Tanel Plate shoes - I've never been so disappointed
 

I have several post-season tournament assignments, so I decided I would demote my old faithful Honig's plate shoes to "mudders" and buy a new pair. I have been admiring the Tanel shoes for some time (from the web pics and descriptions) so I decided to buy a pair.

What a completely unusable shoe! They claim it to be an athletic shoe, but any athlete who wore this shoe would be crippled within the hour.

Tanel has the tag line, "The Plate shoe that looks as good as it feels!"

Trust me - if that was true, this would be one awful looking shoe!

OK, now that I have ranted on for long enough, what is the problem? The hard toe has a slight downward angle and present a hard, sharp edge to the top of the foot just behind the toes. With every bend of the shoe, it bites into the top of my foot. Absolutely, completely unwearable.

Needless to say, they are going back.

Very, very disappointing.

I have owned Tanel's since 2002 and absolutlely love them. They are light, flexible, and easy to maintain.

The base shoes are great too. I love the tread and footprint design for easy mobility. They stop great and allow for quick and seemless turning.

Not familiar with that shoe; never tried it.

I would highly recommend this line of shoes; the best value I have ever seen. Excellent quality, light weight, low price.

http://www.inhousesports.com/bsbumps...0Sports%20Home

My current ones are Riddell and I was pleasantly surprised by them.

I, too, have had my Tanels for a few years and am very happy with them. the old Honigs I had before felt like cement blocks. My Tanels are light, comfortable, and shine up well. Actually, I will be ordering a new pair soon.

Perhaps you just got a bad pair, Tom.

Before I returned them, I contacted the manufacturer. I sent them a slightly edited version of my posting. Turns out, I work less than 10 miles from their corp HQ (who knew??? - I guess I should have payed closer attention!). Anyway, the President of the Co wants to have a look at the shoes. I'll let you know how it goes.

Sounds like you cant beat the customer service :)

Get a bad pair of shoes, meet with the president of the company to figure out what is wrong.

When you go, you should wear your 'mudders' in to his office.

Dakota,

I bought the exact same shoes about a month ago. I find them extremely comfortable except for the same toe pinch your talking about. I tried jamming a wedge in one shoe (only one had that problem) and I expanded the metal toe plate just enough to feel good. I know I shouldn't have to do that but I did and now their fine.

Yes, I was impressed. He responded to my email within an hour of my sending it to their generic customer service email address.

With mud on them?? :D

Thanks for this. I'll have another testimonial to show the President so it won't be just me with the problem. Your fix might give them a hint on how to check for it / deal with it in manufacturing.

I, too, have used the Tanel 360 plate shoe for almost two years (approximately 150 games) and have not experienced the problem you describe, Tom.

They have been comfortable, provided good traction and mobility and, very importantly, have taken about a dozen foul balls- and one large catcher stepping on my foot with metal spikes!- with absolutely no injury to my feet.

The only conclusion I can draw is that you, Tom, must have abnormally large and horribly mishappen toes!:eek:

I can completely understand the problem you are describing. I have experienced it myself in steel-toed industrial safety shoes that I must wear from time-to-time at work.

Some pairs have been torture in the area you describe. Others, like the ones I have now, are as comfortable as any shoe I own. I believe that the difference is one of sizing. My recent pair was personally fitted by a shoe vendor that visits our plant once a year.

The only concern I do have with the Tanels is, ironically, in the same area you describe- the bending area directly in back of the toe-box where the ball of your foot hinges.

The leather seems to be breaking down a bit in this area which sees a lot of stress. I'm wondering how many more games are left in these shoes before I order the next pair!

Although I've never worn the plate shoe I have as a player worn the mid-high rubber cleats for several years and just recently started wearing the base shoe as a slow pitch umpire.

I absolutely love these shoes so much that I advertise for them on my website.


However, although they say you no longer have to do this. I recommend ordering at least 1/2 size larger than you normally wear.

Obviously, special shoes are needed for the plate work.

However, once you get away from the plate, I cannot find a better, more comfortable shoe than New Balance.