Shoes that look better with age...

[misterjuiceman]

Are you suggesting that Japanese feet are a fundamentally different shape?  Smaller on average, sure, but I seriously doubt that the last shape is anything wildly different than what we're used to.

Alden's modified last is big over in Japan—lots of Americans like it quite a bit, too.

[beautiful_FrEaK]

Yep..MOTOs are great. Love my pair

[Crat]

Alden's modified last is big over in Japan—lots of Americans like it quite a bit, too.

Its a great last when it comes to comfort and support. I think it's origin is somewhat orthopedic. Lots of space in the front and support around the arch. Good for people with a high instep too. The modified last also has an anatomically clever way of dividing your weight as you walk shifting it from the inside of your heel over to the outside of the foot. 

I don't have 'difficult' feet and yet the Alden modified derbies (3 pages back) are easily my most comfy and most worn shoes. 

[Double 0 Soul]

Would it be possible to stock Lone Wolf boots at Self Edge? I've been wanting a pair of their engineers. There needs to be a shoe store in the states that carries Japanese boots like SE carries Japanese denim. Maybe customs would be a problem.

 

You can buy LW from HP if you are in the US. 5 or so years ago BIG used to carry Lone Wolf boots too but i dont think they ever had a re-stock.

I cant remember BIG stocking Sugar Cane but they use the Okinawa for the measuring guide and it would be strange to use a pair of jeans that you don't actually sell. Maybe someone can clarify?

[devilish]

As I understand it, History Preservation has for a long time been the sole authorized importers for Sugar Cane and possibly Lone Wolf. Everyone else had to buy from them. I think that Self Edge may now also be an authorized dealer which is why their Sugar Cane prices recently went down. I think BiG and Self Edge decided not to sell the same brands as each other as much as possible.

This is, I think, how I remember it all from reading through various threads over the years.

[kimi]

I'd love a pair of MOTO Pecos and came close to ordering but in the end bottled it as I wasn't sure their largest size (3) would fit my UK 10 size feet.

[beautiful_FrEaK]

^^ Yep that is true. BiG used to carry SugaCane but stopped. They also shared Samurai and Skull jeans at one point back in time

 

 

^ I'm a US 9,5 and my MOTO Pecos are a size 2...IIRC

Edited September 16, 2013 by beautiful_FrEaK

[superfuzz]

HP's website is super confusing. How do you actually order from them? Anyone have sizing advice on Lone Wolf engineers? I'm a 7.5 in Alden truebalance and Red Wings. Any help would be great. Thanks!

[coleslawyum]

Lone Wolf is a half or whole size larger than tagged size, depending on how your like to rock your shoes. I sized down half a size, but I might have been able to squeeze into a whole size down.

 

HP is very old school. You have to email them and then call in for your CC info. You get a hand written receipt delivered snail mail. 

 

HP has been the exclusive distributor for many years, forcing retailers to jack up the price to the point where it was cheaper to order directly from Japan to the States. So BiG decided not to continue with ordering from HP, being a hassle with the pricing.

[Isbister]

Are you suggesting that Japanese feet are a fundamentally different shape?  Smaller on average, sure, but I seriously doubt that the last shape is anything wildly different than what we're used to.

They are somewhat different. I recently visited Sanders & Sanders in Northants to write an article about them. They sell shiploads of shoes in Japan, which they make using Japan-specific lasts.

 

Apparently American feet are also different to British feet - narrower on average, although less so than used to be the case.

[themexican]

anybody with a good aged pair of Red Wing Pecos? Not the Western, the normal heel ones??? 

 

And some sizing advice? How is the last? Narrow, normal, wide?

 

Greatly appreciated.

They run narrow and more true to size than their work boots, i have an eight in both the beckman's and the pecos and the pecos feel a half size smaller. 

[thinker0217]

my  Wireman got the cat head+paw heels ... pardon the taps, wanted to hold on to the gorgeous heels for a bit longer 

 

Those paws are truly pieces of art...no matter if they are NOS or reproduction...

