Shoes that look better with age...

[julian-wolf]

How about Danner? I mostly think of them as hiking boots, but the classic Mountain Light looks good and wears well, and I'm pretty sure it comes with the classic Vibram lug sole that should do fine in city snow.

edit: recommendation meant for all besides aho, of course : )

Edited November 7, 2018 by julian-wolf

[JDelage]

22 hours ago, redragon said:

@JDelage

Current season, RDT make a sleek one named Casper.

I have their Coupen, really top notched construction. 

Wow, those are nice, especially in the Burgundy and tan colors... Now to find more about them...

Viberg makes a nice one too.

[Broark]

So I picked up these Red Wing oxfords for like 70 bucks tonight at Nordstrom Rack.
I always check out the shoes in hopes of finding a deal and I finally did. 
Not sure about the details on these but the price was good and they're super comfy and different.


And wore my 9874's today, purchased from S&S about a year ago.

[JDelage]

Carmina Chelsea boots...

[mlwdp]

Has anybody ever heard of All American Boot MFG Co?  They make some pretty nice engineer boots and Glad Hand uses them alot.  Here's their 1920's model:

https://www.allamericanboot.com/collections/fashion/products/engineer-boot-1920s-edition

[mpukas]

1 hour ago, mlwdp said:

Has anybody ever heard of All American Boot MFG Co? 

 

I've never heard of them. I checked out their website, and it appears their engineer boots you've found are the cream of their crop. They look to be the biz. But not much/no info on leather source, construction, details, last, etc. Their asking a pretty penny for a faith-based purchase... 

[mpukas]

and looky-here - they have a sub-brand called Erro that makes fashion oriented shoes and boots. The engineer boots are also included in this collection. Some of their other offerings look pretty good too, and rather spendy. 

https://erroshoes.com/ 

[Broark]

So turns out those RW oxfords I picked up were a special makeup for Beams, they are the 9110.
Can't find much online about them but not sure how they ended up at a Nordstrom Rack here in Austin. 

Also, how do y'all feel about Blundstones? I'm thinking about picking up a pair, but I've heard mixed things about the quality.

[mpukas]

57 minutes ago, Broark said:

Also, how do y'all feel about Blundstones? I'm thinking about picking up a pair, but I've heard mixed things about the quality.

I have a pair, and they are pretty good for what they are. I think the majority of the negative feedback came from when they moved manufacturing to Vietnam some years ago. There were some growing pains as I understand it. They've since worked out the kinks in the process, and I've read they are as good as when they were made in Oz. For me, they're just throw on and beat the snot out of 'cuz I really don't care about them. They're pretty ugly no matter how you look at them. But the soles are really really durable, high heat resistant, unlike many other petroleum based sole products. 

Obviously it depends on what you want them for. If they're for getting getting dirty, beat up, rode hard and put away wet, they're great and can take some abuse. If they're for looking good, there are far better options in the chelsea boot world. 

[oomslokop]

what @mpukas said. i'd just like to add that i grew up in oz wearing blunnies and that i copped a new pair this year and now they come with an insole that makes them almost half a size smaller than they used to be. a lot of reviews/blurbs say they're oversized but not really in my experience. i wear 9 in cons all star, 10 in vans authentic, 8.5 in rdt coupen and 8.5 in blunnies (classic chelsea 500/510). also if you wanna be a bit different, you can get a pair of rossi instead. they're a bit heavier, probably better quality (the back pull tab is leather) and only a tad uglier.

[Broark]

Thanks for the feedback, I just wanted something easy to put on and not care too much about.
My problem with most chelsea style boots is that they're so small and dainty which I'm not into. And I wanted something shorter than an engineer boot that's just easy to pull on and off. I have come across Rossi boots as well but they don't seem like they are as widely available at least during my quick search.
Ultimately I'd really want something like the RDT Stan boot but my feet are too big for anything and everything that they make. 

[Maynard Friedman]

Broark, have you considered something like a Tricker's chelsea boot?

Brogue with commando sole

Plain with dainite sole

 

[Broark]

Those all black blain with dainite soles look nice, I've never really considered Tricker's given how shiny the leathers that they use are and a lot of their lasts seem to be a bit pointier.

[JDelage]

3 hours ago, Broark said:

My problem with most chelsea style boots is that they're so small and dainty which I'm not into. And I wanted something shorter than an engineer boot that's just easy to pull on and off.

I'm going through the same process and I'm thinking I might end up with a pair of side-zip boots. 

[mpukas]

2 hours ago, Maynard Friedman said:

Broark, have you considered something like a Tricker's chelsea boot?

Brogue with commando sole

Plain with dainite sole

 

Love them Tricker's. I've always had a soft spot for Tricker's... 

[Rob060]

Let's take a moment to appreciate all the hard work wildland firefighters in White's/Nick's/Wesco boots are doing in California. I live 200 miles away from the Campfire in northern California, but the air quality here is near toxic levels.

 

Saw this image today on my feed and it really struck me.

