Shoes that look better with age...

[goodrain]

are you gonna throw those in the washing machine? let us know how they turn out

[chicote]

I dunno if I am gonna throw them in the machine, but i might; it probably makes more sense to just soak/scrub them with a brush though. The comment I made in the last post was a tongue-in-cheek in reference to the way people talk about their jeans

[greathoudini]

Finally found a black pair in my size

[Max Power]

Finally received them back - I couldn't be happier. Perfect work, the boots have been oiled and they look like new - for a killer price. Almost feels like stealing...and I got a credit card holder that looks like made of bullhide on top. I'll definitely send my other pairs there too.





 

[dylanbooth78]

Looking good mate, i had dainite heels put on my wolverine 1000 mile boots when I had them re soled a while ago, they are nice and grippy in urban environments and seem to be wearing well, maybe a bit quicker than the vibram ones they replaced but worth the trade off o would say.

[Max Power]

Actually they replaced the Cat's Paws that wore down pretty fast. I haven't touched Dainites yet, but imagined them to be softer than my heels are. Not even sure if they are Dainites...

[dylanbooth78]

They certainly look the part, here are mine...

... I walk a lot due to the fact that I don't drive so tend to wear out heels pretty quick, it doesn't help that I land on my heel pretty hard (as you can see from the wear above), I think you will be impressed by them.

[Cucoo]

I took advantage of End Clothing's free EU shipping offer and pulled the trigger on my first 1970s Chucks. White leather upper, too. They cost roughly 2 1/2 times of what I normally would be willing to pay for Chucks, so let's see if they make up for it in longevity ^^

 

[Geeman]

I'll never buy normal chucks again after 70's.

[dwilson123]

So I want to update my opinion (that everyone cares about so deeply, I know) on shell cordovan.  After wearing my shell boots for maybe 8 months I don't think I can go back to regular leather.  The beauty is in the simplicity of care.  I just wipe them off with a horsehair brush every few wears and they look almost brand new.  I have some scuffing here and there which probably requires some reno but they're extremely low maintenance boots.  I get a great shine from the boots without doing *anything* fancy to them even after wearing them daily for months.  The leather is amazing.  I'm sold.  Its going to be hard to impossible to go back to non-shell boots.

[mpukas]

...  Its going to be hard to impossible to go back to non-shell boots.

yeah yeah yeah... pics or it didn't happen. ;-) 

[Cucoo]

I'll never buy normal chucks again after 70's.

 

After 1 day I already agree, the better footbed is pretty much worth the price alone.

[mpukas]

I took advantage of End Clothing's free EU shipping offer and pulled the trigger on my first 1970s Chucks. White leather upper, too. They cost roughly 2 1/2 times of what I normally would be willing to pay for Chucks, so let's see if they make up for it in longevity ^^

Looks good Cucoo. 

 

Can someone elaborate on the difference between 1970's and regular Chuck's? I'm not a sneaker head and I never understood the differences. Is it design details, or are there differences in how they are made/constructed? 

 

I wish Chuck's were wider. They're so damn narrow I'd have to go up several sizes so they don't squish my feet sideways. I think they are the best looking sneaker. They may be retro, yada yada yada, but some designs just nail it and there's not much point trying to improve upon. Saying that, I do think the Japanese brands that have done knock-offs are improvements, because that's what they do so well. 

[Cucoo]

For one, the 1970s are a bit wider in the front than regular chucks in the same size

 

It's construction and details both, I'll take a few pics of 70s and regular ones side by side. For example the rubber part is more "massive" and taller, and the footbed is cushioned and way more comfortable. And they do look more retro than regular Chucks.

 

Personally I was thinking about getting on of those "made in USA" PF Flyers model for an even more retro look, but can't get them in Europe and I'm too cheap to pay customs for a sneaker I'm not sure I'll nail sizing with the first try.

[Geeman]

I find the 70's to be a bit slimmer in the toe box?

They are better/heavier canvass and the insole is much better. PF flyers are real nice, very comfortable. I have one pair of the regular ones and 2 pairs of the MIJ archive reissues. Cucoo check out superdenim I think they still have a couple of pairs of the MIJ flyers left.

Whilst on the subject, the purcell signature are great. They are the 70's equivalent in jack purcells

[greathoudini]

While we're talking chucks atm. Anyone tried out the new chuck 2?

