Friday 15 March 2019

Treads School Shoes Worn for 12 Months REVIEW

Treads boys' school shoes a year on

In a few days Aaron will have had his Treads lace up boys' school shoes a full 12 months. We haven't had to call on the 12 months guarantee once - we've just watched them last a full calendar year. Aaron is in Year 4 and we've never previously known school shoes like them! As per the tag on the pic below ours arrived on 19th March 2018. Yes it meant that September 2018, the start of the academic year, he didn't have brand new school shoes - which felt odd - but it was a relief to have 1 less expense to worry about when he needed other things. Like ALL the trousers for his rapidly growing long legs.

Let's start by saying I purchased the Tokyo Treads they are/were £45 and that includes free delivery. Tokyo Boys Black Leather Lace Up School Shoe.

Features:

    •  12 Month Indestructible Guarantee*
    •  Free UK Delivery
    •  Free Returns
    •  30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee

So I will take you through our full year 
from 1st impressions 
right up to the current day.

First Impressions

I used to be a Senior Manager in footwear and we were designers, manufacturers, importers, distributors, wholesalers and eventually also retailers, so I have seen the whole life cycle of a "shoe" - actually given that I managed the Customer Services Team I have also seen the returns/warranty/guarantee/recall side too. Despite my extensive experience I was not disappointed when our shoes arrived. I liked the packaging, the literature and the quality/design of the shoe itself. Nothing had been left to chance despite this being a new business. My first impression of the leather was that it was very like a safety shoe - something we also sold. This immediately gave me faith in their claims of being "indestructible"

With the experience of the box opening being such a success as pictured below, I had that feeling one gets when opening an Apple product for the 1st time, a feeling of faith that this is a brand that knows its eggs - the touch and feel of product and packaging is superior and you breathe a sigh of relief that you're onto a good thing! If you've ever experienced perishable school shoes you'll know what a FIND this is!!! Seeing the sole broken down in the illustration below made me smile with nostalgia as before my previous employer I hadn't seen a brand do that, but then again before that job I'd never worked in footwear before so what do I know LOL.


As you will see in the pictures the shoes have some height to them and this most certainly gave Aaron a ...

Spring in His Step

I literally can't express to you enough how much Aaron liked the sense of height and bounce the thickness of this shoe sole gave him. The only way to truly get this across to you is to ask that you watch this Instagram video below:


View this post on Instagram

My Circus ๐Ÿคน‍♀️๐ŸŽก My monkey๐Ÿ’ Watch with the sound on ๐Ÿ“ฃ& it will all make sense. So Reception, Year 1 & Year 2 for school shoes we didn't really give any thought to "buy cheap buy twice"๐Ÿ˜ถ but 3 years in & finally the penny dropped๐Ÿ’ฐ. This year we paid the big bucks, but despite the price tag & my aim they'd last till July, the sole on the ball of Aaron's feet is about to give up the ghost๐Ÿ‘ป. Although it is the 1st time since age 4, the uppers are looking so good beyond Christmas. It was time to try an indestructible school shoe with a 12 month guarantee✔๐Ÿ’ฏ. We've certainly put Treads Shoes to the test☃️❄๐Ÿฅ…๐Ÿƒ‍♂️๐Ÿ•บ๐Ÿ‹️‍♂️ & we're both very thrilled so far๐Ÿ†. So much so, Aaron now doesn't want to wear the others out to be bin worthy & will only wear his new Treads. I was a Senior Manager in footwear import & distribution for 6 years so even with the extensive knowledge I have I can honestly say ๐Ÿ—ฃ I am thrilled with these shoes๐Ÿ‘ž๐Ÿ˜. The sheen is like you would see on safety footwear, but they too can withstand a lot of "big boy" wear & tear ๐Ÿ”ฉ๐Ÿ”ง. As a Mum I would definitely say these are BUILT FOR BOYS! ๐Ÿ’ช๐ŸŽฏ๐Ÿคน‍♂️๐Ÿคธ‍♀️ #NotAnAd #SchoolShoes #BoysShoes #Parenting #SchoolMum #SchoolMom #MumsOfInstagram #MotherhoodRising #MyCircus #MyCheekyMonkey #MyHappyCapture #LifeCloseUp #InstaVideo #InstaVideos #InstaMum #Vlogger #Youtuber #UKParentBlogger #ParentYouTuber #OutdoorsAndHappy #BoyMum #BoyMom #TreadsShoes @treadsofficial
A post shared by Parenting Blogger Liska (@newmumonline) on


Comfort

The thing I was instantly impressed with after the unboxing was that Aaron did not need to wear them in. No rubbing. No blisters. Simply comfortable immediately. I didn't think this would translate to activities but in the video above you can see how busy he got immediately, which actually brings me onto another point. Whenever there's good weather we're in the park everyday after school and not for short spells either - we're often known to be there 3 hours and Aaron does not change into trainers. Add to this we walk to and from school and the shoes have certainly been thoroughly put through their paces forgive the pun LOL!

