Customer Reviews

Clarks Originals Men's Wallabee Boot

5 star:		(65)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I just received these shoes today and here are my impressions.
3:30pm The shoes arrived and I eagerly opened the box and put them on. They feel quite a bit different from other shoes. The sole is VERY springy! The tongue is hurting my right foot and I'm concerned that I am going to need to return the shoes.

4:30pm I take the shoes off and it turns out that the tongue (which is connected to the sides of the top of the shoe where the laces go through)is not centered quite right so I fold it in place and put the shoes back on. I notice a difference instantly. My wife comes home from work and says "I don't like the way they look....but they are your shoes".

By 5:30 I don't care how they look because they are soooo comfortable. The soft leather uppers seems to fit the foot perfectly and the soft sole is still really springy. The combination of these two is magnificent.

By 7pm I love these shoes so much that I am sitting at the computer writing a review at amazon!

I generally wear birkenstock and Dr. Marten shoes so I have spoiled my feet. It is a fantastice surprise to get these shoes and find that they are even MORE comfortable than the Docs or the Birks.

I just ordered a pair of the Desert treks.....

I have been wearing Wallabee's for about two years now. When I was younger I always wanted a pair of brown leather Wallee's, but I couldn't afford the $120 price tag. Now that I am making my own cash, I have three pairs, and another on the way. They have to be the most comfortable footwear known to man. They are extremely durable, as I have had one pair for more than a year, and as long as I keep applying mink oil to em, the still look and feel like the day I bought em. If you are having second thoughts about buying a pair, stop thinkin and just hit that "order" button. You will not be disappointed. A little tub of mink oil is highly recommended if you are getting the leather ones, especially the beeswax, as they have a tendency to scuff quite easily. Enjoy.

I have worn WALLABEES for years and I have found that no other shoe keeps my feet as dry as they do. I find find them very comfortable and my wife loves them becuse they don't mark up the floor.

These shoes are stylish ugly. Stylish ugly is common to Thinkpads or early model VW cars. I love how understated they are and how they look well matched with genes or dressier pants. Their comfort is unparalleled. They give the feeling of walking on a thick pile carpet. The leather Wallabees break in more slowly than suede models. Wear them for short periods until the leather stretches.

Shoes feel great and I love the look but buy a size smaller than your normal tennis shoes. Only negative is the bottom tends to grab onto dirt really well almost to the point of stickiness.

Excellent quality shoe but the size of the shoe runs at least a size larger than most other shoes you buy. I normally wear a size 13, I ordered a size 13, and now I must wear a very thick sock to make up for the extra room. I believe a size 12 would have probably fit just fine.

It would be hard to find a boot with more relaxed fit and comfort than the Clark Wallabee. I owned a pair of the original suede Wallabees back in the '70s, and I really liked the fit. However, I discovered that Suede probably wasn't the best choice for wear in the snow. The Beeswax version of the Wallabee that I recently purchased works better for me because I can apply waterproofer and polish to keep the leather soft and my feet dry in winter weather.
I did find, as some other reviewers have noted, that these boots seem to run a bit large, size-wise. I wear a 10.5 in a Reebok sneaker, and a 10W in a Footjoy golf shoe. I bought a size 10 in the Wallabee, and it feels a little "loose"; a 9.5 might have been a better choice.

For a couple of decades I have missed the desert boots/moccasins I used to wear in California in the 60s. There was nothing like them, but I couldn't justify spending over $100 for shoes that I could wear for casual occasions only. Finally, I broke down last month and ordered a pair of Clarks of England Original Wallabee boots. I was somewhat concerned because I could not find wide ones, but I ordered 10.5 Mediums (instead of 10 W). When they arrived they looked fine, impeccably packaged, with proper tags and a booklet. Then, much to my chagrin, I noticed that they were "Made in China." What a huge disappointment for me. After a bit of research I found out that the Ilminster plant in Somerset (England) closed its doors about 2 years ago (2005) because Clarks could not stay competitive. The bosses stated that because of the soaring cost of labor in the UK they had to source production of the shoes to the Far East. That's the bad news. The good news is that, although miffed, I must admit that the shoes are well made, light and exactly as comfortable as I remember them. They have a supple, breathable suede upper, cushioned insole, and a flexible crepe sole. They are beautifully finished and, after one month, I can say they wear well. I am pleasantly surprised by the quality of this product. I ought to have bought them ˝ size smaller, since the width seems to accommodate to one's foot as the shoes are worn. I bought the Sand Suede, but the boots come also in Beeswax, Black and Brown Oily Leather, and Black and Brown Suede. Scuffmarks and dirt clean off easily with a suede or leather brush. I wore mine in the rain and they seem none the worse, even though I have not used any water repellent on them. If you like the looks of mocs, I think you will like the "new" Clarks Original Wallabees.

I can understand why this shoe receives so many positive reviews. The leather is highly breathable, and the rubber sole is very soft which make you feel like walking on thick carpet.

However, the insole is very slippery (I don't know if this is intentional!), so unless the size is small enough and fits your foot completely, your foot will move around as you walk, causing injury to toe skin if walked long enough. I wear shoes with size US size 10 very comfortably, but even if I wear size 9 of this one I still hurt my toe skin.

Do go for at least half a size down. Clarks' in UK size, and the insole is quite slippery indeed.

The dirt stuck on the shoe soles never seems to go away, ah crepe rubber.