Thanks for your insight. I'll check them out.
I believe I have been taking good care of these shoes. I keep them on cedar shoe trees. I wash them with saddle soap, conditioner them, and polish them about once a month. I just wear them a lot. The reason I think it's time to replace the strand is because of a tiny hole. Feeling in behind there is about a dime sized area where the leather is very thin. I am continuing to wear these but I think a hole is inevitable at this point. A cobbler told me he could put a leather patch behind the hole but it wouldn't likely last much longer even with that.
I believe these shoes have served me well. I've worn out the initial leather sole, plus two rubber soles. These have cost me about $85/year which is even cheaper then when I was buying the wallmart garbage shoes. They have looked great the whole time.
Interesting. Thanks!