How long do/should shoes last?

[Lorizael]

I need new shoes. I bought my current pair (checks Amazon) October of 2013. I wear them essentially every day for every occasion, which involves a fair bit of walking to and from classes but nothing in the way of, you know, physical exertion. Now they look like this:



So, three years: should I be pleased or disappointed? I'll note that otherwise the shoes are in decent condition and I have no trouble walking around in them (unless it's raining).

[Dinner]

I usually own and wear several different types of shoes in rotation so that a pair will last me many years. I still have a pair of army combat boots which are 12 years old and in great condition.

[rah]

To me 3 years would be good. I go through a pair of gym shoes every 6-9 months. But in all fairness, I wear them to work and can't let them look to grungy.
Dress shoes are another thing. I don't wear them every day anymore so they last a long long time.

[Jon Miller]

It seems to me that 3 years of constant use is about right. My wife likes to say hers last a decade or more, but many of them she only wears once a year.

JM

[Lorizael]

But in all fairness, I wear them to work and can't let them look to grungy.

My boss recently complimented my shoes, which was weird because if my legs are crossed, he can totally see the hole. Maybe it was his subtle way of saying he's noticed and I should get new ones. Maybe I should subtly suggest that I would get new shoes, but money is kind of tight right now...

[BeBMan]

3 yrs sounds good to me too.

Personally I use a mix of rather cheap shoes for short ways plus of more expensive stuff when I'm "on my feet" for long.

Usually the cheap stuff does not survive more than 9-12 months. There are few exceptions, some cheap shoes turn out to be very good surprisingly, while I had one pair that was rather expensive, and did not hold a full year, which was pretty annoying

My favourite was a pair of outdoor/trekking shoes that seemed to be indestructible (though ultimately did break of course, but only after many yrs)

[Giancarlo]

I have about 40 pairs of shoes (a lot for a guy I know)... So they tend to last longer. I don't wear any too often. I love my Aldo and Guess shoes. Guess tends to last a long time.

[BeBMan]

We need a socks copycat.

[Proteus_MST]

Spanish boots in medieval times lasted for a long time.
But noone wanted to wear them voluntarily

[Ben Kenobi]

Uh, I have had two pair last 5 years apiece, but I usually wear them everywhere and let them fall apart. If they've got holes in the sole - replace them. I will also replace the liner in the shoes as that will go before the shoes do.

[Aeson]

I usually replace my flip flops every 3 to 5 months.

[Bereta_Eder]

I divide shoes in "serious shoes" to go with suits and stuff for meetings.

Then there are "semi-serious" which are for everyday work, those are the bulk.

I also have "summer shoes-leisure" but those aren't many

I'd have more but I have difficulty finding my size especially the summer ones.

I prefer getting good brands because they are much more comfortable healthy and last longer, than get more cheaper ones

I always get frustrated when window shoping because of the size thing

And I also have my military boots (Immortal )

And for longer than I can remember I was in sandals t-shirt and shorts for weeks on end. That was very good

[The Mad Monk]

I worked in a lab for a Castor oil company from 2000-2005; my duties included inspecting reactor vessels for cleanliness, so I needed steel-toed shoes -- but not necessarily boots, because I spent most of my time in the lab. Every six months, the shoe truck (a shoe store packed into a tractor trailer) would pull up and I would get my pick of several dozen different shoes and boots, gratis. I acquired about 10 pairs of footwear that way.

Eleven years down the road, eight pairs are still good, including my prized steel toed loafers. The soles on the steel toed sneakers delaminated on me, and the soles of my favorite Florsheim workboots split a week into my first job in Kansas, but I still got the loafers.