Shoes that look better with age...

[joelz]

They look pretty beaten up to me too almostnice

[smittybat]

I was thinking the same thing, but maybe there's a market for beat up boots. I mean $30 more and you can beat up a pair of your own brand new ones.

[almostnice]

I am looking at either some red wing iron rangers or wolverine 1000 mile montgomery boots. I tried the wolverine and they seemed solid. Havent yet tried the red wings yet but I will tomorrow. They are both similar look and price I believe. I was wondering how the grip of the iron rangers would be for a snowy icy winter?. The wolverines have treads. The other thing I was thinking is that redwing has been making their boot longer than the new 1000 mile model. I would probably put sno seal on them. I would be wearing them everyday. I was gonna buy shitty boots for 150$ that would only last 1 winter so I figured I might as well get 325$ that will last me at least a few years.

opinions?

on icy surfaces even the best treaded sole will slip.the IR are having a cork/nitril based sole which is comparable with any good rubber compound.

we have a two year old 8113 on display in the shop and the sole looks still slightly worn.never handled a Wolverine,but the RW leather is vegetable oil-tanned and will withstand any ice,snow and salt with a minimum of care.

[denimjunky]

Good man. What did you buy?

The derby boot, of course ;-)

[denimjunky]

e,but the RW leather is vegetable oil-tanned and will withstand any ice,snow and salt with a minimum of care.

I thought the RW leather was chrome-tanned.

"blue".

http://www.complexvideo.com/Style/Cut-and-Show-Red-Wing-Shoes

[milosz]

I don't think I have particularly flat feet, but holy shit the arch on my Semi-Dresses is high.

[joelz]

I don't think I have particularly flat feet, but holy shit the arch on my Semi-Dresses is high.

that's what i thought when I was trying them on! it felt like I should be wearing heels or something...

[fre-co]

You get used to them, and grow to appreciate them.

[almostnice]

I thought the RW leather was chrome-tanned.

"blue".

http://www.complexvideo.com/Style/Cut-and-Show-Red-Wing-Shoes

some are,like the 2268 engineer or the 8130 moc toe.the chukkah 3141 is also not vegetable but mineral tanned,i could go more into detail..

what you get is boot of fat-rich leather(up to 30%),according to Dave Hill who visited our store last week.

[milosz]

I'm sure - it's not uncomfortable, just very different. Also, I feel like my feet are encased in an Iron Man suit.

3# 3oz per boot!

[denimjunky]

Yep, they sure arent sprinting shoes...

Think about all the free gym training youll get!

[slide13]

Nice looking boots, I do love a SD w/ cap toes, one of my favorites. As far as the arch goes...trust me...you do get used to it. Wear them for a week and it starts to feel perfectly normal...then all your regular shoes feel weird. I do find it very comfortable for walking too, my feet don't get as fatigued.

Which black leather is that?

[milosz]

Black dress.

Debating my next pair, once I get these broken in. Either British Tan captoes w/ single leather midsole, or Smooth Brown no captoe.

[slide13]

Nice choices both. I think my next pair will have to be some Bounty Hunters in brown smooth with a cap toe and a Vibram 700 sole...sounds like the perfect everyday boot to me. I've been really impressed with the brown dress leather ones I have, it wears in very nicely.

[PeterParker]

I think my next pair will have to be some Bounty Hunters in brown smooth with a cap toe and a Vibram 700 sole...sounds like the perfect everyday boot to me.

I need a pair of Bounty Hunters in smooth brown leather in my life. Those with a rubber half sole are ideal. I was sold by the photos of fre$co's Bounty Hunters, but for some reason I have yet to commit to a pair. I really don't know why I keep buying Aldens instead of buying a pair of White's as my go to boot.

[coleslawyum]

I was going to post these yesterday, but the way this thread moves on is fast! I was going to post something about Church's quality. Here are my Grafton's, 2 years old.

I would have to agree with everyone that these are overpriced, at least by £80. Quality is a bit better than Alden's but not by much, certainly not better than Tricker's which these are more expensive. I think they should be priced on par with Tricker's. However, if you do catch a deal on Church's, still a very solid shoe with good quality and made in England.

Here is a video showing the mostly automated process. It's similar to how a lot of shoes are made these days.

xClLXHUNDRU

[slide13]

milosz- Are those standard SD boots? I noticed they have an extra set of speed hooks on them. All mine are 6 eye, those are 7. wonder if that is a change going forward or just an anomaly.

