What are brands that you have experience with and like?

I need comfortable dress shoes to wear all day, everyday. This is for business, so formal wear hard soles won't work. I'd like to keep the price cap at $150, but would consider more for an exceptional pair of shoes.

I have searched online, been to one shoe store and searched on Zappos.

The expertise here is more valuable than any polished website. Please advise.

I have a lot of experience and pairs of dress shoes. Do they have to be rubber sole? What size do you wear? Specific color?

ETA, $150 cap is pretty low.
Allen Edmonds makes some good shoes but they are a bastard to break in.
Magnani makes some great shoes, but few rubber sole options.
Everything I have ever worn have been leather soles.

Joseph Seibel? Ecco? Dunham? They aren’t Santoni’s (my preferred dress shoe) but sufficient for biz wear and comfortable (especially if you have foot issues).

I'm chea...er, thrifty when it comes to dress shoes. Cole Hahn is one of the more reasonably priced brands I've bought, and yes they do rubber:

https://www.amazon.com/Cole-Ha..._source=1&th=1&psc=1

Back when I worked in an office and wore dress shoes, I usually wore Rockports. I don’t know if they’re dressy enough for your requirements. About $90 on amazon.


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Arfmel, I was going to post Rockports, I have them in black color. Very comfortable all day long, looks good too.
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Ecco...All day, every day! Rubber soled, VERY comfortable dress shoes that actually look like dress shoes! Go to an Ecco store and you'll walk out with a pair.

I certainly don’t possess a wealth of information on the subject, but our son is getting married in September, and I found shoes that fit the look I was going for at Cole Haan. Often found at outlets. Johnston-Murphy stores are typically found at the same outlets, although I think the selection of “rubber sole dress shoes” is better at Cole Haan.

Wife and I both have had a number of pairs of Borns.
They are quite comfy.
https://www.bornshoes.com/en/s...mens-lace-up-oxfords

Why rubber soles?
Grip, comfort, or something else?
Could you use a pair of dress shoes that meet your other needs and have them resoled with rubber?

I rotate two pairs of Allen Edmonds Fifth Avenues with Dainite soles at my job. I typically put 3-5 miles daily on them and have had them two years. Rotating is key.

They have plenty of life left in them, they grip waxed floors and carpets well, and seem impervious to the elements as my job requires walking outdoors in all types of Alabama weather.

Both pairs were “factory seconds” with small defects. Well above 150.00 per pair though.

I'm considering getting a pair of Amberjacks. They look legitimately dressy, comfortable and the reviews are good.

Allen Edmonds with Dainite soles. They are not squishy soft, but a little softer than leather soles. They are more expensive, but they genuinely do last a very long time. I have AE shoes that are 20 years old and still going strong. $150 shoes with glued on soles will last five years or so.

I picked up a pair of Ecco from Nordstrom Rack and are very happy with them. Maybe $90-100.

I had luck with Thursday Captain Boots with their Dainite rubber soles for work. Their boots are very well made, reasonable price, and suitable for dress/casual occasions. They also have a good shoe selection as well.

Thursday Boots Shoe Collection

Searching for “Forward Thrust” or perhaps “Forward Glide” shoes may turn up something suitable. I couldn’t find that Forward Thrust models were still being made or are a brand now, but I still have a couple of pairs that I purchased and used regularly when wearing business attire decades ago. I liked them because they were dressy enough, but the thick rubber soles were comfortable and provided good traction on bad surfaces when required.

W-O-W! Thank you for the information.

After researching these brands and styles, my $150 is definitely low. There are some reasonable shoes in the $100-$200 range, but they won't last 20 years. That's OK with me.

Allen Edmonds has a discount site at www.shoebank.com

The reason I asked about rubber sole shoes is that I assumed they would wear like sneakers and look like dress shoes.

I'll make a decision soon. Tomorrow is my first day in the office. My current dress shoes will suffice for now. They look good, but feel terrible.

I’ll ask again, what size do you happen to wear?

quote:

Originally posted by Beancooker:
I’ll ask again, what size do you happen to wear?

Oops, I forgot to answer. I wear 9.5/10, depending on the brand.

quote:

Originally posted by nhracecraft:
Ecco...All day, every day! Rubber soled, VERY comfortable dress shoes that actually look like dress shoes! Go to an Ecco store and you'll walk out with a pair.

My only experience with Ecco was using them in a golf shoe.
Euro sizing *for me* in what their equivalent was to a size 12 wasn’t quite right.
The OP’s size of 9.5-10 may end up better…dunno.