[CrashTestBrummie]

My first ever C&J, the Arran in rough out, after a hard day's paintballing.

 

 

 

 

And cleaned up below, having used a scouring pad and a little saddle soap. Chuffed with how they look now...

 

 

[thinker0217]

The easiest way is to look at the design that has the Lucian Bernhard logo, the cat with only the head and one paw.

The other way is to see if the heel is made in the USA (it says so on the back). Since they are not made in the USA anymore, then it is NOS. Anything that is newer uses the whole cat logo which is made in Canada where Biltrite (the holding company) manufactures their rubber.

 

Toyo, Real McCoy's, Toys McCoy all use repros. 

 

 

Left: 1970's Middle: 1990's Right: 1980's

Wow, we learned a lesson here. Thanks for sharing the knowledge. 

Anyone knows why the Cat's Paw half soles are much more difficult to be seen, compared to the heels? Is it just because heels are the parts that are sooner to be worn out, so they produced more heels than soles? 

I found some interesting info while I was looking up the relationship among Cat's Paw, Biltrite, and Toyo. 

Many of us know that Toyo launched a series of work wear under the brand name Cat's Paw. Those work clothing, including shirts, chinos, and T-shirts, contain the authentic design elements of the Cat's Paw heels, such as the black cat and the famous white wheel-like rubber tips. Somehow it makes us feel Toyo owns the trademark of Cat's Paw. Hoever, after searching the info online, I found that Toyo tried to register the Cat's Paw trademark in the United States in the categories of clothing, footwear, and headgear (http://www.trademarkia.com/cats-paw-77910028.html). Initially, Toyo seemed to be approved to owns the trademark of Cat's Paw by USPTO (Toyo registered the standard characters only, no graphic picture).

But later, a law company, named NORMAN E. LEHRER, who seemed to represent American Biltrite Inc, filed an office action to report that Toyo's application of Cat's Paw had infringed upon the rights of its client. After receiving the office action, Toyo tried to respond it, arguing that they registered in the categories of clothing, where there is no conflicts against the category of shoe-repair materials: http://tsdr.uspto.gov/documentviewer?caseId=sn77910028&docId=ROA20101006181254#docIndex=3&page=1.

In the end, Toyo seemed to give up to keep responding the action and the application was abandoned in 2011.  

I think that is why the Cat's Paw Work Wear is not available in the States. Please correct me if any info above is wrong. Thanks :-) 

Edited September 17, 2013 by thinker0217

[coleslawyum]

Yes, Biltrite has owned the Cat's Paw trademark for awhile now. Biltrite itself is a company that is over 100 years old making rubber goods. Vintage Biltrite soles and heels are just as desirable as Cat's Paw, form my experience.

 

Toyo probably can license the Cat's Paw trademark, like what Toys McCoy does with their Steve McQueen and Felix the Cat marks. I think Toyo licensed the Warner Brothers Road Runner mark for some of their Whitesville stuff.

 

I think the real reason you don't see any Cat's Paw work clothing in the States is the demand for it.

[pepper davies]

Are you suggesting that Japanese feet are a fundamentally different shape?  Smaller on average, sure, but I seriously doubt that the last shape is anything wildly different than what we're used to.

 

For what it's worth, my feet are too big for most Japanese footwear despite only wearing a US 11.5 or 12.  Moto, Lone Wolf, Hender Scheme, Visvim, etc. 

[bradl]

Great info coleslaw and thinker, interesting to read up on that.

 

As I am new to boots, what makes Cat Paw so desirable? 

[superfuzz]

FWIW, a lot of US brand footwear is too big for me, I wear a TTS 8 (8.5 in sneakers), but since a lot of brands are sized large, I need to size down to a 7.5 or sometimes even a 7, and a lot of brands/shops don't carry under an 8. It can be annoying. So I would probably prefer Japanese sizes.

 

Thanks for the sizing tips on the Lone Wolfs, coleslaw. Are you wearing yours (sized down .5) with an insole?

