Review: Is the Common Projects Achilles Worth It?

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Clean & Care Products:
Jason Markk’s Premium Shoe Cleaner: amzn.to/37yY9dq
Cobbler’s Choice Leather Spot Cleaner: amzn.to/2XHLTD9
Saphir’s White Shoe Cream: amzn.to/34fs7B3
Kelly’s White Shoe Cream: amzn.to/2KOG8hL
Mr. Clean’s Magic Eraser for the sole: amzn.to/2XITaSR
Jason Markk’s Repel: amzn.to/34gCDs3
Cedar shoe trees: amzn.to/2OFdgtm
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01:35 Brand
02:50 Aesthetic
05:25 Leather
06:26 Sole
07:22 Cleaning & Care
11:07 Fit & Sizing
13:20 Price
14:07 Alternatives
15:04 Pros
16:57 Cons
Common Projects Achilles Sneaker is widely considered the GOAT - the Greatest sneaker of All Time. So does it stand the test? I bought this pair for myself (this is not a paid post, no one gave these to me) and wore them for months so I can give you all the information you want to know about the leather, construction, sole, fit, cleaning, care, and yes, alternatives.
AESTHETIC
This is the simple man's sneaker: clean, sleek, streamlined, and completely, 100% white. Well, almost completely white: the differentiator is the gold foil stamp on the heel, which represents the style, size, and color of the shoe.
Meticulously designed with smooth, white leather, leather eyelet panels, and white suede lining the inside of the heel to help prevent heel slippage.
A big selling point is the stroebel construction: that's the fact that the sneaker is stitched and glued to the sole, meaning it's much less likely to come loose and give you those dreaded holes at the toe break that are so common in cheaper sneakers.
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LEATHER
Made in Italy, this is called Napa leather, which is renowned for being soft but sturdy. A lot of couches are actually made from Napa leather. It's also got a slight sheen to it, so it's sometimes called matte with a sheen - a contradiction, sure, but hey, these are complex shoes.
SOLE
This is called a Margom sole, which Gear Patrol says is "genuinely the best of the best." It's thick and surprisingly heavy, adding a nice amount of heft to these shoes. The weight reminds you as you're walking around that these are no ordinary kicks.
FIT & SIZING
I actually found these to be true to size. Many say to size down, but I found that I was right between a 45 and a 46, and since my true size is an 11.5 (which translates to a 45.5) I found the sizing to be right about on the money.
Downsides are that there are no half sizes (I had to go with a 45 because there was no 45.5) and no wider widths. This is a very sleek shoe, again, so people with wider feet are out of luck here.
They're very comfortable, though. The footbed is nice and soft and it molds around the shape of your foot as well, so the longer you wear the shoe the more it fits your foot.
HOW TO CLEAN
It's flat, clean leather, so it's easy to wipe clean with a cloth when it gets a bit dirty.
When it's dirtier, use a leather cleaner like Jason Markk.
When you get scuffs, use a white cream polish like Saphir or Kelly's.
For the sole, use Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser. Finally, some like to protect the leather with Jason Markk's Repel, which might help to slow the dirt's accumulation. Some feel that it'll suffocate the leather, though. I don't have strong feelings about it either way, but I don't use it myself.
Also, use shoe trees with these and don't wear them every day, wear them every other day. That might sound silly with sneakers, but they're expensive. Protect your investment - using shoe trees will help them to retain their shape over time and extend the longevity by sucking extra moisture out of the shoe.
PROS
* Insanely cool
* Unbelievably versatile; they go with any and every outfit
* Stitched sole confers real longevity to the shoe
* Easy to clean
* Did I mention they're cool?
CONS
* They need more babying than your average sneaker.
* Sizing is tricky
* Can be a little stuffy in hot weather - it's not canvas, after all
* Incredibly expensive