Shoes that look better with age...

[rkusmant]

Found them thanks

[mikedbt5]

i think sargent used gorse calf for their older brogue boots, which is waxy and very hard-wearing - i think (not 100% though) that zug grain leather is basically embossed gorse calf as it's also waxy and very durable. the only way to get a shine on zug and gorse is to properly bull the boots, which takes time and the look isn't to everyone's preference.

the ticker's veldtschoen boot was heavily bulled when i got it, and although dubbin has toned down the shine they still have that bulled appearance. not sure if i've the inclination to keep them that way, or to let them go back to a more matte finish as they are worn:

definitely agree with your comments on the sargent exclusive range...i'm currently considering sargent or edward green for a pair of boots and it's a nice little dilemma to have...

I know the dumfires is gorse calf , cant find anything more on the montrose . Ref zug leather , found this on " ask andy -

"This should clear up any confusion www.scotchgrain.co.jp

Zug is a waterproof grained leather most often associated with "Veldtschoen" boots and shoes (Afrikaans for "field shoe", although the Vesdtschoen was developed by an Englishman, Albert Ingham of Northampton). Zug leather originates from the famous tannery of the Swiss town of the same name. The innovative, thrifty tanners of the area utilized a milk chocolate syrup in much the same manner as the Scots of Islay. The chocolate imparts the characteristic dark brown color and natural waterproofing of Zug leather.'

Possibly the process causes the pebbling ? I really dont know but I suspect that like most products , you get what you pay for and there are varying qualities of zug . I was put off from buying kelsos from afpos last week (£185) by previous experiences of zug leather (sanders and hoogs boots) due to cracking of the leather . I suspect these may have been made from cheaper hides but even though I have heard nothing but praise of the kelso it influenced me enough to wait , then the boots were sold . Your trickers look fantastic

Edited March 25, 2012 by mikedbt5

[CrashTestBrummie]

i'd seen that before, mike, and i suspect that it's slightly flawed information regarding the originals of zug (although i don't really have much more concrete info with which to challenge it at the moment)...and i'm not sure what on earth that japanese site has to do with it all! zug was definitely being produced in scotland around a century ago, though.

zug is definitely waxy, embossed leather and the pebbling is man-made and not a natural occurrence (as per a conversation with richard smith last week). the leather of the rannoch boot felt noticeably 'coarser' than the kelso, and i've spoken with people who rate tricker's zug from a decade or two ago far higher than the stuff they're using now - but stuff like this is difficult to quantify and too often, rose-tinted specs could be influencing people's opinions. "It was all so much better in my day" syndrome, eh?

[mikedbt5]

I will definitely take yours and Richards' word !!

The zug on the Rannoch was very heavy and waxy and mine shone up really well but small cracks appeared in between the grain at some of the creases . Didnt effect the performance of the leather , they were dry as a bone regardless of rain or tramping over fields (same with the SANDERS which was less heavy/waxy) How IS THE ZUG your KELSOS and TRICKERS ?

Unfortunately I am getting to that age now when "It was all so much better in my day" lol .

Edited March 25, 2012 by mikedbt5

[CrashTestBrummie]

how do you rate the montrose? if it's in the same league as their dumfries model then you've a proper work-horse of a boot, easily the match of most present-day tricker's and probably not far off my skipton veldt boot of theirs. a couple of pairs of dumfries have passed through my hands recently but sadly not in my size, and now they've gone and bumped up the price by a hundred sheets to bring it in line with similar boots by other english makers...

and then a pair of dumfries pops up on ebay in my size, barely worn and with a price around half the new retail price...

[mikedbt5]

and then a pair of dumfries pops up on ebay in my size, barely worn and with a price around half the new retail price...

Nice , i assume you bought them as I DONT SEE THEM ON THE BAY . I'M JUST BACK FROM THE SUNDAY MARKET IN BELFAST , BLOWING MORE CASH ON VINYL

[big truck]

This is sad but, I think my new Lone Wolf boots are too big.

