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Shoes that look better with age...


kiya

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5 hours ago, Broark said:

I think this sums it up for me too. Sick of the 2030, pointy toe service boots. They just don't fit my feet well and seem to be a dime a dozen.
And Dude, I think that if you had made those points originally a lot of people would have agreed with you. Instead you just claimed that Viberg has fallen from graces or whatever so that's why I wrote what I wrote. I wouldn't say that I'm flat out wrong in saying their construction methods haven't changed, they just started making more GYW options because they were evidently ruining a bunch of leather when attempting stitch down on more thin and exotic leathers. So saying that I'm wrong about the construction methods is BS.  If you ask me the whole stitch down vs GYW thing is completely overblown, but I'm no expert and don't claim to be. I prefer the look of stitch down much more as well, but a shoe being GYW is not going to stop me from buying a pair of boots. The new Lofgren M43 Boondockers look great as GYW boots.
I don't think there's much point in arguing with you because you're not likely to budge and that's fine, we all have our opinions!

Yeah I should have, but I've talked to death about it and already wrote an article on the subject so that's why I was lazy and didn't explain myself, but I should have been more clear. 

 

I don't care about gyw vs stitch down either. Hell, I prefer gyw in general, but a lot of people have complained about it and that adds to my argument that Vibergs reputation has fallen. 

 

It's funny that you say you don't want to argue with me, yet you continue to respond to what I say. I think I've conceded a lot more than you have and yet you say I'm the one who is unlikely to budge... Interesting.

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I've read that stitch-down is more durable and water resistant than GYW, and that's the main reason the PNW boot makers use it for logger and wild land fire fighting boots. But, the heel of either construction is still tacked on and there's a weak point for water resistance, unless it's a 360° welt of some nature (GYW, storm welt, Norwegian welt, etc). When it comes to discussing which is better in the world of heritage work wear, it's just for fun as both are proven construction methods and both have pros and cons. It really comes down to aesthetics and what an individual prefers. 

I too am tired of the pointy toe shoe/boot options. I much prefer a rounder, wider profile. That usually comes along with a more bulbous toe, which I don't care for either. I've yet to find a round wide toe that still maintains a bit of elegance. 

BTW - speaking of Truman, what the generally feelings towards them? I know they're in Boulder, CO and I've heard from Canoe Club that they're a small shop with a few guys, unsing traditional methods. Just the vibe this crowd gets off on. I've tried on their boots once, and I thought they were very nice. But not the most comfortable (they were brand new and not broken in at all). I find their heel block isn't sloped enough, and the leading edge of the heel makes for an uncomfortable hot-spot. I thought they were in the range of the better brands discussed here, and far better than RW. Just curious what other think of them. 

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FWIW, I copped a pair of Grant Stone Diesel boots in a wide, 9 1/2 E, at the end of 2017 during the sale. Dune CXL with leather soles. I haven't talked about them or posted pics. They're freakin' awesome. So solid like tanks, yet so elegant. I got a 1/2 bigger than I probably should have as they're last runs a bit large, but I wanted to make sure they were wide enough for my preference. The toe is a pointier IRL than they look in pics. They were super comfy from day one. No hot spots or discomfort at all. I'm really into zero-drop completely flat, foot shaped shoes/boots, and I can wear these with no (personal) issues. I'd put these up against Alden, Viberg or any of the PNW makers. To get something better I think you'd have to look to the top tier Japanese and custom makers. 

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On 5/5/2018 at 9:29 PM, itsbenhere said:

Why is it that stitch down is preferred to good hear welt again?

what frustrates me most about viberg is that it seems like 95% of their normal laced boots are captoe 2030 last with a low heel. I mean Jesus, if you like that look man do you have so many options. From other brands too!

if you’re like me and prefer a larger toe box and higher heels I have to look elsewhere from viberg. 

I have yet to see a bootmaker that makes a slim toebox service boot that is nearly as well proportioned as Viberg's, although I think the 1035 last looks way better than the 2030. Yeah Trumans, Oak Street, Red Wing merchants all look okay from certain angles, I have seen very few pictures of Vibergs that look bad. I don't have a lot of money, but I have not once regretted dropping $700 for my WF bergs 2 years ago, and they have served me well through those 2 years.

EDIT: Actually thats not true, I waffled for a while between the brown and natural waxed flesh after seeing the infamous pic that made everyone fall in love with WF Vibergs, but that's my own choice.

Edited by iamsuperflush
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On 5/11/2018 at 8:04 PM, ecsong187 said:

My Whites SmokeJumpers after about 2 weeks of wear working commercial construction. 

Broke in nicely

c3Szbou.jpg

i think you need a maybe an e width?

 

and clean those  construction dust off

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15 hours ago, ecsong187 said:

E width is too room

I think is just the way the soft toe is sitting was giving him that idea. I also broke inn my smokejumpers on construction sites.

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19 hours ago, mlwdp said:

Yeah he went stock with his SJ.  Had he got measured and custom ordered, dealing with the fire season wait times now, it would've been a different story.

The soft unstructured toe on mine looked similar prior to them resoled. They were a custom order that I got measured for.

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Makes sense. Forgot about the structured and unstructured.  I went with structured toe for mine as I haven't done anything different eve for boots and didn't like the look for me with a unstructured toe.

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Truthfully, i don’t even go out or web-shop for shoes/boots, nowadays. ‘Got too spoiled.

6DF13F31-BA3D-4FD0-8097-E819B7B8EAFA.thumb.jpeg.5f626aec1b114749f60c1042ed241ea7.jpegEver since the NYC SampleSale, Viberg has been the low-hanging fruit that’s hard to resist ...

E4C2F0D6-C2D5-4A3A-82E0-DC6BB1679FA5.thumb.jpeg.417c074d536e413c5f9ca446fc4e7cc3.jpeg

A7A0A25F-0EE5-41EE-B207-E0BDF146962C.thumb.jpeg.0ca8f3d0687949060e437a95c4d41dea.jpegB0FCC80A-33C8-49C5-831D-F2C705706CA8.thumb.jpeg.948e068b1b21b7cbae2839e0b5f28898.jpeg

Side x side w/the Black Pit-Tanned:00E4F116-24CE-4BB6-A647-FA62EA52AFCB.thumb.jpeg.f13df28dcad7060aab1ac67f2de9bbef.jpeg

Black Pit-Tanned on direct sunlight:4E2DF9F9-1553-47F4-B613-3B097FD2E7A6.thumb.jpeg.dec1adb72a18f5cf78bce8942c8e1f2d.jpeg

Edited by BrownMetallic
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  • 2 weeks later...

I know this may be over simplifying it, but from the look of it; is that too much room in a pair of Red Wing Iron Rangers? 

Don't have the luxury of trying them in-store. Sized down from 12 Vans to 11 in these. I feel I should go down to 10.5 as they don't feel snug at all. Any suggestions are welcome. Size exchange is free of cost.

 

b2780aed-d146-4183-a248-95e4f10eb0c7.jpg

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^ Yes, that's much too much room. For what it's worth, though, it also looks like you're wearing pretty thin socks. Most folks wear boots with boot socks, which'll help some.

It's been a while since I've worn Vans, but I think I remember fitting a size 12 well, whereas I'm an 11 Brannock. I guess they wanna make the skater kids feel like they have big feet. It's common to size down 0.5–1 from Brannock for Red Wing's Heritage line, so that'd be 1.5–2 sizes down from Vans's vanity sizing.

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