Akilae

Back to top, price reduced to $70 including UPS ground shipping.

Haven't been around in a while. Selling my pair of WWII Impressions service shoes that I reviewed a few years ago right in this thread over at the supermarket if anybody wants to take a look:

http://www.superfuture.com/supertalk/showthread.php?p=2547940#post2547940

I have one pair of WWII Impressions services shoes for sale. Size 8D.

WWII Impressions product page: http://www.wwiiimpressions.com/newusarmyrusset.html

My original review when I first got them: http://www.superfuture.com/supertalk/showthread.php?p=1371694#post1371694

Photos of the shoes as they are now:

The original waxed cotton laces are in the shoes, I just removed them for storage. The shoes never really formed to my feet so I'm selling them. There is some heel wear, and some scuff marks on the toe as seen in the photos.

Bought for $150. Asking for $90 shipped UPS. Money orders only (I'd rather deal with USPS than eBay/PayPal).

soaking in water is a more aggressive method. I've never done it cause it scares me, but maybe it'd be worth it. I think akilae did it on his wwII impressions russet service boots.

edit: have to tried treating them with anything? a good 2 coats of Obenauf's LP hairdried into the leather might give you some extra give in the leather.

Somebody has uttered that which should not have been named and summoned me back from the undeath! I actually never went with the water soaking. I went with the brutal old fashioned method of just wearing the service shoes till submission. That and liberal coatings of Obenauf's outside AND inside the shoes. Whether it's my shoes or my feet in submission I cannot tell though...

However, having now worn DD width jump boots, I'm beginning to wonder if all my woes were from shoes too narrow. The jump boots were comfortable from the get go, with no pinching whatsoever. These days I go with what Alden told me: There should be no pinching whatsoever when you put a shoe on, i.e. there should be bare feet freedom in terms of toe movement. For me that means going as wide as I can on my shoes. Maybe Leonard just has boots that aren't sized right?

Also, cobblers in NYC: Give Midas down at Wall St. a try. That old man is really good.

While a few people have been receiving their service shoes from WWII Impressions, I just got my jump boots from them today! Initial impressions are good, actually better than the service shoes I got from them a while ago. The leather is softer and more supple (my jump boots were a 2007 batch... guess they aren't exactly flying out the doors), not as "glossy", so to speak. Most importantly for me, the cap toe is proportionately smaller on the jump boot, so the leather is given greater flexibility at my toe area and doesn't press down. For some odd reason, despite being the same last and size as my service shoes, albeit EE instead of D, the jump boots are a full half inch longer... I'll attach pictures tomorrow after I've had a chance to actually wear them a bit more for those interested.

Anybody happen to own a pair of Wesco JH Classics? Been thinking of a new pair of oxfords, and those seem to be just what I'm looking for...

Somebody was asking about WWII-style Corcoran jump boots.

WWII Impressions carries jump boots that are made by Corcoran (along with WWII service shoes and other combat boots). I bought a pair of service shoes and posted a short-ish review on the thread. The quality is quite good and I'm satisfied for the price I paid for them ($150).

For those interested, a little post-usage review:

The soles are made of really, REALLY tough stuff. The soles on my Alden 405s that I wear every other day are already semi-rounded from the NYC pavement, but the soles on the service shoes have barely rubbed out, if at all... even the original detail and text on the soles are still visible. They're very grippy on anything that has texture. The only problem I've had is when it snows. Snow just gets packed onto the soles and rob you of any grip, but it's much better than the 405s.

The leather is still as unforgiving as ever. I finally managed to bend and knead the leather so that the creases conformed to my feet, but anywhere that I didn't touch looks like new.

The inserts for the service shoes are very thin. After a few weeks of wear, my feet could feel the nails that were holding the sole to the shoe. Some military-style cushion sole socks, or a pair of cork inserts, are highly recommended.

I wear 7.5EEE in 405s, and got a pair of 8Ds for the service shoes. They fit quite well, but if I got another pair I'd probably try to get 8.5D or 8E to give me some more space for heavy wool socks or inserts.

If the service shoes are any indication (WWII Impressions claims Corcoran made them to WWII mil-spec, and I don't doubt that), then the jump boots most likely aren't bad.

I'm ashamed to say I'm one of those that paid lip service to the sufu boot... that I haven't been to the forum since the great "upgrade"... truth be told, I hate it, the new forum display doesn't play nice with my nosquint extension... anyhow, back to boots.

I tried really hard to get some of my friends who wore Aldens on board for the sufu boot, and lots of them liked the idea, but it always came down to "But my personal finances...." I'm in a similar situation, and right now there are other necessities that I need more, winter clothes for one. On the other hand, soon I'll have some vintage-ish wool pants to go with my 405s and service boot, lol.

