Feet Up! The Work Boot Thread

[casechopper]

I think they're not broken in yet. The breakin time on the standard White's leather seems to be pretty extreme. I'm coming to the conclusion with time that I might just stop trying to break them in and wear these red ones instead as they're comfortable now. These bullhide smoke jumpers are one of the most comfortable pairs of boots that I've ever worn.

 

[LouisBailie]

I've been wearing White's for over 40 years. If they hurt your feet they are either not broken in or you have the wrong fit.

yup what he says, I use Huberds on the correct size to aide in breaking in the leather it speeds up the break in time period. On the ones that need adjusting I use a cametti ultra 88 to make them fit correctly.

 

[nick123]

Nowhere near the quality of White's, etc, but for everyday comfortable work footwear, I'm a fan of the Ecco Track II line.

 

[pak]

My experience with White's is wearing them for extended periods my feet don't feel sore, tired or that I need to get out of them. A good fitting is the key. Even after 14 hrs my feet feel just fine and they don't feel relieved after I take off the boots. I've had several pair of smoke jumppers. I currently have a pair of Northwesterns and a pair of rancher/farmers. Both have the red dog leather and the rancher has a 6" top, a double celastic toe and mini vibram sole. They are my go to footwear.

 

[casechopper]

That is what I'm feeling with the bullhide ones I have now. They're very comfortable and can be worn all day without fatigue.
The black smoke jumpers aren't directly hurting my feet but the very stiff leather in the upper portion restricts movement and makes it difficult to move freely thus causing me to use a lot of muscles I wouldn't normally use. The lower part is just very stiff and the leather is a bit rough on the inside (they're not lined). The black ones are also very tall (I think they're 11") and very heavy. These bullhide ones are much lighter feeling even though they're the same size.

All of this would probably go away after some breaking in but I'm not doing anything rough enough on most days to break these in. If I were wading through streams and walking through burning coals then maybe that would help soften them up but as it is they just are so ridgid and unyielding that they are very uncomfortable to wear. I'll probably sell the black ones and keep the softer bullhide ones.

 

[Phantomfixer]

Here is a pair of vintage Foot So Port work boots with cork soles....they were in NOS condition when I bought them several years ago...Can wear them all day long and not feel like taking them off at night....

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[pak]

No question the smoke jummpers are heavy. My current boots are spec'd to reduce weight: lower tops, lighter leather and lighter soles. I do not need the protection as much now days. The bullhide boots do have a nice grain.

 

[nick123]

I'm considering giving up jackets altogether and hopping onto the boot boat.

 

[wdw]

I'm considering giving up jackets altogether and hopping onto the boot boat.

It's a slippery slope, Nick. I started off by buying one quality pair, then I read that you shouldn't wear them two days in a row, so I bought another quality pair to alternate and therefore always wear quality footwear.

12 quality pairs later, my wife thinks I have a problem...

 

[Dav]

I'm considering giving up jackets altogether and hopping onto the boot boat.

I've been trying to do this for about a year now, doesn't seem to have gone too well though, I currently have two jackets on order. How'd that happen?.
Got some nice boots on the way though!
My most recent pair, White's Bounty Hunters in distressed rough out.

 

[wdw]

Nice solid looking boots, Dav. Where did you get them, as I don't think White's are available in the UK? It's a brand I'd like to try out.

 

[Dav]

Thanks, I bought them here http://www.eastwestapparel.co.uk/
Great customer service I must say, I know I'm no far away, but this chap actually offered to bring the boots round so I could try them on!

 

[wdw]

Thanks, really useful, as I didn't think it was possible here. I can see another order coming on.

 

[Don Tomaso]

I really like the White's, but the availability is not good for me. They apparently only have 4 shops in Europe, the nearest being in Zurich, and the prices are pretty high also. Very nice boots, though.

 

[Sloan1874]

Love the White's Semi-Smoke Jumper boots. But, oh, the cost...

 

[nick123]

Dav, wdw, everything here is a slippery slope!

 

[handymike]

Now that I have my "grail" jacket, I'm in a similar boat.
Although I can't afford them, I'd love a pair of Brian's engineers.
Over the last year I've bought a few pairs on ebay, and I found the Wolverine 1000mi fit me great. Now I have 2 pair- Krause in black and the McClean in brown CXL.

 

[bretron]

Whites are a practical bargain for what you get- and Jamie @ EastWest is a great dude.

But if you're stateside, doing business with Bakers is a must IMO

 

[nick123]

I was at first a little bewildered as to the hype of the Semi-Dress, but boy have those grown on me. Best looking boots of the bunch, and it's cool to see the customization options.
I have a good friend who has a pair of (searching it now, I don't see it...could have sworn it started with a "v", maybe I'm imagining it) electrical rated boots in the red dog color. I could be mixing up the boot with the color, as he also has a pair of Wescos. Whichever brand they are, hey're something else.
Is it true that Whites have higher arches than Wescos by default? I'd probably need that.

 

[bretron]

Yes whites are considerably higher