A few things to note:
- I am in no way affiliated with Beckett Simonon and I’ve done my best to make a fair and unbiased review.
- All the pictures are taken with a Samsung S7 by an amateur (me)
Intro:
I've been looking for a summer sneaker since the sole separated on a pair of cheap Lacoste sneakers that I had to finally get rid of after 3 years and had my mind set on either some all-white low tops or German Army Trainer style trainers but in true r/frugalmalefashion spirit I was waiting for the best deal I could find. In doing so, I happened to reach out to u/nicholashurtado wondering if they were going to be restocking any of their all-white low tops as I've seen them talked about on here as a solid budget option. I had read one of his comments saying that his brand, Beckett Simonon, would be releasing something soon. He told me that their new sneaker they were releasing would be a version of the GAT and that they had samples and were in the process of finalizing everything. I asked Nick if he would be interested in sending me a sample to review for Reddit and he obliged. The shoes arrived 2 days later by DHL.
I'm going to preface this by saying that this is my first review and my knowledge of footwear is limited to mostly sub-100$ sneakers, a few pairs of Allen Edmonds, and some Iron Rangers. If I miss anything important let me know and I'll be more than happy to answer any questions regarding the shoes.
First impression:
The shoes came double boxed-- a Beckett Simonon branded shipping box with a non-branded, all black box inside. I was greeted with a hand-written thank you from Nick, 2 shoe bags, 2 inserts, an extra set of white laces, and of course the shoes. Right off the bat I was a big fan of the shape of the shoes and they are noticeably heavier than the type of mall-tier sneakers I'm used to.
Materials:
The GATs are made from aniline dyed full-grain nappa leather from Argentina, the lining is full-grain vachetta leather. The leather feels soft and supple, and definitely substantial. The suede accents are seemingly a step above the quality of my Clarks with a much finer nap. The sole units are natural vulcanized rubber.
Construction:
The stitching seems to be flawless. I couldn’t find any stitching errors. There are a few glue marks present1 2, and the top of the sole where it meets the upper has a few areas where it isn't completely straight. Not sure how it being a photoshoot sample effects these things but I've included pictures of what I noted. That said, these are prototypes so take that for what it’s worth.
Fit:
I don't know my Brannock size exactly (probably 8.5E?), but for comparison I wear 9.5 Adidas, 9.5 New Balance, 8.5E AE, 8.5 RW. The GATs are size 9 and are slightly longer than I would prefer. Probably less than a centimeter, but I like my shoes snug. They aren't super narrow but I wouldn't consider them to be wide at all. Regardless, the shoes are pretty comfortable and with the inserts I think they will work perfectly. I'm sure most of these questions are best left to size charts and measurements but I figured I'd add these comparisons as a reference.
Conclusion:
Overall I'm pleased with these and if it weren't for me being given the opportunity to review them I'd be in line to get a pair when they release. That said, there are a few small imperfections that I've done my best to cover. I think these fill a niche for people like me that really like the style of the shoe but either can’t or don’t want to drop 300$+ for the MMM version but also want something a step above the OG’s
Like I said, I'm happy to answer any questions/concerns as best I can given my schedule and ability. I'm sure if there's anything I can't answer Nick will be able to help out.
Submitted May 30, 2017 at 08:47PM by marfin20 http://ift.tt/2sk0UtT