Update on my boots too: My 405s are doing very well and creasing quite nicely. I'm glad my post helped somebody else sort out their boot problem. I did notice they looked a tad peckish tonight and gave them a rub with the Obenauf's. The leather just drank the LP right up. One boot was dry before I was done with the other boot. Guess I didn't apply as much as I thought the first time around.

My service boots are the ones that are really coming through. After some initial foot pains, I took a tip from askandy and stuck tongue pads under the creases that were pressing on my toe. Apparently for some people with short toes the toe box stitching prevents the boot from flexing naturally, creating a crease that presses down on the toe. The tongue pads helped a lot, and after a few weeks the toe box is finally beginning to crease, making for a much more comfortable fit. However the leather on the service boots are still breaking in and molding to my feet, so I expect them to get even better in a few months. With a pair of thick merino wool socks, they're really my go-to boots for cold weather.

I'll post photos later when finals are done next week... time to go back and hit the books...

Why not go art deco style? Seems right for the time period we're aiming for.

Where are people getting this pull tab = military and vintage idea? My WWII service shoes have no pull tabs, Corcoran jump boots have no pull tabs, my ol busted pair of Vietnam era jungle boots have no pull tabs, WWII USMC Boondockers have no pull tabs, the Red Wing Iron Rangers and LL Bean Katahdin have no pull tabs. So where is this coming from?

Did we ever decide on pull tab or no pull tab?

Also, what kind of heel does this come with? A regular heel, or the ortho heel that come on the 405s?

Non-stock sizes? So... I'll have to pay a deposit if I wanted a 7.5EEE?

Also, the last time I talked to an Alden sales associate, I was told it wouldn't be a bad idea to size down even further, give how "Cordovan actually stretches even more than regular calf." How much credence should I give this statement?

Does anybody have a definitive answer on what soaking a boot in water does to the leather? I'm really thinking about going WWII on my boots and soaking them to break them in, but I'm getting conflicting statements on what does to the boot. Some people say it will destroy the leather when the boot dries, others say it's quite fine.

Yes, this, this so hard. I even like the detail on the cap toe, looks just like my service boot! Eyelets all the way... although I don't like heel tabs, but that's just me.

I actually find my garrison boots more comfortable after a long day than my 405's. I agree that walking is less jarring than the 405.

Than 405's fit better on the foot, but for the money the garrison shoe is quite comfortable!

I can see that happening, just gotta break in the friggin shoes first...

Akilae, how are those feeling? Are they wearable at all without an insole or is the ride too hard on those?

There's a short-ish review on p.499 if you want to take a look at my first impressions.

After one day of walking around in them, I guess I'll have the following to add:

I decided to try them out with thick wool socks, no inserts, since the boot seemed to fit better that way. However, the leather is so thick and stiff that it's just not breaking in, at least not was well as the Alden 405s did. I don't think the leather has shaped around my ankle at all, and the crease in the toebox is digging into my toes whenever I take a step. The Aldens didn't become fully comfortable until the third week, so I'm guessing the service shoes will take substantially longer.

In terms of shoe to pavement contact, I'm actually liking it. The extra rubber on the bottom of the boot is making it a tad less jarring than the 405.

In the meantime I'm trying all the tricks I've heard about helping the boots break in faster... kneading the leather, rubbing the creases with a screwdriver handle... only thing I haven't done is dunk the boots in water, which I don't want to do.

Another thing: these shoes are definitely made to be shined. They stubbornly refuse to absorb the Obenauf's I coated over them. The Obenauf's just sorta sat on the surface and dried up.

Alden has also made military boots in the distant past, no? I wouldn't mind a cap-toe service shoe type thing... Barrie last (or whatever Alden's "Military last" is), cap-toe, all eyelets... the WWII Impressions boots are breaking my feet in at the moment...

When I think of Aldens on this thread, I think of Chicken rappelling in his 405s and whoever it was who went riding in their Cordovan 405s, then got them stomped on by the horse... somehow it just seems fitting if we can come up with something that embraces those ideals.

I just got the WWII Impressions boots! I know quite a few guys are curious about the fit, so I took a few photos and tried them on.

Short-ish review:

There's no information about the manufacturer except for a "Made in the USA" tag. A quick google seems to say this is indeed a Corcoran tag.

The fit is... odd. I can see why some guys on the forum say the Munson last feels blobbish. It almost feels as if there's no real defining shape to the boot. The Alden 405s were an instant "Ah" when I pulled them on and felt very structured around my foot. The service shoes just seem sort of blobish and not very well defined. the toebox is more generous than the 405. I wear a size 7.5EEE in the Alden, I ordered a 8D for the service shoe, and the toebox was still a tad spacey over my toes. There's about a little under an inch of space left in front of my large toe. Arch support feels a tad weird... it's there, just not as great as the 405s. I would describe it as a tad flat for my tastes. Laced up the leather closes pretty comfortably over my ankle, but it still feels as if there's space in there. Once I slipped in a set of inserts the space filled up better.