 

Concerns 

Literally the only quality concern I have is regarding the laces, so not actually the shoes themselves. They perished as pictured within a matter of weeks. I put this down to teething problems what with the product/brand being new.

What actually happened was the thickness and sheeny texture of them prevents them being tied really tight which meant that not only did they come undone, but then when Aaron then tripped on them the bottom snapped off and it looked rather unsightly for new shoes as photographed. 

Now I can't compare this to his previous 6 pairs of Next school shoes (yep reception, year 1 and year 2 we had to get 2 pairs of school shoes per school year September and January each year) and 1 pair of Clarks' school shoes in September of year 3 before we discovered Treads in the March of 2018 as all of those were velcro fastening. It really is true what they say though about buy cheap buy twice and his Next shoe shoes were considerably cheaper than Clarks. I think Treads are unquestionably affordable for what you get in return.

What I do know is that Treads did send me out new laces in the post, in fact I got a pair via Royal Mail and a pair via courier as 2 staff members acted upon my request, which was lucky as we did by the time the year was up get to the 3rd pair. Now interestingly enough, if you read the guarantee above, you'll see laces are not covered so it was a gesture of goodwill that they sent them on to me and didn't ask me to cover postage which now I see it's not covered I am grateful for. It's these little touches that foster brand loyalty and encourages me to write this review without question.

The only other concern is the orange removable insole once the shoes are a few months old keeps moving to the point where when we'd collect Aaron it would be protruding outside his shoe and have to be re-positioned every morning. It's only now as I type this and see the literature once again that I realise what with it being a removable insole we could just you know..... remove it LOL. I guess as parents we liked him having that extra layer of comfort underfoot. Overall it's a big thumbs up from us as there's nothing Aaron can't do in these shoes.

What Do They Look Like a Year On?

I know the majority of the reviews online are unboxing style reviews from bloggers who've not long had the Treads, so I know that means you'll be wanting to know what ours look like a year on. Now bearing in mind, I don't have a little Johnny who hops into a car on the drive every morning. Aaron mostly (apart from the rare days Daddy's rota allows) walks to and from school often walking  upwards of 10 miles a week. He is also heavy on shoes in the sense that he is an extremely active boy who is never still and as I've said above wears them in the park after school. I think the shoes look great all things considered and you have to also consider they've survived a year March 2018 to March 2019 I am not talking about an academic year here September to July. For 3 years our Next school shoes would last September to January and then January to July. It was only in year 3 when we got Clarks did they last till March but we paid extra for that fact and they didn't look as good after 6.5 months as these treads do after 12 months.

I'd say the scuffing and cracking of the toe area below says more about Aaron climbing up walls than it does about the Treads shoes themselves. The protective coating on the toe area does withstand a LOT of wear and tear - I think it just met its match in Aaron. But like I say  below they've only VERY recently got in THIS state. Read more about the Treads returns policy here.



So this is the Treads front on so that you can see that the protective covering started to crack on the front - I must stress this has only happened very recently.




This is the rear of the Treads to show how very little the heel area has worn down a testimony to the robustness of the materials used in the makeup of the sole. This is all to do with the quality of the rubber and how it withstands abrasion.





This is the Treads side on so that you can see the laces really are the weakest link with this otherwise superior product. 




Simply the other side.



The soles of the Treads. Yes there are some bald patches but they've walked hundreds of miles and there are no holes which we've often had in school shoes before discovering Treads.


What is also amazing... the inner heel fabric lining that surrounds your Achilles heel below your ankle is intact and you'll know as parents how quick this often is to wear through. No.... it is still intact after what is days away from 12 months. Yes he didn't wear them for the 6 weeks' school Summer holidays but other than that and regular school holidays it's 12 months wear and tear.

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What Tread says about the Tokyo school shoe that we purchased

About the Tokyo Boys Black Leather Lace-up School Shoe

Designed and built for active boys. Hand crafted using the finest of components; an additional protection on the toe offers additional durability, and the soft padded ankle gives all day comfort support. Made with Permair leather that is soft enough to allow easy flexible movement, offering unrivalled comfort and engineered to cope with the rigours of the school yard. The sole is tough and strong but also flexible and lightweight. Teamed with durable ‘dual fit’ technology and subtle stitching finishes off the look.

“Strobel construction”

Treads are constructed using a “strobel” technique where the upper is placed into a mould and the sole is then injected around it creating one unit without the need for any gluing. This not only creates a really strong bond but offers additional flexibility, perfect for active kids.

12 Month Indestructible Guarantee*

Our 12 month indestructible guarantee is an expression of our confidence in the material and workmanship of our shoes. If the shoe you buy falls short of these high standards, you may return it to us within 12 months from the day of purchase. (see returns & exchanges for further information).
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Don't forget Treads now make school shoes for girls too.

This corporate video will explain a lot of the features and benefits.

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Full Disclosure: I purchased my Treads shoes, they were not sent to me to review - I did however receive compensation for the below tweet (my Instagram video was just for fun and was not an ad or directed/paid for by the brand in any way):



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