Footwear to go with our jackets

[Monitor]

Bit of advice needed please:

My eye has been taken by some Grinders Camelot boots. Down at the budget end of things, I know, but I really like the classic WWII styling. Look;

But I've never owned Grinders before. Can anyone with any experience of the brand give me a clue how generous their sizing is, please?

I tend to be an EU44, lately, but something tells me Grinders might size big.

TIA.

I have Grinders but I can't be of much help because they're not all made at the same place.

Pair that I have are Harness Hi boots, made in Mexico, something that the site is particularly proud of but for a reason as they're actually very nice. Much better than what you'd expect at such a price range. Goodyear welted. Leather sole. Un-coated, naked cowhide that's very thick and heavy. It's got that natural texture (you can find a bite mark here and there). It all adds up to a very nice pair of harness boots with a killer shape.
Seriously, coolest harness boot shape on the market!

Stitching is somewhat shoddy but since this doesn't affect the functionality of the boot in any way, I personally couldn't care less.

So yeah, their biker/western line is great. I can vouch for it. As @Edward stated, they're your best bet at under $200 & you'd have to pay a lot more to get something that significantly outclasses Grinders.

On the other hand, I've read many negative reviews prior to buying my pair and the only reason I decided to give them a chance is 'cause every single bad experience was about lace-ups. You'll find photos of these falling apart after three wears, etc., so I really don't know what to tell you. I heard they used to be a lot better some decade ago but the quality went south since. But I haven't done much research...

I know they're a lot cheaper, glued, made God knows where & how and honestly, I don't think you can get a good boot for under $100.

My Grinders. You can see they're on point in every way.

 

[Jin431]

Onderhoud engineer boots in black Maryam horse butt. Hope this doesn't develop loose grain.

 

[Jules Myers]

 

[Jin431]

View attachment 377017

wow, the leather looks so nice. Congrats

 

[matchankh]

Onderhoud engineer boots in black Maryam horse butt. Hope this doesn't develop loose grain.

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I wouldn’t worry about it mine became loose almost as soon as it put them on. It’s more like an one off quality issue. If you have been wearing yours for a bit they should be fine. Creases may form a little but it won’t be drastic.

Just curious when did you receive this pair? I wonder they are a different batch of leather.

 

[TREEMAN]

Why they stopped making these I’ll never understand .

 

[Psant25]

View attachment 377017

Those look great and I see they sold fast. Are the shafts leather lined and stay up pretty well on their own?

 

[Jin431]

I wouldn’t worry about it mine became loose almost as soon as it put them on. It’s more like an one off quality issue. If you have been wearing yours for a bit they should be fine. Creases may form a little but it won’t be drastic.

Just curious when did you receive this pair? I wonder they are a different batch of leather.

I think it's going to be okay too but after seeing with what happened to yours there's always that worry it can happen too. Mine was made in April and received it early May. I havent worn it much maybe just close to 20 hrs of wear but it's starting to get easier to wear and the heel slip is getting less

 

[Edward]

Why they stopped making these I’ll never understand .

I can only guess that they weren't selling enough of them to justify what they want to be a mass-market business. What surprises me more is that it's the 11" boots they stopped making, whereas the knee-highs are still in production. If anything, I'd have expected it to be the knee-highs that were less popular now.

 

[Jules Myers]

Those look great and I see they sold fast. Are the shafts leather lined and stay up pretty well on their own?

The shafts are unlined. Brand new, ordered them back in the summer, I think?

 

[matchankh]

I think it's going to be okay too but after seeing with what happened to yours there's always that worry it can happen too. Mine was made in April and received it early May. I havent worn it much maybe just close to 20 hrs of wear but it's starting to get easier to wear and the heel slip is getting less

Probably a different batch then. Don’t worry Maryam is normally very good that’s why it is used by so many boot makers including flame panda.

 

[Edward]

I have Grinders but I can't be of much help because they're not all made at the same place.

Pair that I have are Harness Hi boots, made in Mexico, something that the site is particularly proud of but for a reason as they're actually very nice. Much better than what you'd expect at such a price range. Goodyear welted. Leather sole. Un-coated, naked cowhide that's very thick and heavy. It's got that natural texture (you can find a bite mark here and there). It all adds up to a very nice pair of harness boots with a killer shape.
Seriously, coolest harness boot shape on the market!

