Amberjack The Cap-Toe: Stepping Up
Price: $195
Why Buy?
The Amberjack The Cap-Toe offers a comfortable option that will fit most business wear, made in a high labor standard country
Why Avoid?
The Amberjack The Cap-Toe can’t be resoled, and doesn’t really work in a purely casual environment.
Specs
| Model | The Cap-Toe |
| Size | 12 |
| Weight | 560 g / 1 lb 3.8 oz |
| Materials | Leather / PU / TPU |
| Construction | Cemented |
| Country of Origin | Portugal |
History
A few weeks back, 100wears took a look at the Amberjack The Original. If you’re looking for a history of the brand itself, I’d definitely suggest taking a look at that review. However, while I liked that shoe, I did note a few items where I thought it could improve.
More specifically, I thought that Amberjack should consider offering something that works a bit better for the guy who needs to wear a suit or sport coat. Something a bit less casual. Knowing that, I was really excited when Amberjack reached out and let me know they had just released a shoe that – you guessed it – was a bit less casual.
While I would love to take credit and say that this shoe is designed entirely do address my review, designing and prototyping a shoe takes much longer than that. Still, I knew I had to take a look.
However, moving more formal in a shoe designed for comfort could raise some eyebrows. Formality often sees a trade off in how something feels. After all, nobody wears tailored wool trousers to hang out on the couch. Did Amberjack go too far and mess up everything that made The Original worth looking at? Let’s dive in and find out.
Disclaimer: Amberjack provided The Cap-Toe for the purpose of review. This is not a sponsored post, and the brand did not have an opportunity to review or edit this review before it went live. The thoughts below are true to the shoe I received.
Looks
Upper
When it comes to the changes on the Amberjack The Cap-Toe, you can see that the brand wanted to lean heavily into classic menswear. The patterning Amberjack used on the upper is known as a half brogue or semi-brogue. Brogueing is the decorative perforations on the shoe. Historically a way to make a very formal shoe more casual, in modern times it often goes the other way around.
The holes themselves are for the most part clean and even. Something even my Alden 975s didn’t get perfect. This shoe’s medallion – or the design on the toe box – is a gradient pattern with larger holes in the middle fading to smaller holes at the edges. If you’re a purist you might find this too sporty, but with a suit pant it doesn’t look out of place.
In addition to the brogueing, the Amberjack The Cap-Toe also features closed lacing. Sometimes called Oxford style construction. Or, in other words, the leather panel that the laces weave through is sewn under the leather panel that covers your midfoot rather than allowed to flip over freely.
This particular pair comes in the Honey colorway. I think this is a great color for the summer months, but if you want something a bit more classic, you can also find a more traditional brown in the Chestnut, or two different black options.
Around back, the shoe does still feature a pull tab. It’s a bit smaller than the ones on The Original, but I would have loved to seen an option with that deleted.
Mid- and Outsole
The bottom half of the Amberjack The Cap-Toe uses the brands existing two-piece midsole/outsole combo unit. On this colorway, along with the Chestnut, you’ll see a dark tan/brown combination. If you get a black upper the outsole comes in either white/black or all black.
I really like the design of this outsole. Most brands that aim for this sort of comfortable dress shoe opt to take a sneaker outsole and attach it to a dress sole upper. This is comfortable, sure, but pretty questionable in the looks department.
Through this unique cup-sole design, Amberjack was able to create cut ins around the midfoot to give the impression of a heel from more than a couple feet away. However, because it’s not a true heel, there is still space for a large drop-in insole to provide cushion.
Of course, it’s not going to trick anyone into thinking you have a goodyear welted leather outsole. However, that is my second favorite part – Amberjack isn’t trying to. Too many comfortable dress shoes try and pretend to be goodyear welted. They’ll have a fake welt, fake stitching, etc.
That sort of fake welt never looks good. Instead, Amberjack gives a nod to the welt with the different colors, without trying to fool anyone. I like that take a lot.
Summary
From a style perspective, does the Amberjack The Cap-Toe fulfill the promise it was offering? I’d have to say yes.
While this still might not be the pair of shoes you wear with a business suit for that big job interview, these have moved up in formality enough that I think they are absolutely wearable with something like a linen suit, while still working with a sportcoat and trousers. They are a great fit in the office for your typical work day. At least, for guys like me who work in a more formal office for their day job.
As anyone knows, when you move up in formality you do lose some of the more casual fits. Anything with closed laces won’t work as well with something like jeans. Still, for road warriors who need a comfortable pair to wear with a suit, these are a great option.
Fit & Comfort
Fit
The Amberjack The Cap-Toe fits mostly true to size. It is slightly on the narrower side compared to other shoes in this style, so if you’re a wider footed guy I’d consider going up half a size.
It’s also worth noting that closed lace shoes tend to fit slightly tighter than open laced versions. Open laces give you more play with the shape of the foot that isn’t possible with this style of construction. If you have had previous Amberjack shoes, these will feel just slightly narrower because of this.
The brand themselves even note this, on their sizing advice for this particular pair, they suggest that you consider going up half a size if you’re a wide footer – advice not on other pairs they make.
The good news is that, if you do mess up sizing, returns and exchanges are free. It’s low risk to try what you think is best and then make a correction if you mess up.
Speaking of people who have bought other Amberjack pairs: this is a brand-new model and there is not yet EE widths available. That being said, I believe this is built on the same last as their other dress shoe model. If you don’t fit anything but extra wide shoes it might be worth keeping an eye out in case this shoe gets traction. Amberjack could decide to expand offerings down the line.
