John Lofgren Engineer boot advice needed

[Seank]

I am looking at some CXL John Lofgren Engineers. Websites seem to say that going 1/2 size down from your Brannock size is the size to order…which in my case would be an 8 (8.5 on the Brannock)
Those same websites say a size 8 John Lofgren is equivalent to a size 8.5 or 9 RedWing??? I own two pairs of Iron Rangers, one pair is a 7 and the other is a 7.5…but I am clearly a 8.5 on the Brannock. Something ain’t jiving here.
Help before I make a costly mistake.
Any of you have experience and a good result using your Brannock size as a reference?

 

[AeroFan_07]

Seank - I see you have a rather narrow foot. That would be a larger concern to me than just the overall length.
The Lofgren's run wide, and even the "D" felt to me like an E at least to me. I had to double-sock them and then even they were still a bit too wide to be comfortable.

I did a review/comparison of these and the Wesco Mr Lou's which are available in multiple widths. That last runs slightly narrow, so the D with was closer to a C in real life and fit me perfectly. Here is the thread:

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/comparison-wesco-mr-lou-to-john-lofgren-engineer.102418/

 

[Seank]

Seank - I see you have a rather narrow foot. That would be a larger concern to me than just the overall length.
The Lofgren's run wide, and even the "D" felt to me like an E at least to me. I had to double-sock them and then even they were still a bit too wide to be comfortable.

I did a review/comparison of these and the Wesco Mr Lou's which are available in multiple widths. That last runs slightly narrow, so the D with was closer to a C in real life and fit me perfectly. Here is the thread:

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/comparison-wesco-mr-lou-to-john-lofgren-engineer.102418/

Thanks for that comparison.
I’m not sure why my feet look so narrow. I Usually do fine in an 8.5D. That’s what the majority of my shoes are. D width is usually good for me.

 

[AeroFan_07]

That's good. Be sure to ready through some of my fit and more specifically the "walk" feel of the Wesco's. I wound up retuning them, and selling the Lofgren's too. I no longer have any Engineer boots. Just found they are a difficult fit and even fitting well, the walk was tricky.

 

[Seank]

Are you accustomed to wearing pull up boots without laces? Ropers or Cowboy style boots?
If so how would you compare? I wear Ropers often.

 

[Bfd70]

I am a 10 brannock
9.5 IR
9.5 Lofgren engineer
I have 2 pairs of ropers I wear often. Here’s the thing, styles aren’t as important as Lasts. I’ve owned 5 pairs of engineers. All were the right length but all fit differently because they are on different lasts. In my experience instep and toe box are very important considerations. Fwiw my Luchesse and Justin ropers fit better than any of my engineers.

 

[AeroFan_07]

Are you accustomed to wearing pull up boots without laces? Ropers or Cowboy style boots?
If so how would you compare? I wear Ropers often.

Good question. So full disclosure is yes - in times past.

My first "quality" pair of boots was back in 1987 - just after I could start driving. I wanted a pair of Red Wing pull-on boots, so I drove myself to the Red Wing store in Champaign, IL and purchased what are now the most basic Pecos model (now called the Nailset - Style #1187) https://www.redwingshoes.com/work/mens/NailSeat-01178.html?cgid=mens-work
I wrote a check out for the full $126.00 price with tax and it was my first check over $100 to write!! They are a little more than than now.

I used the snot out of them, loved wearing them, got the fit nailed by the shop clerk and just never looked back. I think I got ~ 8 years out of those boots.

However my intrests turned more toward lace-ups after that, and I have occassionally tried a pair of cowboy, harness & enigneer boots as a nice-looking "distraction." I really like a snug & supportive fit for all my shoes & boots, so yeah, the pull-on boot market is less interesting to me now.

 

[jonjonhawaii]

Are you accustomed to wearing pull up boots without laces? Ropers or Cowboy style boots?
If so how would you compare? I wear Ropers often.

Did you purchase the Lofgren engineers and what size did you get?
I’m an 8.5 B/C width in Brannock and wear a size 7 Iron Ranger, so I was really curious. Thank you!

