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Shoes that look better with age...


kiya

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@mlwdp I’d give wesco or even Nicks a chance but luckily no dealers around. 
I’m a whites guy for life I think. Haha  
2 pairs of smokejumper, the 4q69 boot, and the new perry moc toe    
always looking at other boots but my wife would kill me if she found me with another pair 

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15 hours ago, chicote said:

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?

I have not had a pair of boots/shoe heels rebuilt specifically for this reason. I've only had 1 or maybe 2 pair with a non-sloped heel. I had a p[air of White's SJ rebuilt a few years ago, and they botched one of the heels. It was sloped inwards quite badly. I sent them back, and White's rebuilt the heel just on the one boot. 

I'm a bit of an anomaly 'round here... my boot/shoe game is pretty weak. Primarily because I've become accustomed to wearing dead-flat foot wear w/ no heel, foot friendly with a wide forefoot, no arch support or cushioning. The boots/shoes that fit that criteria are not attractive. I do have a couple pair that can maybe be SuFu acceptable, lol. 

Saying all that, I did cop some pairs of Grant Stone boots and shoes in their Black Friday sale. They'll suite me well for the rest of my days. Their one of the few makers of conventional footwear that offer a wide fit, EEE for some model, a sloped heel, and no arch support built into the last. And their price point in unrivaled for the quality. I need to post pics... I'm very pleased with them. But again, prolly frowned on my most here. 

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On 12/22/2020 at 11:35 AM, shredwin_206 said:

@mlwdp I’d give wesco or even Nicks a chance but luckily no dealers around. 
I’m a whites guy for life I think. Haha  
2 pairs of smokejumper, the 4q69 boot, and the new perry moc toe    
always looking at other boots but my wife would kill me if she found me with another pair 

White’s was my first foray into custom footwear.  I remember perusing with envy over the various semi dress and smoke jumpers on life time gear’s blog and Rakuten.

I have now bought 4 Wesco’s and they have worked well for me.  Between the quality and customer service, Wesco works for me and my unusual feet.  I’m glad that I finally bought smoke jumpers but based on lifestyle and age they don’t work for me anymore.  I might buy a semi dress down the road but it won’t be before another Wesco.

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My all time favorite boots...Alden 4060 (HC variation). The 4060 was the design that got me into footwear in the mid-aughts after trying to find a dress boot that replicated the rugged yet dressy vibes of the 1920's-40's that could equally be worn wearing coveralls or a suit. In particular, I find that Alden's Grant last leans in heavy into this aesthetic, and I'm able to wear a dress boot like this all day (or an Indy for example), over heavier boots which now jolt my knees unfortunately. My White's and Wesco's are sadly collecting dust!

36B77220-BE42-47A8-B14D-6E158B9B1DE2-16309-000005FB8FAE72CA.JPG

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I don't know what the model number is, and I don't see it on the Vibram catalog. You could ask White's or Baker's—it's whatever comes standard on the Hiker

It tracks real well (even on ice) and it's comfortable, but I don't think I'd recommend it for use on pavement: it's relatively soft, and would probably wear down quickly

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On 12/22/2020 at 2:00 PM, mpukas said:

I have not had a pair of boots/shoe heels rebuilt specifically for this reason. I've only had 1 or maybe 2 pair with a non-sloped heel. I had a p[air of White's SJ rebuilt a few years ago, and they botched one of the heels. It was sloped inwards quite badly. I sent them back, and White's rebuilt the heel just on the one boot. 

I'm a bit of an anomaly 'round here... my boot/shoe game is pretty weak. Primarily because I've become accustomed to wearing dead-flat foot wear w/ no heel, foot friendly with a wide forefoot, no arch support or cushioning. The boots/shoes that fit that criteria are not attractive. I do have a couple pair that can maybe be SuFu acceptable, lol. 

Saying all that, I did cop some pairs of Grant Stone boots and shoes in their Black Friday sale. They'll suite me well for the rest of my days. Their one of the few makers of conventional footwear that offer a wide fit, EEE for some model, a sloped heel, and no arch support built into the last. And their price point in unrivaled for the quality. I need to post pics... I'm very pleased with them. But again, prolly frowned on my most here. 

I was reading your post and was reminded by @fre-co’s Russell Mocs below; Russell used to offer a custom minimalist boot. It’s had a zero drop vibram rubber sole, and I think they also offered leather camp sole. I believe they also did wide widths. I never ponied up, but something to think about if you’re ever in the market. 
 

Edit: they still make them apparently

https://www.russellmoccasin.com/minimalist-footwear-custom-made/

Edited by SuperJackle
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2 hours ago, SuperJackle said:

I was reading your post and was reminded by @fre-co’s Russell Mocs below; Russell used to offer a custom minimalist boot. It’s had a zero drop vibram rubber sole, and I think they also offered leather camp sole. I believe they also did wide widths. I never ponied up, but something to think about if you’re ever in the market. 
 

Edit: they still make them apparently

https://www.russellmoccasin.com/minimalist-footwear-custom-made/

I did get 2 pairs of custom sized RM - Hiker and Imperial. I never posted any pics or talked much about them. Nice boots. Very, very nice people to work with, especially Sue. Long story short I went back and forth with them countless times on sizing, and they stayed with me until we got the sizing and what I wanted right. I'm just not as thrilled with them as I had hoped. The Hikers are good beaters, very comfortable, durable. The Imperials aren't sized quite as good as the Hikers. I haven't worn either in a couple years, and I should. Overall build / construction is very wabi-sabi. Their domestic market is geared towards the hunting and outdoormans crowd. Not like the JP market. 

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Continuing with the Russel Moccasin love, I dig these Oneida's that Warehouse is selling.
Don't see anything exactly like them on the RM website, but I could probably forward a picture to them and see if they'll make me a pair.
Torn between something like this or a pair of Sporting Clays chukkas.
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a83379e690dbe53ee42b661c4ec83c05bd24a427

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Good idea @fre-co, however I don't think the number is visible and the shoes aren't on WH's website.
I'd like a pair of Clays in this same makeup, I'll have to check and see if they can make it happen.
What do y'all think, these Oneidas or Clays? 

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