Please buy..

http://supertalk.sup...-boots-size-95/

Have you tried putting an inner sole in them? If its only half a size then that may do the trick and make them more comfortable?

[Robroy]

boots come and go......here is the current line up

How are the WESCO's breaking in? Looks like your getting some nice creasing on vamps. I think this thread deserves an update!

[knucks]

Have you tried putting an inner sole in them? If its only half a size then that may do the trick and make them more comfortable?

Yes, I tried all the plain insoles I've had, made it a bit better but only slightly. Finally found my old Superfeet greens, which made them a lot better. Went out and got some of the Copper Superfeet which seem to be even better..moved my foot higher but feels a lot better..and I'm glad this happened

[big truck]

So are you keeping them then?

[knucks]

Going to let them be up for a week or two to see if anyone wants them (it's a bit warm for them right now for them) otherwise will keep because the fit seems fine.

[indigoeagle]

I found some info on the difference between cream and wax on this site, in case anyone else is interested.

http://www.afinepairofshoes.co.uk/collections/polish-creams-cleaners-a-z/products/saphir-pommadier-cream

"The cream polish has a higher concentration of pigments than the Wax Polish and is exceptional for restoring finishes and achieving soft polishes.

Because the Cream polish has a higher concentration of pigment than Wax pastes, it is excellent at restoring the original color of shoes as they wear and, especially, scuffs.

It covers really well and achieves a nice, soft polish (as opposed to the high-gloss polish possible with the Wax)."

So I guess if one is looking for patina in say engineer boots going with cream makes more sense than wax. Wax seems to be fit better with dress shoes where you want to have a nice polish.

This cream is an "all-natural cream polish based on beeswax, turpentine, and carnauba".

Does anyone know if there are any side- or longterm effects with turpentine?

[indigoeagle]

If you also have problems with taking off your brown RRL engineers (or other boots) like I used to have I can only recommend to get one of these boots jack pullers.

That thing has reduced my take off time from something like 5-10 minutes to 20 seconds. Works very well.

[SLAB]

new model from Lonewolf; some sort of RW 877 inspired boots

the woodcutter, with vintage cat paw soles of course

Edited March 27, 2012 by SLAB

[PeterParker]

asked this in the horsehide contest thread, but perhaps will get a better response here:

Do you find the breathability of cordovan shoes/boots in hotter climates to be an issue?

I am moving from a cool climate to hot climate, and I don't want to bring boots with me that I won't wear if it's too hot (e.g. 30 degrees celsius). Does calfskin fare any better, or is this just too hot to wear boots?

[smittybat]

My cordovan boots are not noticeably hotter than anything else I own. I wear boots almost exclusively in Atlanta where is gets pretty hot all summer and don't notice my feet getting hot.

[indigoeagle]

I've now ordered a Swiss shoe cream/wax: Burgol. It's made from all natural oils, etc.. There is a wax (Palmwax) and a cream (pomade). They also have a traditional leather maintenance product for heavy leather (like mountain boots, etc.) which also all natural and called Juchtenfett.

Saphir seems to sell a shoe cream of similar quality.

[smittybat]

I had my White's Semi-dress resoled after wearing a hole through the original leather sole. About 4 weeks from when I put them in the mail, and $118 I got my resoled boots back. Switched from single leather w/ block heel to double leather with standard heel.

I was thinking about selling these, but needed to resole them before I put em up and now I'm not sure.

[bl@ster]

These recently came out, I do believe:

Anyone know of a shoe similar to this? Baker's has the "Retro Oxford" but it's $520. JH Classics (by Wesco) are close to this, but seeing if there is anything like this..

http://www.unionmadegoods.com/Alden_Officer_Shoe_in_Brown_735.html

[PeterParker]

I was thinking about selling these, but needed to resole them before I put em up and now I'm not sure.

