Shoes that look better with age...

[erk]

I have similar feet and the munson last is indeed a comfortable last. I've got a pair of the WWII impressions US army rough outs. They're great - on their 3rd sole and heel. 

 

Also White's does custom lasts if you aren't happy with the swing last. I had them add a heavy fitting to the pinky toe area and a light fitting to the big toe area on my semi dress boots and i've been happy with that. I've always been put off by the swing last due to its lower arch...I also think it looks a little more extreme than the munson. 

 

I also have a pair of aldens on the modified last. Just as comfortable as the munson but fits more snug. 

[rayw44]

Was taking some pictures of other stuff and decided to snap a few of my White's quick!

 

Semi Dress, Distressed Rough out, Lowered Heel.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the help guys, those vibergs are a tad too big for me unfortunately. Anybody familiar with oak street bootmakers? 

 

Could anybody comment on the quality of oak street trench boots vs. viberg service boots?

 

http://oakstreetbootmakers.com/footwear/natural-captoe-trench-boot

 

http://viberg.com/products/service-boot-colour-8-chromexcel

 

The pair right above your quote is a similar example of what you are looking for (albeit in a different last and leather combo), but Whit'es or Wesco could get you what you want with similar quality and a cheaper price. You would just need to figure out what last you want. The Wesco MP last or Western last would be similar.

 

Between White's, Wesco and Viberg, there is a negligible difference, and before the Viberg fanboys lose their goddamn minds, yes, I have handled all three, and yes I do own a pair of all three. The quality on all three can range from fantastic to less than stellar, because all three are hand made by actual human beings, and like all human being, mistakes will be made from time to time.

 

If you love Viberg and will only be happy with a pair from Viberg, obviously save up and buy them. If similar quality is all you are looking for, go with White's or Wesco and don't pay for as much of a marketing markup.

[devilish]

^This. If you go through Baker Boots on a pair of White's you can also specify no celastic in the toe which will help get even closer to a Service Boot look as they tend towards a flatter toe profile.

[edmond]

 

 

[edmond]

 

 

 

[devilish]

Anyone know the current wait time on a pair of custom White's through Bakers? 

[bradl]

I received mine 6 weeks to the day of putting order in

[wgmds]

just to add some variety, what's up with the viberg's work alter ego, "wookboot.com" http://workboot.com/collections/boots/products/viberg-151-contractor-1

 

while these are about $50 more than a pair of wesco firestormers, but they seem pretty cool. brass tacks to avoid rust... They look pretty rugged and no nonsense

 

anyone have experience?

[garden gnomes in space]

Those are the "real" Viberg's, the boots that all the forestry/logging people wear up there.  Those are the boots that they made for years before the fashonista's discovered them.  

[mpukas]

I'm not that familiar with Viberg, never seen one in person, but they don't do much for me. Can't really explain why, but their styling and details just don't appeal to me. Didn't know about workboot.com. 

 

Saying that, this [/url]">http://

 

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[JohnM]

 

 

edmond,

Are those Westons, by chance?

[edmond]

hi john m these are paraboot. jm westons are far too refined for me.

[bradl]

There is some points on my whites where I notice items like stitching gone a bit wonky, didn't shape heel properly. But is that going to affect my boots, absolutely not so I don't really even put any thought into it.

 

But my perspective would be a lot different if I forked out Viberg $$

[Max Power]

My RW 9011 were due for some cleaning.

 

[onehundy]

does anyone know where redwing sources its leather from? 

[edmond]

they have their own factory dyeing the leather. raw leather spurces are from all over the world mostly usa. according to takefumi san

[rayw44]

There is some points on my whites where I notice items like stitching gone a bit wonky, didn't shape heel properly. But is that going to affect my boots, absolutely not so I don't really even put any thought into it.

 

But my perspective would be a lot different if I forked out Viberg $$

 

I've had the opposite experience when dealing with White's and Wesco. The Wesco engineers I bought have stitching issues and construction issues in the heel. The White's I have are impeccable. They are both handmade products, and some defects just aren't going to be deemed bad enough to pull from being sold to a customer from a quality control perspective.

 

The defects coming out of these brands (on Viberg as well), don't ever seem to be anything that affects the integrity of the boots, but it's just not logical for anyone to say White's, Wesco or Viberg have perfect quality or consistently better construction than any of the other three based on very limited experience with all three brands. They all have defects at times, so for the money I prefer White's or Wesco because they provide a better value, and White's seem to have the best value of all three because of consistently lower prices. That will be different for others based on their individual preferences. This isn't meant to pick on bradl, but he simply had the most recent comment echoing a similar sentiment.

[cameosis]

I'm not disagreeing. But I'm not stacking them against a C&J or a Viberg. I've seen some pretty shoddy stitching on Whites and Red Wing to be fair - yet it doesn't affect the build or durability. 

 

The outsole stitching is immaterial anyhow - a resole at a decent cobblers solves that in due course, so what else are we looking at? 

 

have you tried looking for the french service boots? i had posted both pictures of them and i recommend them -- try online search and ebay.fr with the term "brodequins" modèle 45 -- they should fit both your needs, built quality and looks (no cap toes, by the way).

 

also highly recommended are swedish army boots -- "kängor" m39 or m59. several variants, some square toed, some with cap toes.

 

both can be purchased for 50 - 100 €.

