So, if you have been following my blog posts you probably already know that I love Chacos. Like, really love Chacos. I got my first pair when I was 16 and now have 3 pairs. Including a pair that I customized. If you don’t have a pair I would highly recommend fixing that because they are great! I know what you are thinking. They are expensive. I get it. I was hesitant at first, but now I don’t know what I would do without them. I’m sure you are wondering why you couldn’t just get a pair of Tevas instead. They are cheaper and are still cute, so why wouldn’t you just buy Tevas? Well let me tell you!
To start, There are so many more color options for Chacos! They have solid colors and patterns so you are guaranteed to find something that fits your personality. They even have donut themed shoes! Who doesn’t want a pair of shoes with donuts on them? Teva does have a few colors and patterns to choose from, but nowhere near as many as Chaco does. On top of that, Chaco has 5 styles to choose from for their basic sandal. They have single strap with a toe strap and without, double strap with a toe strap and without, and a flip flop style. The picture below shows these styles.
Teva’s on the other hand only have two options, their sandals and their flip flops.
I am a person who likes options, so knowing that Chaco has more styles is appealing to me, but maybe you are someone who can never make up your mind. In that case, only having a few options is probably good for you. Making Tevas a better option.
Another reason I prefer Chaco to Teva is the customization options that comes when buying a pair of Chacos. Not only can you pick how many straps you want your shoes to have, but you can also pick the patterns that go on each strap as well as the color of the sole, stitching, buckles, and more. This process is super fun and when you finally decide on what you want you shoes to look like, you have something that is completely unique to you! Unfortunately, this does add to the price of the shoe, but I thought it was worth it. The first step of this process is to choose between one of the styles from the picture above. Then you select your shoe size and width. Once you have these things picked out the fun begins! You get to start selecting colors for all the different parts of the shoe.
Once you are done, you will have something that looks like this.
I decided to make a pair using my school colors, but you can be as creative as you want!
Although, Teva doesn’t offer as many design/ style options, they definitely win when it comes to price! A pair of Chacos sandals cost between $90 and $130 depending if they are on sale or if they are customized. On the other hand a pair of Tevas sandals cost between $30 and $50. So if you are looking at price alone, there is no question. Tevas win. Flip flops are the same way. For Chacos they are around $55 and for tevas they are only $25.
One thing to keep in mind when spending the extra money to get a pair of Chacos is the material the shoes are made out of. Chaco’s have a tough rubber sole designed for hiking and being worn for long amounts of time. While Tevas have a softer material for the sole. I have never owned a pair so I can’t say how well they hold up, but they can’t be as sturdy as Chacos. On top of that, Chaco offers something they call “ReChaco”. This is a process that allows you to send in your old pair of Chacos to either be restrapped, or resoled depending on what needs done. The price of the fix depends on what you need done, but it allows you to repair your shoes for a cheaper price than replacing them.
Both Chaco and Teva have their ups and downs, but in my opinion, Chaco is the superior sandal.
Sole Mate Shoes 