The discounter Aldi-Nord has had sailing shoes on offer since Thursday. There are two different models to choose from. One is a classic sailing shoe, the other looks more like a leisure and sailing shoe. Both are simply called sailing shoes for men in the leaflet and are very favourably priced at 19.99 euros each. WalkX is listed as the manufacturer.
Classic sailing shoe
Leisure and sailing shoe
The upper material of both shoes is genuine suede. When unpacking, both models smelled slightly of chemicals, but the odour quickly dissipated. It is noticeable that both the classic sailing shoe and the casual and sailing shoe are very large. I normally wear shoes in size 44, but the sailing shoes from Aldi fit me in size 42. They are available in sizes 41 to 45. They sit quite comfortably on the foot and offer good support, while the leisure and sailing shoe has a slightly softer padding on the inside. The classic sailing shoe has a few points of criticism: the heel strap is not connected to the laces and therefore cannot be adjusted. And the laces themselves are fluffy, and one of them tears off the second time you put it on.
YACHT 10/2016 has just published the big board shoe test. We have now subjected the Aldi kicks to exactly the same tests. You can read how they fared on the next page.
As in the big comparison test, the two models from the discounter were tested for their grip on different deck surfaces: On teak decks, Treadmaster decks and textured GRP, the gradient at which they lose grip and slowly start to slip was determined. The value was measured in dry and wet condition on all surfaces.
In the table, the maximum gradient at which the shoes still held securely is given in degrees. The first value is with a dry deck surface, the second in wet conditions.
Both shoes performed very well in the slip test. The leisure and sailing shoe performed slightly better. Compared to the sailing shoes from the comparison test, these values put them right at the top. Although they do not have the support of the two top models from Adidas and Zhik, they are only just behind them. For example, they are on a par with the Nassau from TBS.
Dirt pick-up
Even if sailing shoes are optimised for a good grip on deck and the sole suffers when going ashore - most sailors don't change their shoes when they go to the harbour master. That's why it's important to know whether the boat shoes are nasty dirt collectors that scratch the deck with stones in the sole.
To determine this, we walked the 200 metres over the same gravel path as in the comparison test. The Aldi boots surprised us positively: both models only collected a few small stones in the sole.
Weight
A criterion that should not be neglected: How heavy is the shoe? The classic sailing shoe weighs 620 grams and the leisure and sailing shoe 680 grams. This means they are not lightweights, but they are still in the good mid-range compared to the 14 models from the test in YACHT 10/2016. When wet, the classic sailing shoe weighs 780 grams and the leisure and sailing shoe 800 grams. The difference is the amount of water absorbed. These values do not stand out negatively either.
It is also interesting to see how quickly the shoes release this moisture again. This value is determined by another weight measurement after twelve hours. The leisure and sailing shoes still weigh 710 grams, so there is still 30 grams left. The classic sailing shoes still weigh 690 grams, so there are still 70 grams of moisture in the material. In the large comparison test, a value between 0 and 50 grams was very good, the worst value was just under 200 grams of water in the shoe after drying, so sailors would have to step into a wet shoe in the morning.
The Aldi sailing shoes are therefore in a good range, the leisure and sailing shoes are even very good.
Conclusion
The boat shoes from the discounter perform moderately well to very well in all areas. The only negative point is the laces of the classic sailing shoe. The test showed that the leisure and sailing shoes were slightly better in all areas. Of course, the test cannot show how durable the shoes and the good holding power of the soles are. But the sailing shoes will last a season and for that, just under 20 euros is not too much to ask.
However, sailors who still want to get hold of a pair should hurry, because the special offers at Aldi always sell out quickly and in some shops the shoes are probably already out of stock.
Michael Rinck
Redakteur Test & Technik
