Shoes that look better with age...

[Broark]

Woo-hoo, they're here and they fit really well! Ordered on 5/25 and received on 6/1. Took a little longer due to the holiday.

I ended up going with an 11.5 in the 2045 boondockers and right off the bat I feel confident that I sized right. Went half a size down from brannock (same size as my Alden trubalance/barrie last sizing) and they feel really nice. A little bit of room in the toes but not anything excessive, my feet don't feel as if they are slipping around or anything. The first thing I noticed upon opening the box was the smell, really nice new leather smell. 

These definitely feel much more like a real work boot (even though I know they aren't technically) compared to the two pairs of Alden boots that I have. The raw cord sole is pretty stiff to begin with, I can tell they will really take some wear to fully break in. I'll try and take more pictures of them soon but so far I'm very impressed and I'm sure that this probably won't be my last pair of boots from Viberg.

Now I just have to decide on which laces I like better. 

Really clean packaging and box:

Edited June 1, 2016 by Broark

[garden gnomes in space]

nice man.  

[mpukas]

nice score, B! 

[Niro]

Viberg boots are so nice...one day I will own a pair...one day!

[Sugar Mountain]

Welcome to the club Broark! I too love that leather smell that wafts out of a new Viberg box, haha. Give the boots hell - I'm looking forward to seeing how you break them in.

 

I think when autumn rolls around I'll send my own Boondockers back to VB for a resole on the raw cord. Love the look and the OG leather sole gets a bit too slappy sometimes.

[Broark]

Thanks for pushing me over the edge Simon! I can see this developing into a habit, especially since I've slowed down my denim buying habit. But I'll never be one of those 30+ pair guys, can't afford it! 

 

I think you would like the raw cord sole, so far I really like the look of it and after wearing the boots this evening I can already feel it starting to become ever so slightly more flexible.

[ShootThePier]

The raw cord is a comfortable sole. I have the Viberg X Context. Recently wore them everyday, all day on a trip to NYC.

[karanimal]

I'm heading over to LA for a week near the end of june and I normally travel in my Alden shell boots but they needed a new Topy and my cobbler put a heel that, IMO, was too short and ruined the balance of the boot 

 

So...I ordered some heels and raw corded half sole from Dr. Sole and dropped my boots off along with the supplies to a new cobbler near my office who had some pretty damn good reviews and came highly recommended on Styleforum. 

 

I'll just have them cemented on the sole, with some brass tacks for added strength. Pics incoming when i pick them up! I have a feeling these will be epic! 

 

The inspiration for my customization is this....truly amazing 

 

Edited June 2, 2016 by karanimal

[karanimal]

http://www.styleforum.net/t/515663/alden-natural-chromexcel-wingtip-boot-with-brass-hardware-10d/0_100

 

This is a solid deal for a pair of natural cxl alden wing tips, barrie last, size 10D. Seconds, but look great! $300 from mdubs (pretty much owns more aldens than anyone else and is a reputable seller on styleforum) 

 

Similar to the pair that Aho got but for a great entry level price! 

[cander49]

Tankers on the aberdeen last.

Edited June 2, 2016 by cander49

[cander49]

::cough::

Nice. My wife has been drooling over the leather on my Aldens, so I'm getting her a pair of these on Aberdeen last in Yenni's next order in a few weems. Fortunately, Alden's smalles size of 6 in Aberdeen, the only last she likes for herself, fits her (women's 7.5-8) perfectly. Half size smaller and she'd be out of luck. Haha.

[aho]

Tankers on the aberdeen last.

 

True beauts...I'm on Yenni's list for Tanker on Plaza; I just need another pair in Black cordo and I think I'm set lol

 

That said, I'm also on a list for Grant #8 Wingtips, and would throw down for a Plaza Indy or a calf straight tip/cap toe on Grant at a moment's notice.......

[Broark]

Wore my boondockers today for the first time, about 8 hours or so on my feet and walking around. No noticeable discomfort from the break-in process, a little surprised! Going to be wearing these boots a lot, I can already tell.

[garden gnomes in space]

True beauts...I'm on Yenni's list for Tanker on Plaza; I just need another pair in Black cordo and I think I'm set lol

 

That said, I'm also on a list for Grant #8 Wingtips, and would throw down for a Plaza Indy or a calf straight tip/cap toe on Grant at a moment's notice.......

haha unstoppable man.  

[PaulT]

Anyone know how the Viberg Boondockers fit compared to the Wolverine 1000 mile boots?

[Sugar Mountain]

There's another PaulT? 

 

The Boondocker comes on several lasts depending on which retailer you buy from.The 2045 lasted version that Broark has just bought is the most common. Be careful, as Viberg lasts have very different fits from one another. Generally, I think most people take the same size in Viberg as they do the 1000 Mile, however.

[cander49]

True beauts...I'm on Yenni's list for Tanker on Plaza; I just need another pair in Black cordo and I think I'm set lol

 

That said, I'm also on a list for Grant #8 Wingtips, and would throw down for a Plaza Indy or a calf straight tip/cap toe on Grant at a moment's notice.......

Haha yep... I have 5 Aldens now and a 6th on preorder. Still a lot of good ones out there.

[Sugar Mountain]

As a mere mortal, I only own one pair of Alden - my trusty Indys. After two and a half years of regular wear I took them back to Tassels, from where they will now be sent off to Alden for a resole. The four month wait begins...

 

Got to say that the cork sole on the Indy is incredibly hard-wearing. I've been very impressed with how long it has lasted while keeping a good level of traction on wet streets. They've taken a real beating.

[aho]

As a mere mortal, I only own one pair of Alden - my trusty Indys. After two and a half years of regular wear I took them back to Tassels, from where they will now be sent off to Alden for a resole. The four month wait begins...