[morse9443]

I don't think I have particularly flat feet, but holy shit the arch on my Semi-Dresses is high.

I was told by White's that it should feel at first like you're standing on the rung of a ladder. The arches on my smoke jumpers are even higher than your SD's..and I love it for wearing at work all day.

You will get used to it quickly, and it really works to reduce fatigue as advertised and intended..

Also, how's the fit milosz? Did you send in tracings or just guess?

[hieveryone]

So...This should probably be in the small questions thread, but I figure someone who actually has these boots would be more likely to see it here.

I'm looking into getting a Viberg bobcat boot, but I'm pretty conflicted with sizing. I wear a size 8 in most things--red wing, clarks, db, etc. I would want to get a size 8 in Viberg boots, but I think they might be UK sized, which means I should get a 7. Anyone with any experience care to comment? Thanks.

[jasonfoote303]

I was going to post these yesterday, but the way this thread moves on is fast! I was going to post something about Church's quality. Here are my Grafton's, 2 years old.

I would have to agree with everyone that these are overpriced, at least by £80. Quality is a bit better than Alden's but not by much, certainly not better than Tricker's which these are more expensive. I think they should be priced on par with Tricker's. However, if you do catch a deal on Church's, still a very solid shoe with good quality and made in England.

Here is a video showing the mostly automated process. It's similar to how a lot of shoes are made these days.

Nice pics and video!

The Church's factory and their process is VERY similar to what I saw at Alden.

different music though...

[milosz]

milosz- Are those standard SD boots? I noticed they have an extra set of speed hooks on them. All mine are 6 eye, those are 7. wonder if that is a change going forward or just an anomaly.

I didn't even notice. Might be a size thing? Mine are 13EE - they may have to extend the eyelets/hooks to make it look right and not have the toe too long?

You will get used to it quickly, and it really works to reduce fatigue as advertised and intended..

Also, how's the fit milosz? Did you send in tracings or just guess?

Wore them to dinner and night class - already finding them more comfortable. It's kind of like they put my weight on my heels.

That may explain something that confused me about weightlifting shoes, I didn't understand why they'd have a raised heel when all the cues are about keeping weight off the ball of your foot.

I sent Baker an e-mail a few months back asking about Red Wing size v. Semi-Dress, they said that they generally match up. So I just ordered in my Red Wing and Thorogood size (13EE). Fit is great - I've got room to spread and wiggle my toes, the insole is a little tight but should stretch, and I have just enough heel slippage.

[slide13]

ah, ok, I bet that is it. 13EE is a big shoe, would be surprised if that accounts for the extra speed hook.

[Curious_George]

So...This should probably be in the small questions thread, but I figure someone who actually has these boots would be more likely to see it here.

I'm looking into getting a Viberg bobcat boot, but I'm pretty conflicted with sizing. I wear a size 8 in most things--red wing, clarks, db, etc. I would want to get a size 8 in Viberg boots, but I think they might be UK sized, which means I should get a 7. Anyone with any experience care to comment? Thanks.

Viberg is Canadian, they do not go by UK sizing. However, they do run a little big. I have Bobcats in 11EE and they fit more like 11 1/2 E/EE. I'm an 11 1/2 in most Red Wing boots to give you an idea of my own sizing.

[hieveryone]

Thanks for the info! Much appreciated. I had emailed Viberg a little while back and they said they were Uk sized...why I have no idea. But a 7 or a 7.5 sounds good to me, especailly since a size 8 red wing is slightly roomy.

[denimjunky]

Found some more pics of the william lennons.

[Paul T]

Blimey. THose are amazing.

[ThisSunday]

Those are some great looking boots

[rayw44]

I've had these for a little over a year, but they were clearly owned for many many years before they came into my possession. I am not sure exactly how old they are, or even who made them, but these just show how great shell cordovan keeps looking. I think the eyelets originally matched the Number 8 color based on what paint remains.

Picture 332 by ray.wendolowski, on Flickr[/img]

Picture 334 by ray.wendolowski, on Flickr[/img]

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1235/5161783476_411a74def7_z.jpg' alt='5161783476_411a74def7_z.jpg'> Picture 337 by ray.wendolowski, on Flickr[/img]

[denimjunky]

Those are some great looking boots

Thanks...

And those are Miiinnee, maaaiiiiine...muhahahahah.

[beatle]

I know some people were waiting for these to drop