Leather Sole vs Rubber Sole

There is long debate on the differences between leather soles vs rubber soles with regards to comfort, durability, elegance etc.

I will break it up into the main topics that tend to be discussed labeling both pro’s and con’s.

   Comfort

Leather Pro’s: Leather sole was made to be hard but in reality it is still just a skin and has the ability to mold and shape to your foot, allowing natural contour to take place. It therefore creates a very soft and flexible foot bed actually creating much more comfort than it’s rubber counterpart.

Leather Con’s: The downside of leather is that if not done properly can be very rigid and not actually providing much in terms of comfort if not accompanied by proper fitting lasts/certain shoe constructions etc. 

Rubber Pro’s: Rubber is often flexible thus you do not feel so stiff when a shoe is made on a rubber sole. It also being quite sturdy makes it feel comfortable for some people. it naturally has more shock absorption so when you step, you don’t feel the hardness of the pavement as much as you might in the leather sole.

Rubber Con’s: Rubber does not have the ability to mold to your feet like a leather sole does thus the rigidity of that lack of taking shape can often feel quite uncomfortable over time. Also, if you were to be on your feet all day long, the non-forming rigidity of the rubber starts to make your feet grow tired.

 Durability

Leather Pro’s: Leather’s strength lies in how many layers of leather you have on it. Therefore, the more layers of leather you have the exponentially stronger it gets.

Leather Con’s: Opposite to its pro, the less amount of layers or thinner the leather sole has, the more fragile it is. Leather absorbs water so over time you can get it coming through your soles for the smallest of cracks or busted seam etc. 

Rubber Pro’s: A good rubber sole is non-breakable. Due to the nature of rubber and what it is intended for, you can really go hard on it and it will last. Rubber is very water resistant so you really don’t have to worry about your feet getting wet.

Rubber Con’s: If it cracks, it’s over as the cracks will only get worse.

    Elegance/Formality

Leather Pro’s: A leather sole is the epitome of elegance and formality and is always the material of choice when making formal shoes. The tighter the sole (i.e. not protruding out from the shape of the last) the more elegant/formal.

Leather Con’s: If the sole is not cut tight to the last it looks inelegant. The cut has to be done right in order to maintain the correct manner of elegance and formality.

Rubber Pro’s: Rubber can be used in an elegant setting providing that the sole maintains a manner of thinness.

Rubber Con’s: Most of the time, rubber soles add a certain level of bulkiness to the shoe that just makes it plain informal.