.
We can all agree, however, that they won't last as long as Dainite. So if outsole longevity is a prime consideration, these likely aren't for you.
But if these are being worn in a rotation of several different pairs, I wouldn't make that the deciding factor. One thing is clear to me - here on the forums, we talk about resoling and worry about resoling far more often than we are actually faced with resoling.
We can all agree, however, that they won't last as long as Dainite. So if outsole longevity is a prime consideration, these likely aren't for you.
But if these are being worn in a rotation of several different pairs, I wouldn't make that the deciding factor. One thing is clear to me - here on the forums, we talk about resoling and worry about resoling far more often than we are actually faced with resoling.
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I agree with all this ⇧ and - as someone who owns both - would add that there's both a different aesthetic and feel to the two soles.
I love my casual suede desert boot chukkas (hey, you all know what I mean by that description) with the crepe sole - as that sole is aesthetically right for the boot's casual look while the sole's greater flexibility also fits with the less-constructed feel of the desert boot. Crepe is the sole I want for a desert boot (or similar casual chukka) even if it wears faster (but, my experience has been that it doesn't wear that much faster).
For my nicer-looking leather chukka with the Dainite sole, the more refined upper harmonizes better aesthetically with the quieter and smoother Dainite sole. Also, this more-formal boot has more overall structure which is consistent with the Dainite sole's greater tensility - so it just feels "right" when wearing it.
My point is that the sole (or soul
) of the boot is not simply about wear (at least for me, I get that it might be all that's important to someone else), but also contributes to the boot's aesthetic and feel when you wear it.
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Assuming the construction permits it, certainly! And C&J's Goodyear welted version definitely can be.
Either C&J can do it for you, or a superior cobbler like B. Nelson.
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However comfortable crepe soles are in other climes, up here in the PNW (or RNW if you prefer) Danite is the sole of choice, especially for those of us whose balance is not what it used to be. Slippery wet pavement allies with gravity to plot disaster.
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I have a competitor for you, a Dainite-styled sole called XLite. I have this on a cheap Blake-welted pair of Italian chukkas and the heels are rounding off down to the second layer after 20 wears and the forefoot has worn the nubs down level to the sole and it's all wearing now. It's quite lite and comfortable but I'd never buy a shoe with it again. My CDBs show near zero wear with more use than the Italian ones.
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I have a number of plantation crepe and Lactae Hevea soled shoes/boots in my collection, primarily because of the added comfort such shoes afford as they are being worn. Visual impact and wear rates come in a distant second and third as point(s) of consideration.
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Crepe will be more comfortable. Dainite will last longer and provide better traction.
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I must be in the minority but I've always found Dainite to be sort of horrible in terms of traction. There's too much smooth surface area on them and I always find them to be quite slippery on icy surfaces or marble floors or smooth/polished concrete. In my experience, they also take a loooooonnnngggg time to break in compared to other rubber soles and are not all that comfortable. All other things equal, I'd much rather have crepe soles but I can understand the aversion if you prefer the lower profile and relatively sleeker look of Dainite.
I'll echo @eagle2250 and say that the Lactae Hevea soles are a great alternative. I have a couple pair of shoes and boots from Rancourt on that sole and they are extremely comfortable and I've found them to be much more long lasting than the plantation crepe soles I've had from Alden.
I'll echo @eagle2250 and say that the Lactae Hevea soles are a great alternative. I have a couple pair of shoes and boots from Rancourt on that sole and they are extremely comfortable and I've found them to be much more long lasting than the plantation crepe soles I've had from Alden.
It is interesting how opinion on crepe soles differs. For me the crepe sole is the most comfortable of all types (next one would be Gumlite). I wear them then traveling. In Rome I walked 30-35 km a day on foot and I would die next day if it wasn't crepe sole. These desert boots now retired due to not very good construction not the sole wear. At that time the odometer on them said about 1500 km. The sole would need replacement in next 500 km if the upper could hold. The look of crepe sole is very specific but I'm ok with this. As for traction I find it better than Dainite.
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