Shoes that look better with age...

[fre-co]

My new White's Nomad engineers.

natural cxl

soft toe

natural edge

minilug sole

Have to make do with phone shots for now until I get my camera back from Japan

I hope the sizing is ok, I have heel slippage straight out of the box

Edited January 13, 2013 by fre-co

[Megatron1505]

Very nice, what your thoughts on them?

[Crat]

Heel slipping doesn't have to be a size problem; especially with a sturdy GY welted shoe. New shoes' soles are still very stiff and wont bend much when you walk. When your foot bends and your heel leaves the ground shifting your weight to your forefoot the sole of a new (gy welted) shoe will try and stay as straight as possible causing your foot's heel to disconnect from the inside of the shoe's heel. As the soles become more supple this problem will decrease and should eventually disappear.

Is the width OK at the forefoot and above the arch?

When you stand straight, divide your weight equally between both feet bend over and 'pinch' over your forefoot the shoes' leather should fit snugly around your foot.

Your boots look awesome btw!

-edit-

Typos

Edited January 13, 2013 by Crat

[fre-co]

Thanks guys. Yes Crat I think the forefoot fits fine, very comfortable right out of the box unlike the wesco boss I had which were crippling tight since the sizing was way wrong for me.

Megatron, I like them a lot, the toe profile is very nice compared to the bulbous wesco I had but then these are soft with no celastic. Even though I asked for this, I thought I wouldn't get it since others have reported that White's would not do this on the nomad. Mine were ordered through Bakers (thanks again Kyle) so maybe they can get soft toe as a special.

I asked for standard heel lift and they are 1 lift lower than my SD which means they don't have such pronounced arch ease.

My only comments are that the shaft is quite roomy but that may settle down with wear as they mould themselves to me.

[scmah174]

where doyou buy bounty hunters for 200 bucks? please share. pm welcome

where doyou buy bounty hunters for 200 bucks? please share. pm welcome

where do you find Moto boots for $400?

http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/auc-refalt/item/moto_gt1/

[js0930]

They're not Motos. These are from Oak Street Bootmakers and cost $426.

[heinrich BCN]

They're not Motos. These are from Oak Street Bootmakers and cost $426.

thanks

[scmah174]

^thanks.my mistake.

[kansas]

bestie, if you're just waiting for repair work, Thorogoods might be an affordable pair of interim boots?

[Double 0 Soul]

When my car goes into the garage for a service i get a "courtasy car" Can you not persuade Whites for a pair of courtasy boots, to span the gap?

Obligatory Whites stickers down the side ofcourse.

[exaptavist]

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Edited October 8, 2015 by hoggreaser

[rayw44]

Fre$co- your Nomads look great. I found with mine, at least in the Natural CXL, the single celastic toe collapses quite quickly and the toe box flattens out nicely.

Brand new:

After only a few weeks of wear:

The streakiness has also died down after some use, just like some others had suggested it would. I wouldn't worry about the heel slippage right now in these, as it should get better if you move the buckle one hole tighter and it will decrease as they break in like Crat suggested. Mine certainly have.

I don't know about you, but after wearing mine for some time I only have two complaints. I still dislike how the buckles sit against the boot, and they still jut out a bit unnaturally. You can see it below. I still intend to switch these out when I get the chance.

My other complaint is that the shaft is incredibly wide. I have mainly been wearing my Ooe 02 cut denim with them, and they fit well into the pant leg. However, they look silly in anything with a tighter leg, particularly my LVC 47s, since they stretch the leg out. If they were tightened up by 1-2" I think the shaft size would be perfect.

These are still very much worth buying, even with the "flaws," but if they were $100 more I think I would not have bought them knowing what I know now. But for just over $400 (and Baker's currently has them on sale at $399), they are definitely worth the money because of the overall quality of White's build.

[Crat]

Removing water stains

Stains

Shoes+(saddle) soap

Water; soak for a couple of hours until all the leather is wet through and through.

Dry the shoes stuffed with old newspaper. Change the paper regularly.

Polish

[exaptavist]

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Edited October 8, 2015 by hoggreaser

[fre-co]

Ray, yours are looking great indeed. In fact yours are what made me bite the bullet and order after much deliberation. It's strange how the toe has broken down on those because the clastic toe on my sd after over a year are still solid.

I agree about the shaft, the buckles haven't concerned me yet.

[fre-co]

Double post

Edited January 14, 2013 by fre-co

[exaptavist]

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Edited October 8, 2015 by hoggreaser

[garden gnomes in space]

heel slip is one thing that freaks me out about engineers. Im also not fully convinced Im perfectly sized in whites yet. After a pair of SJ/BH's and a pair of Bakers oxfords, I still feel like Im not 100% dialed in size wise, although both pairs I own are totally functional and comfortable. Does white's alter the size of the shaft at all, or is it a one size fits all kind of deal?

[rayw44]

I haven't seen the option through Baker's, so I don't believe they are at this time. Some shoe repair shops will do it though.

[danisdead]

Removing water stains

Thanks for that Crat! Good to know, fight water with water.

[Crat]

Thanks!

They aren't masterpiece; quality is just below C&J I'd say.

[SLAB]

hoggreaser, are u dutch?

[Maynard Friedman]

I see a lot of references to "beating the hell" out of expensive jeans and boots. As far as I'm concerned, if I've paid a lot of money for an item, I look after it and try to preserve the life expectancy within reasonable limits, while using it for its purpose. Is this just a term for wearing something regularly without 'babying' it or do people really just want to trash stuff for kudos and bragging rights?

[exaptavist]

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Edited October 8, 2015 by hoggreaser

[Sugar Mountain]

I also feel uneasy seeing people talk about trashing their denim and leather. People want quick wins and aren't willing to see fabrics truly age well plus there is rep/kudos to be earned by wearing something out as quickly as possible. I prefer the approach that you'll see in Lightning mag and on the Japanese blogs where people are maintaining their clothing and footwear for years of use and it ends up looking beautiful. It's certainly not 'babying' to stitch ripped denim early or apply leather treatment etc and keep the train a rollin'.

[exaptavist]

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Edited October 8, 2015 by hoggreaser

[Maynard Friedman]

Thanks for the clarification Hoggy, however, as franchise manager of a car loan business, I find it utterly distasteful of you to promote the usage of company vehicles in such a detrimental, potentially unlawful manner. Naturally I will be remotely tracing your loan/hire car record and ensuring appropriate checks are made on all assets where possible. You'll hear further from our legal department...

[Crat]

Slab, nee, ik spreek een beetje Nederlands...

My parents moved to Holland in the early 80's, lived there for about four years in Uithoorn. I went to the local kleuterskool before then moving on to the International School of Amsterdam. My formative years were spent in total immersion with the local Dutch kids - including my best mate of the time from the Jordaan district - until exposure to the multi-national school later on.

Sadly, now I can only really recall a few expressions and of course the ubiquitous "godverdomme!" which was one of my earliest words. At the time the International school my colourful colloquial language was to the shock and distaste of the other International mothers. Little English kid swearing his head off in a thick Jordaan accent.

Happy, happy memories. In many ways I wish I had never left Holland and returned to England. I have a warm place in my heart for the Nederlands.

Slightly off-topic but I did it the other way round

My Dutch parents moved to the UK in the 80s where I was born. We moved away after a few years though (to germany ). I returned to the UK later though to go to school in Yorkshire. Britain will always have a warm place in my heart.

[exaptavist]

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Edited October 8, 2015 by hoggreaser

[exaptavist]

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Edited October 8, 2015 by hoggreaser