Stitching is somewhat shoddy but since this doesn't affect the functionality of the boot in any way, I personally couldn't care less.

So yeah, their biker/western line is great. I can vouch for it. As @Edward stated, they're your best bet at under $200 & you'd have to pay a lot more to get something that significantly outclasses Grinders.

On the other hand, I've read many negative reviews prior to buying my pair and the only reason I decided to give them a chance is 'cause every single bad experience was about lace-ups. You'll find photos of these falling apart after three wears, etc., so I really don't know what to tell you. I heard they used to be a lot better some decade ago but the quality went south since. But I haven't done much research...

I know they're a lot cheaper, glued, made God knows where & how and honestly, I don't think you can get a good boot for under $100.

My Grinders. You can see they're on point in every way.

I've noticed across many models they have two variants, the rubber sole and the leather sole, which otherwise look to be very similar. Biggest visual difference, at least stood up, is that the leather-soled boots have a slightly more shaped and what looks to be a fractionally taller heel (though the latter may be an illusion as it seems to my eye that the rubber soles are noticeably thicker in front). I have wondered if the different sole types are made in different factories, though there's no significant difference in pricing so I don't get the impression they are differing standards by design. I might well experiment with some black ones in due course, as at that price it's much easier to justify another pair of black boots in my wardrobe. Got more black boots than any other colour, not sure exactly how that happened. My most commonly worn boots at the minute are a pair of low (7") Chippewa engineers which are one of the comfiest pairs of boots I've ever owned.

Been looking at lot online at the low cut Grinders that slip on and off for an easy airport shoe in non-penny loafer weather, but that's sort of on hold for now as it has become clear that I won't be flying anywhere any time soon, possibly not even until into 2023 now.

View attachment 377017

I love the grain on these, really stands out. Great colour too. Enjoy!

 

[Psant25]

Hit a broken staple on the underside of my sofa really bummed. I tried to treat and buff a little to no avail. My cobbler recommended shipping to Rago Brothers of NJ. he said they can fill the scratch and make it look pretty much like new. I am going to include in my note when ship Ok to have the toes a little darker like a burnished / polished look if they need to sand down and re-dye if they cannot match it. Will post a pic / review when the job is done. Anyone used them?

 

[dudewuttheheck]

It doesn't look that bad honestly. I know it's frustrating. I've had something similar happen to me, but after you trash the boots some more you won't notice as much. It's just part of the character

 

[Edward]

Hit a broken staple on the underside of my sofa really bummed. I tried to treat and buff a little to no avail. My cobbler recommended shipping to Rago Brothers of NJ. he said they can fill the scratch and make it look pretty much like new. I am going to include in my note when ship Ok to have the toes a little darker like a burnished / polished look if they need to sand down and re-dye if they cannot match it. Will post a pic / review when the job is done. Anyone used them?
View attachment 377144

In all honesty, if this happened a pair of boots of mine, I'd probably turn the air blue for a bit, then I'd rub some polish into them and be done with it. After a while, it'll be a lot less obvious and I'd forget it's there. If it's purely cosmetic (and unlikely to, say, split the top of the boot), I really don't think I'd go to the hassle of doing anything of either significant cost or that involved shipping them, especially not if there was not an absolute guarantee of an invisible mend.

 

[Jin431]

Motor Dress Engineers in brown overdye horse butt

 

[marker2037]

Hit a broken staple on the underside of my sofa really bummed. I tried to treat and buff a little to no avail. My cobbler recommended shipping to Rago Brothers of NJ. he said they can fill the scratch and make it look pretty much like new. I am going to include in my note when ship Ok to have the toes a little darker like a burnished / polished look if they need to sand down and re-dye if they cannot match it. Will post a pic / review when the job is done. Anyone used them?
View attachment 377144

Haven't heard of Rago Brothers, but Bedo's Leatherworks can fix ANYTHING. Just check his IG or Youtube accounts out. They are amazing cobblers.

http://www.leatherrepair.com/

Also, AH1 in Viginia as well.

 

[Bfd70]

Motor Dress Engineers in brown overdye horse butt

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Wtf even your grass looks perfect!

 

[Jin431]

Wtf even your grass looks perfect!

gotta love the rain, we are finally getting a good pour down this last few weeks.

 

[Jules Myers]