Whilst visiting The Shoe Healer a few months ago, Richard (the proprietor) took time to show me an absolutely jaw dropping pair of hand grade Alfred Sargents which I can safely say are the finest pair of shoes I’ve personally ever laid hands on.
I’ve always been a Trickers man myself and never been a great believer in Alfred Sargent as I find that on the ‘country shoe’, large volume production level, Alfred Sargents do not match up to the quality of Trickers. I think Trickers are a more robust and hardy shoe. Superiority of quality shifts however when you get to Alfred Sargent Hand Grade. This, from The Shoe Healer’s website, sums them up pretty nicely:
“Attention to detail is evident in every aspect of AS Hand Grade shoes. The finest Calf Leathers carefully selected and Hand Cut, the stunning ‘Fiddleback Waist’, worked by hand on an Oak Bark Sole, finished and ‘Finger Polished’ to exacting standards. AS Hand Grade are unquestionably at the pinnacle of true English Hand Made Shoes.”
Astonishing quality aside, the styles of the hand grade collection are very formal and the only pair that really grab my interest are the stunning double monk straps pictured.
Of course with such amazing quality there is a nausea inducing price to match. The fact that The Shoe Healer doesn’t publish the prices should prepare you for the kind of figures to expect, but rest assured you won’t find a better price than Richard can offer and that the shoes themselves are worth every penny – these are the next level of craftsmanship.