I got these in my standard size 12. They are ever-so-slightly tight with dress socks, though not enough that I would want to change size. If I were wearing these with athletic socks, I’d want to go up half a size.
Speaking of socks, if you’re interested in checking out a round up of 100wear’s favorites, click here.
Comfort
For a brand like Amberjack, comfort is a big deal. Right on the homepage they describe themselves as creating “the world’s most comfortable dress-casual footwear.” Does this claim hold up? Well, in short, yes.
We have to go back to that design to explain why. The outsole of the Amberjack The Cap-Toe is basically a cup sole. This harder shell outsole and traditional upper shape allows for a fairly large void in the shoe – plenty of space to insert a massive combination insole/midsole.
This insole is a very dense polyurethane (think memory foam). Around ½ inch at the heel. It does a great job of providing squish. This sort of foam also tends to be very durable, so I would expect the cushioning to last as long as the outsole does.
For the sneaker nerds out there, this is an entirely encapsulated foam. To put it another way, the cup sole encases the entire foam limiting its expansion. This isn’t a good, or bad, thing, but encapsulated foams do feel different to open-walled foams.
Materials & Construction
Materials
The Amberjack The Cap-Toe’s upper is made from a full grain leather. There is a bit of shine to it out of the box, but this goes away quickly with the first few wears. As a comfort focused shoe, the leather is on the thinner side, but I don’t think this is a cost-saving feature. Rather, it’s to allow an easier break in.
Inside, this shoe is lined with sheepskin. This is soft, with the leather flipped smooth-side in at the heel to keep your foot in place as you walk. Between the inner and outer leather are soft heel and toe stiffeners.
When you get your pair, you’ll notice a little bit of foam around the collar and the tongue. I’m not sure if it does any good to be honest, but it doesn’t hurt.
Most people reading this review are probably most interested in the cushioning of the shoe, so let’s dive into that. The mid/outsole combo unit is made from Thermoplastic Polyurethane, or TPU. TPU can mean a bunch of different things, ranging from Adidas Boost to work boot outsoles. There are two hardnesses used here. The dark brown sections under your heel are harder, with the tan sections under the ball of your foot being a bit softer. Both are closer to a regular outsole than something like Boost.
However, I wouldn’t let the hardness of the outsole worry you. The cushioning is done through the PU insole, with a little bit of help from a thin foam pad under that insole used during lasting.
Construction
The Amberjack The Cap-Toe is made in Portugal using cemented construction. This is exactly what it sounds like, the upper is sewn and lasted, then glued to the outsole using contact cement. This is, by far, the most common way to make a shoe. The benefits of cemented construction are the flexibility and affordable construction. On the other hand, cemented shoes are basically unable to be resoled.
If you are interested in learning more about the factory in Felgueiras where they make their shoes, Amberjack has more information, including a video, available on their website. I already went into why I’m impressed with the information they share in the The Original review, so I won’t rehash it here. However, feel free to check it out if you’re interested.
Ease of Care
When it comes to taking care of the Amberjack The Cap Toe, you’ll want to follow the same basic rules you would about other dress shoes.
First, it’s a good idea to use a shoe horn – especially on these. The brand strongly recommends it, and I agree. The heel stiffener is softer on these shoes by design and could be easier to deform. Shoe horns are cheap, so easy enough to use.
Second, as with any full grain leather, you will want to make sure these are conditioned regularly. How often will depend on your own personal use case, but every 3-4 months is a good rule of thumb if you wear your pair multiple times a week. I would consider using a bit less than you might on other dress shoes, as the thinner leather won’t need as much product.
Amberjack has a shoe care kit with everything you need for $55. It includes cleaner, refresher spray, and combination conditioner/polish. If this is your first pair of dress shoes having everything together is convenient, though I personally suggest getting a big bottle of Bick 4. It does a great job, and is extremely affordable. It’s what I use on basically every shoe that isn’t suede or shell cordovan.
Finally, you will want to make sure you use shoe trees in these. Shoe trees are a good idea for any piece of footwear, but especially those with softer and thinner leather. You can find cedar wood pairs on Amazon for a very affordable price. They also last for decades, so once your shoes get worn out you can just transfer the trees to another pair.
How Much Does the Amberjack The Cap-Toe Cost?
The Amberjack The Cap-Toe is priced at $195, a very slight premium over their other lines. Included in that price is free shipping and returns, along with a 2-year warranty on issues related to construction.
Like with The Original, direct comparisons for this shoe are not particularly easy to find. If anything, with these being closed lace, there are even fewer comparisons out there. There are a handful of closed laced sneakers in the Cole Haan Zerogrand line, though they are technically spectators. In any case, they don’t have a design that can be seen as an actual dress shoe.
The Cole Haans run slightly more expensive in their closed laced leather options – $210 to $220.
Are the Amberjack The Cap-Toe Worth It?
I kind of gave away the end of this review at the beginning, so you probably won’t be surprised by this. The Amberjack The Cap-Toe is a great option for what Amberjack was founded to do: give professionals on their feet a comfortable option that blends in well.
Do I still wish they removed the loop? Yes (come on Amberjack – you know you want to). However, for what I’m using these for, I view them as an absolute upgrade from The Original. And that was a shoe that I already liked.
As I mentioned above, you probably will still want a pair of Aldens or Allen Edmonds in the rotation for those weddings or job interviews, but the Amberjack The Cap-Toe is surprisingly close to being able to do almost everything else. It’s 90% of that shoe in the dress category, while being 90% of the way to a sneaker in comfort.
If you’re looking for a comfortable dress shoe, you should definitely take a look.