Shoes that look better with age...

[garden gnomes in space]

I think I have a minor worn sole fetish. I like to see soles of boots with wear, especially crepe soles. Im a sick bastard

[xallanx]

I wreck in my engineer boots, no problem.

The edge is repping hard in this thread. xxx

[Denim Phenom]

$1000 for resoled engineer boots at HTC, no thanks. I'll pass. Mister freedom didn't have shit either. Well, they had a wall of what they called engineer boots when it was just western boots without straps.

Really disappointed. Looks like I'll get a custom pair from Viberg.

Ps. LA and its traffic can suck it.

[wgmds]

viberg has an article on their blog that says that they're engineers are $450 (base). can anyone confirm that? I'm super confused, because that article was dated jan/feb 2012. are they less than wescos!? i'm not going to buy new boots for years to come, but damn, that's a pretty low price if it's right.

[knucks]

viberg has an article on their blog that says that they're engineers are $450 (base). can anyone confirm that? I'm super confused, because that article was dated jan/feb 2012. are they less than wescos!? i'm not going to buy new boots for years to come, but damn, that's a pretty low price if it's right.

the stock ones, yeah. customs will run more. i was quoted $695 for ones with catpaw heels/soles, etc.

[Denim Phenom]

I want ones with a waffle/crepe sole from them. And a pair of their bobcats. Everything on the viberg-japan is awesome. Well, except the oxfords, which are a disgusting shoe. Period.

[mikedbt5]

For those of you wanting to look a bit different ( though the seller believes no-one will notice !! )... my favourite ebay auction in a while -

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Trickers-Alfred-Sargent-Brogue-Leather-Dealer-Country-Boots-/150797407751?pt=UK_Men_s_Shoes&hash=item231c39d607

[kansas]

^^awesome.

[CrashTestBrummie]

For those of you wanting to look a bit different ( though the seller believes no-one will notice !! )... my favourite ebay auction in a while -

http://www.ebay.co.u...=item231c39d607

haha, that's not the first time they've been listed.

makes you wonder how on earth you manage to end up with odd boots, and what happened to the others. the boots look pretty unworn, too...

[mikedbt5]

haha, that's not the first time they've been listed.

makes you wonder how on earth you manage to end up with odd boots, and what happened to the others. the boots look pretty unworn, too...

AND SOMEONES BID ON THEM , LOL , HE MUST HAVE THE OTHER TWO !!

[CrashTestBrummie]

the really funny thing is that he's put a bloody reserve price on them!

[baka_bo]

just pick up these yamane u-tip boots

[onehundy]

chinese boots?

[CrashTestBrummie]

japanese, or at least the label is.

cheaney used to make some shoes for the yamane deluxe label (as in hidehiko yamane, founder of evis and then evisu) but don't know about those...

[rabiesinfrance]

unlucky not to find the seller...hope she makes a return trip at some point.

i know that lotus were the ones who started the whole 'guaranteed waterproof' thing but others picked up on it. there's a beautiful pair in an 8.5 on ebay at the moment which are tagged as such. not sure who made them (the seller says they were made by w & j martin, but they were actually the makers of the zug grain leather). fantastic shoes...and unworn.

not at all?

fair dos, i don't get the fascination with the white's that are so popular on here, and wouldn't look twice at many pairs of aldens etc. just personal preference, obviously enough.

I have a pair of new-old stock of Tecnic boots and shoes. The boots came with a tag saying made using Martin Leather. As far as I can tell, this is the really top quality stuff. Unfortunately, the company went bust in the 1980s.

Is anyone alble to expand on this? I really don't have much more information. From looking at vintage shoes and boots, I think most of them used Martin Leather. The current zug range from Tricker's, Sargent etc aren't a patch on Tecnic or Lotus.

Edited April 15, 2012 by rabiesinfrance

[SLAB]

amazing collaboration between two cool brands; Alden and Real McCoys service boots; unfortunately not mine

2 by SLAB13, on Flickr

600x460-2012040700105 by SLAB13, on Flickr

3 by SLAB13, on Flickr

Edited April 15, 2012 by SLAB

[kansas]

^beauties. $850 bucks plus shipping?

[Denim Phenom]

Street cred ain't cheap.

[CrashTestBrummie]

I have a pair of new-old stock of Tecnic boots and shoes. The boots came with a tag saying made using Martin Leather. As far as I can tell, this is the really top quality stuff. Unfortunately, the company went bust in the 1980s.

