Shoes that look better with age...

[Happy Hooligan]

I stopped by my local redwing store today to check out the iron ranger's.. They don't carry them of course but they did carry the cherry GT. I tried on an 11 D but really needed an 11 C. Turns out they don't make a C size only D and wide.

Said that the iron only comes in a D and wide also...

Anyone know if they do make a C?

[WhiteShark]

Just E's...........

[honghonglulu]

i'm not a firefighter nor a lumberjack. actually, i'm wearing these cuban heels to compensate for the fact that i am obviously nowhere near as amazing as you.

Aah...But you admit that you are pretty amazing, nee?!

happy new year, tall boot man! carry on, and represent in the 09!

[Curious_George]

I was browsing ebay when I came across these vintage Katahdins(?). I think the patina is just incredible.

But too small for me as usual

[edmond]

im thinking of gettign the same pair as coleslaw here in tokyo chipppewa engineers whte sand color..abc mart is on sale!

[fre-co]

might want to check these out

http://www.williamlennon.co.uk/footwear/268d-hill-boots.html

Those look pretty nice, as do some of the others. Never heard of this place before, any experience?

[marineabilly]

^^^Thanks everyone. I actually bit the idea from Chicken by using cordovan color wax. Those are indeed from Hukurokoju (BIG props to Okuyama-san). He might have re-welted the shoe, cause it was so narrow to stitch. I can't tell though because its done so well.

Hello - this is my very first post here. I discovered Hukurokuju while surfing the net here in the combat zone of Iraq. I can't stop drooling over the engineers on there - Angus (the bull dog) is awesome, too.

My question - how does one go about having them customize a pair of (engineer) boots? Does it take forever from shipping to receiving? What's the cost and is it worth it or can a local shop that carries Cats Paw do the same thing?

Thanks so much and Happy New Year from the good ol' "Sand Box"

[almostnice]

Those look pretty nice, as do some of the others. Never heard of this place before, any experience?

I think Bill owns a pair of these,he posted pics of a similar pair with horseshoe heels in this thread,but thats quiet a while ago.Bill,if you read this,can you shed some light?

[almostnice]

Did a quick research and found this:

http://www.superfuture.com/supertalk/showthread.php?p=988315&highlight=horseshoe#post988315

[coleslawyum]

My question - how does one go about having them customize a pair of (engineer) boots? Does it take forever from shipping to receiving? What's the cost and is it worth it or can a local shop that carries Cats Paw do the same thing?

Wesco is great for customizing engineer boots. Here is the official Wesco Japan blog with more pictures to drool over. I think any cobbler can customize your boots, as long as they have a Landis K or Rapid E outsole stitcher. Or they could do it by hand which would destroy their fingers but its possible.

Its probably cheaper, faster and more convenient to have your local cobbler to do the work. I like to give my boots to Hukurokuju, because they do great work, and Okuyama-san is a cool guy. They do have a long queue, so it usually takes them a month to finish.

DP, for the amount of money I spent hooking up my Chippewas, you might as well get yourself a pair of Wesco's Boss, a far superior boot.

[fre-co]

Thanks for that Almostnice

[JFposc]

Other than cleaning shoes/ using leather conditioners, are there other care methods that you guys were are extremely learned about this stuff recommend?

I am considering getting several Foot Beds by Filson, but I'm not sure if they are necessary for the type of well made sturdy boot on here?

[WhiteShark]

My dad owns a pair of their Uplander Oxfords which he swears by. They are about 5 years old, and they look fantastic. He's extremely tough on his shoes and they are still holding together fine after 2 resoles. I had looked into buying myself a pair a few months back but ran into a problem.

The foot bed which Filson produces does not come in a true wide size. They tell you to purchase one size up for wides. That means people who actually have wide feet are screwed.

The inserts are pretty narrow. If you have feet that are a little over 4 inches you may find they are to small. If your feet sweat at all, they break down pretty easily. New inserts have been a pretty regular Christmas gift to him the past 5 years. (they have worn out 3 times)

The solution I came up with was to buy a pair of insoles then take kangaroo leather and cement them to the Filson Insole. It protected the cork from rubbing apart and It's worked out as its been two years and he hasn't asked me for a new pair. That's basically what the inside of an Alden shoe is. Leather covered cork, which is worked into the shoe. Obviously not everyone can come up with this solution, I am a leather craftsman and I had some kangaroo hides lying around so I figured I'd give it a try.

Basically what I'm saying is, there's probably a better insole out there.

For most of these boot makers though, if the boot fits properly, there really is no need for an insert unless you have some sort of specialized orthopedic insert you need. The foot bed of the shoes, which I'm pretty sure is the same for most of these, is a bed of vegetable tanned calf leather over a thin sheet of cork. That's pretty comfortable for most purposes.

[4square]

yeah, it is pretty soft.

You looking for something for hard wear?

I'm after a pair of boots to wear everyday. I'm a big fan of the semi-dress, but I'm still on the fence about the style/size of the heels.

I'd like to wait to try on some boots from the 'patina' store that the self edge gang will be opening in SF, but I haven't run across any new ETA info for the US shop. sounds like they will sell the line first in Japan.

[WhiteShark]

I'm after a pair of boots to wear everyday. I'm a big fan of the semi-dress, but I'm still on the fence about the style/size of the heels.

I'd like to wait to try on some boots from the 'patina' store that the self edge gang will be opening in SF, but I haven't run across any new ETA info for the US shop. sounds like they will sell the line first in Japan.

