Engineer Boots, Harness Boots...

[Edward]

R.Soles in London has some engineer boots - http://www.rsoles.com/acatalog/online_catalogue_Engineer__18.html

and harness boots -
http://www.rsoles.com/acatalog/online_catalogue_Square_toe_biker__10.html

I simply must visit these people - can't beat a company with a sesne of humour in their name.

 

[jon z]

I think your trying to get a divorce lol


j/k but you seem on a roll these days, any chance to see them on you together with the sweet jacket?

So does my Wife!

I take it you mean the Escape from NY jacket? No probs, will get some pics up as soon as the boots get here.

Fantastic boots Jon! I am planning on a ordering almost the exact same pair from Wesco, but in brown leather. I think that the Lone Wolf boots look like the best pair available, but I don't think they offer them in a size 13!

Looking forward to your review.

Thanks Jimmer. Wesco's are about the best quality boots you can buy AFAIK so I'm sure you'll never regret the investment & wish you many years pleasure wearing them.

Accordng to Blue in Green the Lone Wolf's are due to be available in larger sizes up to US 13 this year http://blueingreensoho.com/site/ind...5041&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=28&vmcchk=1

 

[kyboots]

Engineers

Those Lone Wolfs look very sweet.May have to look at them for me. I do wear a 13 in a Wesco though. John

 

[jon z]

Those Lone Wolfs look very sweet.May have to look at them for me. I do wear a 13 in a Wesco though. John

Well you may be in luck size wise as as I posted they are due to be available in size 13, if not already. Also from my research prior to ordering they run half a size bigger than list. So to get 13s order 12-1/2s.

Mine are on their way now so when they arrive I'll put some feedback on here.

 

[kyboots]

Lone Wolf

I would love to see those Jon when they come in. They look sharp. Pricey but sharp! John PS you still need to look at Wesco too.

 

[jon z]

I would love to see those Jon when they come in. They look sharp. Pricey but sharp! John PS you still need to look at Wesco too.

One day ky it's a pair of Wesco's I'll be ordering. I am slightly put off with the association in some of the imagery on this site though lol http://www.stompersboots.com/gtwy_engineer-041.php

 

[kyboots]

Wesco

You know Jon I have to agree with you from those pictures. John

 

[jon z]

Phew. After posting that I was concerned in retrospect that I might have caused offence. Anyways I still appreciate Wesco's for being about the best out there & would be proud one day to add a pair to my small but growing collection. Especially as I understand they can build them as they were in the 40s/50s as I like them.

Ny Lone Wolf's have now landed in the UK, have cleared Customs & hopefully will be with me early next week. I love online tracking. Updates to follow as & when.
Cheers
John

 

[too much coffee]

One day ky it's a pair of Wesco's I'll be ordering. I am slightly put off with the association in some of the imagery on this site though lol http://www.stompersboots.com/gtwy_engineer-041.php

So am I..........if I ever order another pair of Wesco's, it won't be from stompers

 

[Bobajobbob]

I simply must visit these people - can't beat a company with a sesne of humour in their name.

The shop is on the Kings Road and the proprietor is mad as a bag of spanners. I like that and his enthusiasm for the product given how few private shops remain in that part of town. I haven't been in for a while but have bought a couple of pairs of boots from there in the past. It can be a bit "fashion" for my taste but having said that the boots I bought were classic engineer and harness.

 

[feltfan]

Phew. After posting that I was concerned in retrospect that I might have caused offence.

I wonder why? And what is the problem you have with the imagery?

 

[jack miranda]

I've purchased two pair of boots from Stompers:

Chippewa 'Apaches', and Frye Engineer boots. The store is small, but, with a great selection of boots, as shown on their website. The guys are very knowledgeable about boots. They can talk volumes about fit, and brand comparisons; they also have very competitive pricing. I recommend them without reservation.

I drove from the Bay Area to Wyoming and back this summer. I went into boot stores all along the way--Reno, Winnemucca, Pocatello, Idaho Falls, Jackson, Cody--places you'd expect a great selection of boots. Lots of cowboy boots, sure, but, boots that are the topic of this thread, nope, none of them had the selection of Stompers. I was surprised by the dearth of engineer boots 'out there' in the larger western U.S.

 

[jimmer_5]

Chippewa 'Apaches', and Frye Engineer boots. The store is small, but, with a great selection of boots, as shown on their website. The guys are very knowledgeable about boots. They can talk volumes about fit, and brand comparisons; they also have very competitive pricing. I recommend them without reservation.

I drove from the Bay Area to Wyoming and back this summer. I went into boot stores all along the way--Reno, Winnemucca, Pocatello, Idaho Falls, Jackson, Cody--places you'd expect a great selection of boots. Lots of cowboy boots, sure, but, boots that are the topic of this thread, nope, none of them had the selection of Stompers. I was surprised by the dearth of engineer boots 'out there' in the larger western U.S.

