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Shoes that look better with age...


kiya

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I’m starting to think a 10 inch lace up boot in black or brown Horsehide is extremely rare, like the cutoff height is 8 inch for this leather.  And it’s just as rare to find engineer Horsehide boots in 11 inch height or more.   

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Wesco might be the answer to my search for black engineer boots. I’d really love Attractions (don’t make a size 12) or Clinch (too expensive) but there are reasons against both. 

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6 hours ago, mlwdp said:

My black Horsehide Boss came in today.

 

 

A947A724-A2F8-4A34-85D9-C823C2D135AE.jpeg

651FA739-C991-42DD-ADE1-7D464881FF70.jpeg
 

Are these both CXL horsehide? What's the toe shape on the left pair?
I think my ideal combo would be 10 in., toe of the left pair, all black stitching and middle, nickel roller buckles.
Hard to beat for ~$650.

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14 hours ago, Broark said:

Are these both CXL horsehide? What's the toe shape on the left pair?
I think my ideal combo would be 10 in., toe of the left pair, all black stitching and middle, nickel roller buckles.
Hard to beat for ~$650.

Yep.  Left pair is in Boss toe, black triple vintage stitching.  The raptor sole is very comfy which surprised me.

9 inch height, triple stitching, black stitching, and black tie insole adds a little over $100 on the price altogether besides the Horsehide price.
 
If you go with Wesco, get the triple stitching!  I sometimes wish I got that on my first order but it wouldn’t make a big difference.

In case you or anybody here is wondering how Wesco’s Horsehide compares to their black tie domain, here’s a pic of my insoles in black tie on the left.

 

A6B17054-B657-42F1-A46E-3B8760F0DE23.jpeg

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@BroarkThat’s tough.  With Wesco you have to do the whole measuring and tracing bit, and hope you like the boot once received.  With Clinch, assuming S&S doesn’t allow refunds and/or exchanges, you have to buy them and hope for the best that they fit, otherwise they’re making a pit stop to Grailed and EBay. 
 

I put engineer boots in the same category as buying a leather jacket, which I haven’t done yet but I’ve read is also very hard and aggravating.

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@mlwdp very valid point. S&S has done me pretty solid with sizing recommendations for boots so far, but almost $2k for boots without being able to try them on might be my tipping point. Maybe I can get to Brass in Japan to try some on. :D 
Sounds like I have some thinking to do, good thing I'm not really planning on buying anything right this second.

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59 minutes ago, Broark said:

@mlwdp very valid point. S&S has done me pretty solid with sizing recommendations for boots so far, but almost $2k for boots without being able to try them on might be my tipping point. Maybe I can get to Brass in Japan to try some on. :D 
Sounds like I have some thinking to do, good thing I'm not really planning on buying anything right this second.

Ehh.....That might be a long wait if Japan follows the EU on the travel ban.  You can always join the Navy or Marines and hope to get stationed there ;) 

I will say that my first Boss get compliments almost every time I wear them.  It’ll be interesting if theses get the same attention when I’m out and about.

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Good point...hope it doesn’t get to that point. Honestly the smart thing to do would be go with Wesco all things considered. We’ll see what decision I make whenever I do decide to order!

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On 7/1/2020 at 6:52 AM, Broark said:

@mlwdp very valid point. S&S has done me pretty solid with sizing recommendations for boots so far, but almost $2k for boots without being able to try them on might be my tipping point. Maybe I can get to Brass in Japan to try some on. :D 
Sounds like I have some thinking to do, good thing I'm not really planning on buying anything right this second.

I went to Brass last February to try a pair on. 

The pair that fit me well is Clinch size 10.5. It is equivalent to US size 9.5. Most of my boots are 9d or 8.5e. 

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Ive since sold these (like most of my boots) but here are my Clinch from back in 2014

I went with..
Last : Classic Narrow
Process : Hand Sewn Welted
Upper Leather : Horween LATIGO BLACK overdye
Sole : Leather +Triumph 150 Boulevard Plate +HRS
Heel : Biltrite

20059638244_197b3f136c_c.jpg
 
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The sole follows some lovely conteurs..
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Think i was one of the first westerners to order from Brass
 
Edited by Double 0 Soul
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20 minutes ago, mlwdp said:

@Double 0 SoulWhy did you sell your Clinch?

 

I sold my Buco's, Lofgrens and Clinch..

I bought a pair of Lofgrens and wore them for work, it's not exactly backbreaking manual labour but still... within 3months they went from this

fullsizeoutput_57e

..to this

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..so before they were completely fucked i sold them, i think Edwin ended up with them eventually..

I decided to save the Clinch for best.. i used to live on the edge of a woodland in the middle of nowhere, i didn't have much of a social life so 'best' rarely came, i spent most of my life ankle deep in mud wearing Dunlop wellies, i didn't want to trash them at work so after years in the box only seeing action probably once/month  i decided to sell them on.

Edited by Double 0 Soul
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So what did you keep?
Recent discovery of Paraboots made me think I should sell most of my shoes and just wear those. They're highly practical and comfortable once broken in, they scuff up nice and clean again equally nice, keep feet dry in the rain, look good with boot loose and slim jeans, are lightweight. I could go on. I think I have worn my engineers once or twice in the last 12 months.

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90% of the time i just wear a pair of Vans, in the boots department i still have a pair of LW Mechanic which ive owned since 2004ish, they're fucked and desperately in need a resole but having priced it up.. it wouldn't be anymore expensive to buy a brand new pair.

Worn here in 2013ish with a beat up pair of SC-Oki's, check out the bike chain damage :)

IMG_6151

I also have a pair of TMC Railmans which i love dearly, also c2013 with what i think is a pair of SC-47's

IMG_8454

 

Edited by Double 0 Soul
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My Wesco 7500s are my go-to footwear in the cooler half of the year, I probably wore them every other day from about October-May. As nice as it'd be to have a pair of Clinch or whatever, the Wescos fit me good and have a great profile and leather, even if Lofgren or Clinch might have slightly cleaner finishing overall. It's hard to beat these Wescos for sheer value offered.

Really the only boots I'd really love to add to my collection would be something like the Viberg Boondocker or Lofgren M-43, a good rugged daily boot that I could wear instead of sneakers in the warmer months (at least that's the idea I have in my head, maybe it wouldn't be that comfortable.) 

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