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The Three Tiers of Casual Flat Sneakers: Entry, Mid, and End Level - Cockpit USA

The Three Tiers of Casual Flat Sneakers: Entry, Mid, and End Level - Cockpit USA

David Shuck
April 23, 2025

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The Three Tiers of Casual Flat Sneakers: Entry, Mid, and End Level

We apply our three tiers formula to the world of flat sneakers, separating the qualities of vulcanized and cup-soled sneakers.

James Smith

A pair of casual sneakers with a flat rubber sole is arguably just as essential to the modern wardrobe as a quality pair of boots or shoes, but not all pairs are made equally.

If you’ve invested, or you’re looking to invest, in a pair of casual sneakers, you’ve undoubtedly noticed the plethora of options out there, falling into a range of different price points. How can one pair of cup-soled sneakers be $60 and another pair $600? The truth is that, when it comes to sneakers, you’re often paying for the brand name, and not the build quality or longevity prospects of the sneaker.

In this edition of Three Tiers, we’ll be breaking down the range of vulcanized and cup-soled sneakers into three categories: entry, mid, and end-level. But we won’t be focusing on brand names, we’ll be focusing on the quality of the sneaker, helping to inform your purchase of a pair you want to use forever. Yes, some higher-end brand names will fall into the upper levels of our guide, but some big names we class in the entry-level may surprise you.

The Two Main Types of Flat Soled Sneakers

All of the sneakers in this category tend to fall into one of these two construction types.

Vulcanized

Moonstar Basket via Franklin & Poe

Vulcanized sneakers (think Vans Authentic or Converse Chucks) are made by fusing a vulcanized rubber sole to the upper of the sneaker using heat and glue in a process often referred to as ‘cooking’. Vulcanization of rubber is a process that uses chemicals like sulfur to change natural rubber into a stronger, more durable material suitable for footwear soles.

Some heritage makers of vulcanized sneakers make them in an artisanal way with high-quality rubbers, bonding compounds, and old equipment, but most vulcanized sneakers are ‘cooked’ en masse in a big sneaker oven.

The main drawback of vulcanized sneakers is that they simply perish. The fusion of the sole to the upper eventually decays, and the midsole starts to come away, typically only after a few months of wear. This doesn’t mean you can’t stomp in a pair of vulcanized shoes for a long time. People have been known to make a pair of Vans last a fair few years. But the truth is, they’re not well-made, and they sacrifice function for form in many ways.

/ In Partnership with Cockpit USA /

Cockpit's U.S. Navy Issue Mil Spec G-1 Jacket Z2108N

Warmer temps are fleeting, but a good leather jacket is eternal. And when it comes to Cockpit USA, their leathers are more than good — they're exceptional.

The G-1 is a popular silhouette in our niche for good reason, and Cockpit USA is making one of the nicest renditions in the game. Handmade in the USA from 100% goatskin leather, the U.S. Navy Issue Mil Spec G-1 Jacket Z2108N is a sight to behold. It's a faithful reproduction of original mil-spec examples from the action-pleated back all the way to the genuine mouton shearling collar that sits as the crown jewel of this iconic piece.

Get into this landmark leather for $675 over at Cockpit USA.

Cup Sole/Sidewall stitch

Grant Stone Coast Sneakers made with Cupsole Construction, via Grant Stone

Cup soles are rubber soles that have a ‘sidewall’ that is stitched (and often glued/cemented) to the upper. The sidewall means the sole unit is like a cup that cradles the upper, hence the name. As they are directly stitched to the upper, no midsole or welt is required, making cup-soled sneakers lighter, more flexible, and with fewer perishable components.

A Vibram cup sole via Shoemakercraft

Cup-soled sneakers typically last longer than vulcanized ones because they have stitching, which is stronger than glue/cement in most scenarios. Obviously, there will be some very poorly made cup-soled sneakers out there, that wouldn’t be as strong or well-made as a pair of vulcanized Moonstars or something, but in this niche, a pair of cup-soled sneaks will mostly likely last you longer and have some potential for recrafting, which ultimately hinges on the quality of the mateiral of the upper and the construction (always check with the maker if it is not explicitly stated that the shoe can be re-soled).

Image via Raptor Underlayment

Entry-Level (sub $100)

Converse Chuck Taylor 70s, $68 from Lost & Found.

Sneakers at this level will mainly be mass-produced vulcanized sneakers and cheaply made cup-sole sneakers. As mentioned above, that is not to say you won’t be able to make a pair of sneakers from this category last (especially if you look after them), but they are mainly simple pieces of footwear made with lower-grade materials.

Colchester National Treasure, $95 from Manready Mercantile.

The key players in this category are the two titans of vulcanized styles, Vans and Converse. If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve owned a pair in your lifetime. They look great, and they make some options that are touted as ‘higher quality’, but the truth is, they’re still just vulcanized their sneakers made in extremely high numbers.

My least sustainable clothing habit is going through Converse Chuck 70s (the supposedly higher quality line of Converse Chucks) like twice a year. The same goes for brands like Novesta. Just because they’re stocked adjacent to high-quality clothing a lot of the time, doesn’t mean they’re particularly long-lasting, and in most cases they’re not re-craftable.

Makers of entry-level flat sneakers include:

Mid-Level ($100+)

John Lofgren Bootmaker JLB Champion Sneaker, available for $173 from Lost & Found.

At the mid-level, flat sneakers are still made with vulcanization and cup soles, but you will begin to see makers that produce their footwear in smaller batches, with better materials, and in places like Japan, Italy, and other areas of Europe.

In some scenarios in the mid-tier, you’re splitting hairs comparing to some of the better entry-level options with, say, a pair of Moonstars, but you have to back a maker like Moonstar, Common Projects, and especially John Lofgren, to produce a superior pair of sneakers above the likes of Vans and Converse. And whilst build quality is always important, a higher quality material on the upper (say, top quality suede or leather) will often mean less pressure on the construction, and it’s makers like these that opt for higher quality uppers.

Makers of mid-level flat sneakers include:

Moonstar (made in Japan)
Shoes Like Pottery (made in Japan)
John Lofgren (made in Japan)
Visvim (made in Japan)
Mephisto (made in France)
Rick Owens (made in Italy)
Common Projects (made in Italy)

End-Level ($250+)

Crown Northampton Harlestone Derby, available for $511 from Crown Northampton.

This is where things get spicy, and when flat sneakers start to reach the heights in terms of quality and re-craftability that we like to see here at Heddels. The key features of an end-level sneaker are the quality of materials and re-soleable construction. This means that perishable vulcanized sneakers don’t make it to the end-level, and in our opinion, only cup-soled or welted sneakers that have been built in a way that allows them to be resoled are worthy of being in the upper echelons of the flat sneaker market.

Crown Northampton Overstone Derby, available for $386 from Crown Northampton.

When it comes to end-tier flat sneakers, Crown Northampton & Viberg are at the pinnacle. Both of these brands have illustrious histories in shoemaking and produce sidewall stitch sneakers with the very best materials available. Handsome, long-lasting, and completely recraftable if the need should arise. Crown Northampton makes each pair to order in the spiritual home of shoemaking, Northampton, while Viberg sneakers are handmade in Canada. If you wear flat sneakers on a daily basis and want the best, this is it.