What's the difference in quality between GYW/Blake/Stitchdown construction?
by u/ll-beansandrice (2020)
What's the difference in quality between GYW/Blake/Stitchdown construction?
As with most things, it depends. The short answer is that it doesn't affect quality or longevity in any meaningful way for most people buying them as a pair of fashion shoes/boots. The main difference is going to be how different double row stitchdown looks versus 360 storm welt versus 360 GYW etc. etc.
There are theoretical differences like stitchdown will require careful stitching so that the same holes are used otherwise the uppers will eventually be perforated. While GYW has the outsole stitched to the welt so you can technically have more resoles before the welt gets too rough and needs replaced.
Blake construction could run into the same problem. The main thing to consider with blake is that it requires a different and special machine (a Blake machine) in order to do the stitch and not all small local cobblers will have one. It's not insurmountable, you'll just have to make sure your cobbler can do it. Pure blake construction is most commonly used in things like handsewn shoes and sometimes things like Italian loafers.
Blake-rapid is another option and has the advantages of GYW while being quite lightweight and easy to make. Rancourt I believe has a line of Blake-rapid boots and most boots from Rider Boot Co are of this type of construction.
These are the main types of construction you'll see in the wild with some form of GYW being the most common. In general, I think other factors like how you treat the uppers will have more of an impact on how long a shoe lasts than the construction method, and the most important thing to consider is whether you like how the particular boot/shoe looks.
That's a pretty quick but rambling run-down. I'm sure I could dig-up more info in /r/goodyearwelt though.