 

Got to say that the cork sole on the Indy is incredibly hard-wearing. I've been very impressed with how long it has lasted while keeping a good level of traction on wet streets. They've taken a real beating.

 

Funny, you always swore your Indy's were your most comfortable boots and I always swore my White's fit better, a few years back...Maybe it was denial at the time, but I've now moved completely over to Alden now lol. Honestly, a lot of it is due to job practicality and preferring more "formal" informal wear these days (ie: dress boots over work boots), but maybe also going back to my roots since Alden got me into footwear in the first place!

[BrownMetallic]

My Black Indys are past 6y/o @3-4days/wk effective wear cuz I wear 'em@work. Currently, they're close to meet its "maker" & actively looking for a worthy replacement.

Tried a few boots since then ... But, I have to agree w/SugaM, the Indys are still the most comfy boots I've ever had. Maybe, 'twas the combination of calf x cork sole ... Ironically, if I have to do it over, I'll stay away from calf

Edited June 3, 2016 by BrownMetallic

[garden gnomes in space]

every time I put my Indy's on I am amazed at how comfortable they are.  I just wish they were built a bit more sturdy.  Compared to other boots of mine (Trickers, White's, Bakers Oxfords) they are built like ballerina slippers.  

[Broark]

Fit pic of the new Boondockers. 

[aho]

^Lookin good Broark!

 

Sorry to continue the Alden discussion, but agreed; I wear them more for daily casual wear and office work and don't think they're nearly as durable or hardy as say a pair of White's but when it comes to daily use in normal conditions, I've come to realize that I just don't need that level of robustness. I consider Alden's my "sneakers" since I don't actually own any sneakers lol

[Iron Horse]

Fit pic of the new Boondockers. 

 

 

I was wrong; these Vibergs look good.   

[karanimal]

Picked up my Alden x JCrew PCT boots from the cobbler today...1 year later and they are pretty unrecognizable from when i initially purchased them

 

_SDG2847 by matt karai, on Flickr

 

_SDG2849 by matt karai, on Flickr

 

_SDG2850 by matt karai, on Flickr

 

_SDG2851 by matt karai, on Flickr

 

_SDG2852 by matt karai, on Flickr

 

I initially got these from ebay, they looked like they were a nice lighter shade of #8 so i jumped on these. Lo and behold they fit me perfectly and are officially my most comfortable boot

 

I have a trip coming up to LA and i needed some new heels on these, and I've been really liking the stuff comign out of Dr. Sole and Role Club, but the shipping and time for the resole would take me a bit too long. So i measured my soles and heels are decided to place an order for some raw corded half soles and heels from Dr. Sole, paid for express shipping, totalling $47 USD shipped to Australia. They arrived 4 days later

 

I took these to Rogers Shoe Repair in Sydney after not being satisfied with some repairs i had done elsewhere (my last heel replacement left the heels a about 0.5" too low in my opinion). Roger had these done in 3 days time, i picked them up today. He asked for $40 for all the work he did (topy installation, heel replacement, edge refinishing, nailed topy, and then restitched my tongue up).

I had the brass eyelets installed a month or two ago (pretty rough work by my old cobbler but it looks good from the outside).

All in these have aged pretty damn amazingly and have been all over the world with me. I love raw corded soles and the addition of some viberg leather laces has really increased the workwear/badass aesthetic of these boots

 

Thanks! If anyone has any questions about the soles, eyelets, or anything please let me know!

Edited June 4, 2016 by karanimal

[karanimal]

^Lookin good Broark!

 

Sorry to continue the Alden discussion, but agreed; I wear them more for daily casual wear and office work and don't think they're nearly as durable or hardy as say a pair of White's but when it comes to daily use in normal conditions, I've come to realize that I just don't need that level of robustness. I consider Alden's my "sneakers" since I don't actually own any sneakers lol

 

Aho...you may say that now but check out my customizations. These are pretty much at or above the durability/robustness of Whites! haha

[Iron Horse]

The Dr. Sole raw cord soles are great, durable and have amazing grip. 

[karanimal]

The Dr. Sole raw cord soles are great, durable and have amazing grip. 

 

Yep, i think I'll do them whenever i need a resole or topy. They also seem to last for forever, way longer than any of my leather or other rubber soled boots 

[Cucoo]

I cleaned and treated all my boots today, perfect opportunity to take pics You probably can tell that I tend to baby my stuff, that's just the way I am, I can't resist buffing out any new scratches my boots get 

 

 

Sendra 4830 & no name WW2 service boots (Really pleased with them, 90€ new from some military clothing shop on eBay, they hold up great with all the wear they get. The soles and heels are holding up awesomely with 2-3 wears per week over the last 2 years. They're my most worn boot since they go well with anything and are a bit more low-key.)

 

 

Sendra 2296 & Sendra 7410. The 2296 is my favourite cowboy boot silhouette ever with the cuban heels, uncompromising pointy toe and the clean aesthetic without any ornamental stitching.

 

 

Red Wing 2268, 9027 (resoled with 2268 sole) & 8268 (thanks Tilman).

[Iron Horse]

ok heres the last  for the horse butt engineer boots edie specs who wants them? let me know let me know!

 

 

10 inch enigneers

horse butt horween

biltrite heel

leather sole or cord half sole

brass nails

lemon wood pegs waist

double celastics on heel

cut off top

extra 1 inch on top and bottom straps

lining in goat skin

no celastic toe

single midsole

brass roller buckles

steel shank

veg tanned leather insole

good year welted

heel will be a tad higher than ordinary engineer ( like attractions)

e width last

 

 

price is gonna be hella cheaper than any horse butt  you will pay.

 

 

 

horse butt! horse butt

 

heres the last

 

 

 

 

 

Ed, any updates on the engineers? Just curious.