Zappos
May 10th, 2009
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Missing the boat
May 3rd, 2009
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It’s been quite awhile since my last RANT but here it is spring and I had hoped to have some new Keds to wear. Sadly as stated in our petition I can’t bring myself to spend any money on new sneakers from this company with the way things are. I almost broke down and ordered the new Keds green Willow sneaker but a commitment is a commitment. Along with the complaints listed in our petition I find that there is even more to gripe about.
Once again the design / marketing folks at Keds Corp are missing the gravy train with their core product line. The basic Champion sneaker has been around for a very long time and even though Keds has introduced many new colors they just don’t seem to get their act together enough to offer other variations of this classic sneaker. Why not a pointed toe or mesh canvas? I’ve bought both before and would again.
The one thing that I had really hoped Keds would offer is the air hole design. Face it, feet get HOT with air holes you at least get some cooling. With our weather getting hotter and hotter you’d think the brains at Keds would realize they could sell more sneakers if they were cooler to wear.
WHY WHY WHY are Keds not manufactured in North America. With American and Canadian workers needing jobs and the price of Keds being what they are it must be more economical to build them here without the overseas shipping costs and wasted fossil fuel.
Remember ads like this when Keds were proud to say things like “The Sneaker America Grew Up With”, or “Keds The All American Sneaker”. What do we call them now “The Chinese Made All American Sneaker”.
Please Keds
May 3rd, 2009
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We have a new poll for you folks. Personally I’d love to see Keds bring back a pointed toe Champion like the sneaker in the center of this old Keds ad. How about the rest of you?
Loading ...Sneakers for everyday living
May 3rd, 2009
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I run, I walk, and I play tennis. Whats a person to do own a special pair or sneakers for every activity? When I was a kid all the girls wore Keds and all the boys wore Converse for every sport and activity. Interestingly I never remember ever having sore feet or legs which lead me to do a bit of research.
I found an interesting article the other day on sneaker technology. It went on the say that shoe technology had improved by leaps and bounds over the past 30 years and that there were shoes for every sport. The interesting part was that while shoes apparently have improved foot and leg injuries have increased and not decreased. The writer in a nutshell said you might as well wear your old chuckies because the risk of injury was less.
For myself I found a pair of the rubber sole (pre cardboard ESO) low tech Keds leather Champions on ebay.com a few weeks ago and have traded in my 100.00 Nikes (which my legs ached from wearing) and now wear the Keds for walking instead. After a couple days of my leg tendons stretching my feet and legs now feel great after an hour power walk. Tennis is another matter, over the years I’ve tried many sneakers designed for tennis and have found nothing better then Tretorn Nylites
Sorry Keds but its going to take something very special to get me out of these sneakers.
Keds Green Brand
May 3rd, 2009
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2009 brought us a new line from Keds
These are nice looking sneakers and I hope Keds does well with them. My only issue is that with the world economic crisis this product could be much “Greener” if Keds manufactured them in North America. They also say they’ll plant a tree for every pair sold.
* Friendly organic cotton uppers for a healthier environment
* Recycled rubber to help reduce waste; We use 20% recycled rubber in our outsoles
* Eye-catching colors made from non-toxic inks & dyes that help decrease the harmful impact to our atmosphere
* Nickel free eyelets, ISO-9001 certified factory and recycled insoles
* Shoe laces made from 100% recycled PET (water bottles)
Sneakers at Shoebuy
April 28th, 2009
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I must recommend Shoebuy when you are purchasing new Keds. Below is a listing for the current Champions at prices well below Keds.com and Shoebuy offers free shipping and no tax. This is a good time to stock up! For other styles click our “Shop for Keds” link near the top of the page.
Hello Keds Fans
March 29th, 2009
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Welcome to our new Keds Sneaker Fan Blog.
Your input is important, please feel free to comment and take part in our various topics and polls.
Keds Petition
As previously loyal but currently dissatisfied customers we wish to send Keds Inc. a message that we are not satisfied with the current offering of the basic Champion. Please take a moment to read and Sign the Petition.
Keeping white Keds white
May 23rd, 2008
If you’re like me you like to keep your white Keds white and clean as long as possible. Here’s a tip to extend that brand new look.
With a brand new pair remove the laces and lightly spray the canvas with a quality spray starch. Let dry, re-lace, and wear. I have been told that there are other products like Scotch Guard will do the same but I’ve never tried.
