Shoes that look better with age...

[Megatron1505]

The shoe healer has the Vibram Moreflex sole, but not the 2021 in black which is probably what I would have wanted.

Trying to think what other configurations might suit the shoe.

[Maynard Friedman]

He might even be able to take your dry cleaning in for the bloke who occupies the other half of his little shop.

[Double 0 Soul]

Its in Doncaster and if i know Doncaster the shop next door will offer you "The best price paid for your Gold"  and so will the shop next to that and the shop next to that and so on.... Until you get to cash converters.

[Maynard Friedman]

I used to play for (and manage) the Doncaster Rovers Away Supporters in London (DRASIL). Come on Donny!

[LFC4ever]

No offense but did you ever manage to field 11 players? Or was it 5 a side?<br />

[Double 0 Soul]

On the contrary, I think i remember seeing a documentary about Maynards exploits one Christmas, Stallone was in the net, Pele up front and Bobby Moore in defence. Maynard pulled off a close victory "you could say he escaped with it" Although i was half way down a bottle of Port.

[LFC4ever]

hahahaha<br />Was Pele selling those litte blue pills at half time?

[wgmds]

I think it was Davichan who said that Leffot was the best shoe store in NYC a while back. They do have some shoes to salivate over, but that, by no means, gives anyone a reason to be uppity. The owner had a customer there who was buying thousands of dollars worth of shoes. I went in there and seemed to bother him. The owner was so dismissive. Regardless of what I look like--which is a mix between someone who wears nice clothes, a homeless person and western jesus--the owner should not treat anyone differently just because of appearance. In all honesty, that guy doesn't deserve any sort of recognition. All of the shoes that he sells can/should be purchased at shoe stores that are more polite, cheaper and less obnoxious. Money can't buy class, ass.

 

/rant.

[rayw44]

Can you elaborate on the scenario a bit for us? You say he had a customer buying thousands worth of shoes and you felt dismissed and a bother in some way. What was said and done to you? I don't think what you have said so far really gives anyone enough info to determine whether the incident you are refferring to is in fact an issue, or if it was something else entirely.

 

I'm not placing any judgment on either party with this request, just asking for you to elaborate so we can better understand.

[CrashTestBrummie]

hahahaha<br />Was Pele selling those litte blue pills at half time?

 

The ones he gave me had a little dove stamped on them, I'm sure of it...

[Maynard Friedman]

hahahaha<br />Was Pele selling those litte blue pills at half time?

He said they help him with his keepy-uppy!

[wgmds]

Hey Ray,

 

"Are you going to buy anything" was one of the few interactions we had. I asked him about one of his python skin shoes, wondering if they were durable like many other exotic skins (lizard, aligator, etc) looking to have at least a conversation. He gave me a one sentence answer of "they're only for dress". He seemed to not even care that I was in there, where as for BiG (who carries items more expensive than the most pricy shoes there) the employees had conversations with me and seemed to like speaking to me instead of having me bother them. 

 

Maybe it's just something that I experience, as a 20 year old who is definitely a little left of center. Before the long hair, I was young and people dismissed me because of my age. Assuming that I was either there to bother them or that I didn't know anything. I work at a movie theater and one day a customer came in wearing White's and he was dumbfounded that I--a humble popcorn scoop--knew what his shoes were/the person who had a stingray leather wallet that I identified as she was paying for a ticket. Speaking to people who assume that they're better than you gets to be a little bit annoying when you've been doing it for about 7 years. I guess I don't judge books by their covers and try to be nice to people that I meet. I'm probably in the minority.

[coleslawyum]

I just want to offer, a different perspective. By no means am I doubting what has happened to you. I've never experienced that kind of treatment at Leffot, especially from the owner. I'm also a person that runs around in a hoody, jeans and engineer boots. I've been shopping there since 2008, and it has always been a relaxed and unpretentious atmosphere. I could spend hours there just nerding out on shoe construction with the people that work there, not purchase a thing and still get treated with respect in the following visits. I'm not one of those guys that has that kind of dough, but I have purchased a few shoes there, but  never anything over a G.

 

I've had crappy experiences with some of the staff at BiG, but not by the recent associates there. The owners, Gordon and Yuji have always been top notch and extremely helpful. The recent staff has been excellent. (Sup Naoki.)

 

So I say this to say, sometimes you can catch people on a crap day, and they are at fault for giving crap service. Its a individual experience, and its not always a sign of how a store treats their customers on a regular basis.

 

But if you did experience shitty service at Leffot, then its their bad for losing a customer.

[wgmds]

Definitely could have been an off day. But I digress, sort of just felt like complaining and the internet is a great place for that, right? Back to shoes, I 'spose.

Edited June 21, 2013 by wgmds

[BrownMetallic]

Viberg  Service Boot, Loden Green, Brogue Toe Cap, 8 Eyelets, Commando Sole, No box Toe, 2005 Last

 

out-of-the-box the leather looked parched & dull. 

 

​

 

 

 

.... so i gave it "lift".   initially cleaned them w/Lexol leather cleaner,  then 1st coat,  Lexol conditioner

​

 

 

 

drying out after the 2nd coat, Sedgwick leather conditioner

​

 

​

 

 

 

2 days after treatment has sipped in & dry to touch.  'topped it off with a 3rd coat,  Obenauf LP.  i know some will disagee w/the conditioning overkill,  but i thought i'd give it a feast before hitting the road.  'started out really dark, but they've lighten up quite a bit after 5days of wear.