[PeterParker]

It was shoe cleaning day so I figured I might as well take some pictures:

Edited November 19, 2018 by PeterParker

[Rob060]

On 11/18/2018 at 4:01 PM, PeterParker said:

It was shoe cleaning day so I figured I might as well take some pictures

 

 

I remember seeing this pair on here or styleforum and it helped me decide on going with distressed smooth leather bounty hunters. 3 years later mine look pretty similar. :]

 

Edited November 20, 2018 by Rob060

[PeterParker]

On 8/11/2018 at 11:53 PM, Rob060 said:

My work boots are getting close to three years old. Really need to saddle soap and scrub them. Dangerously close to needing a re-heel and sole.

 

On 8/15/2018 at 4:03 PM, Rob060 said:

 

All cleaned up

Nice. What did you apply to yours after cleaning? In the beginning I treated mine with Obenauf's LP and it gave them that darker, duller appearance. I wasn't a big fan of how it flattened out the patina and eventually moved to a neutral cream with mink oil.

Thanks for crediting me with your inspiration; back when I ordered mine I couldn't find many pictures of the distressed smooth leather and took a bit of a punt. Truth be told, I was a bit regretful when natural chromexcel became an option shortly after I ordered.

Like yours, mine are in need of a resole/heel. What sole are you going to go with? I'll probably go with a 430 mini lug this time around.

Edited November 21, 2018 by PeterParker

[Rob060]

9 hours ago, PeterParker said:

 

Nice. What did you apply to yours after cleaning? In the beginning I treated mine with Obenauf's LP and it gave them that darker, duller appearance. I wasn't a big fan of how it flattened out the patina and eventually moved to a neutral cream with mink oil.

Thanks for crediting me with your inspiration; back when I ordered mine I couldn't find many pictures of the distressed smooth leather and took a bit of a punt. Truth be told, I was a bit regretful when natural chromexcel became an option shortly after I ordered.

Like yours, mine are in need of a resole/heel. What sole are you going to go with? I'll probably go with a 430 mini lug this time around.

I use Obenauf's lp, mainly because they get scuffed and wet a lot at work. They look dull at first but after a some wearing and brushing, the shine comes back. I have Obenauf's oil too. Feel like they need some of that soon.

I was really considering chromexcel, but since these were boots mainly used for work, I wanted something a little tougher like distressed smooth, and after some aging they look pretty similar

Think I'll go with the same heel and sole as before. I do a ton of walking in them and was happy to get 3 years out of the vibram 700 and quabaug heel. A half sole and full leather heel stack would be cool but I feel like the full sole is better for my conditions. Considering asking for the heel to be more of a straight taper, like Viberg does, instead of a logger style.

Edited November 21, 2018 by Rob060

[JDelage]

Carmina cordovan shoes with their “frankenstitch”.

 

 

[mlwdp]

Scammers are now making fake Wesco boots:

http://www.fabulousfifty50.ca/superXYWESCO-100th-anniversary-limited-edition-JOB-MASTER-1st-full-horsepower-old-tooling-boots-545934226050/p_844/

They should be reported to Wesco.

[MasonAlexander]

Is it just me, or is it nearly impossible to find a boot that you entirely like?

The vintage boot that Ive always worn has lived a hard life and is in desperate need of retirement.

The only boot that Ive seen in any of my recent memories or hunting that strongly appeals to me is one by Sanders Japan, but I think it was only available at ClutchCafe and is sold out of my size.

Any suggestions? 

[Critical Observer]

33 minutes ago, MasonAlexander said:

Is it just me, or is it nearly impossible to find a boot that you entirely like?

The vintage boot that Ive always worn has lived a hard life and is in desperate need of retirement.

The only boot that Ive seen in any of my recent memories or hunting that strongly appeals to me is one by Sanders Japan, but I think it was only available at ClutchCafe and is sold out of my size.

Any suggestions? 

 

How about the S&S x Wesco Axe Breaker in horsehide:

[MasonAlexander]

@Critical Observer Ive actually circled back to those quite a few times. I really do like the way they look for the most part, and I would really like to support S&S as they always treat me great when I do business there but Im just not sure if I can convince myself to live with the very visible brown sewing on the toe, and if I did convince myself to accept the brown, Im not sure I could convince myself to spend $1000 on a boot that took that much work to convince myself of.

I will be the first to admit that I am so very picky when it comes to a footwear, far more than any other piece of clothing and this will not be any easy task

[eeejayaich]

While I don’t own this particular pair, I can attest to White’s quality. 

[MJF9]

@MasonAlexander similiar-ish... a couple I'm courting... Trickers Burford in black dainite sole and this Whites medallion toe semi-dress with leather sole (not preferable to me due to slippy factor) https://eastwestapparel.co.uk/shop/whites-semi-dress-boots-black-dress/

[MJF9]

On 19/11/2018 at 12:01 AM, PeterParker said:

 

@PeterParker really good collection... what make and model are these? Alden? 

[mlwdp]

@MasonAlexanderThese were nice by Glad Hand but have mostly sold out.

https://global.rakuten.com/en/store/wolfpack/item/gh-daystep/

 

[PeterParker]

On 12/8/2018 at 11:29 AM, MJF9 said:

@PeterParker really good collection... what make and model are these? Alden? 

Yes, Alden for LeatherSoul Jumper boots in #8 shell. Love the aesthetic but the shite build quality drives me nuts.