Fredoka
New in Town
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I'm intrigued I must say... I want to know more about these, but for now they still look like kids' shoes to me 
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Jim Green Boots
- Thread starter Fifty150
- Start date
Fifty150
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A small win for me. I figured out what was causing my foot pain.
I was following Jim Green's recommendation on how to fold the tongue.
This caused the tongue to double up, under all the layers of leather of the lacing system. It all pressed right into my ankle. I got an abrasion. My ankle is still damaged and bleeding.
I should have followed Red Wing's guide on how to fold the tongue.
I was following Jim Green's recommendation on how to fold the tongue.
This caused the tongue to double up, under all the layers of leather of the lacing system. It all pressed right into my ankle. I got an abrasion. My ankle is still damaged and bleeding.
I should have followed Red Wing's guide on how to fold the tongue.
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Fifty150
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- The Barbary Coast
they still look like kids' shoes to me
They are not for everybody.
The aesthetics is the polar opposite of sleek and stylish.
The fit is limited to people with wide feet. If you have a narrow foot, it won't fit. If you have extra wide feet, they still won't fit.
The quality of the leather is unknown. The leather is sourced from a local tannery in South Africa. The "crazy horse leather" is what they describe as "oily nubuck" There is a full grain leather. Some of their "premium" models have what they describe as "veg re-tan"; which is first chrome tanned, then re-tanned while it's still wet. Water buffalo hide is a limited production batch which carries a higher price.
What we don't know about the leather is quality. It just hasn't been around long enough. Maybe after 10 years, we'll know that it could last 10 years, and have the results of aging. It's not like some other leathers where the quality is known and established. Although Jim Green does have videos of a few pairs of old boots that they resoled at their factory. Those were shoes in the leather which they used years ago. Don't know if that is the leather that they are using today. It's not like when you buy a shoe with Chromexcel or Cordovan, which is known. You can view the clips, and see for yourself.
Fifty150
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Use them. Abuse them. It's raining today. Perfect. I have African Ranger. I can trash them in the rain, and save my nicer shoes for a sunny day. And we can all see what they look like in the rain. Not so good looking. My feet are still dry
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Fifty150
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they still look like kids' shoes to me
Or they could be clown shoes with the big, wide toes
Fifty150
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In my continual effort to make the African Ranger work for me, I replaced the insert. Just fractions of an inch difference. It changed the fit. Now the hard, stiff part is not rubbing the ankle. But with a different insert, the feel is also different. Maybe this will break in the leather in a different way.
Fifty150
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I'm not a fan of suede, nubuck, and roughout. Not that I don't like the soft nap and texture. I do. 1 too many experiences with blood, BBQ sauce, motor oil, and other things that cannot be cleaned out. But for the price, One Forty Nine USD, I bought it anyway.
This fudge color nubuck is pretty soft. This boot does not have the stiffness out of the box that the veg re-tan leather has. It's raining today. Perfect for a new shoe.
This fudge color nubuck is pretty soft. This boot does not have the stiffness out of the box that the veg re-tan leather has. It's raining today. Perfect for a new shoe.
Fifty150
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This has the potential to become political. Let's not go there.
Fifty150
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I don't know if it's political. Or if people have certain feelings about a South Africa business. Jim Green pricing is low because the cost of labor is low, and AGOA. If AGOA is ended, price is going up.
At these prices, I am buying before the price goes up.
At these prices, I am buying before the price goes up.
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When they first came to the US, I bought the Razorback. Stitch down construction with double row stitching. Single piece vamp. D-rings and speedhooks.
Then they introduced the African Ranger. I was sold. I really liked the idea of the boots for rangers.
The Numzaan really got me. Wow. Veg tan insole and midsole. Components you don't find at that price. And a leather upper which is chrome tanned, then veg tanned; similar to Chromexcel.
In my mind, I liked the products. Value priced. Made to last, with resoles down the road. On my feet, I didn't like the shoes as much. No Wow! Factor. I didn't feel anything great. I don't have wide feet, so there was no benefit to my medium feet. The proprietary soles didn't outperform or feel any better than Vibram soles . The Numzaan were hard to break in.
I like them. But they aren't great. It's not a "10" for me. More like a 3 star. Not a 5 star. It's a good boot. Not that there's anything so bad that they aren't wearable. Certainly better than a lot of other boots. And everyone will have a different opinion on how they fit and feel. Some people will enjoy this more than others.
I am not buying anymore boots from Jim Green. The 3 models are enough for me. That doesn't make it bad. I only have 1 pair of Indy Boots. 1 was enough. Same way I only have1 pair of Iron Rangers. If I like it enough, I will resole them.
Then they introduced the African Ranger. I was sold. I really liked the idea of the boots for rangers.
The Numzaan really got me. Wow. Veg tan insole and midsole. Components you don't find at that price. And a leather upper which is chrome tanned, then veg tanned; similar to Chromexcel.
In my mind, I liked the products. Value priced. Made to last, with resoles down the road. On my feet, I didn't like the shoes as much. No Wow! Factor. I didn't feel anything great. I don't have wide feet, so there was no benefit to my medium feet. The proprietary soles didn't outperform or feel any better than Vibram soles . The Numzaan were hard to break in.
I like them. But they aren't great. It's not a "10" for me. More like a 3 star. Not a 5 star. It's a good boot. Not that there's anything so bad that they aren't wearable. Certainly better than a lot of other boots. And everyone will have a different opinion on how they fit and feel. Some people will enjoy this more than others.
I am not buying anymore boots from Jim Green. The 3 models are enough for me. That doesn't make it bad. I only have 1 pair of Indy Boots. 1 was enough. Same way I only have1 pair of Iron Rangers. If I like it enough, I will resole them.
Fifty150
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Here's a look at Jim Green African Ranger which is supposed to be a 2E width, next to a Thorogood 2E. Both are marked as size 10. The Thorogood 10 2E is longer and narrower than the Jim Green 10. Something to consider when ordering online and you're not sure of sizing. People often say that with boots like Thorogood and Red Wing, that you should go down a half size. Maybe Jim Green is a half size short.
Fifty150
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Pretty accurate assessment. Jim Green is sold from $200 - $300. On sale between $100 - $200. And that's about where it stands in comparison to boots from $300 - $600. Maybe not "the best" boot that you can buy. But good for the money that you spend. For $100 - $200, Jim Green is just as good, or maybe better than: Timberland, Keen, Caterpillar, Lugz, Irish Setter, Wolverine, Brunt, Ariat, Justin....... I would wear a Jim Green instead of a Thursday.
