I have been wearing Vans shoes for decades but... there was a gap where it was always Simple shoes. Simple went away for a while. Vans almost did, twice. Several months ago I found some promo Vans on clearance. The premium "skate" version of some leather slip on shoes. I really liked them even though it took a while to break them in. Recently I found some Simple suede S1 slip on shoes on clearance.
Both are really nice old guy mall walkers.
The Vans were $50. The Simples $27.
The Vans have removable insoles. The Simples are slightly glued in but can easily be removed and replaced.
The Vans came with water based glue. The Simples recycled water bottle soles and outter areas, algae based insoles, water based glues, and recycled cotton foxing. A little tag said they saved 8 water bottles and 12 something or other of polluted air.
Insoles of the Vans are part of the promo. The Simples are generic.
The Vans insoles are way more shock absorbing. The Simples allow better "board feel" while being nice shock absorbers. Old guy knees will probably prefer better shock absorption.
The clear soles of the Vans have a mega-cool factor. The Simples just plain green.
The Vans have a pull tab. Simples do not
The Vans foxing is vinyl and rubs blisters. The Simples are recycled cotton and extra comfy
The Vans are smooth leather. Read easy cleanup. The Simples are suede. The smooth Vans began to look like alligator skin after a few hours of use. I mean that's pretty cool for a broken in look. The Simple will probably not show wrinkles.
Now time will tell which I'll wear most but the Vans run tight so each time I wear them it takes a time to be comfy. The Simples are just right in size.
The Vans 'seem' to be more sturdy however I have 25 year old Simples that are still going strong. Both using water based glue causes me to wonder if either pair will hold up for 5 years, much less 25.
Both are winners in my view. But I think the Simples were the better value.
The Vans came from Zappos. The Simples from Simple shoes web site.