Is this the brown smooth leather and is the sole close trim? They look too large for me, otherwise I would be interested...

cheers for the comment on cordovan in hot weather. i think subconsciously i'm looking for an excuse to buy a pair of white's so my feet aren't sweating in the australian heat.

Edited March 28, 2012 by PeterParker

[smittybat]

^ Brown CXL, swing last, close trim, 11D.

[davichan]

These Vibergs are now up in the Supermarket, get them before the summer, more pics as well!

click link or my signature

Edited March 28, 2012 by davichan

[fre-co]

Someone needs to snap those up.

[CrashTestBrummie]

To me the leather looks very beautiful and seems to promise relatively fast ageing.

only just noticed this (quoted in part), but is fast ageing really a good thing?

[Maynard Friedman]

only just noticed this (quoted in part), but is fast ageing really a good thing?

Not in women!

[fre-co]

Not in women!

Yowzers.

Anyway, this is Sufu where people need them fadez quick and beat the shit out of boots..... So yeah.

[T.O.BestWR]

Hello, I'm looking for my first pair of nice shoes and I came accross these Herring (http://www.herringsh...id=6&shoeid=453). I really like the look of them and they are in my budget.

Being a newb I was just wondering if they are a good shoes for the price and how they compare to allen edmonds stand ? (http://www.onlinesho...calf-p_id158734)

Which one would you choose? Is there a better options in the same price range ?

Thank you

Edited March 28, 2012 by T.O.BestWR

[Megatron1505]

So JT and sons got back to me, they asked me to phone them to discuss "issues" with my boots. After 6 calls I finally get to speak to the main man, who politely but a bit snottily informs me that he can't attach the soles that I want as the welt on my semi dress is a fake welt !!!!! >

After I inform him in no uncertain terms that it is most definitely NOT a fake welt, that they originally had a single leather, which was indeed stitched through, he then goes on to say that they cannot stitch the soles on through the welt stitching holes, as it would "look a terrible mess". By this point I am losing the will to live (£140 down the shitter so far), so I then offer to source a Vibram sole, that can be fitted as full sole, and email him the name and product code of my chosen sole, for them to obtain and fit. This is meant to be a quality shoe repair company, established for over 100 years !!!!! And now they want advice from me with my sum total of precisely fuck all experience in shoe repair !!!!!

Am I wrong here, or does this reek of incompetence?

I swear, one more issue and I'm getting the boots back, informing trading standards, sending them to Whites, using my refund (which I feel I am due), and spending a serious amount of time on shoe forums warning people away from these charlatans.

[CrashTestBrummie]

Hello, I'm looking for my first pair of nice shoes and I came accross these Herring (http://www.herringsh...id=6&shoeid=453). I really like the look of them and they are in my budget.

Being a newb I was just wondering if they are a good shoes for the price and how they compare to allen edmonds stand ? (http://www.onlinesho...calf-p_id158734)

Which one would you choose? Is there a better options in the same price range ?

Thank you

The Herring shoe is a re-branded Loake, I believe, and you'd be better off spending a few more quid to get a similar shoe from Cheaney which will at least be properly English-made. Cheaney also make shoes for Herring at a slightly higher price point.

Never owned a pair of Allen Edmonds but have handled a few worn pairs and they seemed solid enough, although not to my personal taste.

[big truck]

crashtestbrummie - good point. Don't understand the obsession with making clothiers/shoes look fucked in as shorter period of time as possible. Its not as if thats what people did back in the day either. They looked after their stuff given that they didn't have the disposable/addictive personalities that frequent clothing forums these days.

Mega - thats a poor show, can't help thinking that it was on the cards though. I always feel that if you show a shoe repairer something wildly different from what they're used to dealing with, it might not be right when it comes back. It shouldn't be that way as there must be a certain standard of competency and knowledge which applies to all footwear building/repair. I guess its like going to a load of different barbers and asking for a short back and sides. They may all have a different way of doing it and you won't be happy with some of them.