Shoes that look better with age...

[dave023]

Really expensive IMHO...

[Bill2]

My new White's Regular Toe SmokeJumpers:

As seen in Waywt:

[Heritage.]

Awesome boots, Bill. I'm not sure how much longer I can resist getting a pair of White's.

[mizanation]

looking good, bill brando.

[GregNYC]

thanks coleslaw!

wjhat can you guys say about these??

Those are some odd ripples in the toes. For that price, I'd expect a perfect curve!

[havok]

This morning I took a look inside the Church's store in my town. They happened to be having a sale so i started to peak around the wing tips and cap toe section. The salesman which was really helpful (also very knowledgeable because he commented be about the P&B Wallabee's that i was wearing and we talked about how the quality has gone down since production has been in China) talked to me a little bit about the shoes. He told me that there were a few pairs going for $175 and $250. I happened to be interested in the pair for $250 and that they were 7.5's which usually stay around for a few weeks since 10's sell out the fastest. It's been along day but all I can remember was that they were made in the UK and the original price was $600 (something). Now i know a few things about Church's and know that they're quality lace ups and the ones that I was looking at were hand made.

can anyone share some info, perhaps a suggestion as to wither i should buy them or not. maybe guide me in the right direction because it was coming down to either Church's or Allen Edmonds. Testoni's are falling in third at this moment.

cheers!

[fabro]

Not sure if you or others have seen them, but MarcellHUN has some really great videos on shoe making. Not sure if he has a forum account here (though I know he posts on styelforum), and makes some absolutely stunning MTM and bespoke shoes (and RTW iirc). He works out of Budapest, Hungary, and imo his videos are definitely worth watching.

http://www.youtube.com/user/MarcellHUN

Marcell's work is great. These are the test shoes he made for me (a quick shoe to test that the bespoke last was right):

These look amazing with selvage denim.

There are a lot more details about the whole process with Marcell in these posts I did on Styleforum:

http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=48398

http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=57503

[edmond]

Those are some odd ripples in the toes. For that price, I'd expect a perfect curve!

greg horsehide it seems...

[dibadiba]

havok, from what I've heard, Church's quality has gone down in the past few years pretty badly. Seems to be quite a few people on styleforum familiar with the brand. I picked up some church's myself a week ago for $20 from an old boot repair shop (pics a few pages back). They're very comfortable shoes. quality wise, I'd do my research first. for that price though, seems like they'd be worth it for sure.

[Calden]

Sorry for the shameless self promotion, but if anyone on this board is interested, they would probably be in this thread. Anyways, I'm selling a pair of a slightly used pair of Red Wing Gentlemen Travelers in black, size 8.5 D. If anyone is interested, here is the FS thread... http://www.superfuture.com/supertalk/showthread.php?t=52978

[Smoleu]

greg horsehide it seems...

Shell cordovan is horsehide, and I guarantee that you don't see that type of rippling in a pair of $1200+ bespoke shoes.

[fre-co]

Shell cordovan is horsehide, and I you don't see that type of rippling in a pair of $1200+ bespoke shoe.

Yeah, that just looks shoddy to me. Which is a surprise because Wesco make fantastic boots as I'm sure the Wesco owners here will testify. Those boots look like one of the lineman or logger heavy duty lines, with the extra layer on the inside of the left boot and maybe steel toes.

[amlai]

Marcell's work is great. These are the test shoes he made for me (a quick shoe to test that the bespoke last was right):

Have you received your final pair yet?

Shell cordovan is horsehide, and I guarantee that you don't see that type of rippling in a pair of $1200+ bespoke shoes.

Well, shell cordovan is one type of horsehide. They MIGHT not be shell cordovan. In theory they could be something else. Someone here had a pair of shell horsehide (not cordovan) boots. Though, without some wear, I'm not sure anyone can tell for sure what they're made of from just pictures. I'm hoping it's just an artifact of the lighting, but I doubt it... if those are indeed ripples in the toes, that's really poor workmanship... especially for the price.

In fact, I'm fairly certain that those aren't cordovan. Take a look at the pictures here. There are wrinkles that shell cordovan shouldn't have:

http://www.hakuraido.com/hakuraido_01/wesco/jobmaster_king2/newpage1.html

[Smoleu]

Have you received your final pair yet?

Well, shell cordovan is one type of horsehide. They MIGHT not be shell cordovan. In theory they could be something else. Someone here had a pair of shell horsehide (not cordovan) boots. Though, without some wear, I'm not sure anyone can tell for sure what they're made of from just pictures. I'm hoping it's just an artifact of the lighting, but I doubt it... if those are indeed ripples in the toes, that's really poor workmanship... especially for the price.

In fact, I'm fairly certain that those aren't cordovan. Take a look at the pictures here. There are wrinkles that shell cordovan shouldn't have:

http://www.hakuraido.com/hakuraido_01/wesco/jobmaster_king2/newpage1.html

Those aren't shell Cord. I guess the point I wast trying to make is that shell cordovan is horsehide, and notoriously scarce and hard to work with, yet on bespoke shoes, the shell cordovan looks like brown/red glass. I realize that these boots have some type of reinforced toe, but given the price, I would be pretty demanding on the quality of craftsmanship.

[GregNYC]

Those aren't shell Cord. I guess the point I wast trying to make is that shell cordovan is horsehide, and notoriously scarce and hard to work with, yet on bespoke shoes, the shell cordovan looks like brown/red glass. I realize that these boots have some type of reinforced toe, but given the price, I would be pretty demanding on the quality of craftsmanship.

