How About Them $10 Kicks?

So how do $10 Big Ben kicks from Steve & Barry’s compare with other kicks? Not bad considering the cost. For the price of a Hamilton, don’t expect sheer luxury ala Air Jordans, but these kicks are wearable. They kind of feel like a pair of $60 Nike shoes.

To keep costs down, there’s no visible Air unit in the sole, no Zoom, no Shox columns, no carbon fiber. No technology bling or anything like that. But there are some visual trims that don’t make the Big Bens look like clogs. If you look closely, these accents are where corners are cut for price reasons.

The metallic eyelets? They’re silver colored plastic, not metal.

The adjustable velcro strap is a good add on, but in the case of the Big Bens, it’s more for show than function. First, the elastic that provides the adjustability is very short. Good enough for my foot, but you can’t stretch that elastic too far. Second, the strap gets in the way of the laces. You can’t easily tie the laces since the strap covers majority of the laces.

I forget Nike’s quality standards, but I remember something about the stitching and if there was loose stitching on the shoe (even on the inside) right out of the box, you have the right to a new pair. If that’s true, the Bens would never make it through Nike’s quality checks with stitching like this.

Overall though, keeping expectations real for paying $10 bucks, you can’t go wrong with these kicks.

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