The construction inspires confidence. Triple and quadruple stitching everywhere, sole nailed to the bottom of the shoe, and generally thicker leather than the 405.

If I really had to sum it up, I guess here's what I'd say. With the Aldens, they were comfortable from the get-go. With the service shoes, I figure I'll have to do some serious breaking in before I can start doing PT in these. Overall, I'm happy about the $150 I paid for them, and won't have any hesitations about wearing them out in the snow with thick wool socks when I don't want my Aldens to suffer, while still looking retro-stylish.

Straight out of the box, with a big "Made in the USA" tag. "Handcrafted in the Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania..."

Inside of the boot. "Made exclusively for www. wwiiimpresions.com".

And the other side. No sign of who the manufacturer is. Sized 8D.

The sole.

Compared to the Alden 405. Noticeably rounder toe, makes me want to wear these with fatigues or dungarees.

Closeup on the quadruple stitching of the cap-toe and the shoe. The stitching on the welt is actually neater than some parts of my 405s.

If anybody wants to see any other part of the shoe or got any other questions about the fit, I'll try my best to answer!

Quick edit: Just for kicks I pulled out a pair of Merino wool winter socks and tried on the boots without inserts. They instantly felt a lot better, very nicely wrapped around my feet, so I suppose that's how they were meant to be worn, i.e. with padded wool Army socks. With cotton crew socks, I'd still need to stick in my cork inserts.

Hey all this is my first post on here so please take it easy on the newb...

I have 3 pairs of Alden 405's right now...

I do have another pair of 405's on order through Alden right now with a Burnished Tan leather and they should be here around April or so...Cannot wait for those to get in...

I'm also looking for a pair of Cardovan boots and am really starting to consider purchasing a pair of AF43's in Black Cardovan or a pair of #8 AF79's...I'm favoring the 43's right now because I have no idea how the Leydon Last of the 79's will work on my foot as I'm used to the fit of the Trubalance Last...

This is my newest pair...Dark Brown Calf Leather...Dark Brown Welt...Dark Brown Moc Toe and Welt Stitching...and Leather Lining on the Tongue...

Wait, when did they start making dark brown 405s again? Or is this a one-off special edition from AoC or Leathersoul?

Hey guys,

I want a good pair of brown ankle boots. Lace up or zip is preferred. I need a size 13. I want good or great quality, but I'm 14 and my budget is fairly tight. So what would you guys recommend?

Not sure what your idea of a "tight budget" is, given that most people here pay upwards of $500 for a pair of boots.

I'll be throwing up my review of WWII Impressions russet brown service shoes next week, they run $150. If the quality is good on those then I can see that as a pretty good investment for you.

LL Bean also sells the Katadhin (sp?) boot, which I've heard is a good starter boot you don't have to sell your first born to finance.

Rockport makes cheap boots, and I know some people who are happy with those.

However, is there a reason why you don't want Timberlands? I know what the general thread opinion on them is, but they're cheap, durable to a certain extent, and you won't feel bad if somebody runs a baby stroller over them.

thanks HH,

found them at a second hand clothing shop in NYC.

they're stamped sz. 10, 1954 by the Belleville Shoe Manfacturing Co.

The 54 year old leather is still very soft and pliable.

Belleville! I didn't know they went back that far, but I remember being told of modern military boot contractors out there, Belleville shoes are generally the best quality for the buck.

So I've got a pair of LL Bean Katahdin Iron Works Engineer boots - the leather is described as oily, and it certainly seems that way in real life. Can't get pics up now, but would anyone recommend treating these with sno-seal or some other leather protector? Seems kind of overkill if the leather is soft and oiled to begin with.

I'd say Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP. It's naturally absorbed by the leather and does a fair job of protecting it.

So I just placed an order for a pair of Shoes, Service, Russet, Composition Sole from WWII Impressions. If anybody is curious I'll take a few photos and do a short writeup when they arrive.

Also, while I'm on a leather boot buying spree, has anybody heard of Limmer Boot? I remember reading about them in college as the be all and end all of hand crafted hiking boots, based out in New Hampshire. Apparently they also make Oxfords that are the exact style that I've been looking for (simple, no frills). At $199 per pair, it's not bad compared to, say, Alden Chukkas if stories I've heard of Limmers are true.

Coles: awesome boots there! Very nice, how do they fit?

Akilae" I wear a 11 C in 405's and the service shoe from atthefront is very roomy for me. I don't know about a triple E?

HH: Did you size up for the atthefront boots?