Steel toe or not, the toe of good work boots should look solid and cleanly shaped. It has a protective function even if not steel-toes, and should look the part. I've heard of Marines polishing roughout boots during WWII to the point of spit-shining. You need a hard, uniformly stiff and solid toe for that, and it works even on a suede finish! But these Wescos, the ripples make the leather look thin and unevenly attached. I wouldn't buy that pair for any price, regardless of the materials.

Though I could be wrong, the Hakuraido pictures don't look like horsehide of any sort. The grain and the lines around the cuff look very typically cow-hide. Great stuff for boots!

[Smoleu]

Steel toe or not, the toe of good work boots should look solid and cleanly shaped. It has a protective function even if not steel-toes, and should look the part. I've heard of Marines polishing roughout boots during WWII to the point of spit-shining. You need a hard, uniformly stiff and solid toe for that, and it works even on a suede finish! But these Wescos, the ripples make the leather look thin and unevenly attached. I wouldn't buy that pair for any price, regardless of the materials.

Though I could be wrong, the Hakuraido pictures don't look like horsehide of any sort. The grain and the lines around the cuff look very typically cow-hide. Great stuff for boots!

I hear you. If I remember right, I think they used to use their dog tag chains to burnish the roughouts.

[GregNYC]

Marcell's work is great. These are the test shoes he made for me (a quick shoe to test that the bespoke last was right):

These look amazing with selvage denim.

And how do they fit? They look pretty good for something put together just to test the last!

[coleslawyum]

Alas, those ripples on the toes of the Wesco's are typical of Jobmasters. My pair has them too. But I paid $250 for them (maybe too much) and they are pretty indestructible. I feel White's finish their boots better, but mind you, these are all work boots, so maybe some of the quality control is not so tight. I recommend the Smoke Jumper for these kind of boots, but the Wesco's are a cheaper alternative.

Speaking of which, Greg is it really possible to shine oil tanned boots? It feels like an unachievable feat when I look at how oily the skin is.

[edmond]

Alas, those ripples on the toes of the Wesco's are typical of Jobmasters. My pair has them too. But I paid $250 for them (maybe too much) and they are pretty indestructible. I feel White's finish their boots better, but mind you, these are all work boots, so maybe some of the quality control is not so tight. I recommend the Smoke Jumper for these kind of boots, but the Wesco's are a cheaper alternative.

Speaking of which, Greg is it really possible to shine oil tanned boots? It feels like an unachievable feat when I look at how oily the skin is.

yeah this is what ive been asking before to greg.. but can we really polish oil tanned boots? scuffed area turned black when i tried

[edmond]

ultimate indies just arrived..

fit is great . i wear size 8.5e or 9d on whites semi dress

for sizing ref. 9d on redwing

9e on lonewolfs

9d on indies

i have some qulaity/construction issues.. that i dont see on lonewolf's and are very minimal on white's

here they are

im a alden newby so correct me if this is just an isolated case

compared to the lonewolf's

the left pair has no problem watsoever just the right foot

overall the shoe is great handmade all american shoe.. very nice leather is nice too but there are some dried out leather parts then again maybe some isolated case

here some shots of a great shoe from leathersoul hawaii

i didnt reduce the pic size so yall could see them clearly..mods just delete it if its bothering the thread thanks!

overall the shoe is fucking comfy

the color is great!

the construction is again sub par but again maybe an isolated case of poor quality on the air i have but no worries cause theyll end up gertting scuffed and all after a while

enjoy!

[edmond]

fit pics!

[fre-co]

They look great.

I want a pair now.... but I can't.

That scruffy looking welt end seems to be fairly usual on indies, but I had no idea it would be like that on the new england grade shoes.

[GregNYC]

I've had about 5 pairs of Indies and the rough welt is normal. The paint chip is not so common, but easily touched up. I think for the price, Indies are a very very good deal. The stock Indies with the neoprene sole can be worn in a corporate environment (like at work where I can't wear jeans!). I'll be concluding my order of Ultimate Indies today, for Tom's next shipment of them.....

[edmond]

thanks for clarifying this welt construction issue up greg! thanks!

and yeah why did leathersoul calle dthem the ultimate indies just curious

[fattybfat]

edmond:

those are really nice, myabe i will get one, but for now..i cant

Anyone has any info on this...all i know made in the u.s. and is cork sole by BF Goodrich

[dave023]

Nice Ultimate shoes....but still I'd like a pair of classic 405's

[fre-co]

fattybfat: that looks to me like a neoprene sole. I saw a vintage (40's or 50's) pair of work boots marked as BF goodrich with a black neoprene sole. BF Goodrich are a rubber maker and are known for tyres, so I would assume it's just the soles made by them. No other markings in the boots?

[Tiro]

I've had about 5 pairs of Indies and the rough welt is normal. The paint chip is not so common, but easily touched up. I think for the price, Indies are a very very good deal. The stock Indies with the neoprene sole can be worn in a corporate environment (like at work where I can't wear jeans!). I'll be concluding my order of Ultimate Indies today, for Tom's next shipment of them.....

my order is already made, 11E as suggested, hope sizing will be good, but I don't doubt your advice Greg...

next shipment will be in 5-6 months though, damn you edmond!

[fattybfat]

fattybfat: that looks to me like a neoprene sole. I saw a vintage (40's or 50's) pair of work boots marked as BF goodrich with a black neoprene sole. BF Goodrich are a rubber maker and are known for tyres, so I would assume it's just the soles made by them. No other markings in the boots?

thx fre$co,

there is some number inside...

and does it looks like to be suede or other kind of leather?

[edmond]

http://shop.yumetenpo.jp/goods/d/realmoon.co.jp/g/TMA5003/index.shtml

fat they loof similar eh?>

hi timmy... i thought they only have the ultimates in d width