Shoes that look better with age...

[Duke Mantee]

I forgot about those  ...  very nice, and probably close to the standard we’re discussing 

[Broark]

Been wearing them a lot lately now that the weather has cooled off. Just not posting many fit pics these days...

[shredwin_206]

Lofgren boots looks nice but I could never justify the prices. 
Whites are where I top out in my purchases. 

[Thanks_M8]

@Broark if you like paraboot, u should check out Heschung, pricewise same range, maybe 10-20 bucks more, all made in the alsace.

[mpukas]

On 12/13/2020 at 10:56 AM, Duke Mantee said:

... and sadly a lump of CXL on his standard midsole is all starting to look a bit regressive.

I don't agree with this. Every other footwear maker does exactly this. They have their standards for construction methods, details, and materials and apply them to different model offerings. Occasionally they'll offer special/unique leather options. Lofgren does have a limited number of leathers for his standard offerings. I don't care for the olive. 

If you don't care his his version of the Chelsea, fair enough. I don't like the moc-toe boots. At all. I like just about everything else, tho, especially the Engineer. 

Personally, I like his Chelsea, quite a lot. The more I look at them, the more I like them. The details have been modified to suit this style, including the toe profile and welt. I'd like to try a pair on before committing to them. Most conventional footwear isn't wide enough for me. 

[Geeman]

I like 'em!

[Duke Mantee]

1 hour ago, mpukas said:

I don't agree with this. Every other footwear maker does exactly this. They have their standards for construction methods, details, and materials and apply them to different model offerings. Occasionally they'll offer special/unique leather options. Lofgren does have a limited number of leathers for his standard offerings. I don't care for the olive. 

If you don't care his his version of the Chelsea, fair enough. I don't like the moc-toe boots. At all. I like just about everything else, tho, especially the Engineer. 

Personally, I like his Chelsea, quite a lot. The more I look at them, the more I like them. The details have been modified to suit this style, including the toe profile and welt. I'd like to try a pair on before committing to them. Most conventional footwear isn't wide enough for me. 

We’re here to give opinion and it’s a good thing we don’t all agree 

We do seem to agree on the limited leathers, the moc toes and the engineers (I’ve a couple of pairs of them and won’t hear a bad word about them) and I have the M-43s which are as comfortable a boot I’ve worn.

And I do agree every shoemaker has a standard - I just feel perhaps there’s now a lack of adventure or excitement in new offerings. Nearly always the same welt and the same sparse option in upper and sole that seems to dominate the style.

The Chelsea is clearly a nice boot and will probably do a nice trade, I just won’t be one of the buyers on this occasion is all ...

[dudewuttheheck]

I'm personally just against chunky chelsea boots in general. In my mind, Chelsea boots are fairly sleek. If I'm going to buy a more hefty laceless boot, I would just go with engineers, pecos/ropers, or a fairly subtle cowboy boot. I'm sure I'm in the minority here with my chelsea boot opinions, but I just would never go for those chelseas over his engineers.

[peter1]

3 hours ago, dudewuttheheck said:

I'm personally just against chunky chelsea boots in general. In my mind, Chelsea boots are fairly sleek. If I'm going to buy a more hefty laceless boot, I would just go with engineers, pecos/ropers, or a fairly subtle cowboy boot. I'm sure I'm in the minority here with my chelsea boot opinions, but I just would never go for those chelseas over his engineers.

I feel the same way about Chelsea boots. Some of the high-end workwear offerings from Viberg etc are more like Blundstones. But a true Chelsea to me is more like something that the Beatles might have worn in 1963. I have had a couple of different Chelseas from various brands, and they've all been sort of "dressy." i especially like Barker's higher-end Chelseas. 

[persco_]

On 12/12/2020 at 5:00 AM, Duke Mantee said:

Rolling Dub Trio Coupen Brogue in Black CXL ... marmite 

 

I've been looking at those Coupen Brogues for a couple of months, hoping to see them back in stock. But I decided instead on a pair of these... Heinrich Dinkelacker Buda full brogue in black cordovan:

 

 

Edited December 17, 2020 by persco_
typo

[julian-wolf]

That welt stitching is serious—what's the story there?

[persco_]

3 hours ago, julian-wolf said:

That welt stitching is serious—what's the story there?

HD is known for this type of handstitched welt called a braided welt. Three strands of leather cord is used in a braided pattern instead of the one strand used in a normal goodyear welt. It's a decorative flourish on a practical part of the construction. But it's spectacular in person. I like chunky footwear. And lately I've been drawn more to the lower cut shoes over boots -- which have been my default for years. With seemingly everyone and their neighbour making boots now, I find I prefer a clunky, boot-like shoe. I'm considering the RDT Hippo for this reason. I like the idea of a low-cut monkey boot.

[Thanks_M8]

How did u size those? 

[Duke Mantee]

8 hours ago, persco_ said:

I've been looking at those Coupen Brogues for a couple of months, hoping to see them back in stock. But I decided instead on a pair of these... Heinrich Dinkelacker Buda full brogue in black cordovan:

Dinkelacker shoes really are the business - I love the triple sole option and the finishing. Your choice, one one I’d looked at, is miles ahead of Rolling Dub Trio IMO and looks good with jeans. My decision rested on the fact it’s more of a shoe than a bootee and the the HD boot loses the grace of their shoe - but I’m still jealous.