I'm pretty sure there's some place online you can order the semi dress with a standard heel. I've seen at least 1 picture in this thread with them like that.

Not sure of the link offhand.

[4square]

I'm pretty sure there's some place online you can order the semi dress with a standard heel. I've seen at least 1 picture in this thread with them like that.

Not sure of the link offhand.

you might be thinking of the same pair that I saw waaay back on this thread. they were altered by a cobbler. I just with that there was a place in SF bay area to try on a pair of white's on - too hard to judge just from pics.

[bernielike]

I will say this about the White's heel. It's definitely like that for a reason. When you put the boot on it holds the back part of your foot higher up on a sort of platform, with your forefoot and toes sort of dangling.

It feels unlike any shoe I have ever put on, but I will say this: it is the most comfortable shoe for long wear I have ever worn. It basically forces you to stand and walk properly. At the end of a full day in them, it's amazing how not-sore your feet and back are compared with running shoes and even supposedly hi-tech hiking boots I've worn.

There's a reason White's has been one of the premier lineman and logger boots for so long. Plus, they look cool.

[marineabilly]

I've noticed that a lot of people on here mention Eddies Shoe Repair for Cat's Paw Resoles, but is one closer to the Orange County, CA area? Sherman oaks is 120 mile round trip from Laguna.

[edmond]

i saw some lexol non darkening conditioner in smart clothing store.. any opinions on those??

[vegetaray123]

Here is some better pictures of the Alden NST's (Tankers) on a Crepe Sole...I still say that this exact boot in a Cigar Cordovan on a Barrie Last would be the best boot ever...Oh well though, guess I'll just have to settle for a #8 Shell on a Lug Sole for now though...

[vegetaray123]

For everybody who is trying to get a hold of me via PM please forgive me but for some reason I can't seem to reply to my messages...Most of you who are trying to get in touch with me know my email so please use that instead until I can get this problem figured out...

[tmadd]

I will say this about the White's heel. It's definitely like that for a reason. When you put the boot on it holds the back part of your foot higher up on a sort of platform, with your forefoot and toes sort of dangling.

It feels unlike any shoe I have ever put on, but I will say this: it is the most comfortable shoe for long wear I have ever worn. It basically forces you to stand and walk properly. At the end of a full day in them, it's amazing how not-sore your feet and back are compared with running shoes and even supposedly hi-tech hiking boots I've worn.

There's a reason White's has been one of the premier lineman and logger boots for so long. Plus, they look cool.

I will second this...I am in the process of selling my smokejumpers because the LTT style doesn't work very well with the rest of my clothing, but my new job requires me to be on my feet for 8-10 hours straight, and I don't see how my feet will be able to handle that without a pair of whites.

[Chicken]

^ white's arch support is so addictive and comfortable. it makes the boots fit your feet like a glove.

regarding heels on the semi-dress, imho it does feel a tad too high on single leather soles. but with my double-leather plus vibram half soles, it feels too front heavy. so i'm guessing it should feel just right with single leather plus half-soles.

but i like the way double leather plus 705s look and because the imbalance is pretty minor, i'm sticking with them for the time being.

smoke jumpers with lug soles feel very very stable, as a side-note. but the packer boots really feel like you're wearing heels. to a point they hurt my calves after walking around a while. basically like cowboy boots.

[tahonng]

i saw some lexol non darkening conditioner in smart clothing store.. any opinions on those??

You've got better conditioners, don't you ed? I saw that in a shoe repair place, and it said it contatined mink oil. Also something about testing it on an incospicuous area, so you could be sure it didn't darken. I'd use your other conditioners, if you're really trying to maintain the color.

[WhiteShark]

.......There was some shoe company way back on this thread that made "milk man boots"

Does anyone know what I'm talking about?

I can't find em.

[Mich]

I'm pretty sure there's some place online you can order the semi dress with a standard heel. I've seen at least 1 picture in this thread with them like that.

Not sure of the link offhand.

Maybe you've seen the pics of my SD, here's what they look like

Unfortunately i can't give you much more info other than that they didn't come stock with these heels.

Another member of this forum had the job done by a cobbler before he sold them to me.

[4square]

^^^ those were the ones that I'd seen - they look really good. do you get the same comfort that others described without the underslung heel?

I agree with chicken - single leather with rubber half sole looks the most balanced. I notice that some folks have no stitching for half soles (glued and nailed I suppose?) and others are stitched on - like these. Does anyone know if stitching half soles on like this is widely done by cobblers and what is the approximate cost?

[Mich]

^^^ those were the ones that I'd seen - they look really good. do you get the same comfort that others described without the underslung heel?

I can't compare these to stock SD since i don't own them (yet) but i fully agree with the others that SD are amongst the most comfortable shoes i ever walked on.

They may not look it but they definitely are, it's the stance that does it i think.

To me these feel perfectly balanced so i'm curious how i'll like the regular leather soles in combination with the higher slanted heels.

[coleslawyum]

The SD is just a great shoe! I'm thinking of picking up a two tone joint next.

When you are adding rubber half soles to a leather sole, it's unessesary to stitch through the welt again since the stitching hasn't been removed. Only when you replace the sole down to the welt, do you have to stitch through the rubber sole. Make sure your cobbler has an outsole stitcher first and yes, it will be more expensive because it requires way more work.

[Chicken]

what indys are these?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230317369476&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1123