 

[Seank]

I purchased some of The Flat Head natural CXL Engineers from Self Edge.they were about $1095 I think…
I was advised to go a size down from my Brannock and ordered the 7.5. The fit is good with regards to the insole and toe box, I feel like the heel is a little looser than what I am accustomed to. I usually wear western style boots, ropers, cowboy style (Lucchese, Tecova, etc…)
Actually thinking of putting the Engineers up for sale. I haven’t worn them since I bought them. Just always go for my ropers. They’re pretty damn nice though. I put a 3/4 insole in them and it really helped with the heel without altering the other dimensions of the fit.

 

[jonjonhawaii]

I purchased some of The Flat Head natural CXL Engineers from Self Edge.they were about $1095 I think…
I was advised to go a size down from my Brannock and ordered the 7.5. The fit is good with regards to the insole and toe box, I feel like the heel is a little looser than what I am accustomed to. I usually wear western style boots, ropers, cowboy style (Lucchese, Tecova, etc…)
Actually thinking of putting the Engineers up for sale. I haven’t worn them since I bought them. Just always go for my ropers. They’re pretty damn nice though. I put a 3/4 insole in them and it really helped with the heel without altering the other dimensions of the fit.

Thank you for the feedback! Just yesterday I ordered Lofgren engineers in 7.5. We’ll see how far off I am. Thanks again!

 

[2g4]

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I am looking at some CXL John Lofgren Engineers. Websites seem to say that going 1/2 size down from your Brannock size is the size to order…which in my case would be an 8 (8.5 on the Brannock)
Those same websites say a size 8 John Lofgren is equivalent to a size 8.5 or 9 RedWing??? I own two pairs of Iron Rangers, one pair is a 7 and the other is a 7.5…but I am clearly a 8.5 on the Brannock. Something ain’t jiving here.
Help before I make a costly mistake.
Any of you have experience and a good result using your Brannock size as a reference?

I bought a pair about six months ago (CXL in fact). I generally wear an 11.5 or a 12, and there was no way that was going to fit, in particular the pass-through but also my toe touched the front. Exchanged for a 12, and it's a good fit but not oversized. TBH, 12.5 wouldn't be crazy, but 12 works. Here's some other boots that fit me:

Viberg	Service Boot	11E
John Lofgren	Wabash Engineer Boots - Lot No. LK-003	12
John Lofgren	M-43 Service Boots	12

Alden	4060 Cap Toe	11.5D
Alden	40X Indy boots	12
Whites	Semi Dress Boots	12D
Viberg	Country Derby	12
Red Wing	Iron Ranger, 8111	12D
John Lofgren	Combat Boots - Lot No. LK-014	11.5E US

 

[edmond]

always consider the width on a pair of footwear

 

[Motocann]

I’m a size 9D brannock.
I wear a 8D in Wesco engineer boots and 8.5D in John Lofgren boots.

 

[Tyler Durden]

I've made the mistake of going with a 9D matching my Red Wing size 9D = 9.5 in Nike ( best reference point for myself). They were just too big, with a lot of heel slip which caused me to grip with my toes when walking, not ideal. I've since sold them and bought a new pair from Standard & Strange in an 8.5D ( a full size down from my sneaker size ). The challenge came when trying to get them on, but once in, they were perfect on the inside.

The pass through on shaft trickiest part. As Lofgren's are known to be a bit or work to get on, and off. Once on, they are amazing out of the box, with minimal break in required. I have a high instep and there were no issues here. I did the broom stick handle to stretch the pass through point just above the heel line. When trying on I used a shoe / boot horn, and plastic bag trick (veggie isle in supermarket). It did take some work but was definitely the right size in the long run.

 

[Spiegel]

I'm a brannock 8.5E and in the JL Combat boot I wear size 8, JL Engineer I'm a 8.5 and Iron Ranger I wear size 7.5EE. Having Standard and Strange 45mins away from me also helps as long as they have stock to try on. Hope that helps