 

Edited December 17, 2020 by Duke Mantee

[persco_]

7 hours ago, Thanks_M8 said:

How did u size those? 

I suppose it was an educated guess? I've had some experience sizing shoes online from UK and US makers. I'm technically a Brannock 9 US, but my feet are pretty low volume and a little narrow, so I think the toes make up some of the length. I've got Carminas in both 8UK and 7.5UK that each fit perfectly depending on the last. HDs are known to be quite wide, with the Buda a touch narrower than the Rio and a lot narrower than the Janosh which is super wide. So I went with a 7.5UK (8.5US). The fit is spot on.

[persco_]

6 hours ago, Duke Mantee said:

Dinkelacker shoes really are the business - I love the triple sole option and the finishing. Your choice, one one I’d looked at, is miles ahead of Rolling Dub Trio IMO and looks good with jeans. My decision rested on the fact it’s more of a shoe than a bootee and the the HD boot loses the grace of their shoe - but I’m still jealous.

 

Thanks Duke. I agree on the HD boots. I don't think they do those very well. I just couldn't get past the padding at the ankles. Looked too much like a Nordic ski boot or hiking boot to me. But the shoes are incredible.

[Thanks_M8]

^^Thanks lots!

[JDelage]

I like those Dinkelacker. They remind me of some Vass and Carmina models. Your pair looks awesome with jeans, I have to say.

[the shivman]

Smooth Sailors old Clinch boots after some cleaning and conditioning.

 

[smoothsailor]

good work shivman

[the shivman]

My pleasure, you did all the hard work. It's an honor to have this pair.

[Duke Mantee]

It’ll be 50/50 whether these look better with age

Rolling Dub Trio Bowery II

Edited December 20, 2020 by Duke Mantee

[smoothsailor]

Ooh , those would be a challenge.

they,d be better with some wear though

[Maynard Friedman]

Surely they belong in the ‘shoes that look better with dye’ thread?

[Ciabatta]

Anybody have a pair of Kleman’s? Do they run small? Their chart shows that a EU 43 is a US 9.5 when normally it would be a US 10. 
 

 

[salaami]

I gotta pair of Altama all leather Ro-searches from the mid 90’s , is there any way they be resoled w a minimalist zero-drop outsole? 

[chicote]

I was doing some research on a pair of Lone Wolf boots I got off of yahoo auctions last week, and came across a curious review from a chinese blogger documenting a “fatal flaw” in the boots’ design.

https://m.mobile01.com/topicdetail.php?f=598&t=5983132

Translated from the post:

You can look at the side view of this pair of shoes can be found in the whole pair of shoes tilted forward shoes tilted forward is normal, but the problem is brother you did not cut the heel aligned with the ground ah! Wear it to know that this really does not support the point are not right arch completely unsupported heel can not be evenly aligned with the heel of the shoe weight are concentrated in a point as follows: Figure.

At first I thought this design had a special meaning because the whole batch of boots are long like this, but after asking the professionals in the shoe industry, he thought it was simply badly done, so to speak, a design mistake.

I’m curious to hear others’ thoughts on this. I’m not knowledgeable about boot construction and am not sure if this could be remedied by sanding down the heel to be parallel with the ground and looking to a rebuild down the line, or whether this is even as big of an issue as the post seems to suggest. I’d definitely never looked at the angle of the heel with any regard to support or comfort before so at least that’s been educational lol. Thanks in advance for the help!

[mpukas]

This is a big pet peeve of mine, and I agree w/ the reviewer. To a point. A heel block that does not sit level to the ground is not uncommon. Many makers do it. For example, it can be seen on Lofgren's M-43 boots. This is not unique to Lone Wolf, and probably wasn't an oversight. I have/had boots/shoes with a heel like this, and it drives me nuts. The front edge of the heel puts enormous pressure on the heel of foot, directly above the leading edge of the heel where it strikes the ground. I have boots/shoes where the heel block is sloped, and that pressure is greatly reduced. 

Getting the heel re-made by a good cobbler that has experience with this type of built-up stacked leather heel isn't a big deal. The slope of the heel block should be in on of the stacked leather layers above the rubber outsole, so the outsole does not need modification. 

If you like the boots, get them, try them. If the heel is an issue, it can be corrected to suit your tastes/needs. I wouldn't let that deter you from getting them, if you like them that much. 

[mpukas]

I've posted these Rios of Mercedes vids before. This is part 3. At about 2:50, he talks about the heel. He likes to see a little day light at the front of the heel, never at the back. That way when you step there's a little spring.  If there's day light at the back, he says that pressure will feel like you're standing on a pipe. I concur. 

For anyone who has an interest in how boots and shoes are made, I highly encourage you to watch this series, even if you're not into cowboy boots. It's very informative, and many techniques that they use can be applied to any other footwear. Some techniques are unique to cowboy boots, like the lemon wood nails in the sole. If I were to get a pair of cowboy boots, it would be Rios of Mercedes, prolly even over Lucchese. 

 

 

[chicote]

Thank you, that’s really helpful, and I’m grateful for your input as it seems you know a good deal about ergonomics and shoe construction. Have you had the heels of any of your shoes reconstructed in the way you mentioned? What does it look and feel like in comparison?