It's true. To find truly good engineer or work boots anymore, you pretty much have to live in the Pacific Northwest, or shop online. To be perfectly frank, most of the boots in the $100 - $150 category are not that well made anymore. $350 - $450 will net you an amazing pair of boots, but for many that is just too much money.

I am going to have to scratch my itch for a pair of Nick's Boots and a pair of Wesco Boss pretty soon here. Now, I just need to come up with the scratch!

 

[Papa M]

I'd recommend it if your boots are tight to get on. Not only does it make the process easier but it will prevent the heel caps being crushed over time due to excess force required to get your foot in place.

A friend has asked me to find out if you have successfully stretched your Beck Engineer Boots.
He has some and they are small - even though he sized up.

 

[jon z]

A friend has asked me to find out if you have successfully stretched your Beck Engineer Boots.
He has some and they are small - even though he sized up.

Yes I did. The fit in the foot was fine but they were way too hard to get on & off due to the narrow shaft. My foot just didn't want to go around the corner so I cobbled up a method too make them wider across the instep & back of the shaft just above the heel cap.

If this is the problem your friend is experiencing let me know & I'll go into detail about how I did it.

I thought the problem was me having a high instep but I have just received my Lone Wolf's & I don't have the same problem with them. Compared against the Beck's they are much wider in the shaft. The Lone Wolf's flare out immediately above the heel cap whereas the Beck's are almost straight up, stove pipe-ish.

I wonder why? And what is the problem you have with the imagery?

Because after posting I considered it could be perceived as homophobic, which wasn't the intent. I meant no offence to anybody & I apologise if I've done that.

I don't have a problem with the imagery. It's just that that look is not or me.

 

[Papa M]

Thanks Jon Z - I'll pass your advice to my friend.

 

[tonypaj]

I'd appreciate it if anyone could let me know who sells Frye Rand Engineer boots in NYC. I'll be there for the next ten days, kind of hot for these right now, but they will be needed later on...

 

[Papa M]

Yes I did. The fit in the foot was fine but they were way too hard to get on & off due to the narrow shaft. My foot just didn't want to go around the corner so I cobbled up a method too make them wider across the instep & back of the shaft just above the heel cap.

If this is the problem your friend is experiencing let me know & I'll go into detail about how in did it.

Yes - please go into detail. My friend is having the same problems.

 

[jon z]

The Method

OK Here we go then. It's a pretty crude method but it works. I did consider buying a proper boot stretcher but they're not cheap for a one-off use. I'd rather pick up a pair of Red Wings on eBay for the money they cost.

First of all I found a piece of wood that took up about half the area of the shaft. I made sure it had a rounded front as I didn't want to push anything with sharp corners into the leather leaving imprints. Much to the Wife's annoyance the 'piece of wood' I found was one of the legs off the dining table. I thoroughly wetted the inside of the shaft with warm water using a sponge. I then placed wadded up cloth down inside the boot & inserted the table leg, rounded edge forward. The cloth prevents marking from the end of the wood due to the pushing to come.

Next up was to raid the kitchen cupboards for glass bottled products. I started off with mint sauce & worked through various products until I ended up with Asda brand brown sauce lol. Mark sure the bottles are smooth sided as anything with annular recesses/ridges with allow the leather to settle into/over them & leave witness marks in the leather. The bottles are to be pushed down into the shaft behind the the wood. Remove any labels as the wet leather causes them to ruck up causing binding. Make sure the first bottle is of sufficient diameter to be be tight enough to cause some stretch to the leather. Push the bottle down far enough that the bottom edge finishes just above the heel cup. I put a boot on each end of the leg with matching bottles inserted in each. Then they were left in the conservatory for 24 hrs to dry.

I then found slightly larger diameter bottles & repeated the process. A small increase in bottle diameter makes a great difference in the force required to push them into place. After each stretching I tried them for size until they'd stretched enough that I was happy with the fit. I did this four times to achieve the amount of stretch I needed.

I still use the home made horn which I featured in a post earlier in this thread. With this they now go straight on. I can thoroughly recommend your friend makes one. A firm pull removes them. Before it would take me about half an hour of pulling, tugging & wriggling my feet to get both off!

These boots are made from thick leather which is not easily stretched so you have to be prepared to push VERY hard to get the bottles inserted. I did worry about the stress I was putting on the stitching at the back of the shaft but kept telling myself it was not any more than a boot stretcher would do. Anyway no harm came to them.

Also, after immediately removing the boots from my contraption I found they were easier to get on but shrunk back slightly after a day or so. It's only then you'll know if you've gone far enough.

Your friend might save himself a lot of hard work by finding a shoe repairer who can do this with proper the equipment. I did this my way because I wanted control over how much they were stretched.

Here's a couple of pics, the first to show the profile of the wood I used & the second to show how both the wood & bottle are positioned in the shaft. The bottle in the second pic is by no means pushed as far into the shaft as it needs to be to when actual stretching is taking place.

 

[Papa M]

Fascinating reply. Thanks for the attention to detail. I'll pass this on to my pal.