Arbeitsschuhe (Raven Black) Goodyear Welted

I picked this model due to so many good YouTube reviews from channels that I trust and who know their stuff for leatherwork and heritage footwear. The quality, value, good range of available models, and price are all huge pros. I’m confident that I’ll really like these Task dress shoes in raven black and saddle tan with the veg tan insoles, but I have to take 2 stars off an otherwise great review for the lack of a midsole, when both the website and emails with customer support told me that they would have a 10 oz (4mm) midsole.

Pros: the leather feels like good quality in the uppers, lining, and welt. One YouTuber visited Indian bookmakers recently and said that Craft n Glory are actually hand lasted + welted instead of just Goodyear welted as advertised. They’re underselling themselves. That’s incredible for this price especially with treating their workers well from the footage I’ve seen. The color of the black and saddle tan leathers looks good and match up with my expectations from the pictures on the website. I assume that the vintage brown has more variation or pull up.

The price for their lineup including the premium heritage line looks crazy compared to other makers available in the USA. I don’t think that I can find an equal value for quality vs price. Even if there are 1-2 makers that come close, this selection of options dwarfs them. It’s very impressive and makes me want to try 1-3 other models at some point like the Monkey boot, engineer, and dress casual moc shoes. Their waxed canvas and leather bags are interesting to me too.

I had one set of shoes come in too narrow, so I contacted customer support to make sure that my second pair would fit. I didn’t want to waste anyone’s hard work or my money. Since they have a no refund, return, or cancellation policy, getting the fit right is even more important. I got quick responses in English and got what I wanted quickly. I was able to send in sketches of my feet and pictures of the ways the first shoes weren’t fitting to make sure we got it right. My only complaint there was that I was promised in writing and on the website that there would be a midsole. There isn’t one. I would’ve chosen the 6 in boot model for my preferences if I had known that.

They do take a while to make and ship from India to the USA. There is limited tracking info thru DHL until they are basically a few days out from you. Considering that these are hand made not mass produced, the wait time was incredibly reasonable. I’ve waited 4 months for another maker’s boots before, and the 1-1.5 months for these was relatively lightning speed. With my delay in asking for the second pair to fit my foot sketches instead of the standard size, that 1.5 month time is even more impressive. I’m very happy there

Cons: I measured the leather and cannot find any way that there is a 7 oz (3mm) split reverse welt and a 10 oz (4mm) thick midsole between the cork and the outsole. I can see the split where the ends of the welt were brought together all the way through that leather on the sides of all 4 shoes. The website made this claim when I ordered, when I contacted customer support, and after I received my shoes. I picked this model instead of my preferred boot version for this midsole that was previously removed from the web site for the 6 in boot variant.

Being told one thing and sold another is a big bummer for me, and I have to take 2 stars off. There’s no refund or returns allowed to correct this even if I believed that it would be done. Maybe their craftspeople are more focused on the newly dropped heritage premium line that came out while I was waiting for my shoes, or maybe they call the permanent leather insole the same as a midsole with some lost in translation business going on? Either way customers should be aware of that when making a decision.

Overall, I’m sure that I’ll like these as dress shoes for office work. The new fit with sketches of my feet do fit amazingly well so far even before much breaking in. Their value and selection is insanely good. Their price and customer service and lead times are good. Their product descriptions in English are suspect or inaccurate at best. Maybe there is now more effort put into their premium heritage line, which I probably will try out at some point. Being able to resole these but having to pay to add a midsole when I get to that point is a mixed bag of feeling good and let down by this purchase.

Shoes are a bit tough and I'm still in the break-in period. It looks very nice too. So happy with the purchase.

Very well made shoes. You will not regret to buy ones. They're an amazing way to go back to the right way to make shoes highly recommended