Author Topic: Karrimor shoes are they good?  (Read 6925 times)

fernman

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Re: Karrimor shoes are they good?
« Reply #15 on: 10:36:56, 01/12/19 »
I knew someone would come on and say something like that!

I read quite a number of reviews saying they wear out very quickly, particularly the soles, in two years of nothing more than walking the dog, and a number complaining that the soles came apart from the uppers. More than a few found them too narrow, while it was commented that the brand has gone downhill since being taken over.

My present Meindls are generally wearing out after 9 years, they have plenty of wear left in the soles, but I must replace them because they let water in - literally. They become absolutely sodden after just one day of walking in wet hills, and when I hold them in a bowl of water to clean them they fill with water.

I have £200 put to one side in my pocket money account, and next year I'll be going to Cotswold for a fitting and forking out for something top of the range, possibly Scarpa. (When the time comes I'll be posting on here for suggestions.)

Sleepy

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Re: Karrimor shoes are they good?
« Reply #16 on: 10:47:44, 01/12/19 »
I think he meant me fernman  :-\


I'll stress it's just my opinion and that we're all entitled to one


But to answer your question, they felt light... flimsy.....cheap whatever, just more like "fashion" wear than something I'd like to trust on a sodden moor somehere

jimbob

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Re: Karrimor shoes are they good?
« Reply #17 on: 11:07:18, 01/12/19 »


But to answer your question, they felt light... flimsy.....cheap whatever, just more like "fashion" wear than something I'd like to trust on a sodden moor somehere
Certainly not in my daily experience. As per previous posts.
Too little, too late, too bad......

Dread

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Re: Karrimor shoes are they good?
« Reply #18 on: 11:17:53, 01/12/19 »
Outdoor wear is fashionable these days. Just as most people that buy sportswear don't play sports, most people that buy North Face, Berghaus, Gelert, Rab etc aren't going anywhere near a hike. The manufacturers know this and realise that it's far more profitable to produce cheap, shoddy replicas in Far East sweatshops than good technical gear. The majority of their customers won't care.

gunwharfman

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Re: Karrimor shoes are they good?
« Reply #19 on: 11:18:04, 01/12/19 »
Sorry Sleepy I didn't mean you, I'm sure that another person bought a pair recently? Maybe I'm not thinking correctly?

GnP

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Re: Karrimor shoes are they good?
« Reply #20 on: 12:38:59, 01/12/19 »


One thing does interest me though, are we very sure that the shoes, boots and running shoes that we buy are really unique to the brand thats stuck or printed on them? Or are we buying from a range of 'basic' items that are essentially the same or at least similar but its the brand name that tends to make the difference to us?
Something I see a lot is the Vibram soles on many different brands are the same pattern/design. Although they do many different patterns and depths of course. I have Anatom boots and I love the Vibram soles. Great grip and flexible. I see the exact same sole on quite a few different brands of boot. I`m sure with the the reputation Vibram seem to have now, they are making a fortune in licensing their soles to so many different boot manufacturers.
A night under silnylon. Doesn't have the same ring to it.

kinkyboots

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Re: Karrimor shoes are they good?
« Reply #21 on: 12:43:26, 01/12/19 »
Regardless of what some people may think the retail price of any boot is actually an excellent guide to the quality of the materials and components used in the manufacturing process of any boot and the overall build quality and quality control processes used in that manufacturing process.

In today's market place a top of the range high quality boot will retail at somewhere between £150-£250. The truth is that with boots you actually do get what you pay for in terms of quality and if you disagree with this the only person you are deceiving is yourself.

The bottom line is if you are paying less than this that price reduction comes from reduced labour costs, the use of lower quality materials and components and a reduction in the strigency and tolerances of any quality control processes used in their manufacture. Other useful guides to quality are to look at who actually owns the 'brand' name and where the boots are manufactured.

Some people are just happy to pay less, some people set an unrealistic budget for the specification they require and some are simply deceived by false claims made in the marketing. I just hope they all understand why they are paying less and are not diappointed when the boots let them down or wear out prematurely.

In my opinion Karrimor boots are poor quality rubbish but they are priced accordingly (the big clue is in the price and the unrealistic suggested RRP quoted). Sports Direct have ruined the Karrimor 'brand' name in their attempts to deceive the public into thinking they are buying from the reputed Karrimor brand of old.

Similarly Berghaus (Pentland Group) bought the Brasher 'brand' name only because the Hillmaster boot was at one time the best selling boot in the country. Unfortunately the Brasher brand name and previous reputation for quality had already been destroyed by disastrous overseas manufacturing prior to the purchase. Changing the brand name on the boot models to Berghaus and adding a slightly different sole unit actually changes nothing.

WhitstableDave

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Re: Karrimor shoes are they good?
« Reply #22 on: 12:53:33, 01/12/19 »
Sorry Sleepy I didn't mean you, I'm sure that another person bought a pair recently? Maybe I'm not thinking correctly?

Might be me... I didn't buy a pair of Berghaus Hillmaster II but I did win a pair as a result of a letter to Country Walking magazine.  :)

My usual boots are Scarpa R-Evo GTX which I love. I wouldn't have chosen boots like the Hillmasters but I have to say the quality is good, they've never let in a drop of water, and they feel good to walk in.  O0 (I still prefer my Scarpas though!)

Just to pick up on a point made earlier about trying on boots in a store then buying them online... To my huge disappointment, my local Cotswold Outdoor closed down a few weeks ago. The staff were excellent - knowledgable and friendly - and I spent a lot of time and money there. I find it very sad indeed that so many people chose to get free personal attention in a local shop before buying online to save a few quid.
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Bigfoot_Mike

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Re: Karrimor shoes are they good?
« Reply #23 on: 14:09:28, 01/12/19 »
Just to pick up on a point made earlier about trying on boots in a store then buying them online... To my huge disappointment, my local Cotswold Outdoor closed down a few weeks ago. The staff were excellent - knowledgable and friendly - and I spent a lot of time and money there. I find it very sad indeed that so many people chose to get free personal attention in a local shop before buying online to save a few quid.
I agree with you. If we sell try the products in the shop and then buy online, there will soon be no shops left. In any case, it is pretty easy to get discount in Cotswolds or our more local store Craigdon. I continue to buy fuel in my village, even though it might be cheaper at Tesco, because I want there still to be a business selling fuel locally. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t cost a great deal more to support local and bricks and mortar businesses.

 

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