 

[Max Power]

 

Has anybody experience with the Horween Waxed Flesh leather? I have this on my Vibergs and am unsure how to take care of it. It starts to wear off and give way to the brighter colour of the leather, but I would prefer them to stay dark. Should I try black shoecream and Otterwax or would this "ruin" the idea of that leather?

Edited December 9, 2014 by Max Power

[nizzel55]

My Red Wing Chukkas!

[nizzel55]

My Red Wing IronRangers!

 

[Iron Horse]

Freshly oiled?

Both boots look great.

[rayw44]

Has anybody experience with the Horween Waxed Flesh leather? I have this on my Vibergs and am unsure how to take care of it. It starts to wear off and give way to the brighter colour of the leather, but I would prefer them to stay dark. Should I try black shoecream and Otterwax or would this "ruin" the idea of that leather?

Max I have not dealt with that particular leather, but it looks to be a suede or a roughout that is just treated with wax or something similar. IF you want to keep it black and waxy, I would suggest you just use black shoe polish. That should keep it dark, and there is enough wax in the polish that you don't need to apply the otter wax as well.

 

As for ruining the idea of the leather, screw that. If you want to keep them black, do it. They are your boots and you get to keep them how you want them.

Edited December 9, 2014 by rayw44

[garden gnomes in space]

Re: Whites quality of stitching etc...

I have a feeling ( I have voiced this before) that Whites is not used to the fact that clothing/denim nerds are into their boots, and care about quality stitching (amongst other things as well).  They were always a work boot supplier, and I would be willing to bet smoke jumpers are not looking at their stitching the same way we might.  As stated, these "errors" dont really effect the durability of functionality...

 

That said, once they started offering non-work boot leather like CXL, they probably should have expected the influx of geeks obsessing over this kind of thing.  Its a catch 22.  The issue I have is that some of the stitching I have seen on some peoples boots look as if the maker was bumped while stitching. A double row stitch should not cross over each other.  I get even more irritated that the owners of these boots justify the mistake as "unique" and "hand made".  True but your boots should have been sold on the seconds page of their website.  They should not have passed QC.  These things dont have to be perfect, but they should not be shoddy.  My Whites SJ's exhibit a hand made quality in places, but they dont suffer from the super slop.  My Bakers Oxfords are another story.  They are sloppy.  I sent them back for the heel to get redone, and they came back with glue all in the roughout.  Its shit like that that a product in this price range needs to be above.  I dont care what the intended purpose is, be it on the runway or in the dirt.  A company making product in this price range needs to be above that kind of slop.  That shouldn't even be on their radar.  That said, my Bakers Oxfords will probably outlive me

Edited December 9, 2014 by garden gnomes in space

[Cucoo]

I had a great pair of harness ankle boots that served me well for almost 15 years, two or three years ago they finally gave out, leather started cracking and ripping. Been planning to get a new pair ever since and went for full boots this time.

 

 

 

 

 

They're by Sendra, handmade in Spain and considering all the $1000 boots around here they're quite the bargain at around €200 a pair. Goodyear welted of course, leather heel and sole with rubber sole on top (for anti-slip and best part is you can just replace that thin rubber sole every two years or so and don't need to think about resoling them any time soon). You won't find plastic heel stacks here (looking at you, €330 Red Wing boots). This model apparently is from last years 100th Anniversary collection, I knew that Sendra was an old company but I had no idea it was that old

 

Here's my current boot lineup, pretty satisfied for now but I still need (want) a pair of black western boots and it'd be nice to replace the ankle western boots by a proper boot, but I haven't been able to find a simple plain one without any stitching or other ornamentation yet.

 

 

2x Sendra, 2x Red Wing and a pair of generic repro WW2 army rough outs.

[KinguGhidorah]

Fucking baller.

[nutusufu]

I had a great pair of harness ankle boots that served me well for almost 15 years, two or three years ago they finally gave out, leather started cracking and ripping. Been planning to get a new pair ever since and went for full boots this time.

 

 

They're by Sendra, handmade in Spain and considering all the $1000 boots around here they're quite the bargain at around €200 a pair. Goodyear welted of course, leather heel and sole with rubber sole on top (for anti-slip and best part is you can just replace that thin rubber sole every two years or so and don't need to think about resoling them any time soon). You won't find plastic heel stacks here (looking at you, €330 Red Wing boots). This model apparently is from last years 100th Anniversary collection, I knew that Sendra was an old company but I had no idea it was that old

 

Here's my current boot lineup, pretty satisfied for now but I still need (want) a pair of black western boots and it'd be nice to replace the ankle western boots by a proper boot, but I haven't been able to find a simple plain one without any stitching or other ornamentation yet.

 

 

2x Sendra, 2x Red Wing and a pair of generic repro WW2 army rough outs.

 

Those Sendras are really unique Cucoo. The flat front style is done particularly well and your execution is solid with the clean, crisp cuffs.

 

I like your collection and style. Very cool stuff.

[KinguGhidorah]

My Red Wing IronRangers!

 

What are you using on those? Looks great, dude.

[Cucoo]

Those Sendras are really unique Cucoo. The flat front style is done particularly well and your execution is solid with the clean, crisp cuffs.

 

I like your collection and style. Very cool stuff.

 

Thanks! I never got into the work boot aesthetics, but I always liked well made cowboy and biker boots. They're just more rock'n'roll to me 

[exaptavist]

. 

Edited October 9, 2015 by hoggreaser