Footwear to go with our jackets

[Bfd70]

But i question the designs aping heritage work wear but being made of unicorn. Just make a dress boot.

 

[Schambach]

View attachment 477388
I’m posting these as a counter point to the notion that boots need to be made of unicorn hide crafted by alien ninja artisans on a secret island. The idea that somehow workwear should be associated with laser straight stitching and zero aesthetic flaws.
Red wing moc toes. 12 years old. Third soles. Spent the first 6 as fashion wear. The past six have seen 100s of miles of hikes, countless construction projects, and a pit bull mix with separation anxiety.

I’m amazed you were able to get that much mileage out of the wedge soles, I get a year, maybe two tops.

 

[NZJono]

A little follow up on my previous post.
After only a couple of wears (office wear so mostly sitting at my desk) a thread popped out.
View attachment 474225
View attachment 474226
I shot the maker an email and they explained that being saddle stitched it wouldn't unravel and that I just had to push the thread back in or burn it.
I fiddled a bit but never managed to push it back in so I got annoyed and burned it, slightly burninshing the edge doing so...
Not a big deal and with some wear I'm sure it will be unnoticeable but right now I'm a bit annoyed.
View attachment 474228

After a while the welt will naturally darken with age, I doubt you’ll notice it in a year or two.

 

[MichaelRhB]

These go with nearly any jacket I put on.

 

[MrProper]

I can add some.

 

[3.14nche]

View attachment 477388
I’m posting these as a counter point to the notion that boots need to be made of unicorn hide crafted by alien ninja artisans on a secret island. The idea that somehow workwear should be associated with laser straight stitching and zero aesthetic flaws.
Red wing moc toes. 12 years old. Third soles. Spent the first 6 as fashion wear. The past six have seen 100s of miles of hikes, countless construction projects, and a pit bull mix with separation anxiety.

That's impressive, it would probably take me two lifetimes to get to that point.
I don't work on a construction site or any harsh environment so I don't wear them hard.
For me it's just casualwear, I just prefer the look of work or country boots over dressboots.
If I used them as hiking boots maybe but I find these much more convenient.

I put around 600km in them over the last year and they barely show any sign of wear.
They're comfortable without any break-in required, barely require any care, I just brush them if they baked in crap and they're good for another round.
And they are waaay lighter.
All that for the price RW charges for a resole.

Same with jackets.
I got caught doing 15km by the seaside last summer in a leather jacket, hopping on rocks and crossing dunes.
That was not the most pleasant experience.

Maybe I'm soft but I just prefer to be comfortable when I'm walking.

 

[Pandemic]

Can anyone recommend a make for jodhpur style boots? I tried messaging Benzein a few times over the past few months, and they have not opened up new orders. Are there any other boot makers from inodnesia that people here can recommend?

 

[Damon141]

View attachment 478031

I have a pair of Sagara, Junkard and quickly gave away a pair of Santalum which were just misshaped, and terrible looking.
Sagara was the best and I have read Benzein and good, Onderhound too but the wait is long.

I’m not sure which company makes the style of boot you are after but keep in mind that the prices of Indonesian boots are inflated and the bargains are pretty much nonexistent, they have caught on to the deeper pockets from other countries.
if you are set on them you should check Reddit on the goodyearwelt sub forum.

 

[Observe]

The Indonesian bootmakers were a good deal 2-3 years ago, but as @Damon141 mentioned above, people caught on, and they are less of a value proposition nowadays. Some of their styles in the domestic (Indonesian) leathers are still relatively inexpensive, but you can expect to pay around White's/Nick's level prices for the more desired makeups now.

 

[Jasonissm]

The Indonesian bootmakers were a good deal 2-3 years ago, but as @Damon141 mentioned above, people caught on, and they are less of a value proposition nowadays. Some of their styles in the domestic (Indonesian) leathers are still relatively inexpensive, but you can expect to pay around White's/Nick's level prices for the more desired makeups now.

I still wouldn't go for the domestic Indonesian leather in my opinion. They are not at the same level of quality as the premium leathers on offer. The exceptions being roughout, and also some of the ones on offer by Winson/Midas Bootmaker seem decent. In addition, even if you get a nice premium leather, they aren't really the best with clicking and I feel that's a big downside as it's luck of the draw whether you get nice graining or not.

Still, I feel the main players Sagara, Benzein, Onderhoud, etc. all hover around $500-700 with imported quality leather which are decent. Just 2 years ago I paid $385 for Sagara, and $530 for 10" Benzein engineers in Shinki. End of last year was $530 for my Onderhoud derby shoes.

I will say, compared to my Wesco, the finishing is better on my Indonesian boots and you don't really get that level of finishing on the PNW brands. Still about $150-200 more for Whites/Nicks/Wesco, so I would say it's more about what aspects you value more. PNW have better last and arch support you will not find on any Indonesian brands. But Indonesian brands have more trendy styles like flat toe engineers, flat toe jodhpurs, etc. and also finished nicer in my opinion.

I still prefer my Wesco's probably, feels cooler when I wear them even though they're not stitched perfectly, or finished perfectly. They're also more comfortable.