​

 

​

 

 

 

edit:

there'd been some discussions recently here & in other threads w/re to boot pricing, form vs function, etc.  imo, what it boils down to is,  individual's wants/preference vs needs.   

 

just like in denim,  i don't nerd out on what cuts/models are "faithful" repros.    i'm just fine with [some] knowledge to get by.  what interests me really  is to be able to gain 1st hand experience breaking in a great pair of artisan jeans ... to wrap my brains around [that] experience & try to comprehend the subtle nuances between other experiences.  

 

Viberg, @around 800 retail,  was just inaccessible for me in terms of how much  i'm willing to pay for a pair of work boots,  so it remained a special interest.  but,  @around White's price point,  of course, i'm all over it.  

 

i'm always  E-width on work boots,  so i was a bit apprehensive with the 2005 last.  'so surprised that they were comfy from the getgo.  these are unlined & i started wearing them w/lighter socks.  plan is to move up to medium weight once they stretch out from wear.    not planning on  insoles either,  like the on the Tricker's.

 

 

 

 

 

'got the Dayton Driver, White's SJ & SD, & recently WL TOW to cover the more brawny "work" part.  i  wanted to get something on the dressier side to relieve the Maltons & indys

 

Edited June 21, 2013 by BrownMetallic

[rayw44]

wgmds that would bother most customers I imagine. I think Coleslaw already hit the nail on the head as far as disparity in customer service goes, especially considering we all have off days. Sucks that it happened to you, but maybe it will be different the next time.

 

My recommendation would be to "Pretty Woman" them. If you had something you were eyeing, go purchase it from BiG or somewhere else and flaunt the proof. That ought to get their goat.

[demonator]

i dont really care about service this is bullshit as long as they can get my shit done im fine nothing personnal. i come into a store with cash for some stash  i walk about with what i need no emotions. they treat me like shit or they treat me like a price it doesnt matter as long as when i ask them something i get an answer i dont care. we are all big boys here stop pushing that" bad service" shit here. your no price or sultan or watever

[fre-co]

I dont know about pretty, That would just make you look petty.

[fre-co]

Ed- no nonsense.

[Double 0 Soul]

I expect shit customer service, Luckily for me there are no shops in the UK that sell any garments/footware that i want to buy thats what the internet is for. Waitrose and Tesco deliver groceries. EMS everything else why do i need face to face customer service? I can count on one hand the shops i have visited in the last 5 years.

[onehundy]

Buco engineer owners, how do i size these? i usually wear 9.5 in whites and lone wolfs. Thanks!

[onehundy]

My recommendation would be to "Pretty Woman" them. If you had something you were eyeing, go purchase it from BiG or somewhere else and flaunt the proof. That ought to get their goat.

 

I agree lol, get a pair of buco cordovan at BIG than visit their shop. But on the real, its okay its probably an off day for the owner. Go back another time and see if you get treated differently. I dealt with him over the phone before and he was helpful. Sometimes the stress of things can get to the best of anybody. It's probably not personal.

[demonator]

get a 9.5 buco engineer pretty true

[onehundy]

thanks ed

[Maynard Friedman]

I can count on one hand the shops i have visited in the last 5 years.

That'll be 6 then.

[big truck]

i dont really care about service this is bullshit as long as they can get my shit done im fine nothing personnal. i come into a store with cash for some stash  i walk about with what i need no emotions. they treat me like shit or they treat me like a price it doesnt matter as long as when i ask them something i get an answer i dont care. we are all big boys here stop pushing that" bad service" shit here. your no price or sultan or watever

 

Love this. And so true. I remember when this was a fashion forum, not an extension of Watchdog.

[superfuzz]

I agree with Demonator. If a shop has what you want, then who cares how they treat you. I've been to Leffot a couple times to buy Aldens, but I'm not a huge fan of their make-ups. I prefer Leather Soul's Aldens.

[demonator]

welcome hundy good lck ont hose bucos

[rayw44]

So Hoggreaser tipped me off to a bootmaker called Mattimore Harness out of Laramie, WY. Their webpage is here: http://www.civilwarboots.com/war_boots.asp

 

 

I pulled the trigger a couple months ago on the engineer boot this guy offers, and my pair arrived yesterday. These were $200 total, and overall I am pretty pleased with them. When you order you have to provide foot tracings and measurements for your arches and calves, and the boot is built off the tracings. I always thought that type of service was useless, but these are glove-like out of the box.

 

The boots are no nonsense, and there are definitely no frills to these. I love the cut top, the riveted top straps, the shape and placement of the bottom straps, the primitive connection of the counter and vamp (perfectly straight versus a more rounded seam), and even though the leather is a bit on the thin side it is still very nice. It has a lot of pull up and is a nice latigo.

 

The negatvies: the top strap and bottom strap are the same width (usually the bottom is wider), the buckles are not great, the black sole edge seems off as a color choice, and the toe is a bit bulbous (that will flatten with wear, and it already feels like the celastic will give easily).

 

I would recommend these to anyone looking for a cheap engineer boot that you can knockaround and still obtain a perfect fit with. They certainly aren't made with the attention to detail or finishing of White's or Wesco, but they remind me a lot of some of the earlier, more primitive, versions of engineer boots. A lot of the features are reminiscent of some off-brand and unbranded pairs I have had in the past.

 

In completely unrelated news, I believe I have a problem collecting engineer boots. My haul is getting out of control.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ranonranonarat]

for $200 that is pretty much a great purchase given that you receive a sort of customised fit. good buy.

 

the real important point however is that you really should be showing us your collection of engineers!