jimlondon Posted July 26, 2013 Report Share Posted July 26, 2013 Hi I get through a lot of these. Still popular with the rest of you? Also have a lot of customers that want them straight on brand new shoes which I've always found a bit odd. Any others have that with customers? Any idea why someone would take off a brand new heel that there's nothing wrong with? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theshoeman9 Posted July 26, 2013 Report Share Posted July 26, 2013 I use a lot of these but have been frustrated with the poor standard of quality in recent years. Having grumbled to reps time & time again nobody seems to supply decent combinets anymore. They all seem to be PVC which in my opinion finish very poorly & look shabby. However... Recently an old lady came into my shop stating her husband had recently died aged 85 & used to do repairs from their garage & was I interested in going to clear it out ? Sad that the poor chap had died I was still intrigued to have a look What an aladins cave. I've now acquired a stack of Fussells combinets , straight tops etc . It's great to have them in stock . How many other old sheds/garages are filled with things of the past we crave for ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul_ Posted July 27, 2013 Report Share Posted July 27, 2013 I've tried on numerous occasions to source rubber heels with 1/4 steels from Europe or even worldwide and no-one has ever heard of them. As far as I can work out its only us in the uk that use these. Unless you want to buy thousands of pairs from china and then there is the risk of them being rubbish, maybe jointly the SRF members could group together and get a load made, but as previously discussed actually sorting out detail (payment, delivery etc.) makes something like this near on impossible. Believe me, if I found a manufacturer of these I'd be importing them cos there is money to be there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autolock Posted July 27, 2013 Report Share Posted July 27, 2013 same old story ,we cant manufacture anything in this country anymore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithm Posted July 29, 2013 Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 Er, I think we can, but it needs to be economical If the demand was there I believe manufacturers might make them, but at a price. As most of you guy's are very price concious, it may make them unviable or uneconomic to make. da miller 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek Posted July 29, 2013 Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 Er, I think we can, but it needs to be economical If the demand was there I believe manufacturers might make them, but at a price. As most of you guy's are very price concious, it may make them unviable or uneconomic to make. perhaps it is then in the interest of a supplier to enquire as to the cost of reproducing them, giving us guys an estimated cost for us to buy them, and then see what sort of response they get back, in regards to if we think its too expensive or not. i'd say the ball is firmly in the court of the suppliers at this moment, can they be bothered trying to source a manufacture? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autolock Posted July 29, 2013 Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 Er, I think we can, but it needs to be economical If the demand was there I believe manufacturers might make them, but at a price. As most of you guy's are very price concious, it may make them unviable or uneconomic to make. So who would make them in this country,as Paul PVC would like to know of a manufacturer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithm Posted July 29, 2013 Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 The only supplier I know that make rubber components in the UK are Harborough Rubber. If Robinh is looking in he may be able to enlighten you all on the pro's and con's of making this specialist component as it will need tooling I'm sure and I'm sure, as a supplier, that this has been looked at many times before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kobblers Posted July 29, 2013 Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 When Fussell's Rubber stopped making the Combinettes I contacted them on behalf of The Forum to enquire as to why they had stopped production. Their reply (If I remember correctly) was along the lines of that they had moved or were moving premises and that it wasn't cost effective to move or replace the big and old machinery that was used to produce Combinettes. To be honest we rarely get asked for them these days and do about one pair every six weeks. You could always make your own, it's fairly straightforward if the iron quarters are still available. If you make them yourself they usually end up neater than the original Fussell's which I sometimes found to be sub-standard. Rick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grahamparker Posted July 29, 2013 Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 Towards the end they where not the greatest finish possible, but still better than most of the alternatives available now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autolock Posted September 6, 2013 Report Share Posted September 6, 2013 Looks like colleges have come up with a rubber heel with quarter steel. , Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kobblers Posted September 7, 2013 Report Share Posted September 7, 2013 I saw the advert. They don't look any better than when Fussell's were last making them. Surely it's not that difficult in this day and age to attach the steel without getting excess rubber all over the top of it? I'll be giving them a miss Rick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted September 7, 2013 Report Share Posted September 7, 2013 I saw the rep from soles2go last week, and they are trying to produce something as well! See what they come up with.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul_ Posted September 7, 2013 Report Share Posted September 7, 2013 Looks like colleges have come up with a rubber heel with quarter steel. , I've bought a pack of these to give them a try. They don't look that good quality but I suppose better than the awful PVC ones. I will let you know next week how good (or bad!?) they are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul_ Posted September 7, 2013 Report Share Posted September 7, 2013 I saw the rep from soles2go last week, and they are trying to produce something as well! See what they come up with.... I told him to get these made and he does seem to have some good contacts in South America and has lots of experience in sourcing materials and suppliers (mainly from the shoe retail trade but now in repair) Like you said, lets see what he can come up with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul_ Posted September 9, 2013 Report Share Posted September 9, 2013 Well I fitted a couple of pair of these today. The quality really isn't great but no worse than the PVC ones. Just makes it easier to fit these to a heel block rubber and easier to finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted September 9, 2013 Report Share Posted September 9, 2013 i've got a sample pair & they look the bollocks to me. I will fit them & show you a picture. Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted September 9, 2013 Report Share Posted September 9, 2013 nount wrong with them in my opinion. nice hard rubber, well moulded. A million times better than the PVC ones. Wholesalers your PVC 1/4 tips have just died on your selves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted September 10, 2013 Report Share Posted September 10, 2013 nount wrong with them in my opinion. nice hard rubber, well moulded. A million times better than the PVC ones. Wholesalers your PVC 1/4 tips have just died on your selves.[attachment=0]sovereign.jpg[/attachment] Are these the Colledge ones or the Soles2go ones? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted September 10, 2013 Report Share Posted September 10, 2013 Colledge:- Sovereign 1/4 steel. they are as good if not better than combinettes. These where a sample, when my stock arrives I'll be throwing the pvc ones in the bin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironplanet uk900 Posted September 24, 2013 Report Share Posted September 24, 2013 Rumour has it there's a Vibram 1/4 steel on the way.................. I do hope so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hibsjo(SCO) Posted September 25, 2013 Report Share Posted September 25, 2013 you need to get out more often carry on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeRalph Posted December 15, 2023 Report Share Posted December 15, 2023 Is anybody still looking for this product? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cameron Avery Posted December 15, 2023 Report Share Posted December 15, 2023 After 10 years, probably not. grahamparker 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash Posted December 16, 2023 Report Share Posted December 16, 2023 I AM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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