Washing Keds has been hit and miss. Many times white Keds end up with ghastly yellow stains above the foxing after washing. I have have pretty good luck following the instructions below (works with colors as well).
- Remove laces and either add to load or wash by hand.
- Wash Keds either alone in a smaller load with extra water.
- Use about 1/4 to 1/3 less laundry soap in load.
- Wash for approximately 5 minutes then stop washer and use a soft nail brush to clean foxing and scrub any other soiled areas of the canvas.
- Let load finish then wash again without soap.
- Double spin making sure the canvas is pointing out to remove as much water as possible.
- Place Keds in dryer on med heat for 5 to 10 minutes only remove and air dry for about 24 hours.
The key elements appear to be using less soap #3, thoroughly rinsing #5, thoroughly removing as much water #6 as possible before final drying.
If you have any tips or methods that have worked for you please comment.
Please Note These tips are for the basic canvas Champion and have not been tested on the other styles or materials. Be sure to follow the instructions provided for your specific Keds shoes provided by the manufacturer.
Are You Happy with the new Keds?
May 22nd, 2008
Sneakers need to be fashionable and comfortable. Two things which Keds have faithfully represented for over 90 years but perhaps no longer.
I recently purchased 2 new pairs of Champions which I tried on and was instantly pleased with the terry cloth inners and added padding of the tongue.
What I didn’t take notice of at the time was the new sole and after a couple hours of wear I started to regret my purchase. I found the insoles very quickly became lumpy and my feet were getting sore. I suspect the insole is glued to an uneven surface which is causing the discomfort. I have been wearing the older versions with the rubber soles for years and have always been very happy with the comfort up until now.
The 2008 Keds have a new ESO sole “ESO soles are a lightweight recycled material that is eco-friendly”. Since when is natural rubber not eco-friendly?
While I applaud Keds for trying to produce an eco-friendly product I think they have seriously missed the mark with this design. This new generation of product is horribly uncomfortable, the soles except for two rubber area’s are unreasonably hard, inflexible and have terrible traction. They also make an awful clacking sound on type of firm surface. A quick google landed me dozens of Eco-rubber sites and information which in my mind would have been a much better choice if they must change the sole.
Are Keds still a sneaker?
According to wikipedia.org
Keds is a brand of canvas shoe with rubber soles, introduced in 1916 by U.S. Rubber (later known as Uniroyal, then Uniroyal Goodrich, and finally acquired by Michelin), and now owned by the Stride Rite Corporation. When choosing a name, the initial choice was Peds, from the Latin meaning foot, but someone else held that trademark. Keds were first mass-marketed as canvas-top “sneakers” in 1917. They became known as “sneakers” because the rubber soles allowed sneaking around silently.
Based on the dictionary definition above I think Keds have fixed something that was not broken. The rubber sole seems to be the definitive attribute of a sneaker.
I took the initiative to write to Keds customer service to voice my concerns and received a response with an offer to return my shoes if they were defective in anyway. They did not however address the fact that my complaint was a comfort issue and thus did not qualify for a return.
Quote from Keds customer service:
The new Champions will have the ESO bottoms which is a lightweight recycled material that is eco-friendly. This type of sole helps flexibility by breaking the rubber. If you do not feel secure in your footing the product department suggested rubbing the bottom of the shoe against the cement sidewalk which would quickly remove the material and not compromise the integrity of the shoe.
Are they kidding?
What was wrong with the rubber sole that was comfortable, flexible, had great traction, and was quiet to walk in right from the box. If this new material removes that quickly should it be used for a sole at all?
One other thing bothers me about the new line. I guess one of the bean counters at Keds decided it was cheaper to use one size blue label (on the heal) then affixing a proportional sized label depending on sneaker size. This is just plain cheap and considering they just raised the price to 34.99 from 29.99 in my opinion is completely outlandish? Maybe they didn’t save enough on the label.
Say NO!
Take a stand and tell Keds NO this will not do. At the current online price from www.keds.com of $34.99 I simply refuse to purchase another pair.
If you are not happy (or even if you are) please take a moment and comment and on this topic. Perhaps with enough support we can ask Keds to rethink their design and give us once again a product worthy of the Keds name and our loyalty as consumers.
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