[coleslawyum]

Cat's Paw isn't really that desirable for its actual functionality, but rather the aesthetics. The name, the dots and the cat might be the reason. A set of Vibrams will last longer than any old set of soles and heels.

 

I usually wear an insole with most of my boots, just for comfort. For my LW, its just a thin Spenco.

[superfuzz]

Thanks, coleslawyum. I'm on the lookout for a used pair if any ever come up in my size.

[Double 0 Soul]

I have posted this pic here before but it is a nice comparison to BM,'s showing the before and after Cats Paw half soles,

 

[tmadd]

I've enjoyed the hell out of these last two pages...this reminds me of 08'-09' in the best possible ways.  I'll shoot some photos of what I've been wearing lately soon.  

 

Anybody wearing Lone Wolfs and Vibergs that are at all similar?  Care to compare them qualitatively?  I'm very interested in how the Lone Wolf stuff stands up to the heavier hitters of North American boot making.

[wgmds]

Cursory Info: If you're actually working in your work boots, lone wolf doesn't seem to have the height that I would want. I have a pair of semi dress that I use for "work" and they're too short. Sparks, sawdust, and just general stuff can weasel into the shoe--not good (and neither are cuffed pants, but I like them too much to change that). The build quality/materials coming out of lonewolf, mccoy and the like seem to be top notch, but sort of a pain to fix. How many cobblers would take the time to put 18 nails into a half sole? I guess it's just comes down to what you do. If you're a weekend warrior, you probably won't have to worry about any of those shoes taking a beating.

[Double 0 Soul]

If i may address a few of your points, My LW,s were purchased around 2008 and have worked to within an inch of their lives in a workshop environment, i am not talking 9-5 Dolly Parton work, Between mon-sat last week i crammed in 73hours they also helped convert my Grade II listed Barn into something that resembles a dwelling, They have traveled South America dodged bullets in Brazil's favelas and trekked the Brazilian Atlantic forest. On top of this i am also a weekend warrior they have climbed Kinder Scout more times than i care to remember they have never been near a cobbler in 5+years.

[wgmds]

Jeez louise! I'll just go back to lurking again. Damn nice shoes.

[Maynard Friedman]

Did you do all that between Mon-Sat last week Double 0? That's more impressive than Leslie Nielsen in The Naked Gun

[Double 0 Soul]

You have not lived until you have been called "Gringo" by a 14 year old with an assault rifle that is bigger than he is.

[bradl]

If i may address a few of your points, My LW,s were purchased around 2008 and have worked to within an inch of their lives in a workshop environment, i am not talking 9-5 Dolly Parton work, Between mon-sat last week i crammed in 73hours they also helped convert my Grade II listed Barn into something that resembles a dwelling, They have traveled South America dodged bullets in Brazil's favelas and trekked the Brazilian Atlantic forest. On top of this i am also a weekend warrior they have climbed Kinder Scout more times than i care to remember they have never been near a cobbler in 5+years.

Those the Engineers? Really, really want those boots. Did you get direct from Lone Wold or through HP? 

 

Only problem I think I might have, the top of the boots being to wide for hem of my pants. My hems are usually 8"+, would you think that would be enough room to accommodate them?

[Double 0 Soul]

Trekking in Engineers? you would have to empty the water out every half mile and that's just from your blisters. No mate they are the Mechanic. I got them from Vintage Paradise.

 

coleslaw will help you out with any Engineer questions.

[BrownMetallic]

Beautiful BrownMetallic. How's the 2005 fit? Could you compare it to the 110 or 2030?

.

sorry, 'missed your post.  

 

haven't tried the 110,  but i did try the waxed flesh pair display @Barney's NY on Madison,  which were on the 2030 last [i think]  ... 'needed to 1/2 size up  to counter the sleeker last  [vs my wide feet ].  2030 mosdef not for me.  

 

i think the main features that made the 2030 more popular = lower profile + unstructured toe.

2005 is able to make [that] happen for peeps on the E-side.

Edited September 17, 2013 by BrownMetallic