 

[Pandemic]

Very happy with my horsehide Benzeins. Yes, I also have some chunky Wescos which are undoubtedly sturdier. But there is no way I would have found a sleek/dressy engineer boot like these that would fit me for less than three times what I paid for these last year.

 

[Damon141]

Still, I feel the main players Sagara, Benzein, Onderhoud, etc. all hover around $500-700 with imported quality leather which are decent. Just 2 years ago I paid $385 for Sagara, and $530 for 10" Benzein engineers in Shinki. End of last year was $530 for my Onderhoud derby shoes.

those were great prices back then, but common sense just tells you they overcharging now, taking advantage if you will, especially when these countries have a very low cost of living.

Original Question; might be some bargains out there if you scour instagram.

Durability comes to play also, the pattern and cut of a boot combined with certain materials in various places, panels placed correctly inline with the way the foot bends. Ive seen pictures of the same shell cordovan Junkard Boots I have that have creased as if someone rolled it up like a foil ball, will this happen to mine? IDK, but you know companies like Whites and Wesco and Viberg have a boot worth resoling, they are tried and true. So will the perfectly stitched Sagara last? Time will tell but there is more to boot making than what we see on the outside
It’s not about brands either because not one person has said “are those Viberg? Are those Whites?” Average people rarely know boots, maybe if you live in PNW

 

[Jasonissm]

Very happy with my horsehide Benzeins. Yes, I also have some chunky Wescos which are undoubtedly sturdier. But there is no way I would have found a sleek/dressy engineer boot like these that would fit me for less than three times what I paid for these last year.

View attachment 478326

This is where Indonesian bootmakers can take advantage and get into untapped market. The only brands I can think of making a nice engineer boot in this price range are the Moto Dress Engineer and maybe some other Japanese makers like Zerrows or Attractions. Benzein messed up my sizing though, which sucks because I never wear my engineers from them anymore.

those were great prices back then, but common sense just tells you they overcharging now, taking advantage if you will, especially when these countries have a very low cost of living.

Original Question; might be some bargains out there if you scour instagram.

Durability comes to play also, the pattern and cut of a boot combined with certain materials in various places, panels placed correctly inline with the way the foot bends. Ive seen pictures of the same shell cordovan Junkard Boots I have that have creased as if someone rolled it up like a foil ball, will this happen to mine? IDK, but you know companies like Whites and Wesco and Viberg have a boot worth resoling, they are tried and true. So will the perfectly stitched Sagara last? Time will tell but there is more to boot making than what we see on the outside
It’s not about brands either because not one person has said “are those Viberg? Are those Whites?” Average people rarely know boots, maybe if you live in PNW

That's true, I really don't trust most of the makers outside of the bigger names like Sagara, Winson, Benzein, Onderhoud. Outside of those, their patterns and lasts aren't as well developed, etc. So with these brands I have no doubt they are well built, outside of these, gets a little iffy.

Also I will say, the prices they charge are mostly fair because it is skilled labour and especially for the small/one man shops like Onderhoud, they are pretty much at capacity. The method they use are more handwork than any PNW brand (White's does handwelt but much lower SPI), does that improve durability or anything? Not really, but it is a more labour intensive process. Not as much of a bargain as when they originally surfaced, but fair prices for the level of product I would say. They still need work on the patterns and lasts though, very few have had the time to develop and iterate over time like PNW brands, etc. I think the end product justifies the price more than the country of origin.

Flame Panda lives in a small village in China with low cost of living, his boots are minimum $850 now? But they are for sure one of the top nice built/finished casual boots you can get anywhere.

 

[Damon141]

All amazing makers and I follow each new build they post on instagram.

Flame Panda stands out the most to me but all brands you mentioned have beautiful boots. Also Winston looks like an excellent choice for dress shoes, curious about his prices.

I definitely see the appeal for an avid collector, especially for customizing leathers, styles, and soles. Some of the styles are pretty unique and you just can’t similar with North American boots. So I get it.
Plus for the boot collector with a wall of boots, a few new leather choices and builds per year might not be enough.
Surely worse ways to spend your money, I.e. designer shoes lol

 

[Pandemic]

This is where Indonesian bootmakers can take advantage and get into untapped market. The only brands I can think of making a nice engineer boot in this price range are the Moto Dress Engineer and maybe some other Japanese makers like Zerrows or Attractions.

If these other brands made boots in my size, I’d definitely be interested.

For me, the big advantage of the good Indonesian makers is the custom fit - even for my wide feet. I do understand that that is also a two edged sword as many have been unhappy with the fit they received.

 

[Turnip]

To go with the Pony

 

[Hobbes1]

Red Wing Moc Toe boots. I wasn't sure I'd like the Christy Vibram sole but turns out I do like it. Cheers!

 

[MrProper]

Red Wing Moc Toe boots. I wasn't sure I'd like the Christy Vibram sole but turns out I do like it. Cheers!

My favorite boots.

 

[Pandemic]

In case anyone else was wondering ….

https://www.stitchdown.com/brands/briselblack/benzein-briselblack-bootmakers/

 

[wz1999]

The Real McCoy’s N-1