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Comment by mtalantikite | Hacker News Reader

Never heard of them until just now. Looking at the men's "Everyday" collection they sort of remind me of the original Yeezys if you were to take the edge off of them and make them blend into an office park. Not really my thing, but I'm here for companies not using slave labor and trying to use materials that aren't so destructive to the planet.

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Their footwear is comfortable and affordable. Their core attribute is being "greener" using biological material (not so different in this respect from Rayon) in some of their manufacturing input...

But... their footwear wears out quite quick (the soles esp.), so overall, I do not know that if you were to study its carbon footprint over two years, if they would actually come ahead compared to conventional footwear.

Affordable is relative. These are at least twice what I've ever paid for casual-looking shoes.

Most sports shoes kids wear in highschool will run about the same, unless they are on sale. Nike, Adidas, etc. They will run the same or more, sometimes less. That's my reference.

Are you serious? $100 for a pair of shoes is, at least for me, under the midpoint for shoe cost in my adult life.

A few cheaper options exist in my closet, but mostly they're more expensive.

I guess that goes to show there's a wide range of needs and desires in the market.

I've been wearing the same line of tennis shoes for a handful of years. Outside of work boots for projects, I wear the tennis shoes for almost every other event and task, breaking out dressy black shoes a handful of times per year.

They run around $65 unless I find a deal. That shoe is adequate for my needs and budget, fits well, and the variations from year to year are minimal. I'm hesitant to deviate away from something I know works well.

I've never found a pair of Nike tennis shoes that are comfortable. Nike shoes would probably be more expensive than my go-to pair, but I'm sure for some people my tennis shoes would be really uncomfortable.

All that said, I am considering trying a pair of Allbirds. I'm 4 hours from their nearest store, and have never bought a pair of shoes online, so I may swing by next time I'm in Minneapolis.

Allbirds has a pretty great return/exchange policy, so I wouldn't sweat the online order if you're interested.

They come in whole sizes only; the rest of my shoes are 9.5 to 10.5 depending on application. My Allbirds fit perfectly; both pairs are 10s.

You can get cheap pair of shoes at outlets, I haven't paid more than 50$ in the last 5 years for a pair of shoes.

I'm stunned by this. Do you just never, ever dress up for anything?

Nop, sneakers and t shirts are enough

a nice pair of dress shoes would last more than 5 years, wouldn't it?

right, true.

I’ve bought at outlets. Half of the time it’s because they had a quality defect that appears a few month into wearing them. (Stitching or glue, etc).

That's disappointing to hear. I personally try to buy things that will last for years. I'd rather spend a lot of money on, say, a pair of Red Wings and wear them for a decade, maybe with an occasional resoling, than a pair of boots that will be a mess in a year or two. Also, NYC (where I am) will really tear a pair of shoes up from all the city walking, so that's a bit of an extra incentive to go for quality.

It's good that their inputs aren't horrible for the planet, but if they break down in a couple years it might not make that much of a difference.

I (obviously?) didn't do a long term study. They have some details about their claims here: https://www.allbirds.com/pages/sustainable-practices [you can download their report]

Most sportswear shoes, "sneakers" in vernacular, don't accommodate resoling. But evenso, the plastic mesh or wool upper (depends on model) tends to wear out in obvious spots (same as where socks might wear out, like toes).

Yeah absolutely -- the sneakers I buy (Vans) definitely can't be resoled, but they last a long time.

Most footwear is fast fashion. People throw out shoes well ahead of them being worn out. I appreciate all the natural materials for this purpose, because at least they biodegrade better, which may have something to do with being worn out faster.

I had a pair for like 3 years. They're extremely durable and light, easy to clean (toss in the wash, air dry), it's almost like wearing super tough socks.

The best part about them was the convenience and comfort, but as far as style they're maybe one rung up the ladder from Crocs, so you're not really winning points there. They go well with shorts and look particularly awkward in jeans.

I second this, they are extremely durable I had mine for over 4 years.

The heel of mine separated from the sole within 6 months. Beginning to wonder if I have some quirk with my stride that tears shoes apart early, or if their quality is just inconsistent.

They are, or were, extremely trendy among the tech workers of the Silicon Valley / San Francisco.

They're premium priced and definitely casual in style and function, with a sustainability-focused marketing sheen.

I've had a few pairs and the quality is above-average but definitely not a "buy it for life."

Wouldn't call them the best value, but I love my pair they are extremely comfortable and versatile for matching with stuff. Fashion-wise, they are pretty bland.

Unfortunately Amazon doesn't have these shoes. I need to create yet another user account.

You don't need to create an account to buy their shoes. You can check out as a guest, they use Shopify.

They’re very comfortable & breathable – I used to refer to them as my office slippers back when offices were a place where we spent time. Nice enough looking for meetings, but you didn’t mind wearing them all day even in the summer.

I ordered a couple of styles a few years ago. They seemed incredibly comfortable but both didn't fit properly due to the lack of half sizes so they were returned.

I guess it hasn't affected their valuation much though.

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