Is anyone alble to expand on this? I really don't have much more information. From looking at vintage shoes and boots, I think most of them used Martin Leather. The current zug range from Tricker's, Sargent etc aren't a patch on Tecnic or Lotus.

the listing quoted in your original post has some information on martin's, which was eventually bought up or absorbed by the bridge of weir tannery. you can find old adverts for martin's zug here on ebay and here both from the 1930s.

i know that lotus were using zug from at least 1917 as it's mentioned in an advert i have, showing what i think is the first model of their veldtschoen boot - an apron-fronted model, very different to the characteristic veldt boots that came later.

it's difficult to do a direct comparison of the zug used then and what's in use now, as even the leather on 'new' old stock will have aged and, in most cases, dried out a little or a lot (zug's a waxy leather that needs feeding after a time, due to its functional exposure to the elements, and despite what one of the ads linked above says - we have the benefit of hindsight).

it's also a lot easier to polish up an old pair of veldts as the leather will have dried out unless the owner has regularly treated the leather - waxy zug can only really be 'bulled' to a shiny finish.

zug ages very slowly, so naturally a twenty-year of tricker's veldt boots will look a lot more rugged and impressive than a two-year old pair of grasmere boots, for example. i've heard anecdotal evidence of 'old' zug being better than new, but it's a very tough call to make when you factor time and wear into the equation.

now we need some pics of your shoes and boots

[rabiesinfrance]

I'll post some pics when I work out how to post here. Tricky, can't see how to do it. Any suggestions?

The zug on my Tecnic shoes - I've also got a C&J pair from 1970s - is quite hard and has that characteristic burgundy hue to it. The zug on, say, the Grasmere boot is quite soft and oily. The same leather was used, I think, on the old Sargents.

I wasn't happy with this leather as it tended to go black at high points of contact or flex. It was almost as if the 'top coat' had rubbed off. The leather is itself basically waterproof - I think it's an American leather - so it's natural colour is probably black. All in all, the boots looked pretty awful after a few years of wear and I got rid of them. The same leather is used by Sanders, I think, at £160.

I think it's interesting that C&J use the Oak Wax Hide rather than zug. I may opt for the Snowdon if I save my pennies up!

It's worth buying those old Tecnic and Lotus shoes and boots because you can't buy that leather quality now.

[CrashTestBrummie]

the image tag is in the middle of the bottom row of the options available when you type a reply - looks like an old polaroid snap.

if the zug on your (old) tecnic shoe is quite hard and you found the (newer) grasmere's to be oily then it bears out my point above, no? If you want your tecnic shoes or boots to be fit for purpose then you should re-oil the leather...

the sargent zug goes a deep red at points of contact, i found. i can't see how its natural colour could be black, otherwise dyeing it brown would be a royal pain the arse if possible at all.

the older tecnic and george webb veldts have handled have also tended towards the burgundy when aged, but this isn't applicable to all veldts which suggests that more than one tannery has provided the zug leather over the years.

i think c&j use oak wax hide for a couple of reasons: firstly, it's lighter than zug so makes for a boot that's easier to wear (and break in); also, it's slightly dressier than zug grain.

bear in mind that c&j and edward green have both used zug in the past and now use other materials for their veldtschoen boots and shoes - zug is hardly the most attractive of leathers in its basic form and it hardly fits in with the image that both firms have these days with their new, mainly overseas customers (most of whom would shudder at the thought of walking through a wet, muddy field in their brand new galway boots...).

[baka_bo]

chinese boots?

these are japanese, made in japan

yamane's japanese line, nothing to do with evisu international

[rabiesinfrance]

Yeah, tried that but no luck - get a blank box. Will get onto the moderators.

Hopefully, post zugs soon!

[knucks]

Any interest in my engineers at all? They "fit" but could do better..I've got an insole in them but still get heel slip (I'm told this should get better with time..) but also feels like my heels are much higher than my forefoot (without the insole it's not an issue, but then they are way big).

Kind of upset I was recommended to go 9.5 by History Preservation when I was thinking I'd be a 9

Edited April 16, 2012 by knucks

[smittybat]

What insoles are you using. If they have a built up heel portion they put the heel in the wrong place. Also you will probably need to add more holes to the instep strap

[knucks]

What insoles are you using. If they have a built up heel portion they put the heel in the wrong place. Also you will probably need to add more holes to the instep strap

These.

There is still 1 more hole in the strap..they're actually fine in the instep, its just that there is the heel slip (not terrible) but overall they feel big :/ (and the higher heel w the insole..)

[illumin8em]

[attackwithstones]

are the second pair buzz ricksons? or real mccoys?

[illumin8em]

are the second pair buzz ricksons? or real mccoys?

WWII impressions that I finally sized right and immediately applied Obeneuf's to get rid of that ugly orange suede look

[onehundy]

Is it possible to replace the whites cap toe with a medallion cap