Customer Reviews Converse Jack Purcell® CP Canvas Low Top

It is really sad to take such a great classic shoe and change it for the sake of saving a few bucks. Converse should be ashamed at what they have done to this shoe. I returned it and would not buy it again, until you change it back. Too bad.

Don't buy these! What happened to Jack Purcells?! These shoes are completely different from how they used to be. I've worn Jack Purcells for 10+ years and they have always been one of my favorite shoes. But recently I've noticed Converse has made some changes. Despite them even looking slightly different, the canvas is thinner, the metal laces are gone, the tongue padding is gone, the rubber soles have changed, the insoles are not the same quality, and even the smile is no longer indented - the painted smile looks super cheap by the way. I would not buy these until they bring the old Jack Purcell's back!

First of all, I continue to be impressed with Zappos selection, delivery, and customer service! I refer my friends to Zappos all the time! These are not the Jacks that I have worn for more than 30 years. These shoes are not up to the high standards that Converse has afforded me and their customers forever. I'm not going to list all of the negatives, because my colleagues have already done so in their reviews and I certainly concur. I am not happy. Jack Purcell would not be happy. Chuck Taylor would not be happy. Converse, please bring back the Jacks!

According to Wikipedia, Jack Purcell was a world champion badminton player in 1933. He designed his shoes in 1935. Converse bought the rights to the shoes in the 1970s. It's time to retire these shoes. Unlike most other shoes, Purcell shoes have a removable insert cushion instead of a permanent cushioned insole. I should have been suspicious. If removable insoles were such a great idea, why doesn't anybody else do them? The pain didn't start right way. I noticed my ankles were sore after a couple of days. I wondered if my feet were slipping around in the new Purcells. I tied the laces tight but the pain continued. Then I tried wearing a Converse Chuck Taylor on one foot and the Purcell on the other (same size). It didn't take long for me to realize the pain was coming from the foot with the Purcell. There is no padding once you remove the insoles on the Purcells so don't think you are getting more padding. My hunch is that the insole has to made stiffer because it is not glued to the shoe. Even then, it slips in the shoe causing lateral (side-to-side) movement. I only walked and rode a bike in them. I doubt if you could run far in them without causing yourself pain. I am a big fan of Converse's Chuck Taylors but I will never wear the Purcells again.

A Classic Ruined - You take a classic and then you "improve" it. That should be your first warning. From the limp far too thin canvas to the freakish insole this is totally unlike any Jack's I've ever owned. They changed the cut of the shoe so the lines are wrong and it's too narrow at the ball of the foot. The insert doesn't flex making the shoe uncomfortable. They shortened the vamp so the shoe won't lace properly. The canvas is so limp that you have to use a shoe horn so the heel won't curl under your foot and the tongue is always scrunched up. The lining is weird and the collar padding has to go.

Sweet! Just What I Expected!! Awesome - Get them in multiple colors, true fit, don't lace them too tight at first so you don't stretch them out, let them mold to your foot...wear them loose, tighten later…