They come with lunar soles, should be really comfortable. But for some reason I don't like the small changes in looks

[givemefive]

I bought them on release day from the chucks website. I mis-sized. You should get a 1/2 size larger than you wear in the chuck originals.  They didn't really compensate for the sole in the new sizing scheme so they fit like chucks + an insole...kinda

 

Ended up giving them to my brother.

 

I think they look fine, but I prefer the originals. Will try them again if I see a sale.

Edited February 24, 2016 by givemefive

[dylanbooth78]

PF flyers are a good alternative to modern converse apparently! They have proper foot beds in them too. I may give them a go sometime

[greathoudini]

I bought my gf a pair of 70s converse on a sale at my local sneakershop for only €30 a few days ago and I really regret not buying a pair for myself as well.

[karanimal]

Figured i would add this review here that i posted on reddit a few hours ago

 

Intro

A few months ago I stumbled upon the Up There Store’s Instagram and then subsequently checked out their online store. I instantly fell in love with these boots, I hummed and hawed about buying them because I felt they would be extremely difficult to fit into my wardrobe. After a few months of waiting on them, ensuring they would be my correct size, consulting with some of the guys at the store, and then determining these would make a great pair to base some cool Japanese-workwear visvim-esq inspired looks off of I pulled the trigger. It also helped that they added these to their sale…making them ~50% off. Living in Australia has really made me focus on buying locally since shipping anything here is insanely expensive and the USD is killing most international sales

The Makeup

http://www.yuketen.com/native-maine-guide/

“A new variation of Yuketens Maine Guide 6-Eye boots.

Made from a Loden Green chromexcel leather, the Native Maine Guide boot has a native American concho and bead deatiling on the outerside of each shoe with beautiful embossed deatiling on the toe. With a Vibram sole and Moccasin construction this is one of the most comfortable boots in Yuketens range.†– Uptherestore

The Fit & Sizing

These are a 12E, I normally wear a 11.5 in Viberg 2030, an 11.5 in redwings (thin socks, a 12 fits better with thick socks), 12 in most nikes without socks, and I wear a 12D Barrie in my Alden x Jcrew #8 PCT Boots (which are apparently tighter than the normal alden barrie last).

These were instantly comfy out of the box, primarily due to the Vibram 2021 which is pretty damn soft and bouncy. The leather is lined which makes them fairly stiff. I wore these once so far and they will need a bit of time before they become truly comfortable

Overall these fit nicely with thin socks but will be perfect with some thicker socks for the aussie winter…if you can call it a winter…

Construction and Materials

The leather is thick, thicker than the CXL on my old wolverines, its thick and glorious, that is once I gave it some saphir reno. These boots were released back in Summer of 2014 I believe and man were they dry when I got them, I’ve never seen boots drink reno so fast before. They feel great now but if they dry out again in the next month they will get hit with a hardy helping of Lexol to ensure they are conditioned nicely.

The CXL is clicked nicely, there is only one area on the left boot on the inside of the toe that there might be a bit of loose creasing, but its such a small area that its not a huge deal in the long run. The leather has a great sheen too it and I’m pretty excited with how it works with denim, both faded and dark.

The Welt is massive on these, it’s a bit odd looking at first but I’ve come to like the way it protrudes. Its like the boots are floating on a massive leather platform. The Vibram 2021 sole is interesting, I tend to blow through heels on my boots in 3-4 months so I’m interested to see how these hold up. For a resole in the future I’m thinking a vibram honey ripple sole or a nice thick normal vibram honey sole.

The conch and the beads on this boot give them a bit of flair that I think will be able to pull some attention to the boots and the patterned impressions are also cool too.

I can’t find any missed stitches or sloppy areas of this boot, one minor thing is that the boot sits somewhat crookedly on the sole, I think its just a bit off missed sole/welt trimming (not sure on the terminology) once the sole was cemented on. Not a big deal to me and it’s unnoticeable once I have them on and I’m moving…

Overall I am quite please with these boots and the construction, I’m not entirely convinced that they are worth their retail price of $820 AUD but for $400 AUD (~285 USD) shipped they are a fantastic deal.

Final Thoughts

These boots aren’t for everyone; they have some flash to them. They aren’t meant to be taken too seriously but at the same time they are built like serious tanks. I love them, I prefer them with a bit of a slimmer leg opening than the jeans I have on in the pictures (TFH 3009 fyi). They are chunky ass boots with some flamboyancy.

