Exceptional Boots... But Not Exactly What I Asked For
At this point, the internet is littered with stories from Flame Panda's North American clientele about production timelines doubling or tripling from the initial estimate and communication lapsing into ghosting. My experience was no different. I was quoted roughly one year; that stretched to about a year and a half, with final delivery landing a little over two years after I placed my order - along the way, several emails and Instagram DMs went unanswered. And I suspect it's only gotten worse since I ordered these back in mid-2022.
When communication did happen: it was hit or miss. Peng's correspondence makes it clear he's genuinely kind, hardworking and committed to delivering an exceptional product. But his organization feels frazzled, and things do get lost in translation.
These boots were a one-off custom modeled after Clinch's jodhpur. While I loved that design - in particular its sleek shape - I had concerns about sizing on Clinch's notoriously finicky lasts. I also wanted a different leather (more on that below), which Clinch wasn't offering anything like at the time. Even though this was (as far as I know) Peng's first attempt at producing a jodhpur, I felt confident he'd nail it based on what I'd seen of his prior work.
As we finalized sizing and design details via email, Peng's replies often generated entirely new threads. I ended up with six or seven separate chains all discussing the same things, which made tracking details a total mess - at one point, he even lost track of whether I'd paid. Leather selection proved to be another stumbling block. I initially requested Horween Earth reverse chamois - I wanted a textured, flesh out leather to fill a gap in my collection - and was told it wouldn't be an issue. Later, Peng let me know he couldn't source it. No big deal. After some back and forth, we settled on a hand-finished Maryam horsebutt roughout, with Peng planning to wax and burnish it himself to achieve a waxed flesh-esque texture shown in a sample photo he'd sent me. As you can see from my photos: that hand working never materialized.
All that said (and somewhat to my surprise), I'm genuinely happy with what I received - a testament to Peng's exceptional skill.
He absolutely nailed the aesthetic I was going for. The pronounced curve at the heel coupled with the angular vamp tapering into a slim, fitted profile illustrates a thoughtfully considered balance between the 206 last and the pattern he crafted. The result is unique without veering into a Carol Christian Poell-esque realm of exaggeration or intentional caricature.
Beyond the design, the construction quality is among the best I've ever seen or handled. There isn't a stitch out of place, and the finishing reflects a level of painstaking attention to detail that comes from someone who takes immense pride in their craft. In this regard, Peng's work is an absurd value for the price. The singular "flaw" I could find: the left boot has two miniscule lasting nail holes, while the right has one. That's it... and I'm not even sure if that counts.
The leather, while not exactly what I requested, is still excellent. Its temper is firmer than I expected, lending structure that, when paired with Peng's overbuilt construction, makes the boots feel like they were forged to fistfight a building and win. The coarser nap also delivers some of the varied texture I originally wanted, though I'm still debating whether to wax them myself.
So where does that leave me? Probably not ordering from Peng again - not because the boots aren't outstanding, but because of the experience surrounding them. His craftsmanship is undeniable. But the path to get to this point was longer and more chaotic than I'm willing to navigate a second time - if, frankly, it's even navigable at all now.
