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Shoes that look better with age...


kiya

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^Can't remember if it was a year or two ago when White's was first sold and everyone was jumping on the Nick's train out of fears White's quality would be diluted...I never ended up buying a pair of Nick's, but consensus seems to be they're damn hard to break in (check out some of the pairs on denimbro, and people having to move on due to the pain of break in), though extremely tough and robust. In my opinion, while bigger and thicker may equate to more durable and longer lasting, I feel you lose a bit of aesthetic shape and flow that are still in tact with White's which aren't as "bulky". For my purposes (ie: NOT logging or fighting forest fires), White's still suit me just fine, and I think they'll remain that tough, well built classic all-leather boot with classic styling for years to come. I know that's not really what you were asking though ed!

Also, did anyone catch those Wesco engineers from Standard and Strange? Holy hell how did I miss out on those...

Edited by aho
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I did a factory tour of nicks when I was in spokane in january. They explained that the nicks are wet lasted which decreases stretch but makes the boots very tough to break in. White's dry lasts. I thought nicks was cool - It is a much smaller company compared to Whites. the Whites building is probably 4 times bigger. They also only have one guy that does the norwegian rolled welt - which was absolutely crazy to me. White's seemed to have plenty of people to do that. I agree with Aho on aesthetics. I'd buy a pair of nicks one day maybe, but I'm not gonna get rid of my whites.

also, for Ed's question - they use some of the same lasts as White's. Lots of styles come on the 55 Semi Dress last and some on the 4811 smoke jumper so I can only assume the sizing would be the same.  They have a proprietary last for the hotshot. Would probably be best to contact nicks directly for sizing questions. 

Edited by erk
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Wore my Trickers acorn stow boots for first time today. They were a real bitch to get on, but they are unbelievably comfortable for a first time wear. My Parade boots were not nearly as comfortable.

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Thank you Ben.

I forgot to mention the soles.

The Viberg 2045 have a corded sole.

Nick's is a Vibram 705 with a Vibram heel.

Viberg 310 is a Cat's Paw heel with a Vibram half sole I believe, been awhile since I've looked.

Sole-wise from a durability and comfort standpoint, I prefer the Nick's setup.

Durability alone, the corded sole on the Vibergs still looks new. I can't imagine ever having to re-sole.

Comfort, the Viberg 310 takes the cake, but that Cat's Paw heel wears fast on my feet.

I initially posted in response to Ed. That said, I like the Nick's a lot. If I didn't have so many brown Vibergs, I would have bought some brown colored Nick's a long time ago. My Nick's took twice as long to break in, but cost half as much.

And Ed, the size 9 Nick's fit is comparable to s Viberg 8.5, and Red Wing 9.

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Zuriick has been awol for quite some time in their webshop when it comes to buying Nicks from them.  Even their Instagram and Facebook hasn't been updated in over a year.  I think they're out of business now.

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1 hour ago, mikecch said:

What's the opinion re: Wolverine nowadays?

I know when they first launched the 1000 Mile boots folks here thought they were just so-so.

Anyone tried the custom 1000 Mile program yet?

I've never seen a pair of 1000m boots that looked good after a bunch of wear. My friend has a pair and they've got loose grain all over the place. I think the red wing GT is way better for the money. 

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Yea, you can see a bunch of loose grain on the top right of my left boot, the leather feels overly soft and blergh. I  think they are decent entry level boots. I like them and will still get wear out of them for a while. I wouldn't have paid full price for them though (got them for about half price).

 

1 hour ago, mikecch said:

 

nApRC6o.jpg

Classic dress boots by White's Boots via Baker's.

461 last with medallion toe cap.

5 years, though worn roughly once every week or so to the hospital.

What jeans are those Mikkech?

Edited by Niro
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10 hours ago, Niro said:

What jeans are those Mikkech?

Thanks for the feedback re: Wolverine guys.

 

b_F is right, these are Left Field's new Xinjiang cotton 14.5 oz twisted yarn jeans.

Different from Red Cloud and Sauce Zhan fabrics I've tried...there's probably at least a couple of mills in China making Xinjiang cotton denim at the moment.

I know the above two Chinese brands get a lot of proprietary stuff they co-develop with the mills.

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On 21.2.2017 at 1:51 AM, aho said:

Also, did anyone catch those Wesco engineers from Standard and Strange? Holy hell how did I miss out on those...

I did! But S&S are holding them in until I go to the US in a few weeks, so I won't be able to share any impressions or pictures until after that. Anticipation is real. 

Edit: But maybe you're referring to the Van Cleef engineers? I bought the 7400s. 

Edited by mandel9000
Typo
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god damn, Ive been trying to reply to this thread for days but there was some fucking quote stuck (of course I was quoting Maynard) in the reply box and I couldnt do anything.  Now I figure out the clear editor box and it works.  for fucks sake...

I just wanted to bitch about the Wolverine 1000 mile.  I hate it.  Nero's look better because of the toe design but I always find that its shaped funny, creases funny and generally looks weird.  The way they crease makes each pair look too small for the wearer.  

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Went to Dayton today to pick up my boots, and was greeted with some of the worst and most ill informed customer service I've had in a long time. I spent a good 10 minutes explaining to the two ladies who were in there that I dropped my boots off, that weren't dayton, to get resoled. They tried convincing me my boots weren't even at the shop and they wouldn't have taken them in the first place. They apparently stopped accepting resoles for non dayton boots over a year ago, even though I have had mine down there three times. After practically arguing with them, one being the owner, they miraculously found them. When they brought them out they looked like this, after 3 months ( - 3 weeks off for xmas). I was pretty shocked, especially when they told me that it would cost me $115 to walk out of the store with them, looking like this. They told me that they also changed the pricing and adding a new mid sole would be $50, even though that wasn't on my bill, and a policy they put in place after I dropped the boots off. The two women were having an incredibly hard time understanding why I was upset, and were getting frustrated with me. I almost blew a gasket, and the owner just got fed up, from her own stupidity I'm assuming, so she let me take them home. So after 3 months I'm left with less boot than I had before.

Steer clear of Dayton, it's not a family run business anymore and the people running it are morons, minus the the one dude who may be a co owner.

I also was talking with Whites, and they told me if the welt was messed around with too much, they might require a complete rebuild. Anyone able to tell me from these pictures if they did or not?

Screen Shot 2017-02-22 at 5.38.21 PM.png

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5 hours ago, mlwdp said:

How is the sizing on the Lone Wolf Mechanic boots? Is it true to size?  I wear a size 8 (should've gotten a 7.5) in Red Wings and mostly wear size 7 in US boots.

Lone wolf sizing runs big...I have a pair of Lone wolf carpenter in size 9, it runs big, should have gotten a 8.5 instead.

For your infor, I ;m wearing a pair of redwing chukka in 9.5.

Hope it helps.

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3 hours ago, bradl said:

Screen Shot 2017-02-22 at 5.38.21 PM.png

Never heard of Dayton, glad I haven't!

I might have my biases, but Dr. Sole has always been super solid; his soles are durable as hell, and he hand stitches Goodyear welt, storm welts, stitchdown, double row, does rewelting, size adjustments, dye jobs, exchanges buckles, replaces speed hooks, etc. No internal sloppiness or shortcuts whatsoever, and for a reasonable price.

Edited by Iron Horse
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  • sufu1 changed the title to Shoes that look better with age...

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