The Up There Store also has some deals on some other Yuketens right now, there’s a pair of the MAINE GUIDE OX DB - VEG TAN in size 7 for $400 AUD right now with free worldwide shipping…which is a steal for anyone with USD to blow https://www.uptherestore.com/collections/deadstock-sale/products/02405pm?variant=5653484868

 

[karanimal]

[mlwdp]

Glad to see some Yuketen in this thread finally. Funky color! Is the Concho on the side removable? Wondering how exactly the Concho is placed (or staying on) the boot.

[karanimal]

Its not removable. From what i can tell its a riveted concho that is added to the green cxl before the goat lining(?) is glued and stitched onto the back side 

 

The colour is filling a gap of green in my wardrobe...its pretty much indigo everything at this point...

[cander49]

Finally going to get these resoled and refinished for the first time soon. Alden, 2.5years old (edit, originally thought it was more like 3), lots of use.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 29, 2016 by cander49

[rungo]

Figured i would add this review here that i posted on reddit a few hours ago....

 

 

 

I have to say, I have a very similar pair going on year 3 from Yuketen right now, they are the same colour (more or less), unlined rough out db style toe stitch, and they're the old 7 hole style (all eyelets, new 7 holes have speed hooks).

 

After putting them through the paces a few times, I have to say, while I found them pretty comfortable out of the box (Yuketens fit me exceptionally well), they took a good 3+ months of regular wear to really start to wear in the mid sole, they are built for the long haul.

 

The one major downside for me was the 2021 sole, which is between crap and awful on anything approaching snow or ice, and doesn't take particularly well to the field/hills in the summer either.  It lasts damn near forever, and is springy the whole way through, but it is not the most functional piece for outdoor use.  I strongly prefer a Cortina or Roccia style sole unit with these, makes them much more useful for a jaunt through the forest with the dogs.

 

Overall, I think the style of boot takes a bit of getting used to, but they are perhaps under rated as really enjoyable boots to wear, and they wear in possibly more comfortably than anything else I have tried thus far.  I got mine for a song ($260 CAD, shipped), but having said that, if I ever need another pair, I might strongly consider putting the full price down for a make up I'm really keen on.

 

I'll try to get a pic up in a bit, but I don't own a quality camera, so it will be peasant quality.

[Sugar Mountain]

Really love those Alden Cander49. Is the leather natural CXL?

[karanimal]

I have to say, I have a very similar pair going on year 3 from Yuketen right now, they are the same colour (more or less), unlined rough out db style toe stitch, and they're the old 7 hole style (all eyelets, new 7 holes have speed hooks).

 

After putting them through the paces a few times, I have to say, while I found them pretty comfortable out of the box (Yuketens fit me exceptionally well), they took a good 3+ months of regular wear to really start to wear in the mid sole, they are built for the long haul.

 

The one major downside for me was the 2021 sole, which is between crap and awful on anything approaching snow or ice, and doesn't take particularly well to the field/hills in the summer either.  It lasts damn near forever, and is springy the whole way through, but it is not the most functional piece for outdoor use.  I strongly prefer a Cortina or Roccia style sole unit with these, makes them much more useful for a jaunt through the forest with the dogs.

 

Overall, I think the style of boot takes a bit of getting used to, but they are perhaps under rated as really enjoyable boots to wear, and they wear in possibly more comfortably than anything else I have tried thus far.  I got mine for a song ($260 CAD, shipped), but having said that, if I ever need another pair, I might strongly consider putting the full price down for a make up I'm really keen on.

 

I'll try to get a pic up in a bit, but I don't own a quality camera, so it will be peasant quality.

 

 

I can understand the issues with the 2021 sole...I'm not really used to it yet, i was trying to quickly scamper down some stairs today to make the train and i swear to god i almost ate it down 4 flights. They will take some getting used to or i can't be as reckless in them. They will be great for casual weekend wear around the city tho!

Edited February 26, 2016 by karanimal

[xchen]

cot damn them yuketen

[mlwdp]

Hitthebreakroom closed their online Danner/Lacrosse website I guess no more deals on Danner boots and JP exclusives. I read that they're going to just have their sales on the main Danner site, whenever that happens.

[cander49]

Really love those Alden Cander49. Is the leather natural CXL?

It's actually a J Crew model, exclusive to them I believe. It's "tobacco" calfskin. The color is ever-so-slightly redder in real life, which doesn't quite show up in my photos. Compared to other chromexcel shoes of mine, this leather darkens more easily with treatment, but it seems to require even less treatment.