Today I went on a spending spree (rare for me) for shoes. I have had problems buying shoes for years because I need 4E. Most all of my shoes have been New Balance because 4E New Balance have been easy to find and New Balance 4E size 11 Men consistently fit fine. But they have been getting harder to find. They used to make golf shoes, but evidently don't anymore. Couldn't find them last time I looked, so bought Footjoy IIRC, got a tip they make a wide golf shoe.
@Captante posted in a thread I started a few weeks ago asking for quality basketball shoes I can use as quad skate uppers (the New Balance 11 4E 902 shoes on my skates are pretty beat up now):
I used to play basketball, took up after college, would play pickup. It really is a lot of fun and great for conditioning. But my usage now is different. I took up street skating quads in 1989. I bought used cheap quad skates in a thrift store and the wheels came off the front of one skate...
forums.anandtech.com
He said:
The brands with the most size/width-options tend to be ASICS, New Balance and (believe it or not) Skechers.
Skechers have never been on my radar, but I looked into them. I opted not to buy because the shoes I was looking at have their insoles glued in:
After Burn Memory Fit - Geardo Black/Charcoal Style #: 50120-BKCC
Classic style with up to date technology and comfort comes in Skechers After Burn Memory Fit - Geardo. This lace-up athletic high-top features a leather, synthetic and mesh upper with cushioned Air-Cooled Memory Foam® insole.
www.skechers.com
I bought Fitville instead
FitVille Men's Extra Wide Basketball Shoes with Wide Toe Box Comfortable High-top Sneakers for Flat Feet
They cost more than 2x as much as the Skechers. When they finally came (from Asia!) I was really disappointed. Not only didn't they seem very robust and tough, the exterior was largely blue suede! Um, blue suede basketball shoes? Are you kidding me!?!
Well, searching I came upon a YT video of an old skinny white southern guy who showed how he removed the glued-in insoles from Skechers Memory Foam shoes. Took 10 minutes to do it, the guy was just way too southern laid back for me, but I realized that if he could remove the insoles, I could too. I ordered that Geardo Skechers pair and received them yesterday. This morning I rip out the insoles. A bit messy job but it worked out. I put in Superfeet insoles instead and walked a few blocks. I was really impressed and figured buy another pair. The price was right (~$55), hard to beat and they seem like good hiking shoes. I had never bought a pair of hiking shoes in my life!!! So, I notice an email today from Skechers (I joined the other day) offering a 20% discount [code SUMMER20 ]. I decide to get that 2nd pair. Their website is pretty great. They offered similar (but better, more expensive shoes) also having Extra-Wide (4E) option. I found two styles I liked, decided I want two pairs of all three styles I was looking at! Came to almost $500 after discounts and tax. I notice an email from Skechers tonight asking me to call them to confirm the order! It was 7 minutes after they closed for the night, so I'll call them in the morning. Don't remember having to do that when ordering online (I am small fry!). I suppose it looked like it could be a fraud, who orders 6 pairs of shoes? I DO! I spent days over the last month looking for shoes for my skates, drove 60 miles last week, visited 4 BIG stores stocking lots of shoes, one of them a Skechers Warehouse Outlet, and could not find a single pair of shoes that remotely looked appropriate for me. I am pretty confident I will love these Skechers!
The guy at the Skechers Warehouse Outlet told me that their Memory Foam Fit insoles are glued in because if they weren't they would have many shoplifted out of stores. I posted a question at their website today about the shoes I just ordered (4 pairs of those weren't Memory Foam insoled) asking if the insoles are glued in or not and got a professional answer saying they are lightly held in place but easily replaced.